Fin spentthe week swimming with his nieces and sight-seeing with his brother’s family. The reporters and photographers who followed him around fascinated Ethan’s clan, and they stood by politely when he signed autographs for fans.
Normally, Addie held a large Christmas party at her house, but with Fin’s family in town, she had elected to attend Mac’s holiday party instead. Her over-the-top explanation of giving Fin private time with his family made Fin suspect more than just business was going on between his two business partners, and he was happy for them both.
They spent Christmas Eve decorating the tree and remembering past Christmases. As bedtime approached, Moira shuffled the girls off to the guest bedroom, declaring that Santa didn’t come when children were still awake. After an hour full of “I’m thirsty” and “I need to potty” routines, the girls finally settled in and fell asleep, giving the adults a chance to arrange Christmas gifts under the tree. Fin poured everyone a glass of wine and settled in on the couch to admire their handiwork.
“This is nice,” Fin said. “I don’t remember the last time I decorated a Christmas tree. I’m either away on location or some assistant puts up a small, pre-decorated tree for me. Kids make Christmas more fun, don’t they?”
Ethan smiled and Moira agreed. “Aye. Their excitement is contagious.”
“Fin.” Ethan got his attention. “It’s been educational watching you in your world. You get loads of attention, and yet you roll along as if it were everyday stuff. Like I might handle a horse needing a new shoe.”
Moira laughed. “Or how I might handle getting our wee lasses dressed or cleaning up their messes.”
Fin chuckled, recalling the spilled juice incident earlier in the week and how upset Tara had been when she’d thought she’d ruined Uncle Fin’s bonnie rug. Moira had handled it like a champ, and removed the stain before he could call someone to manage it.
Ethan continued, “You’ve had over a decade to get to that point. It’s something Alex hasn’t dealt with before. Mayhap you should call her and talk it through.”
Fin sighed and tilted his head back, not wanting to deal with his broken heart right now.
Ethan quickly added, “No pressure. I’m just thinking about how I would react if I found myself thrust into the limelight.” Then he changed the subject. “So, did you see Manhattan United have a new goalkeeper?”
The conversation flowed to the upcoming football season, and the brothers fell into familiar habits of disagreeing with the other’s opinions of who had the best strategies. Before too long, their yawns convinced them to turn in before the girls woke up looking for evidence of Santa’s visit.
Friends and relativescrowded the house and spilled into the backyard. Alex had exchanged gifts earlier with her parents, then helped her mother prepare for the traditional Christmas luncheon hosted every year at the ranch. The Tanner family extended invitations to friends, ranch hands, and anyone else associated with the ranch or her family. It always surprised Alex how many people came every year. She’d mentioned it to her mother earlier, speculating about why they weren’t spending the holiday with their own family. Debra had shrugged and said they either had no remaining family, couldn’t afford to travel, or preferred this family to the one they had.
Her parents always had the event catered, so no one had to worry about cleaning up. This year, they’d hired a local group whose specialty was mesquite brisket to supply the meal, and everyone else had brought drinks, desserts, or any specialized food they wanted.
Alex’s father had set up the outdoor games for anyone willing to brave the brisk winter temperatures. Lawn darts and cornhole were favorites, but they’d also dug out the basketball and added a fresh net to the rim so the kids could shoot some hoops if they wanted. A little cold weather never stopped the rugged West Texas folks from enjoying themselves. Alex had played a cutthroat game of horse with some ten-year-old boys until their frozen fingers drove them inside for some hot cocoa in front of the warm fire.
Having so many people around reminded her of Fin. While he only had two siblings, he treated his cousins like brothers and sisters, making his family stories sound like he belonged to a large, boisterous family. And from what he had shared, they had the same sense of community as her parents. If she hadn’t canceled, she would be in LA sharing Christmas with his brother, sister-in-law, and their two girls. Fin had been thrilled she would get to meet them.
“Alex, can you come help me reach this?” her mother called from the kitchen.
Alex wiped the moisture from her eyes and went to help her height-challenged mother reach whatever bowl was too high. She had always teased her mom about having to buy a kitchen stool once Alex left for college because her “reacher” was no longer available. When Alex came back home, the stool sat in the corner, unused.
The last guest left around six. Their closest neighbor had stuck around, helping her father pick up the outdoor furniture and put away the games. Alex and Debra had finished cleaning up the inside and sat at the kitchen table drinking iced tea when her dad came in the back door.
“Well, another wonderful party this year,” he concluded. “Looks like it might snow later.”
“The forecast said snow was possible,” her mother reminded him as she poured him a glass.
“Eh, I didn’t believe them. But the clouds are building, and they look heavy.”
“I hope it won’t cause problems for me getting to the airport tomorrow,” Alex said.
Her father shrugged. “Shouldn’t. It rarely snows enough to do harm. It’s the ice you have to watch out for. And your flight is later. The ice will have burned off by then.”
“Right.” Houston’s weather differed so greatly from West Texas, it was hard to believe they were in the same state. Houston was humid and subtropical, the temperature ranging from the mid-nineties in summer to the mid-forties in winter. By contrast, the Oil Patch, where her family lived was on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert extending out of Mexico. Summers were dry and hot, with temperatures regularly reaching over a hundred degrees. Winters were much colder, frequently dipping down into freezing temperatures. It sometimes snowed, but mostly just froze, and black ice was a danger to many drivers during those cold months.
Alex wondered what the weather was like in Los Angeles right now.
“Alex!”
She jumped and looked up to find both of her parents staring at her. Her mom must have called her name more than once.
“Sorry, I was miles away.”
They shared a look, and her dad excused himself to go finish something in the garage. Once he left, her mother arranged herself more comfortably in her seat.
