A Texas Holiday Miracle

Yes. He should call Kate and let her know he was...what? Still living with the pain. She wouldn’t want to hear that, so it was best to wait a little longer.

“I gotta go. Don’t forget to take Pepper to the doctor. He’ll make her all better. ’Bye.”

Not this time.

The child ran to the gate. Gabe got up and squatted next to Pepper.

“You like the kid, don’t you?”

Pepper nuzzled his hand in approval.

But she’s not Zack. She’s not Zack.

* * *

LACEY HURRIED INTO the house and was standing just inside the back door as Emma came through it.

“Oh,” Emma said, startled.

Lacey folded her arms across her chest. “You’ve been over at Gabe’s.”

She would have to discipline Emma, even though it would hurt Lacey more than it did her sister. She’d let her disobey too many times, though. Gabe hadn’t seemed to mind Emma being there, but Emma had done all of the talking. Gabe hadn’t responded once. And Emma needed to know that she had to mind and respect other people’s wishes.

“Uh...” Emma twisted her hands. “You were on the phone and I heard Pepper.”

“You can’t hear the dog from inside the house.”

“Yes, I...”

“No.” Lacey pointed a finger at Emma. “You’ve disobeyed me twice today, and now I have to punish you.”

“No, Lacey, no. Don’t punish me.” Emma barreled into Lacey, wrapping her arms around Lacey’s waist, and burying her face in Lacey’s stomach. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

Lacey swallowed, trying to be strong. “You say that all the time and you still disobey me. Go to your room and sit in the time-out chair.”

“No. I don’t want to.”

Lacey pointed toward the hall. “Go.”

“No. I’ll be good!” Emma wailed.

Lacey took Emma’s hand and led her down the hall to her bedroom. Emma sobbed loudly the whole time and Lacey’s strength waned. She pulled out Emma’s desk chair and placed it in a corner.

“Take off your coat and sit and think about what you did.”

“No, Lacey,” Emma cried as she removed her coat and sat in the chair.

“I’ll come back in about thirty minutes and we’ll talk.” It took all of Lacey’s strength to walk out the door. Emma’s wails followed her.

“Lacey!” Emma screamed.

She sat at the kitchen table and buried her face in her hands. How did parents do this? It was pure torture, but she had to start setting boundaries for Emma. She just never dreamed how hard it would be.

“Lacey,” Emma kept calling.

The sobs and calling suddenly stopped, and Lacey glanced up, waiting for Emma to walk into the kitchen. But she didn’t. Lacey didn’t know what she would do if Emma disobeyed her now. Her luck held, and the house grew quiet. After fifteen minutes, Lacey could stand it no longer. She slowly made her way to Emma’s room.

Her sister was still in the chair, her head bent as if she was studying her sneakers. She looked up when Lacey entered.

“Can I get up now?”

Lacey sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her. “Let’s talk.”

Emma climbed up beside her, her eyes still watery, and Lacey felt a catch in her throat. She hated this part.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

Emma nodded. “But Mr. Gabe doesn’t mind me coming over. We talked.”

Lacey didn’t want to remind her sister that she had done all the talking. “That’s not the point. I asked you not to go over to Gabe’s.”

“But...”

“Emma, sweetie, Dad put me in charge of you and your welfare, and your well-being is my top priority. When you continue to disobey me, I feel as if I have failed in my promise.”

“No, Lacey.” Emma leaned into her, her face against Lacey’s arm. “I love you.”

Lacey wrapped her arms around her sister. “I know you do. And I love you. That’s the reason I’m here.”

“I didn’t mean to disobey. You were on the phone and I went outside and heard Pepper and Mr. Gabe. I wanted to see what they were doing. I forgot, Lacey. I forgot what you said. I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m sorry.”

Lacey hugged Emma tightly. “We’re going to make new rules. From now on, when you hear Pepper I want you to come to me and tell me, and then we’ll decide if you can go over and visit the dog. That’s the way it’s going to be, Emma. Do you understand?”

Emma nodded and looked up at Lacey. “Pepper is sick and Mr. Gabe’s gonna take her to the doctor. Can we go see Pepper tomorrow?”

“I’ll go over and ask Gabe, but we have to respect his wishes.”

“’Kay.”

“Get your crayons and pencils and drawing stuff out, and I’ll go over and talk to Gabe.”

Emma jumped off the bed. “I’ll draw a picture of Pepper. Are we going to the park later?”

“No. That’s part of your punishment. I’m not rewarding you with fun time.”

“Oh.” Lacey expected more tears, but Emma acquiesced easily, which Lacey was more than grateful for. She was holding on by a thread with her parenting skills.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”