It's a Christmas Thing (The Christmas Tree Ranch #2)(64)
The parade, scheduled to begin at 10:00, started at the high school parking lot, continued down Main Street to the last stoplight going south, then turned around at the intersection with the highway and went back in the other direction. Nobody minded that the procession went both ways. Seeing everything twice made the fun last twice as long.
By 9:15 Tracy was ready to go, dressed in a festive red sweater, jeans, boots, and her warm parka. Leaving the car on a side street, she walked the short distance to the city park, a good spot for parade watching.
Rush had arranged to meet her next to the World War II monument, a tall block of native stone with a flagpole on top and a bronze plaque listing the names of Branding Iron’s veterans. The sidewalks along the parade route were already crowded, with people staking out the best spots. Even families from Cottonwood Springs—a bigger town, but with no parade of its own—enjoyed coming to Branding Iron for some old-fashioned Christmas spirit.
It was early yet. Tracy didn’t expect Rush to meet her until almost parade time. But as she strolled through the milling crowd, she spotted several people she knew. Maureen, the receptionist in the courthouse, gave her a friendly wave. “Can I come tomorrow and get that little black kitten?” she asked.
“Can you wait till later in the day?” Tracy asked. “Dr. Rushford is coming tomorrow to give the kittens their vaccinations. Then they’ll be ready to go.”
“Sure,” Maureen said. “I’ll call before I come.”
Tracy sighed as she walked on. She was going to miss those kittens. Over the past week, they’d become little holy terrors, racing through the house, climbing on everything. But they were so cute and so much fun. Unless Clara got her miracle, Tracy realized she’d likely be keeping Snowflake. Clara would never forgive her if she gave the white kitten away. At least he was the calm one.
But he really belonged to Clara. Tracy knew it. Clara knew it. Maybe even Snowflake knew it.
Through the crowd, she could see Katy and Daniel walking hand in hand. Daniel would be picking up Tiger before Christmas. Sweet, loving Katy would adore the little tabby girl.
Only as they passed her did Tracy notice someone walking with them—a young woman she’d never seen before.
She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, slim as a willow, with long brown hair and striking dark eyes. But it was her clothes that drew Tracy’s attention. She was dressed in faded jeans with tooled leather cowboy boots that came almost to her knees. Over a black turtleneck, she wore a buckskin jacket that looked like something salvaged from a rock star, with trailing fringe on the yokes and sleeves, and exquisite beading down the front. A weathered Stetson shaded her face. On anyone else, the outfit would have been too much. But the young woman wore it with such elegance and flair that she made a stunning picture.
Tracy looked away for a moment. When she looked back, Daniel, Katy, and the mysterious stranger were nowhere in sight.
She glanced at her watch. Rush could be showing up any minute. She hurried back to the monument to find him waiting for her. He grinned and caught her hand. “Come on, the parade’s about to start.”
“Where’s Clara?” Tracy asked.
“You’ll see. Come on.” He led her to a good vantage point, standing behind a family who’d brought chairs. The Christmas music on the public address speakers had gone silent. From up the street they could hear the beat of a snare drum as the flag came into sight, carried by the members of the American Legion. Everyone stood and placed their hands over their hearts. When the flag had passed, Rush moved behind Tracy and wrapped his arms around her. The feeling was pure joy, being with a man who wouldn’t hesitate to show the whole town that she was his woman.
At a respectful distance behind the flag came a white convertible with local and visiting dignitaries—the lieutenant governor, the county commissioners, and Maggie, bundled into a dark green coat. Catching sight of Rush and Tracy, she grinned and blew them a kiss.
Tracy remembered their talk two days ago. Over coffee and pie at Buckaroo’s, she’d given Maggie a copy of the obscure Arizona law she’d found online. “Rush needs to have this,” Maggie had said.
“Maybe later,” Tracy had replied. “Right now I don’t want to give him false hope. But somebody else needs to be aware of this, in case I’m not around later on. Sometime—maybe years from now—it could be useful. Just not now.”
“I can’t say I agree.” Maggie had frowned and shaken her head. “I think you should just give it to Rush. But I’ll respect your decision and keep this somewhere safe—for now.”
The memory faded as she and Rush settled in to watch the parade. The Branding Iron High School Marching Band was playing Christmas music—more than a little off-key, but nobody seemed to mind. The local businesses had decorated simple floats, some with pretty teenage girls riding on them. Volunteers dressed as elves scampered along the sidelines, throwing wrapped candies to the kids.
At the sound of sleigh bells, a stir of excitement passed through the crowd. Children peered up the street, some of them jumping up and down. Parents lifted the little ones to their shoulders for a better view.
Santa was coming.
Branding Iron wasn’t much of a town, and the Christmas parade was no grand spectacle. But the Branding Iron Santa, in a real sleigh, pulled by massive draft horses with real brass bells on their harnesses, was pure magic. There was no better Santa in the state, maybe in the whole country. And now he was coming down the street, the sleigh gliding on a layer of hard-packed snow.