Second Chance Christmas

He checked his list for tomorrow’s outing. He had eight; he needed ten; he could handle fifteen. Five of the people signed up were teenagers from his church. He didn’t charge them. The three tourists would be a boost, but he wished there were more of them.

Outside, gravel crunched as another customer pulled into the parking lot. Cooper paused, metal detector in hand, almost like a weapon. It was back, the Lost Dutchman’s royal blue Ford truck.

The sight of one—and old Jacob Hubrecht probably owned four—always made Cooper Smith want to run out the front door and shout, “Wait for me!” Ten years ago, he hadn’t run fast enough, shouted loud enough, and Elise Hubrecht had driven away without a backward glance or goodbye, taking his heart with her.

Since that day, the sight of a blue Lost Dutchman truck in his parking lot meant one of Elise’s sisters or her dad. Today, judging by the brown-haired boy scrambling out of the passenger-side door, he’d be dealing with Eva, Elise’s big sister, and Eva’s stepson, Timmy.

“Hey, Cooper.” Timmy smiled as he set off the large brass bell that announced customers entering AJ’s Outfitters. The bell was old and annoying, but his father had installed it and Cooper didn’t have the heart to replace it.

“What are you doing out and about on a school day?” Cooper asked.

“I had to go to the dentist, and I was so good that Eva said I could sign up for one of your tours up the mountain. I’ve been askin’ and askin’ and it’s raining so the perfect time. That’s what Grandpa said. Did you know that? He says I ride better than most grown-ups and that you’d help me find gold. Can I go tomorrow? Please.”

Cooper stared around Timmy, waiting for Eva to finally exit the truck. She’d always been the most organized of the Hubrecht sisters, the thinker and nurturer of the set. She’d been the one who made sure all supplies were packed, who made reminder calls, and who checked the final scoring numbers.

The baby of the family, Emily, didn’t care. She knew her big sisters would take care of her. She merely kept track of what was going on, often filming it to post online, and writing about it on some blog or Facebook page she’d started.

Cooper’s ex-girlfriend, middle daughter Elise, had been the risk-taker of the sisters. She did the numbers in her head and always knew her rank and position. She thought the fewer supplies the better, and if they happened to forget something, then obviously they’d not needed it. Back then, at least when it counted, he’d been the only thing she needed.

In the end, he’d not been enough.

“Is Eva going to enroll with you or will it be your dad?” Cooper grinned. Eva, everyone knew, was afraid of horses. He’d heard she was doing better, but he doubted she’d be willing to do the ups and downs of the Superstition Mountains. He emphasized Only Experienced, Confident Riders for tomorrow’s tour. He’d still get a few tenderfoots. Now Timmy’s dad, Jesse, was such a good rider that he could probably lead the tour. But Jesse wouldn’t know how to talk gold panning.

Eva came through the door, letting a slight breeze in with her. “Jesse says he’ll go along. He’ll stay once he delivers the horses.”

Cooper’s family owned five horses and two mules. After his dad died, he’d started boarding all but his quarter horse Percy Jackson at the Lost Dutchman. It was for the best. His mom hadn’t ridden in years and Cooper could never convince Garrett to go for a ride anymore. On the other hand, Cooper managed to get at least an hour a day—make that evening—in on PJ. Sometimes he thought the time spent on the back of his horse was all that kept him sane.

That and prayers.

“When are you going to try, Eva?” he queried. “Jesse says you go for a ride with him at least once a week.”

“At the rate I’m improving, I’ll be ready to ride the mountain when I turn eighty-six.”

He’d been about to mention that Elise had done the mountain when she was six. But then the bell rang as the front door opened and Elise stood there.

A small smile curved the lips he’d once called his own. Her hair was longer, caught in a braid. She’d always gone for vibrant colors, but today wore a royal blue two-piece suit and sensible shoes. He preferred her in button-down shirts that tucked into jeans hugging the legs that had chased him across the football field and tackled him.

It was her eyes that made him step back, bump into the shelf holding bucket survival kits. When they looked into his, they didn’t light up.

After all these years, why did he still expect it?

“Hey,” he said, keeping his tone even. Instinctively, he knew not to head toward her and try to give her the type of hug old friends exchange. It hadn’t been a good breakup.

“Hi, Cooper,” Elise said.

As if they were merely acquaintances meeting again after a long time.

“Don’t tell me,” Eva exclaimed, hurrying across the store and giving her a hug. “You took the job!”

“I...” Elise apparently didn’t have an answer. Funny, she’d always been as quick-tongued as she was sure-footed. Cooper watched as the two sisters squared off, suddenly certain that life was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Eva stepped out of the hug, crossed her arms, and encouraged, “You know you’re perfect for it.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s perfect for me,” Elise finally managed.

Silence, reminding him much of the silence between him and his brother, reigned.

“Hi, Aunt Elise,” Timmy jumped in, rescuing them from an awkward moment. “It’s raining, so I’m signing up for tomorrow’s horseback ride. I’m going to find gold. You should come with us. Eva says you’re the best rider in the world.”

“The world’s a pretty big place.” Elise walked the rest of the way into the store and bent down so she was eye level with the boy. “I’m sure there are a few better riders. Cooper here is pretty good, or so I’m told.”

Eva laughed. “That’s putting it mildly. So, really how did the interview go?”

“I...”

There she went again with the “I...” instead of just spitting out whatever it was.

“What brings you to AJ’s Outfitters?” Cooper asked, as if she hadn’t been in the store a million times. “You need some mining gear? Must need something special to drive in all the way from Two Mules.”

“I’m here for a job interview. I was just at the high school,” Elise admitted. “They’re thinking about hiring a social worker, and—”

“—you took the job?” Eva was nothing if not persistent.

Elise shot Eva a dirty look. “No, I told them I’d think about it.” To Cooper, she said, “It’s just that Two Mules will be laying off one of us, and—”

“If you take the job—” Eva got excited all over again “—we’ll get to see you more than a few times a year?”

Elise had been in his store over two minutes and not once had acted like he was anything but a storekeeper.

“If you came home, you might have to get close to people again,” he commented, working hard to keep his tone casual.

“I’m close to people.” She didn’t exactly snap at him, but her words had bite. “I’m just committed elsewhere.”

Cooper didn’t bother to tell her what he thought about her using the word committed. At one time, she’d known the meaning of the word. If she’d stayed true to it, they’d have been married four or five years, maybe have a kid or two. Come to think of it. Committed had two meanings. Cooper needed to be committed for still harboring feelings for her.

“It would be awesome if you came back home,” Eva gushed. “The ranch could use the help. We’re busier than ever. And, if you worked at the high school just think of all the good you could do for those kids.”

Wisely, Cooper didn’t contribute to this train of thought. Maybe Eva was right. He sure knew those kids at the high school needed all the help they could get. But he really wished some other knight—knightess?—in shining armor was showing up. Elise had not been there when Cooper needed her most. He couldn’t trust her to be there for Garrett.

Maybe he should look into getting counseling for Garrett. Cooper couldn’t imagine going through the trials of being a high school student without his dad being there.

Mitch Smith had been his anchor after Elise left. He’d dogged Cooper, getting him to work more, attend church functions even without Elise on his arm, and finally talked Cooper into putting away the engagement ring and going to college on the rodeo scholarship, only as a solo instead of a pair.

“Best thing you can do,” Mitch had advised all those years ago, “is remain a ship in the ocean she’ll return to.”

His dad had sayings for every occasion.

Cooper’s ship had sunk, risen, been attacked a few times, and now sported a couple of holes. But he was still sailing. Unfortunately, he was now so used to being solo he wasn’t sure he wanted the condition to change.