Chapter Thirteen

“Susan is up to something,” I told my mom as we settled on opposite bench seats in the back of the snowcat. “I can feel it in my gut.”

She sighed with all the drama of a soap opera star and zipped her white winter coat up to her striped scarf. “Violet Lynn, why do you insist on starting fights with your sister? Just once, could we have a nice holiday without all of the yelling?”

Reid and Dad climbed inside, fastening their seat belts. The silence up front weighed heavy. I could practically feel the tension in the cab.

I leaned forward, lowering my voice. “I’d love to have a happy family Christmas, Mother, but why does Susan want to talk to me?”

“Maybe she wants your big-sister advice on a job or a man, have you thought of that?”

I cackled a little too loudly. Reid shot me a worried frown in the rearview mirror. “That would be advice on how to steal my man and make me lose my latest job.”

“Violet,” Dad reprimanded without turning in his seat. This Susan song-and-dance between my mom and me was an old routine of ours, dating back decades. He’d witnessed it too many times to count.

I blew out a breath. “Sorry, Mom. Surely, though, you must understand my being apprehensive when it comes to Susan’s motives.”

She nodded. “However, I don’t think this constant negativity is good for your psyche. You need to find a way to expel your toxic emotions in a more constructive way.”

“Constructive how?” I could crochet a noose. Better yet, macramé was the way to go. Knotted twine would hold Susan’s weight without breaking.

“Yoga is great for relaxation.” Mom rested her elbows on her knees. She shot a glance toward the front, leaning closer to me. “It’s excellent for your sex life, too.”

I flinched like I’d been stung. “Oh, Mom. Did you have to go there?”

“These are things you need to learn as you age. I can move in ways now that I couldn’t ten years ago. Believe me, your father really appreciates my flexibility. And as a bonus, several positions are good for more than just stretching, if you know what I mean.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“For the love of everything holy, don’t do that eyebrow thing when you’re talking about carnal relations with my father.”

“I can’t help it. He’s a stud.”

“That’s enough. We’re done here.” I sat back and made an X with my fingers, warding her off.

She shrugged, sitting back. “Just remember that tip. Doc will appreciate it.” Without missing a beat, she smiled toward the front. “Reid, I can’t thank you enough for taking me to the store. It’s very kind of you to help out like this.”

Reid half-turned and hit her with one of his charming, heart-steaming smiles. “My pleasure. It’s the least I could do for allowing me to join your family for the holiday.”

Dad cleared his throat. “Reel in your hose, hotshot. That spitfire is mine.”

Grinning, Reid faced forward again, focusing on the road. “Where to, Blake?”

“Take a right at the stop sign.”

We cruised along making small talk for a few minutes about the heavy flakes that were still falling, how much snow the hills were hit with overnight, and how fortunate we were to have a store so close that was open on Christmas morning.

We’d almost made it to the store when my dad frowned at Reid. “Zoe needs a reliable man. Someone who is interested in more than just her bed.”

Of all the flying reindeer! Couldn’t Dad have waited until Mom and I were in the store? I started to open my mouth and request a stay of execution, but Mom kicked me in the shin. When I gave her a what-the-hell look while rubbing my shin, she mimed zipping her lips.

“But I just want to—”

She kicked me again.

I wrinkled my upper lip at her and scooted toward the back of the snowcat, out of reach of her hard-toed boots.

“I asked her to marry me,” Reid announced.

Dad and I both did a double-take.

“You did?” I blurted out.

“When?” Dad asked.

“A couple of weeks ago.” He looked in the rearview mirror at me. “After the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce holiday party.”

“Ah ha!” I pointed at him. “That was the night she lost her hair comb in your pickup, wasn’t it?”

He focused back out the windshield. “Uh, yeah. We were … umm … clearing the air on a few things in the privacy of my pickup.”

More like steaming up the air, I’d bet. Aunt Zoe had thick hair. Those combs didn’t fall out without some help.

“That’s when I popped the question,” Reid continued.

“What did she say?” Mom asked.

“Nothing at first. Then she sucker-punched me in the breadbasket and told me to take her home.”

I cringed on his behalf. Dang, Aunt Zoe hadn’t said a word to me about his proposal.

Dad chuckled. “That’s my sister for you.”

“Isn’t that the night Doc took you to the hospital for a hand x-ray after you’d clocked Dominick Masterson?”

Reid nodded. “It wasn’t one of my finer hours.”

“Masterson is that friendly guy who showed up at the family dinner?” Dad asked, turning to me for the answer.

“Too friendly when it comes to Zo,” Reid said.

“He’s trouble,” I told my dad.

“He seemed nice enough.”

“You looked at him through the back door window, Dad. You have no idea what he’s capable of when it comes to Aunt Zoe. Trust me, he’s bad juju for our family.”

Dad’s eyes narrowed, questioning. Something in my expression must have given him the answer he was looking for, because he nodded and looked back to Reid.

“So, Zoe rejected you and yet you still came down here to see her?”

“I wanted to give her something.”

“Are you referring to the bracelet she’s wearing this morning or something else?” Dad pressed.

Poor Reid. My father wasn’t going to remove his teeth from Reid’s hide without dragging him through the dirt a bit first.

“Mainly the bracelet.” He smiled at Dad. “She’s wearing the bracelet today, huh?”

“Yeah. You could have sent it to her in the mail.”

Reid shook his head. “It wasn’t the gift so much as the need to see her face when she opened it.”

“What exactly were you looking for?” Dad asked.

“I wanted to see if I had a chance at striking oil, or if I was just digging a deeper grave.”

I scooted closer to the front again. “Which is it? Could you tell?”

“Well, Zo has one hell of a poker face, so it’s hard to know for sure.”

“Damn.” I’d long ago put my money on Reid. He’d won me over back in August when he’d picked on Cooper while my beloved old Bronco burned into a smoking mess.

Reid winked at me in the mirror. “But her thank-you last night had plenty of spark.”

I cheered.

Dad shot me a small scowl.

“Come on, Dad. Reid wants to marry her. Surely that’s enough to convince you that he’s not going to love ‘er and leave ‘er again.”

“Officially, I didn’t leave Zo,” Reid defended. “She kicked me out.”

A grunt came from my dad. “Because you were a chicken shit when it came to commitment.”

“You’re right, but I had just come off a vicious divorce and I’d run out of faith in the notion of marriage.”

“And now you’ve changed your mind?” Mom asked.

“When it comes to Zo, yes.” His expression looked bleak in the rearview mirror. “Listen, Blake. I know what a dipshit I was before. I know I’ll be lucky to win your sister back. But if I do, trust me, I’m not going to blow it again.”

“Good.” Dad pointed out the windshield. “Take a left into that parking lot. The store is around the side.”

“How can I help you win Aunt Zoe back?” I asked, eager to play cupid.

“By keeping your nose out of your aunt’s business,” Dad said, beating Reid to the punch. His grin took the sting out of his reply.

Mom patted my knee. “I’ve found that things work themselves out if you give them enough time and space.”

“Oh, really?” I guffawed as we pulled into the minimart’s parking lot. “And how’s that working for you when it comes to Susan and me thirty-two years later?”

Her gaze hardened. “Violet Lynn, you are impossible some days. You have so many new wonderful things happening in your life right now, but you just can’t see the sunshine through the gnarled old trees.”

Reid and Dad opened their doors, stepping out.

“That’s because I’ve been stabbed in the back too many times to count.”

“You need to let all of that negative energy from your past go,” she advised as the back doors opened. “Focus on where you have it good in life, like with Doc and your family, before you go and screw it up again.”

“Again?” I growled at the roof. “Susan is the one who screwed up my chance at a family in the past, not me.”

“Would you please stop playing the victim for a minute and try to look at it from an outsider’s perspective?”

“Okay. How’s this? Violet Parker’s slutty sister seduced the father of Violet’s unborn children and decided the most appropriate place to fornicate with him was in Violet’s bed. What do you think? Newspaper worthy?”

“Not even close. Nobody uses the word ‘fornicate’ any more. It’s old fashioned. You need to get with the times.”

I cursed under my breath while I followed her down from the snowcat.

“Let it go, Goldilocks,” Dad said to me as he steadied me on the packed snow. “Today is not the day to fight this battle with her.”

“I’ve let this go too long. You stay out here with Reid.” I stormed after my mom, yelling over my shoulder, “And be nice to him!”

The aroma of freshly made coffee greeted me inside the store. My need for caffeine had me gnashing my teeth as I looked for Mom. Overhead, a tinny version of “Jingle Bells” played through the speakers, strumming my nerves.

The minimart was mostly empty except for a few stragglers, including a grizzled-looking, older guy wearing camouflage from neck to toe except for his Santa Claus hat. He was standing several cooler doors down from my mom, scanning the single soldiers of beer through the glass. In one hand he held a jar of salsa, in the other a jumbo bag of tortilla chips.

“Mom.” I joined her in front of the cooler doors. “Please explain to me how an outsider’s perspective makes a difference on Susan boinking Rex behind my back.”

Camo-Claus glanced our way, his focus lingering on my mother’s butt. Her yoga was paying off yet again.

“It’s simple, really. Because of your sister’s interference, you have learned how to discern a good man from a loser.”

Talk about making a leap! “So, in your eyes, Susan did a good thing?”

She made a face. “I wouldn’t use the word ‘good’ in this case. ‘Beneficial’ seems more fitting.”

What was with her and this new fun-with-words game? More to the point, “Why do you always take Susan’s side?”

Mom sighed. “There are no sides, dear.”

“Bull hockey.” I crossed my arms. “Every time Susan does something to screw me over, you turn it around and make it part my fault.”

“Language, Violet.” She smiled apologetically at Camo-Claus.

“I didn’t use any bad words!”

“And lower your voice.” She grabbed two cartons of eggs from the cooler. “We’re in a store, you know.” She handed me the eggs and then reached in the cooler again.

“Fine,” I said several decibels lower, clutching the egg cartons. “But I want an answer. Why do you always place half the blame on me when Susan is clearly the one who is at fault?”

She placed two more cartons of eggs on top of the others, forcing me to stack them up to my chin so I didn’t drop any. “I believe there are two sides to every story, and it’s best to hear both before passing judgment, especially when it comes to my children.”

“And what was Susan’s side of the story for sleeping with Rex? That she was protecting me?”

Susan had given me that bullshit excuse before, explaining that she’d been showing me via a visual demonstration of how inadequate Rex was as a father figure.

I glanced over my mom’s shoulder. The old guy with the chips and salsa stared at us openly now. He should pull up a chair and bust open that bag.

“She said that she fell in love with him,” Mom explained.

I gaped. “And that was enough for you to forgive her?”

“It’s not my place to forgive her. It’s yours, if you want to move on with your life.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

“Violet, forgiveness will set you free of this negativity that keeps your aura blotchy with shadows.”

“Chinese checkers! Have you been hanging out with Cornelius and bumming his aura pills?”

“There are no such things.” She turned back to the cooler, holding her chin. “Do you think I should get more eggnog?”

“It’s on sale,” Camo-Claus told her.

She graced him with another smile, making him blush. “And what a bargain, too.”

I grunted at their little flirting display. “So, Susan believes she fell in love with Rex all of those years ago. How did she explain sleeping with my other boyfriend, then? The one after Rex? Wait, let me guess, she twisted her ankle in those thigh-high hooker boots she liked to wear and accidentally fell onto his Yule log?”

Mom gasped. “Really, dear. Do you think this gentleman wants to hear such things on Christmas morning?”

“I don’t mind,” he said with a grin.

My mother tittered. “You’ll have to excuse my daughter. She’s trying to work through some negative issues in her life.”

He looked at me, sizing me up. “Pessimism will turn you into a bitter old prune long before your time. You should try smiling when you talk. It’s hard to be upset when you smile.”

“Thank you, Mr. Camo-Claus,” I said through a toothy grin.

He winced. “Well, you’re a might bit purtier when your eyes aren’t bugging out so much, anyway.” He focused back on my mom. “Outside of that creepy clown look she’s sporting, I can see where she gets her good looks.”

“Oh, you.” Mom waved him away. She grabbed a carton of eggnog and tucked it inside the front of my coat. “All I’m saying is that when it comes to your sister and Rex, I understand how people will move heaven and earth for love. You should comprehend that concept now that you have Doc.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe I’d gone so far as to put my lifelong friendship with Natalie on the line for Doc, but Natalie wasn’t sleeping with him when I’d had sex with Doc the first time. She’d only staked a claim on him.

A claim that I blatantly ignored, though.

I shook off the guilt gorilla that had made itself at home on my chest for a moment there. “So, she fell in love with the creep. Dammit, I was pregnant with Rex’s kids at the time. Couldn’t she have told me how she felt instead of screwing him first? And why my bed? What was wrong with the back seat of his car or some skanky hotel room?”

Camo-Claus ripped open his bag of chips. “Hell, any flat surface will do in a pinch,” he said and stuffed a handful of corn chips in his mouth.

Mom pointed her thumb at him, her mouth pinched. “Way to go, Violet. Now you’re going to have the neighbors talking about us.”

“You don’t even know who he is! Criminy, you’d probably take his side over mine if we got into a brawl.”

Camo-Claus held up his bag of chips, grinning through beard crumbs. “I’m more of a make-love-not-war type of guy.”

Mom grabbed me by the shoulder of my coat and dragged me over to the milk cooler. “Violet Lynn, I’d hoped you’d have this figured out now that your kids are a little older, but I can see that you’re too stubborn to understand the truth about your sister.”

“That she’s a man-stealing, toy-burning brat?”

“Besides that.”

“Ha! So you admit that she’s a weasel.”

“I admit that my youngest child has some problems she’s dealing with, yes.”

“The problem being she’s psycho.”

“Name calling doesn’t fix anything.” She grabbed two gallons of milk from the cooler, kicking the door shut with her foot. “Now you listen, child, and you listen good, because I’m not going to say this again.”

“I’m all ears and eggs.”

“I can’t give up on your sister. She’s my child, just as you are. We all do things in life that throw kinks into our plans. Like you, I got pregnant with Susan by accident. Also like you, I have done what I could to make the most of my life since then, raising my children to the best of my abilities. I’m not a perfect mother and I know it, trust me. I also understand that you want me to stand here and agree with you that Susan is broken. However, I have to keep trying with her, because I love Susan just as I love you and Quint.”

“But what about—”

“I’m not finished.” She led the way to the counter. “If I start openly choosing sides, I’ll lose Susan completely. I’m not blind when it comes to her crimes against you. My job is to try to help her become a better person through love and support.” We got in line behind Mr. Camo-Claus, who was paying for his Feliz Navidad supplies. “That doesn’t mean I love you any more or less.”

I sighed, shifting so the corner of the eggnog carton wasn’t jabbing into my boob. “Sometimes it just feels like you pick on me more than her.”

“Do you understand how strong you are?”

“Are you referring to my muscles or my body odor?”

“Neither, wiseacre. Since you first started walking, you showed signs of a fierce independence. I believe that inner force is why you have struggled so much with finding a suitable partner.”

“Let’s not rehash my rotten history with men today.” We’d be standing here for hours if she started down that road.

“You’re a strong woman, Violet Lynn. Not just any man will do. Rex was certainly not the caliber of man you needed. Your father and I could see that from the get-go, but you had to find that out for yourself. In some ways, it was a relief when Susan drove you two apart.”

I started to object, but she held up her gallon of milk to stop me.

“If she hadn’t, I feared you might’ve stayed with the jerk through thick and thin because you were pregnant with his kids. Thanks to your sister’s seduction, you have two lovely children and yet are free of a loser who would’ve only dragged you down.”

I sniffed. “He is a major piece of shit.”

“Sounds like you’re lucky to be rid of him,” Camo-Claus added over his shoulder as he collected his change.

“And you have Doc now,” Mom added. “Don’t you think it’s time to move on and let go of your past woes?”

“I’d love to, but Rex has other ideas lately. Do you know anyone I can hire to perform a contract kill?”

Camo-Claus pulled a business card from his vest pocket and handed it to me. “Merry Christmas, ladies,” he said and tipped an imaginary cowboy hat before heading out into the snow.

I looked at his card and chuckled.

Mom leaned closer, trying to read the card. “He’s not really a killer, is he?”

Takes one to know one, I thought, and stuffed his card in my coat pocket. “He’s a taxidermist.”

For a moment, I entertained the notion of having Rex stuffed. I could use him to practice my batting skills.

Mom put the two jugs of milk on the counter, and then helped me offload the eggs and eggnog.

While the clerk rung us up, she beamed at me. “Did you see Doc’s face this morning while he watched Addy and Layne open presents?”

“No.” I’d been busy watching my kids, too. “Why?”

“He loves your kids. Trust me, Doc will be ten times the father Rex could’ve ever hoped to be.”

“Don’t be counting chickens before they’re hatched, Mom. We’re not married yet.”

She handed the clerk a wad of cash. “I know, but I have a feeling wedding bells will be in your future very soon.”

I grabbed the bag with the eggs and one of the milk jugs. “Keep that to yourself, please. I don’t want you and Dad scaring Doc away with a bunch of talk about commitment and raising my kids.”

She grabbed the other gallon of milk and the eggnog. “I’m more worried about you running off than him.”

“I thought we agreed you weren’t going to start in on me about my lousy history with the male sex.” I shouldered open the door, holding it for her.

“Not today, dear. It’s Christmas.”

“Thank Santa for that.”

She paused on the way past me. “But have you considered that Doc might want a child of his own someday with the woman he loves?”

I shuddered at the notion. Raising twins on my own had burned me out on the idea of babies. They were cute to hold, but I liked giving them back these days.

While reliving the soul-sucking middle of the night feedings and the frustration of day-after-day teething whines, I followed my mom to the snowcat, where Reid was showing my dad something behind the blade.

If Doc wanted another kid, that could be a major snag in this happily-ever-after fantasy of mine. I’d closed the doors to my baby-making factory after Addy and Layne popped out, and I didn’t plan on reopening the plant ever again.