Lone Star Christmas

Jackie cleared her throat. “Kelsey, this is Max Delgado and his brothers—Tomas, Isaac and of course Ethan. They’re in town for a short break, and right now they’re hungry. Could you give us the menus?”

A red flush covered Kelsey’s face as she tucked her chin. “Sorry. I’ll get the drinks.” She laid laminated menus on the table and hurried away.

A short time later, the owner of the café sat chips and salsa on the table. She didn’t look happy, but then again Sally Pryce was famous for good food. Friendliness? Not so much.

“Hi, Sally. Max, this is Sally Pryce, the owner and Kelsey’s mother and my cousin. Sally, this is—”

“Yes, I heard a Delgado was back in town. I’ll be serving your table while you’re here.” She narrowed her eyes at Ethan. “Kelsey is my only daughter, and she has five older brothers. And since you’re just going to be here a short time, I recommend you take care of the ranch. I hear the thistle is out of control. I’ll have your drinks out soon.”

As soon as she had her back to them, Ethan narrowed his eyes at Max. “What was that about? Did Dad or Uncle Rigo do something to make the people here hate us?”

Max looked at Jackie. “It’s complicated, and it’s the reason I wanted to go to Uvalde. No one hates us there.” Max leaned in and looked straight at Ethan. “Our father and uncle made some decisions that weren’t popular here, along with a few other issues.” He looked at Jackie, but quickly glanced away.

Jackie folded her hands in front of her. “It’s not just your father and uncle. It goes way back before anyone here was even alive. There’s been bad blood between the Delgado family and Clear Water for as long as anyone can remember. It has to do with the old land charter for the town. Most recently, everyone blames y’all for the thistle outbreak.”

“Thistle outbreak? Is that some sort of disease?” Ethan stared at her.

“No, it’s a plant that is prickly and large. It has a thousand little seeds that will take over a pasture and kill off the grass.” She looked at Max. “Rumor is that your mother had over a hundred bird feeders around the house and barns. The birdseed she ordered from Kerrville had it in the mix. With the land not being tended, it’s become a battle on the other ranches.”

Max’s mouth fell open. “You’re serious? They blame my mother? She’s been gone for twenty years.”

Jackie didn’t know how to answer that. The guilt she already felt over his mother’s death didn’t help. “Small towns have long memories.”

“That’s not fair.” Ethan leaned back and looked out the window. “Not that it’s a big surprise they hate us. We don’t even like each other.”

“We like you.” Isaac smiled at his brother. Tomas nodded, but his heartbreakingly sad expression tore at her heart.

Ethan glared at the younger boys. “You don’t even know me.”

“You’re our brother.” They both looked confused. To them it was simple. They were family.

“You’re too young to understand anything. This is so lame.” The teenager threw himself against the cushioned back of the booth and crossed his arms.

Max pinched the bridge of his nose.

Jackie wanted to reach out and hug all the boys close to her. To tell them that God loved them and that was all that mattered, but she didn’t even know where they were in their faith. Maybe she could help by refocusing them. “You’re right, Ethan. It’s not fair. This is one of the reasons I came out to the ranch. I have a plan that might help restore goodwill for the Delgados here in town.”

Ethan and Max made an identical grunting noise at the exact same time.

Biting her tongue to stop the laugh, she had to smile at their matching sullen expressions. She leaned closer to Max. “The original town church and school are on your property. I would love to move them into town and restore the buildings. The city has land set aside. I don’t need anything from you other than permission. It’s what our mothers were working on when—”

“Sorry.” Max cut her off. “My uncle asked me to get the ranch ready for sale, and I have orders to clear out the pastures and tear down any old buildings. He wants the old wood sent to him.”

Adrenaline rushed through her heart. Her brain rebelled at the horror of tearing down the buildings. But before she could protest, Dub Childress walked over to their table.

His glare fixed on Max. “You’re the oldest Delgado grandson. Maximiliano, right?” He pronounced it with the Spanish accent.

Max stood and held out his hand. “Yes, sir. These are my brothers. Ethan, Isaac and Tomas.”

He nodded, shaking Max’s hand. “Are your father or uncle coming into town?”

“No, sir. My uncle has obligations that keep him in Dallas. My father passed away last month. Boating accident.”

Dub’s face tightened. “Sorry to hear that. Are you making plans to clear out the thistles?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Sally came to the table with a tray full of hot drinks. Dub nodded and moved back to his seat. “Now, what can I get y’all to eat?”

Max looked at his brothers. “Are burgers and fries good for everyone?”

They all nodded.

With the joy gone out of their faces, Isaac and Tomas took the mugs and just stared at the fluffy white topping. It wasn’t their fault. Jackie wanted to help them but wasn’t sure what to do.

She tucked her hands under her thighs. “I’m sorry.”

Max stared into his black coffee. “Not your problem. It goes with the territory of being a Delgado.”

Silence fell over the table after Sally left with their orders. Ethan had gone back to staring at his newly charged phone. Max laid his arm on the back of the bench as he sipped his coffee.

She had to try again. “Surely your uncle doesn’t actually want to destroy the buildings.”

“No. He’s opening a new store north of Dallas in Flower Mound. It’s not just the ‘biggest’—” he made air quotes “—Western store in the country. The newest Delgado Cowboy Central will be an experience. He wants to re-create an authentic Western town inside the store. I wouldn’t even call it a store. It’s more like a football stadium, a destination.”

“But those buildings belong here in Clear Water.”

Tomas and Isaac started jostling each other. If they’d driven in from Dallas today, they must have been sitting a long time. Her nieces would have been going crazy by now.

“Do you guys like old-fashioned arcade games?”

The corner of Max’s mouth lifted. “I’ve been known to do a pretty mean pinball. Hey, guys. You want to go old-school and play in the arcade?” He reached for his wallet and took out some cash.

“Like stuff from the ’80s?” Ethan looked up.

“Probably.” Max and Jackie answered at the same time.

With a lopsided grin, Max nodded to Ethan. “Will you take your brothers while we wait for the food?”

Before Max could move out of the booth, the boys crawled under the table and ran to the back room. Ethan followed with much less energy.

“Walk,” Max yelled after them, but they didn’t seem to hear. “I have no idea what I’m doing. I thought it was time we got to know each other, spend some time together. I’m starting to think this was a very bad idea. I get so angry at my father. He created this mess, and now I can’t even yell at him. I don’t know anything about kids, especially grieving ones.”

“No, your brothers need you. They’re young. They don’t understand what’s going on. Ethan, well, he’s a teenager. They’re not good at expressing what they need because they’re confused in general. You’re doing the right thing.” Without thinking about it, she reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “You’ve all had a loss, and they need family right now. So do you.”

He snorted. “My father didn’t build a loving community with his kids. It was more or less every man for himself. People are easily discarded in the Delgado clan.”

“You can make your own choices.” She remembered the sensitive boy she had fallen in love with. “I know you’re not your father, Max. Do you still write?”