Jolene Navarro - Lone Star Christmas

The black fluff ball that Tomas held against his chest stopped wriggling and licked the boy’s face. He kept his eyes down.

Isaac looked down at the golden puppy in his lap. “There’s lots of cool stuff here, then we heard the puppies bark,” he mumbled. The usually happy brother was also on the verge of tears. “Momma said she was bringing home a puppy for Christmas.”

Jackie covered her mouth. These babies had lost both parents and had been left with brothers they didn’t even know. Swinging her leg over the panel, she joined the boys in the middle of the litter.

She sat between them. Maybe she was overstepping, but she pulled them close. Two other puppies joined them, jumping over each other, tails wagging.

With a soft squeeze, she pressed a kiss to the side of each of the boys’ heads. “We were worried about you. You must let your brothers know where you’re at all the time. They love you, and were scared when they couldn’t find you.”

Isaac looked up at Ethan and Max. “We’re sorry. Look.” He held his pup up to them. “This one has the same color of hair as Momma, and that one is the same as Daddy. They were waiting for us.”

Tomas wiped his face across his sleeve and smiled at the puppy that licked him. “They need homes. Can we take them? Maybe they’re the dogs Momma was going to give us.”

Max blew out a heavy sigh and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry, boys, but it’ll be up to Vanessa. You’re going to be living with her.”

Silent tears fell to the concrete, leaving prints in the dust. Tomas buried his face in the soft fur. Jackie looked at Max. He had his hands stuffed in his back pockets. The muscles in his jaw popped. There had to be something they could do. Ethan joined them, sitting cross-legged, and a few of the puppies scrambled into his lap.

“Hey, folks. Jim McClain.” The feed store owner joined them. He wiped his hands with a bandanna before offering one in greeting to Max. “If you want them, those puppies will be ready to go home with you by the end of the week. The two smaller ones are the only homeless ones. They’re my sister’s dogs. The mother is a super sweet Lab. Good family dog.” He grinned. “Not sure about the father. I think he might be the neighbor’s Australian shepherd. They’re real smart. Easy to train. Already house broke. Looks like a perfect match to me.”

“We’re just here temporarily.” Max frowned.

Jim looked down. “Jackie! Hey, girl, what are you doing? Your dad need any hay or feed? Maybe a couple of dogs?” He laughed.

Jim towered over Max and was twice his size. He had played college ball and was now back in town running the family business. He was always trying to get her to buy something or go on a date with him. She had been able to avoid both by avoiding the feed store altogether, until now.

She smiled. “No thanks, Jim. This is Tomas and Isaac Delgado and their brothers, Ethan and Max.”

Eyes narrowed, Jim crossed his massive arms. “Thought you looked familiar. Your uncle had all his feed and hay shipped in from Kerrville. You here to clear out all those thistles? They’re ruining all our grass.”

She stood. “Jim, he’s here with his brothers because their father died in an accident. He’s looking to clean up the land and get it back into shape.”

Max glared at her. “I don’t need to explain myself or my brothers to anyone.”

Isaac stood, holding his puppy close. “Mr. McClain, we’d take really good care of these two. We think they want to stay together, so they won’t be scared when they leave their mom.”

Jim softened and smiled at the five-year-old. “I believe they like you, too. I’ll talk to my sister, and you talk with your brother. It’s a big responsibility.” He went down on his haunches so that he was eye to eye with both boys. “They’d count on you to take care of them.”

The brothers now stood next to each other, each hugging a puppy like they’d never let go. Tomas kissed his black pup on its nose. “We’re going to call this one Baby. That’s what Momma called Daddy.”

Isaac giggled as the golden pup licked his ear. “This one is going to be Queenie because Daddy called Momma his queen. She’s blonde like Momma. What do you think?”

Jim patted the little dog. “Those sound like fine names.” He stood and turned to Max. “Looks like you got a couple of dogs. I can put all the supplies you’ll need on a ranch account for you.” He turned to the boys. “On that second aisle over there is a bunch of collars and other stuff puppies need. Pick out what you want, and I’ll have it all ready for you when you pick them up the Saturday after Thanksgiving.” He smirked at Max. “I trust you’ll pay the balance then.”

Rushing over the fencing, the twins charged into Max. “Please. We love these puppies. Vanessa’ll love them, too.”

He looked at Jackie, a sadness in his eyes. She thought about pointing out to the boys that Max hadn’t actually agreed to them keeping the dogs. With a sigh, he shook his head.

Ethan scowled. “You’re going to let them do whatever they want, aren’t you?”

Max dropped to meet the boys eye to eye. “I’m so sorry, boys, but we can’t take these puppies. If Vanessa says no, then they will have nowhere to go. That’s not fair to them.” He reached out to wipe a tear off Isaac’s cheek. “It’s not fair to you, either. I can’t tell you yes, then turn around and take them away from you.”

Tomas squeezed his puppy. “We could all stay with you.”

The sadness in Max’s eyes caused her to fight back her own tears. There had to be some way she could help. Maybe she could offer to take the puppies.

Max picked up one of the puppies. “Tomas, I’ll be going back to the rodeo soon. We have the next couple of weeks together, then you’ll be going with Vanessa. We’ll visit and talk as much as you want, but you can’t live with me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” Both boys nodded.

He looked at Jim. “Maybe we could visit while we’re still in town?”

“Not a problem. The puppies always need a bit of attention.” Jim held his hand out again and waited for Max to take it. “Welcome back to Clear Water, Delgado. Let me know what you need, and I can have it delivered. If you need help clearing out the thistles, I know where you can hire some local boys.” He pulled a card out of his shirt pocket. “Call me for whatever you need.”

“Thanks.” Max didn’t look all that thankful. “Come on, boys. Tell the dogs bye. We need to get our food and head to the ranch. I don’t need you getting sick from being out in the cold.” He turned to her as he pulled off his jacket. “Here, put this on. You can’t get sick, either. Don’t need more reasons for people to hate me.”

“I come from tough stock.” She pulled the comfortable denim around her shoulders anyway and tried not to inhale his scent too deeply. It filled her with comfort. Not good. “But thank you.”

* * *

He watched as she gently helped the boys put the puppies back with the litter. Caring for the boys, and giving them what they needed, seemed to come naturally for her.

Why is it so hard for me? It would be easier to face down an angry bull than tell these boys no.

A few more tears and they said their goodbyes. Going back through the convenience store to the café, they gathered their food and got everyone buckled in to her car.

Not a word was spoken as they drove down Main Street. Early signs of Christmas had already appeared in some of the shop windows. The holidays were just around the corner. It had pretty much been just another day in his life.

Isaac slurped his drink. “When can we visit the puppies again?”

Jackie made eye contact through the rearview mirror, then glanced at Max.