Krystal's Christmas: A Colorado Billionaires Story Read online

  Krystal gave her a grateful look. “Yes. I fear for her emotional state of mind. Your sudden news broke her heart.”

  Vivian turned to Walter. “Remember? I told you, Mindy gives as much to her friend as her friend gives to Mindy. Together they seem unstoppable.”

  Walter shifted his shoulders like he was suddenly too warm, but didn’t take off his coat. “Yeah, yeah. I remember.” He glanced uncomfortably toward Krystal. “Look, I made a mess of this. I’m so worried about Mindy. She was so upset when she ran out of the house.”

  Vivian took a careful breath. “She said she hated us. She said we’ve ruined everything.”

  Krystal nodded. “I can’t count how many times I’ve heard those words, and usually for far less cause. She will forgive you, I’m sure. But perhaps we, as the parents, can work something out.”

  A quiet knock at the door was followed by Maria scurrying in with a plate of cookies. “To go with your tea.” She was still filled with the joy of the day’s developments and practically giggled on her way out the door.

  Krystal couldn’t help but smile. “Please help yourselves. I’m sure we’ll find the girls safe and sound. After all, they are young women now, and they have good heads on their shoulders.” Inside, she prayed she was right.

  Walter selected a decorated snowman and took a bite. “Mmmm. Delicious.”

  Krystal and Vivian exchanged a knowing look. It’s hard to maintain anger with a mouth full of scrumptious cookie and icing.

  Vivian began to visibly relax. The tea and the wood stove had combined to warm her considerably. She took a cookie, but didn’t eat. “You were saying we might work something out?” As Walter finished his last bite, Vivian handed him another cookie.

  Krystal set her tea cup on an elbow table and folded her hands. “Here’s what I was thinking.” Slowly and carefully, she laid out her idea.

  CHAPTER SIX

  BY THE TIME TWO SETS OF HEADLIGHTS drove up to the house, Krystal and Walter were shaking hands. Vivian looked like a new woman. Maria had turned on Christmas music in the front room, and the tree outshone the porch lights, sending colored blobs of light dancing across the white rails and the snow.

  “Shall we greet our wandering girls?” said Krystal. She stood up and led the way into the front room. Somewhere in the house a door slammed, and a moment later, Keegan came racing down the stairs, followed by the two Garcia boys.

  Krystal’s voice stopped them in their tracks. “One moment! Where are you going in such a hurry?”

  Keegan was excited. “Mr. and Mrs. Garcia said I could come help put up a tree in the guest house for their visitors. Is it okay, Mom?” He was nodding furiously, as if that would help her make her decision.

  “Is the heat working in the guest house?”

  The Garcia boys responded, “Yes.”

  “Very well. You may go. But if you’re not back in here in an hour, I’m coming to get you.”

  “Okay! Thanks, Mom!” The boys raced toward the kitchen and the back door.

  Walter said, “That your youngest?”

  “Yes. That’s my baby.”

  The sound of footsteps on the front porch announced the entrance of Kevin Wake, closely followed by Karla and Mindy. Kevin’s dark hair and hazel eyes matched Karla’s coloring, and as she got older, the resemblance between them grew stronger than ever. The girls looked hollow-eyed and very worried, and they darted glances at Mindy’s parents.

  Krystal greeted Kevin with a kiss on the cheek. “Your wife is missing you a lot, Mr. Thinking About Politics.”

  Kevin hugged her back, acknowledging Walter and Vivian with a half smile. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll make it up to her.” He extended a hand to Walter. “You must be Mindy’s father. What a great kid you’ve got there.” Then he gave Vivian a brief hug. “Why do we only see you at school events? I loved your Halloween costume, by the way, and I never got a chance to tell you.”

  Vivian smiled. “Thank you, Kevin.”

  Karla and Mindy exchanged confused glances. Karla said, “Why is everyone smiling?” She murmured to Mindy, “It’s not good when all the parental units are smiling at the same time.”

  Walter propped his hands on his hips. “Mindy, you scared us to death, running out of the house like that.” He took a step, then pulled her into an embrace. “Don’t ever do that again, okay?” His manly baritone rose sharply to an emotional soprano.

  Mindy looked left, then right. “Okay, Dad.”

  Vivian smoothed her daughter’s hair. “Thanks to Karla’s mother, we may have a solution to this moving issue. Shall we go home and discuss it?”

  Mindy shot a worried look at Karla. “What do you think?”

  Karla muttered, “Check the basement for pods.” She turned to her mother. “Is this solution anything Mindy and I might live through?”

  Krystal put an arm around Karla’s shoulders. “I think you’ll like it. Now go shed your jacket. We’re going to have a cozy supper in the kitchen.”

  Kevin was already removing his coat. “Smells great,” he said.

  Krystal walked Mindy and her parents to the door. “I have one question,” she said. “Mindy, what color is your bicycle?”

  “Green. It’s in the Jeep.”

  “Thank goodness,” said Krystal. “I’m not losing my mind after all. Walter, Vivian, I know you’ll be busy packing before your move. Please come join us for Christmas dinner. We eat rather early, around two. Is that acceptable?”

  Vivian gave her a hug. “That’s wonderful. Thank you, Krystal, for everything.”

  Walter added sheepishly, “Thanks.”

  “Good night,” said Krystal. Then she squeezed Mindy’s hand, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, “Everything will work out.”

  Megan came out of the kitchen, little Kissie on her hip. “Where did everyone go?” She went straight to Kevin and kissed him warmly. Kevin hugged her and took the baby.

  Krystal smiled. “You knew they went looking for Kevin.”

  “Of course,” said Megan. “Karla had a problem, so Kevin was the destination.”

  Karla looked warily from one to the other. “Do I need to buy more whiteface?”

  “No,” said Krystal, “I daresay you do not.”

  Karla spread her hands. “You mean they’re not moving?”

  Krystal turned and headed for the kitchen, and the others followed. When they got there, Krystal waved at the table. “Let’s have a seat.”

  “Where’s Keegan?”

  “Decorating the Garcia’s guest tree. He can eat when he returns. He’s had a dozen cookies this afternoon, I’m sure.”

  Megan helped Kevin settle Kissie in the high chair. Then she took bowls out of the cupboard and handed them to Karla.

  Frustrated by the lack of information flowing her way, Karla growled in her vampire voice, “Slavery is illegal in this country.”

  Krystal laughed out loud, and Karla nearly dropped the plates. Her voice reverted to normal.

  “Mom! No more Christmas cookies for you.”

  Kevin took the bowls and began placing them on the table. “Silverware, punkin.”

  Krystal rolled her eyes. “I’m the only vampire queen in the country and he calls me punkin.”

  Krystal was ladling a thick soup into a large serving bowl. “Ex-vampire queen, sweetheart. Remember?”

  “We’ll see,” mumbled Karla.

  The kitchen door opened and Keegan burst into the room. Zach was right behind him, and he put a steadying hand on Keegan’s shoulder. “Indoor manners, young man.”

  Krystal beamed at Zach. Just as Kevin and Karla were looking more alike as they grew older, Keegan and Zach were beginning to resemble each other as well, with their brown eyes and hair. Of course, Keegan’s wasn’t graying yet. They might have to tell Keegan the truth sooner than they’d thought. She patted the chair next to her. “Come eat. Keegan, I thought you were decorating a tree.”

  “They already did most of it before I got there. I didn’t want to
miss supper.” He slipped in next to Karla.

  “Good. Everyone got a chair?”

  “We need the extra leaf in the table for seven of us,” said Kevin. He fetched it from the pantry, and a minute later, everything was back in place and everyone was seated except Megan, who fetched the warm bread from the oven. Once she joined them, Karla spoke.

  “Please tell me what you and Mindy’s parents decided.”

  Krystal put a finger to her lips, and Kevin said a quiet blessing. Once he was done, Krystal spoke as Megan served soup into bowls.

  “How would you feel about having Mindy stay with us until you two graduate high school?”

  Karla’s squeal was so high above the range of human hearing that the Labradors barked loudly at the back door.

  Krystal was filled with satisfaction, but she calmed her daughter. “Easy, dear. You can squeal into your phone later when you call Mindy. Her parents and I have worked out an arrangement we think will work. Kevin, dear, we’ll need to talk to our legal team after Christmas. We’ll need a power-of-attorney so we can take Mindy to the hospital if she breaks an arm or something. Zach, you are also involved. Part of the arrangement will include Mindy and Karla both working in the barn and the arena.” She paused to gauge Karla’s reaction.

  Karla was nodding her head eagerly. “Cool, cool, cool.”

  “Grades must stay very high. Walter specifically demanded no Cs and certainly no Fs or Ds.”

  Karla made a face. “Of course not. We want to go to college.”

  “Just a fair warning,” said Krystal. “One grade below an A or a B and Mindy will have to fly to Las Vegas and live with her parents.”

  Karla nodded more calmly. “Got it.”

  “He was also worried about having a father figure about,” Krystal said softly. She took a spoonful of soup.

  Zach and Kevin blinked at each other.

  “Meaning?” asked Kevin.

  Krystal shrugged. “Oh, I may have said something about you being home every evening and on weekends.”

  Megan stifled a giggle.

  Kevin narrowed his eyes at his wife. “Did you add that part?”

  Megan’s eyes widened innocently. “No, of course not. But I confess I’m all for it. Kissie and I miss you.”

  Kevin took her hand. “Okay. I can take a hint. I’ll let everyone know I’ve decided not to run for town council. Let Thor Garrison have it. That should make his family happy.”

  Megan clapped with delight and leaned across Kissie to plant a kiss on Kevin’s cheek.

  Kevin turned to his mother. “Any other surprises?”

  “Not exactly.” Krystal touched his arm. “Town Council is beneath you, dear. If you decide to run for office someday, far in the future, I want you to run for Governor.”

  A chorus of “ohhhhhs” went up around the table.

  “Governor?” Kevin looked flabbergasted. He frowned a question at Megan, but she shrugged.

  Krystal raised her brows. “It’s a much more distinguished office.” She smiled enigmatically.

  “Hell-oooo-oo.” Karla stretched the word into three syllables. “This is supposed to be about me and Mindy, remember?”

  Kevin agreed. “We’ll talk politics later, Mom. For now, you can tell Mindy’s dad that there will be two father figures on the ranch.” He looked pointedly at Zach.

  Krystal sighed contentedly. “Perfect.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Saturday, December 23

  KRYSTAL AWOKE EARLY AND SPENT SOME TIME listening to the sounds of the house. Karla’s room was finally silent. Krystal wasn’t sure how long she and Mindy had talked on the phone, but the intermittent squeals of girlish glee had woken her up every time she drifted off.

  So far there was no sound from Keegan’s room either, but there would be soon. She could hear a faint whimper. One of the Labradors wanted to go out. She waited. Sure enough, within a few seconds, she heard a latch click, and then the thump of tails against the wall as the dogs headed down the stairs to the kitchen where Cookie would let them out.

  Krystal sat straight up in bed. She’d told Cookie she could have time off. How much? When? She started to throw the covers off, but then she heard a faint laugh from the kitchen, and a return bark from one of the dogs. Someone was up. Maybe it was Cookie after all. Krystal decided she hadn’t given the woman a big enough Christmas bonus. But she was already halfway out of bed. No point in lying back down. With a sigh, she rolled out of bed and got dressed. She felt happy, even though she still hadn’t received the documents she’d been waiting for. She decided to dress for the season. She found a full-length burgundy skirt to wear over her jeans. She fully intended to get out to the arena today. She wanted to ride. She laughed softly. Her mother was rolling in her grave at the thought of wearing jeans under such a pretty skirt. But the house could be drafty at times. Her mother had coped by wearing heavy fabrics and lots of sweaters and shawls. Krystal preferred more form-fitting layers that left her arms free. She selected another creamy turtleneck, then after much deliberation, decided she had to wear the Christmas fleece that Keegan had picked out for her last year. With a silent roll of the eyes, she pulled it over her head. It was pale green with a cartoon Rudolph on the front.

  “That should earn me Mother of the Year,” she quipped, looking at herself in the mirror. But it would be cozy if she got a chance to play in the arena.

  She found Megan, Kevin, and Kissie in the kitchen. Kevin was feeding the little one, trying to get some of her scrambled egg in her mouth. Megan got up and poured Krystal some coffee.

  “Thank you. I wondered if it was Cookie rattling around in the kitchen.”

  “She got in around two a.m.,” said Megan. “Didn’t you hear her singing Christmas carols when she got home?”

  Krystal chuckled. “I admire her energy. Two a.m.?” She sat next to Kevin. “Do you think I did the right thing? Offering to let Mindy finish high school here with us?”

  “Yes,” said Kevin without hesitation. “She needs the chance to continue her equestrian training, and if she stays here, she’ll make such a difference for Karla.”

  “I agree.” Krystal sipped at her coffee.

  Megan leaned on her forearms. “What about the summer? Will she be going to Vegas during the summer?”

  Krystal shrugged. “Let’s take this one step at a time. If she wants to spend the summer with her parents, that’s a good thing, I suppose. Who knows? By the end of the school year, she may go running home and never want to see us again.”

  “I doubt that,” said Kevin, “but I do think she’ll miss her folks.”

  “We’ll make sure she Skypes with them. Is that the word?”

  Megan said, “Yes. Perfect. She doesn’t have to be out of touch. They can talk every day.”

  “Well, let’s cross our fingers that her parents don’t change their minds between now and moving day.”

  A sleepy Keegan appeared in rumpled pajamas. “Morning.”

  Kevin teased him. “You’re up bright and early on a Saturday. Now what on Earth could get you out of bed this early? Hmmm?”

  Keegan grinned. “It’s almost Christmas.”

  Megan asked, “French toast?”

  “Yes, please.” Keegan leaned on his older brother’s shoulders. “I have to get busy. I need to clean out my room, take the old toys out that I don’t use any more. So I’ll have room for the new ones.”

  Kevin gave up on the egg and let Kissie fend for herself. He turned to Keegan. “You sound pretty sure of yourself. What if Santa doesn’t bring you any new ones?”

  Keegan smiled knowingly. “I’m ten now, Kev. I know who Santa really is.”

  “Oh you do?” Kevin bobbed his eyebrows up and down. “Do tell.”

  Keegan glanced at his mother, then laughed nervously and looked away. Kevin grinned.

  Krystal cautioned, “Don’t ruin things for little Kissie, or I won’t let you drive my reindeer.”

  Everyone laughed. Then Keegan got a bright
idea. “That would be neat! Can we get some reindeer, Kev? Are they hard to take care of? Wouldn’t that be cool?”

  “Down, boy, down. You want reindeer but you don’t remember to feed your dogs on time every morning.”

  Keegan made a face. “Way to burst my bubble.”

  Krystal laughed. “Run upstairs and get dressed. Hurry! Your French toast is almost ready. Then we’ll feed the dogs. All right?”

  “Thanks, Mom!” Keegan ran.

  Kevin smiled at his mother. “What are your plans today?”

  Krystal sighed. “I’ll be waiting for the mail. I hope it comes before the snow falls.”

  “Mom, you can’t just sit out front and wait for the mail.”

  “I don’t plan to,” said Krystal. “I’m going to use that beautiful new arena and spend time with my horse.”

  “Good. Glad to hear it. Now what’s all the excitement with the Garcias?” Kevin sipped at his coffee.

  “I arranged for their sister, Teresa…Gonzalez? She has six children and can’t afford to travel with them all, so I spent part of yesterday arranging for passage on Brady Felton’s Christmas Express bus for her and her little ones. They’ll be arriving late this afternoon at the Cattleman’s Inn. Since Checo’s car is out of commission, we’ll have to pick them up.”

  “No wonder they’re in a state. The guest cabin looks great, by the way. They’ve got a Christmas tree and everything.” Kevin moved his coffee cup so Megan could set a plate of French toast in front of him.

  “You’ve already been out and about?”

  “I let the dogs out, remember?” Kevin smiled at Megan.

  A soft knock at the door preceded Zach’s entrance. “Cookie?” He was surprised by the full kitchen. “Sorry. It’s usually just me and Cookie for coffee in the morning. Looks like nobody went to bed last night.”

  Megan smiled, holding a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. “We’re on toddler time. Want some breakfast? Cookie is sleeping in.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I’d love that. I need to haul some hay out to the cattle in the west pasture. Do a few hundred other little things before lunch.”