Amelia released the girls, ran to Clint and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you for bringing them home.”
Clint held her for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of her in his arms and appreciating her greeting. “They were anxious to get home to you.” When she released him, he looked her up and down, thinking she looked more beautiful than ever. “You look like you’ve fully recovered.”
She gave him a smile. “I feel wonderful. And your mother and I have been busy cooking. It’s been so nice spending time with her.”
Clint wanted to ask how many times Casey had visited, but the girls were listening to their conversation.
Ingrid welcomed the guests and shared their plans for the evening. “Children, after dinner I want all of you to help decorate the Christmas tree.”
“Are we going to pop some corn to string?” Boone asked.
“Ma wouldn’t have a tree without corn.” Clint kissed the top of his mother’s head. “I’ll get the horses settled before dinner.”
* * *
Dinner ended, and the children helped decorate the Christmas tree the doctor had chopped down the day before. When the tree was finished, sleeping arrangements were made for the night. Before they retired, Ingrid told them the plans for Christmas Day. “Everyone, get some sleep. We will have a quick breakfast in the morning, and then we’ll ride to town for church service. Afterward, we’ll have a big dinner at the hotel. Everyone is bringing a dish because they only have one cook at the hotel right now. Amelia and I have cooked several dishes to take for all of us.”
* * *
Clint said he had an errand to run, and the doc offered to go with him, knowing what he was going to do. Three hours later, when they returned to the ranch, everyone was asleep. They shared another whiskey by the fire before the doc fell asleep in a chair. While the doc was snoring softly, Clint poured himself another whiskey and thought about his future. Now that he was home again, he couldn’t bear the thought of being far from his mother, or Amelia and the girls. He knew his presence brought comfort to the girls, particularly after the encounter with those men who’d stolen the gold. Before he’d left the ranch tonight, the girls had told him good night, and he’d overheard Annie ask Amelia why he couldn’t sleep with them like he did on the trail. He couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard Amelia try to explain why that particular sleeping arrangement would be inappropriate here.
“But Mr. Mitchum let us sleep beside him on the way home. He held us so we wouldn’t be scared,” Annie retorted.
Amelia smiled at the thought of Clint holding the girls at night and patiently answering all their questions. “Well, that’s different.”
“Why?” Annie pressed.
“Annie, a lady must be married before a man can stay in her room,” Katie explained to her sister.
“Why?” Annie asked.
“That’s just what’s proper,” Katie replied.
“That’s silly,” Annie informed her.
Clint had to agree with Annie on that point.
Chapter 11
Ingrid and Amelia prepared a simple breakfast of apple cinnamon rolls with milk for the children and coffee for the men. After the men ate, they hurried to the stable to ready the wagons and buckboards for the trip to town. Clint hooked a team to his buckboard, planning to take Amelia and the girls with him.
While waiting for the women, Clint and Whitt were standing by the porch talking when Clint suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. Amelia and Ingrid walked from the house wearing their new dresses. Clint walked closer and removed his hat. “Ma, I’ve never seen such beautiful dresses, or two more stunning ladies.”
Smiling, Ingrid placed a kiss on his cheek. “You chose the lovely material.”
“Yes, thank you. Your mother is a talented seamstress. I’ve never owned anything so fine,” Amelia added.
Clint held out his hands to help them down the stairs. “I’ll be fighting every man in town over you two.”
As soon as Annie and Katie walked outside, they ran straight to Clint.
“Look what Miss Ingrid made for us!” Annie exclaimed, holding out the skirt of her new dress.
“You girls look so pretty.”
Annie thrust her doll at him. “Look at Lucy! She got a new dress, too.”
Clint took Lucy and examined her new dress and her new eyes, which greatly improved the little doll’s appearance. His mother had put Lucy back together. “She looks real pretty.”
The doctor took Ingrid’s hand in his and led her to the stable, where he’d left his buckboard. Honey and the puppies were hidden in the buckboard, and they didn’t want the girls to see them. The doc’s buckboard was at the back of the group as they made their way down the lane leaving Clint’s ranch.
Reaching the dirt road that led to La Grange, they rode for another quarter of a mile until a huge banner draped across the road came into view. CHRISTMAS ROAD was written in big, bold letters. Clint heard the excited chatter not only from the children, but from the adults.
Pulling the buckboard to a halt, Clint jumped down and helped Amelia and the girls to the ground. As if timed perfectly, Mr. and Mrs. Stanton rode in from the opposite direction, followed by several buckboards filled with the families from town.
Whitt and the boys jumped from his wagon and joined Clint and Amelia. “Clint, what’s all this?” Whitt asked.
Clint clapped Whitt on the back. “You’ll see.” He turned to see the excitement on the faces of the children. “There are presents hanging from the trees for the ladies and children. Now, everyone go find the present with your name on it.” He motioned for Whitt, Tom and Ben, saying, “I want to talk to you in private for a minute.”
By the time the adults were on the ground, all of the children, except Annie and Katie, were running to the
