Holidays on the Ranch (Burnt Boot, Texas #1)(48)

“It all belongs to Finn, so you’d best ask him,” she answered.

He pulled a knife from his pocket and cut the tape loose. “Now see what you got in there, but remember that Angel is in the house, so don’t hang any breakables too low on the branches.”

Callie pointed at the tree. “I don’t think it’ll matter where we hang them.”

There was Angel in the fork of a branch watching them from between the greenery. She tilted her head to one side and was completely hidden, as if she knew that Callie would be reaching in to take her away from her newfound safe spot.

“Come on, girl. You can’t be in there. I know it’s a nice little place to hide from those mean old dog boys, but you’ll hurt your shoulder trying to get down.” She talked to the cat as she laid her on the corner of the sofa on a soft throw. “See there. That’s not nearly as scratchy as those cedar branches.”

Verdie pulled the box over toward the sofa, sat down, and started removing tissue paper from around each ornament.

Callie took one look and inhaled deeply. “That is an antique. It should be in a museum, not on a tree where a cat might knock it off or a dog’s tail might get to going too hard and send it flying.”

Verdie handed it to her. “They’re just things, Callie. If they get broken, then at least they were being enjoyed. Hang every one in the box on the tree, and then you boys need to get those boxes labeled outside lights and check them while we put all this stuff on the tree and out in the house,” she said.

“What do you mean check the lights?” Martin asked.

“They’re the kind like what is on the tree. If one is shot, then the whole string won’t light up. So you plug them in, and if it don’t light up, you start at one end and replace bulbs until you find the shot one,” she explained. “Make sure every light is working before you get out there on the roof, and it’ll make your job go faster. Plus it’s warmer in the house.”

Finn and Martin used the dining room and kitchen to stretch out the first strand of lights and both let out a whoop when it lit up. When they’d checked the rest of the lights and none of them had bad bulbs, they carefully carried out the first strand like it was a twenty-five-foot-long snake. Finn crawled up on a ladder and Martin fed the wire up to him while he snapped it into place.

While they were doing that, Callie took two glass ornaments from Verdie’s hand and held them up to the light. “They’re gorgeous.”

“I think Mama called it mercury glass. They were her favorites,” Verdie said.

“We really shouldn’t be taking the chance of getting them broken. I’ll cry if they get destroyed.”

“If they get broke, at least I got to be here the last time they were used and I got to enjoy being with y’all. You want something worthwhile to worry about, I’ll give it to you. Polly called this morning right after you went up to the attic,” Verdie said.

Callie stopped halfway to the tree and looked over her shoulder. “And?”

“She got ahold of her contact, and it’s like this. Nobody in this part of the state is willin’ to take on three kids right here at the holidays. Some folks out in west Texas said they had room for one. Someone down near Corpus Christi says they’ll take one, and another family in the middle of Fort Worth will take the third one, so they’re not staying in Burnt Boot, and they aren’t staying together,” Verdie whispered.

“When?” Callie asked.

“The Laytons are plannin’ to leave on Sunday morning, so the kids will be taken somewhere that day and then split up on Monday morning, I guess. Martin probably won’t even see them again.”

Callie hung the two ornaments and sat down in the recliner, put her hands over her eyes, and let the tears flow.

Verdie patted her on the shoulder. “Polly says she could probably put in a word if someone wanted them through the holidays around here, so they could finish out the semester at school and not be yanked up right here at the finish, but who’s going to take on three orphans a couple of weeks before Christmas?”

Callie pinched her nose with her two fingers, but it didn’t stop the headache. “You think they’d let me have them?”

“Don’t know. You sure couldn’t do it without talking to Finn first. Now let’s get these decorations up. You and I will do some shopping on Monday and even have presents under the tree when Martin gets off the school bus. That might help a little bit,” Verdie said.

“Come outside and see the front of the house,” Martin yelled from the door. “Oh, oh, what is that? Is it a cookie jar shaped like Santa Claus?”

Verdie held it up. “Yes, it is, and it’s guaranteed to stay on the cabinet and have magic cookies in it every day for your after-school snack.”

Martin let out a whoop. “What’s magic cookies?”

“It’s not the cookies that are magic. It’s the jar. It never runs out of cookies,” Verdie answered.

“Hey, you hear that, Finn? We got magic in this place until after Christmas.”

“Shut the door before you let all the warmth out, and we’ll be out there in a few minutes. Got to get our jackets. Don’t get chilled. We can always finish decorating tomorrow if we don’t get it done today,” Verdie said.

“I can’t wait to see it all lit up.” Martin’s last two words were muffled through the door.