Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
“That sounds like so much fun!”
“Yeah, I think my mother got it from Grandma Lilith.”
“Did she start the tradition?”
He thought for a second. “No. Well, kind of. My great-grandmother Sarah used to have women from town come out to the ranch, and they’d cook up meals to give to those who were alone on the holidays, kind of like the first soup kitchen in River Falls. They’d deliver them on horseback or in their carriages. There weren’t too many families in town who didn’t have anyone or were poor, but those who were struggling, the ladies made sure they were taken care of.
“I remember my dad telling me and David a story once. My great-grandfather used to kill turkeys and would deliver them to some folks’ houses and just leave them in a basket. He’d knock, then take off running, so they couldn’t see who’d left it. Something about saving the man of the house’s pride or some nonsense like that.”
“It was sweet of him to do that.”
He smiled. “Yeah, he was apparently a great guy. My father said Lawrence had a vision of what the ranch would be someday. I think he would be really happy if he were alive right now to see it.”
“You’re so lucky to have parents who love and support you.”
He nodded his head as we’d almost neared the front porch of his parents’ house. “I am. Very lucky indeed.”
Ladd
The storm David had seen coming over the mountains moved in quicker than we thought it would. The snow was coming down at a rapid pace, but nothing that we hadn’t ever seen before, of course, living in Colorado. My mother, grandmother, Vivianne, and Liz spent most of the rest of the morning and early afternoon baking. David and I popped in every now and then to offer to sample the goods. Each time, though, we’d been roped into helping in some way. It was worth it, though, to get the samples.
Once most of the baking had finished, it was time to decorate the trees in the arena. My mother dished out orders and we all followed them.
“Ladd, would you mind bringing down the two remaining boxes of decorations?” my mother asked as she motioned for me to set the box of decorations down that I’d carried from the attic at the house.
“Just two left?” I asked.
“Yes, your brothers brought most of them out here. After you’ve gotten them, Vivianne is at the dog and cat tree now, so you can help her finish that one up.”
I looked past her to see Vivianne holding up a couple of decorations with a perplexed expression on her face. The ornaments were all handmade decorations that the kids at the elementary school made for the tree.
Trying not to laugh as I watched her glance around before placing them onto the tree, I turned and headed back to the house, then stopped. David had somehow already beaten me to it, and was still carrying one box while pointing to one he’d just set down.
“Perfect timing! Can you grab this one?”
“Are these the ones Mom just sent me to get back at the house?”
He rolled his eyes. “Grandma sent me to get them. They need to learn to communicate.”
I looked at the box at his feet. “You’re leaving me with the bigger box?”
“Hey, I hauled it out of the attic and down to the barn. Afraid you can’t handle it?”
“Shut up,” I said, lifting it without any issues.
Once we had the boxes at the right trees, I walked over to Vivianne. The entire barn smelled of pine, with all of the Douglas firs set up inside the arena. It was heated, which made it pleasant. Dad and Derek had built platforms for each tree to sit on, along with the wrapped presents, so they weren’t resting on the sandy arena floor.
“If you’re wondering about the cats and dogs, the kids at the elementary school made the decorations. They all got to vote on the themes of the trees. When cats and dogs won, my mother racked her brain trying to figure out where to buy cat and dog ornaments.”
She laughed. “Who thought of having the kids make them instead?”
“Mike did.”
She nodded. “Smart.”
“Yeah, it was a great idea.”
She placed another ornament on the tree. “There’s a huge store in Denver that is nothing but Christmas decorations.”
“Really?” I asked, placing a white and yellow cat decoration at the front of the tree.
“We should take a drive there sometime and see what they have. We might be able to find some cute decorations for your mom’s trees.”
“That would be fun.”
We worked in silence as we finished up the tree with a handmade cat tree topper that would most likely only make it one more year…and that was if it lasted through this year.
Vivianne looked around the barn and smiled. “How many trees are there total?” she asked.