“This was the errand you had to do last night?” Whitt asked.
“Yep. The doc and I hung all the presents last night. Early this morning I left the house to go pick up Bo and Boone’s presents.”
Whitt gave Clint a puzzled look just as Bo called out to him, “Pa, look at our goats!”
Whitt looked at Clint with watery eyes and said, “I don’t know how you did this, but thank you.”
* * *
Clint motioned for the men surrounding him to move a few steps away, where they could talk in private. “I know you men were worried about your ranches being foreclosed on. I talked to the banker, and he agreed to push back the dates where he could.” He handed each of them paperwork from the bank, reflecting the now-current mortgages.
Whitt studied the paperwork. “But you paid the portion that was due.”
“It wasn’t much, and that’s a Christmas gift,” Clint responded.
All the men choked back tears as they shook Clint’s hand, thanking him for his generosity.
“Now, go see what your children are so excited about.”
Clint walked back to Amelia and the girls. Annie slipped her hand in Clint’s. “Thank you for our dresses.”
“We love them,” Katie added.
“I’m glad. Now, let’s walk back to Doc’s buckboard.”
When they reached the buckboard, Clint lifted Honey from the back.
“Is that your dog, Mr. Mitchum?” Annie asked as she petted Honey.
“I reckon she is, and your mother named her Honey. What do you think of her?”
“She’s so pretty,” Katie replied.
Clint put Honey on the ground before he picked up the two puppies. “Honey told me these two were for you. But their ma has to stay with them for a while because they’re so young.”
Both girls started to cry.
“We’ve always wanted a puppy,” Annie sobbed.
Clint held out a puppy to each girl. “Your ma agreed you can each have one, but you have to promise to take good care of them.”
They both looked at Amelia. “Really? We get both of them?”
Amelia smiled through her own tears. “Yes, but you should thank Mr. Mitchum.”
“Thank you!” They hugged the puppies, promising to take good care of them.
Clint kneeled down in front of them. “You’re welcome, but why are you crying?”
“These are happy tears,” Amelia told him.
Clint shook his head. “I have a lot to learn.”
“Casey always said we couldn’t afford puppies,” Katie reminded her mother.
“Casey has no say in the matter. He won’t be working at the ranch anymore,” Amelia replied, her eyes on Clint.
Clint looked at her and arched his brow.
“He visited me while you were away and I told him we would never marry.”
Clint grinned, pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, “Now that’s a nice Christmas present.”
“What are their names?” Katie asked, totally ignoring the conversation about Casey.
“You have to name them; they belong to you.” Clint pointed to the puppy Katie was holding. “That one is a boy, and the one Annie is holding is a girl.”
“We’ll think of good names,” Annie promised.
Clint glanced up to see his mother and John approaching. “There’s a present with your name on it, Ma.”
“For me?” Ingrid questioned.
“Yes, ma’am, but you have to find it,” Clint replied.
Ingrid and the doc walked to the trees to find her present.
Annie pulled at Amelia’s skirt. “Ma, we have a present for you.”
“Miss Ingrid helped us wrap it.” Katie pulled the small package from her pocket.
Taking the gift in her hands, Amelia admired the wrapping. “This is so pretty. But how did you girls manage to get me a present?”
“Didn’t I tell you about the magic of Christmas?” Clint asked.
The girls smiled up at Clint conspiratorially.
Carefully unwrapping the present, Amelia gasped when she saw the locket she’d seen months before in Stanton’s mercantile. “It’s the locket we saw that day.”
Annie and Katie grinned at her. “We remembered.”
“You certainly did. It’s lovely.” Amelia immediately tied the black ribbon holding the locket around her neck.
“It looks real pretty on you,” Katie said.
Amelia kissed the girls. “I shall wear it always. Thank you, girls.”
Clint took Amelia’s hand. “All of you, come with me.”
When Clint passed his mother, he asked, “Did you find your present?”
“Here it is.” Ingrid pulled the small package from the tree and pulled off the paper. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the gold star locket brooch, designed with a large opal surrounded by seed pearls. “Son, it’s beautiful.” She turned to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It’s the most beautiful present I’ve ever received, and I’m going to put your photograph inside.”
“It’s not as beautiful as you are, Ma.”
“You know I already gave you your Christmas present, don’t you?” Ingrid whispered in his ear.
“Yes, ma’am, I do, and in the process you put me back together, just like Annie’s doll.” He glanced at Amelia. “And I need to ask Amelia something right now. We’ll be back in a minute.”
“What present did you give him?” the doc asked Ingrid when Clint walked away.
“Amelia.”
* * *
Reaching the tree where he had hung a small box tied with a blue ribbon, Clint plucked it from the branch and took hold of Amelia’s hand. “Amelia, I’d like to know . . .” His throat went dry. He wanted the moment to be perfect—a moment they would remember when they were old and gray, telling
