“You don’t have to explain,” he insisted. “I spent my life hearing about other people’s families. I’m used to it. And don’t even think about inviting me. It would make certain people suspicious.”
“You could get your own tree, you know.”
“I’ll think about it.”
When he closed the door behind her after a long kiss good-bye, the place seemed lonely without her. He didn’t think a Christmas tree would help.
The following Tuesday afternoon, Brooke stood inside the barn, waiting for Steph to arrive for her lesson. The wind blew like breath across ice, and snow, although light, was falling at an angle. She was tempted to call the girl and cancel, but then she could see the pickup and horse trailer come slowly down the winding road toward the ranch.
By the time Steph had her mount ready, the snow had only increased.
“Brooke, can we please ride?” Steph pleaded. “I thought about it all day.”
“Was your holiday that stressful?” Brooke teased.
When Steph only smiled halfheartedly, Brooke hesitated to press her.
“Okay, let’s give it a try. We haven’t had that much snow accumulation today.”
They began to ride toward the corral near the burned barn. They were both wearing caps and scarfs to bundle up their heads, and Brooke felt relatively warm. She glanced at Steph, whose face was lifted as if to take in the serenity of the Elk Mountains. Their bodies moved gently with the gait of the horses.
“So what happened at Thanksgiving?” Brooke asked, then added, “If you don’t mind the question.” She knew Emily and Nate had been there for lunch before joining the Thalbergs for dinner. She felt a little ache for her friend, who so desperately wanted her happily-ever-after.
Steph shrugged. “It was okay. I know you’re asking about Emily, and she was fine.”
“Please tell me she told you about bridesmaid gown colors, because curiosity is driving me crazy! You may not know it to look at me, but I love pretty dresses.”
That got a smile out of the girl. “Naw, we didn’t really talk about the wedding, and that was part of the problem.”
Brooke waited, when she wanted to say with exasperation, Isn’t that what you wanted?
“I felt like . . . it was my fault people don’t discuss it, and I don’t want to be the cause of all that tension. My mom said I wasn’t, but she’s my mom.”
Faith Sweet was smart about people and surely knew what her daughter needed to hear. Maybe Steph needed to figure things out on her own.
“Then if your mom said that, why don’t you just trust her and not worry about it? I saw Emily and Nate for dinner, and they were just fine.”
“Good,” Steph said absently. She slid her gloved hands along the reins over and over, never tugging, but like a nervous habit.
“So tell me about the Chess Club,” Brooke said. “Any new members?”
Steph glanced at her, and a slow grin made her shake her head. “You just want to know if I asked Tyler Brissette to join.”
“Guess I’m not very subtle.”
The girl gave an exaggerated sigh. “All right, yes, I told him about the club. At first he was all, ‘That’s for nerds,’ but I told him it wasn’t like we really played chess or anything.”
“Hey, I like chess,” Brooke protested. “Not that I play regularly, but I have. My nerdy habit is reading.”
Steph rolled her eyes, but admitted, “Yeah, I read Harry Potter when I was a kid. And I like The Hunger Games.”
“I’ve read both those series. They’re very good.”
“Anyway, I didn’t think Tyler would come. And I’d asked him the day before Thanksgiving, and who knew if he’d even remember. Then yesterday, after school, he and a couple guys came to the community center. I was shocked!”
Steph’s blue eyes shone, and Brooke found herself wondering if this was more than an attempt to help a troubled classmate.
“Well, how did they do?” Brooke demanded.
“Some of his friends called it the Chest Club, like they thought they were so funny. Anyway, we didn’t have a big trip or anything planned, but we all hung out and played pool and Ping-Pong and Wii. He just watched for a while, but he’s pretty good at pool. I didn’t really talk to him much or anything,” she added quickly. “But he was cool about the whole thing.”
“Much as pool and Wii sound fun in the winter, do you have any outdoor events planned?” Although right now, when the wind picked up, she was wishing she had worn her coveralls. She wasn’t so sure anyone should be outside, including the horses, whose ears twitched with each gust.