Christmas Catch-Up VI (Rivers End Ranch Book 0) Read online

  Maynard was well aware of her love for Barbies. “So you’re going to take her on?”

  “Yeah, we’ve only done four so far this year, so we can add one more in. I have just enough time to have everything shipped here by Christmas through Amazon Prime, but I have to order now.” She was on the Amazon App on her phone, and he knew he’d lost her…at least for a little while.

  “Let me know when you’re done. I thought we could watch a Christmas movie.”

  She nodded. “Sounds good. I have some gifts to wrap, so we’ll do that while we watch. It’ll be fun.”

  “Who are the presents you’re wrapping for?”

  She shrugged. “A three year old boy named Tyler who wants toy trucks and anything that has Thomas the Tank Engine on it. I got him some clothes, but mostly toys.”

  “Sounds like you’re having fun buying gifts. Okay, I’ll disappear for a minute, and I’ll be back in twenty. Will you be done shopping by then?”

  “Probably.” Jennifer knew he thought she was going a little overboard, but she didn’t care. She had always had a good Christmas, because her parents had always seen to it. She always knew there were toy drives at Christmas, but she’d never really understood why. Now that she did, she was going to make the most of the giving season.

  Maynard disappeared into the kitchen to see what smelled so good from that direction. He didn’t’ have a lot to do while he was off work, so he was doing his best to help around the house. It was almost like this was their honeymoon, because they finally had a significant amount of time off work together.

  When he got back to the living room, Jennifer was just putting her phone down. “Did you find a Barbie camper?”

  “Oh, yeah, and I got her a Dream House and clothes…I may have gotten her my own Barbie wish list.”

  He shook his head. “You know, I’m not sure what to think about you and your Barbie obsession. Too bad you can’t just buy all that stuff for yourself so you can have her over to play with you…”

  Jennifer laughed. “I’m hoping to have little girls someday so I can do that. We’ll play and play and play.”

  “Reliving your childhood?”

  “And doing it right this time.” She walked to a closet and pulled out the gifts she’d gotten that were Thomas the Tank Engine and toy trucks. She got out her wrapping paper kit, and pulled everything onto the living room floor. “You go ahead and start whatever movie you want. I’m just going to wrap and wrap and wrap.”

  He sighed. “I feel like I’m losing you to the world of Christmas. Maybe you should get a job at the North Pole as an Elf.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him, and continued wrapping. By the time the movie was half over, she was snuggled into his side on the couch. “Thank you for not being upset with me,” she said.

  He paused the show and turned to her. “Why would I be upset?”

  “Because I’m spending money you make on other people.”

  “To make children happy for the holidays? That doesn’t bother me at all. If you’d gone out and gotten yourself diamonds and pearls, maybe I would say something.”

  She grinned. “But I do like diamonds…”

  He laughed, thinking about what he had under the tree for her. “I have no problem if you want to spend money helping others. I think it’s wonderful.”

  “Oh good! Then you won’t mind if…”

  He just laughed. His wife—who still worried that her nature was too selfish—showed him time and again that she was anything but selfish. Who knew where they’d be in a year. She’d probably be running the church charity drive on her own. Whatever happened, he knew she was perfect for him. His sweet wife who knew how to show love for others.

  Chapter Five

  Jaclyn and Simon

  Simon walked into the living room of the house he shared with his wife Jaclyn on Christmas morning. She was sitting in her chair, eating snickerdoodles for breakfast and bottle feeding a new bunny she’d found in the woods.

  “You need to hurry so we can make it to church on time. I hate it when Pastor Kevin gives me his evil look because we’re late.”

  Jaclyn just shrugged. “I’m not letting this poor little baby die just so Pastor Kevin doesn’t glare at you. You’ll live.”

  Simon sat down on the couch and snagged one of her cookies. “You know we should eat something good for breakfast and not cookies, right?”

  “Cookies are good.”

  “I mean good for us.”

  “Why? We’re both older than dirt already. If it hasn’t killed us yet, it’s probably not going to.”

  Simon shook his head, but silently he agreed with her. “Well, I still think we should set a good example for…for the bunnies.”

  “The bunnies eat their carrots and rabbit food. Give me a break, Simon.” Jaclyn shook her head at him.

  “I…I know we said we weren’t going to open gifts until after church, but I wanted to give you your special one now. I thought you might want to wear it to the Christmas service.” He handed her a box with a pretty bow tied to the top. “No, I didn’t wrap it. I know I’m pathetic at wrapping. I conned Kelsi into doing it for me.”

  “Kelsi has three babies under two. What were you thinking?”

  Simon shrugged. “She said she didn’t mind.”

  “All right.” Jaclyn took the box and untied the bow, carefully unwrapping it. When she opened it, her face told him everything he needed to know. She loved it just as much as he thought she would. “A fairy necklace!”

  He nodded. “I saw it, and it was so pretty and…well, it made me think it was created just for you.”

  Jaclyn sniffled and held it up for the bunny to see, but he was sleeping as he drank his bottle, and didn’t care one whit about a necklace. “You’re right, Simon. I’m going to wear it to church this morning. I’ll show everyone!”

  She set the bunny on the small bed she’d made for him next to her chair and snuggled close to Simon on the couch. “You know, it was hard for me to agree to marry you, but these past months have been the happiest of my life. I guess I should have forgiven myself years ago.”

  “I wish you would have. I’ve had my eye on you forever.”

  She smiled, kissing his cheek. “I do love you, Simon.”

  “And I love you, Jaclyn. Now hurry up and get dressed, so you can show off your new necklace. And just think of all the couples you’ll have brought together at the service. You’re a one woman matchmaking army!”

  She smiled. “You do know how to stroke my ego, love. You really do.”

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