Page 5 of Soldier’s Christmas Crush (Trinity Falls: Home for Christmas #4)

WILLOW

W illow sat beside Joe Cassidy in his truck the next day, carrying a bag with a pumpkin pie in it on her lap as they left the little town behind and headed out toward the open countryside on her way to visit Ransom.

“Thank you again for doing this,” she told Joe. “I really appreciate it.”

“Least I can do for one of our brave soldiers,” he told her. “Besides, I was heading home anyway.”

“Well, thank you,” she said.

Her car was still in the shop, and without it, Willow felt absolutely useless.

Trinity Falls didn’t exactly have a bustling taxi or ride-share scene, so it was tough to get around without a vehicle.

In desperation, she had wandered down to Carla’s Place to see if anyone there might be headed back to the farmland west of the village and gotten lucky when Joe offered her a ride.

Joe was her landlady’s father-in-law now, and she hoped he didn’t feel obligated on that account. But if anything, he seemed pleased by the company.

“How’s your brother doing these days?” he asked.

“Fine,” she said. “He keeps pretty busy with the kids.”

She honestly wished she knew more about Ransom’s life. Maybe today would be the beginning of that.

“A shame your mom’s not around,” Joe said, nodding. “Understandable though.”

Everyone knew that their aunt in Boston was having health troubles.

Mom had opted to sell off most of the farm and join her up there.

Willow wondered if she would have made that move if she’d known then that Ransom was going to come home from his service and immediately take over as a single parent to the two kids Cassie had left him with.

But Willow was glad it worked out like it did.

Mom deserved a quiet retirement and a chance to be there for her beloved sister in her time of need.

And it made sense to pass the farm off to someone else.

Growing up, neither Willow nor Ransom had shown any interest in keeping the business going.

They each had their own dreams, and Mom had always respected that.

“Here we go,” Joe said, rousing her from her thoughts as he pulled onto the narrow dirt and gravel road that led through a thicket of honeysuckle to the section of land Mom had kept for Willow and Ransom.

This was where Mom’s cousins and their kids used to stay when they came for the summer. There was a small pond, a big red barn leftover from the days when they’d kept goats, and an A-frame cabin overlooking the woods.

It was strange to think of Ransom living here with his kids, but Willow figured it was good that he had a home to come back to.

“He know you’re coming?” Joe asked quietly. “Or do you need me to wait and make sure he’s home?”

“He knows,” Willow said.

She had sent a text to tell him she wanted to stop by, and he had responded with a thumbs-up.

Compared to their teen years when their text chain had been a never-ending series of jokes and Muppet memes, it was pretty dark, but at least it was a response.

She wasn’t exactly sure how long she would be here, or how she was getting home again, but hopefully Ransom would give her a ride.

Things are going to get better between us, starting now, she reminded herself.

As they pulled closer to the house, a movement in the trees caught her attention.

A moment later, three dark forms burst out of the underbrush—German shepherd dogs with glossy black coats, practically flying alongside Joe’s truck, as if to welcome them.

“Wow,” Willow said.

“Beautiful animals,” Joe said approvingly.

She watched them out the window, leaping with incredible grace, their mouths open in what really looked like friendly smiles.

“Thank you so much for the ride,” she told Joe as he pulled up in the circle by the house.

“Don’t mention it, young lady,” Joe told her. “It was on my way. ”

She hopped out with her bag, giving him a wave as she jogged up to the front of the house.

The dogs trotted up to greet her, and she put her bag down, worrying a bit about the fact that there was a pie in it. But they completely ignored the bag and sat down in front of her, panting and grinning at her.

“Hello,” she said to them. “Aren’t you well-trained and polite?”

They cocked their heads, ears flopping over as if they were trying to understand the question. Ransom had always been good with animals, but these three beauties were exceptional.

They accepted her pats, compliments, and behind-the-ear scratches for a few minutes, nuzzling their velvety snouts into her hand. But it was cold outside, even with the bright sunshine taking the edge off, and she was starting to feel it.

“I have to go see my brother,” she told her new companions, grabbing the bag and heading over to knock on the big wooden door.

“Come in,” Ransom yelled from inside.

Not even getting up to greet her and let her in probably wasn’t a great sign.

She figured she would just crack the door open to ask Ransom if it was okay to let the dogs in with her. But when she turned back, they had all trotted off to investigate a suspicious squirrel that was scampering across the lawn, and didn’t seem to have any interest in following her.

She opened the door and stepped inside. The high ceiling was as impressive as ever, and it was deliciously warm inside with a roaring fire going in the big fireplace.

Ransom stood in the open kitchen, stirring something that smelled absolutely delicious—fresh onions and peppers in butter, maybe?

The house looked so welcoming. The kids had clearly made some of the festive Christmas decorations scattered around the space. And the sofas were draped in mountains of blankets and knitted sweaters. It felt cozy.

“Wow,” she said appreciatively. “The place looks really nice.”

“Come on in,” he said with a perfunctory smile. “I’m right in the middle of this.”

“Lasagna?” she guessed, heading over.

He nodded and she smiled. Dad’s famous lasagna had always been a favorite of theirs.

“I guess Travis and Mae are going to be happy tonight,” she said.

“They’re good eaters,” he confirmed, with a genuine smile.

Willow was sad not to be seeing the kids during her visit, but she figured coming over here for the first time when they were at school was for the best. It would be so nice if she could take the chill off things with Ransom before seeing her niece and nephew.

Silence fell over them, and Willow set the bag on the table.

“There’s a pie in there for you,” she said. “Hopefully the kids will like it.”

“Thanks,” he said.

She decided to do what they had always done in the kitchen. She wandered over to the island and grabbed the tomatoes and headed to the sink to wash them off.

The radio was playing “O Come All Ye Faithful” softly. It sounded like the local children’s choir singing.

She got to work chopping tomatoes for the sauce, feeling better the moment her hands were busy.

“Thanks,” Ransom said, glancing over after a minute. “I appreciate it.”

“How’s everything going?” she asked.

But that was clearly the wrong question. He wasn’t really ready to open up yet. She could literally see him shutting down.

“The kids are adapting really well,” he told her. “They’re tough as nails. And I’m figuring it out.”

“You’re clearly killing it,” she told him, gesturing all around them. “You’ve got this place looking like a home. I remember when it looked more like summer camp.”

“We sure made a lot of s’mores around that fireplace,” Ransom said, smiling down at the sizzling peppers in the pan.

“Well, seeing how everything looks now, I guess planning Christmas won’t be as hard as I thought,” Willow said. “It’s nice and warm, and you’ve got the kitchen up and running.”

Mom and Aunt Rhonda were planning a visit for the holidays, which had given Willow a surface excuse for stopping by. The two women were anxious to see Travis and Mae. And Aunt Rhonda’s doctor had approved the journey. So Willow and Ransom would be hosting the holiday together at his house.

“It’s actually not as hard to heat as you’d think because of the roofline,” Ransom said. “I’m pretty sure I have the bedroom situation figured out too.”

Willow listened as he laid out his plans for where Mom and Aunt Rhonda would stay, and then they discussed food, dividing tasks and meals between them.

“This is a lot for you with the kids,” she realized out loud as he added ground beef to the pan. “Do you want me to just handle the food?”

“I’m fine,” he told her curtly. “You think because I’m a man I can’t handle kids?”

You think because I’m your little sister I couldn’t serve in the military, she wanted to lob back. But she bit her tongue.

“Not at all,” she told him. “I think because you’re a single parent you’re busy, and I’m here now with nothing to do, so I’d like to help.”

He sighed, then looked up at her.

“Sorry,” he said. “I guess I’m still figuring this out.”

Her heart went out to him, and for about the millionth time she wondered how Cassie could have just left the minute he got home. They had been divorced a while, but Willow figured that surely she could have helped the kids transition to life with their dad before heading out with her new guy.

Having been raised by a single parent, she knew that Ransom took it hard that his own kids were now in the same boat.

But she didn’t think he had much to worry about.

Their own mom had been amazing, better than any other two parents, in Willow’s opinion.

As long as Ransom did his best to follow in her footsteps, the kids would be just fine .

She wanted nothing more than to tell him all that, but she couldn’t think of a way that didn’t sound forced.

“It’s weird being home, isn’t it?” she heard herself say instead.

Her plan was to avoid talking directly about her own service, since she knew the idea of it had put him so much on edge. But it was an innocent enough question for him.

“Yeah,” he replied. “But it’s mostly good. I honestly don’t have a lot of chances to worry about it. The kids are the best medicine I guess.”

“That’s really nice,” she told him, meaning it.

They worked on, talking more about the kids and their lives. He even asked about her new apartment, and she was happy to tell him all about it. The conversation was light and easy, and she tried her best not to think about it for fear of ruining the good vibes.

In no time, the lasagna was assembled, and he was putting it in the oven.

“Let’s have a look at this pie,” he said with a smile as he headed over to the table.

The pie was pumpkin, his favorite, and she had ordered it in advance because Thanksgiving was over.

“Is that…?” he asked, opening the bag and taking a big whiff. “No way.”

“Surprise,” she said with a goofy smile. “They made it just for you.”

“Thanks,” he told her, lifting it out with a look of happy anticipation.

She held her breath a little, watching his face .

“ No way, ” he said again when he saw what else was in the bag. “You brought Scrabble?”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d have time to play,” she said.

“I see what this is,” he said teasingly. “You think now that you’re all grown up, you can finally beat me. Don’t you?”

She laughed, feeling relieved to slip back into their old banter.

“I’m putting on some coffee, then we’re eating pie and playing this,” Ransom said firmly. “You can stay awhile, right?”

“I was hoping you’d drop me in town when you pick up the kids,” she said.

“Sure,” he said. “Where’s the car?”

“In the shop,” she told him, hoping he didn’t ask any follow-up questions that would force her to mention Jensen. “Bad alternator, I think. It just sort of gave out on me.”

“Well, whatever’s wrong, let’s fix it,” he said. “I know it’s an old car, but it’s got some good memories.”

Warmth flooded Willow’s chest and she felt herself relax a little more.

Things might not be perfect between them, but this relationship was going to be just fine after all.