The Christmas Horse Read online

  The Christmas Horse

  Jennifer Conner

  The Christmas Horse

  Copyright 2011

  By Books to Go Now

  For information on the cover illustration and design, contact [email protected]

  First eBook Edition –December 2011

  Printed in the United States of America

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.

  If you are interested in purchasing more works of this nature, please stop by

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  Look for Jennifer Conner’s other Christmas Stories

  Christmas Chaos

  All I Want for Christmas is You

  The Music of Christmas

  Christmas with Carol

  Do you Hear What I Hear?

  Chapter 1

  Jon Dunn stepped behind his work van and pulled out another bundle of roofing. He glanced over the fence at the Craftsman house across the pasture where Laura Doran now lived. He frowned. His dad read in the news paper and casually mentioned she was back in North Grove, living in her grandparent’s old farmhouse.

  He was surprised when he’d heard the news. Laura said she was never coming back to North Grove, so what made her return? Not that he cared.

  Jon sniffed as the cold wind assaulted his nose and threatened to make it run. He didn’t mind the winter work. The roofing company he and his dad owned was doing better than ever; they stayed busy all year long. It never got that cold in Washington State, so it wasn’t too bad to work outside in December. He dragged the bundle around the house.

  “Good thing Mrs. Murphy called us when she did. The tree hit her house in that wind storm before Thanksgiving and water was starting to leak in,” his father commented as he pried up the corner of the roof with his hammer.

  “Didn’t do much damage, did it?” Jon asked as he sliced open the roofing wrapper with a knife.

  “Can’t tell until we get into it. You gonna be able to work late so we can get this done?” His dad limped over and poked the roofing with his cane.

  “Nope. Sorry, got a hot date planned.”

  “Really? Hey, that’s fine. I’ll call Bob and have him…”

  Jon grinned up at him. He stood and shoved the knife back into his tool belt. “I guess it’s good you think I’m telling the truth. I’d hate to imagine I was that far off my game.”

  “So--- no date?”

  “There could be… that is, after I finish up here. You want to go to Outcast with me for Hot Wings Wednesday?”

  “You are in sad shape, son.” His dad laughed until he coughed. “I am not going to be your date!”

  “I never said you were.” Jon grumbled. “I was just trying to be the ‘good son’”.

  “You’re my only son and I love ya to death, but I am not going to be your date.”

  Jon lifted the first sheets of roofing from the plastic wrap just as the high-pitched wail of a fire engine sounded nearby. At almost the same moment, there was a loud whinny. A chestnut horse half jumped, half fell through the fence that divided the two properties and there was the sound of splintering wood.

  Fear widened the horse’s eyes. It started to lunge to the side, but its hooves slipped on the pool’s deck. Almost as if in slow motion, the horse protested and fell into Mrs. Murphy’s pool with an enormous splash.

  “What the…” his dad yelled as they both scrambled to the horse’s aid.

  The horse threw its head from side-to-side and thrashed the water with its hooves in a panic. As its legs churned, the deeper it became entangled in the pool cover. It neighed again and then went under.

  “The thing’s going to drown!”

  “Dad, use your cane and keep its head above water.” Jon yanked at the leather laces on his work boots and yanked them off. He quickly slid open the zipper of his heavy coat and tossed it off to the side. When he jumped in the pool, the frigid water sucked the air from his lungs.

  He inched slowly toward the animal, but it thrashed. Jon tried to put his hand out in defense, but the side of the horse’s hoof grazed his cheek and ripped his lip. Jon swore as blood trickled into his mouth. He grabbed at the hoof and shoved it back into the water, then reached for the halter. He pulled the horse up tight with his fist as he reached in his tool belt for the box knife to cut the pool cover. It was beginning to tangle around them like a solidified piece of blue sky.

  From the other side of the fence, a woman’s panicked voice called, “Red! Where are you?” She stepped through the broken fence and screamed as she ran towards them. “Oh, God! What happened?”

  Laura? … Couldn’t be. Great. That’s just what I need. Jon tried to wipe water from his eyes to see clearly.

  “Come here. Come here!” his dad motioned frantically with his hand. “I can’t get this pool cover off by myself. They’re tangled!”

  Laura dropped to her knees to join the struggle. Jon shoved at the cover until he finally felt it budge. “Keep pulling!” he cried. “I have to get enough space to free his legs.”

  The cover moved and he felt the horse floated towards him. With all his strength, he pulled the horse out from under the barrier and toward the shallower end of the pool. “That’s it. Come on. Neither one of us wants to be in here, so the sooner we get out the better.”

  Laura ran to meet them. She descended the stairs, entered the shallow water, and grabbed for the horse. With her pulling on the halter and Jon pushing at its flank, the horse moved up the tile stairs and out of the pool.

  She threw her arms around the horse, hugged it, and then frantically checked its legs for damage.

  “What happened?” Fred, a neighbor inquired as he moved to join them.

  “Red spooked and fell in the pool,” Laura said.

  “Hey,” Fred said as he took the halter from Laura. “I bet that water was Arctic cold. Why don’t you let me take Red back to barn, dry him off and rub him down. You help Jon. He looks like he’s about to become the world’s largest popsicle.”

  “Jon?” She took a closer look at him. “Oh my God, I didn’t recognize you.”

  “Laura.” He clenched his jaw to keep from shivering… it was such an un-manly thing to do. “I never expected to see you again.”

  “I recently moved back to North Grove.” She watched Fred walk Red back into the pasture.

  “I heard.” An awkward silence stretched between them.

  “I am so sorry,” she finally said in a half whisper.

  “Sorry for the horse or sorry for what happened between us?” Jon swallowed deep. Damn, she’s still so beautiful. He swore her deep green eyes still looked into his soul.

  “Red’s twenty-two and I’ve had him since I was a kid.”

  “I remember when your parents bought him for your birthday.”

  “I don’t know what I would have done if he’d drowned. He’s very important to me.”

  “Has he always been afraid of the sound of sirens?” Jon asked, as he p
ulled at the blanket, trying to leach more warmth into his body.

  She gave a short laugh. “Yes. I thought I’d mended the fence last week, but he must have been scared enough to break through. Why he ran over here, I’ll never know.”

  Jon couldn’t help but smile. “Or why Mrs. Murphy has an outdoor pool in Washington State. I’ll never understand that either, we just don’t have pools unless it’s to catch rain. Some things in life are a mystery.”

  “You have to warm up; you must be half frozen.”

  “I’m afraid I’m a little more than half,” Jon tried to joke though chattering teeth.

  She motioned to his dad. “Come on, both of you.” She took his elbow. “The farmhouse is right over there, and I just built a fire before I left for town.”

  Jon was going to protest. He should buck up and be a man. He’d told himself a million times that he never wanted to see Laura again. He would tell her that to her face but his lips were too cold to move, so he just nodded and followed.

  She turned the knob on the front door and kicked it open with her foot.

  The house was warm and homey with a brightly lit and decorated Christmas tree filling part of the living room. It had been years since he’d been inside her grandparent’s home. There was an underlying scent of vanilla, just the way Laura’s hair had always smelled.

  “Sit. I’ll get you something dry to change into.” She motioned to the rocking chair in front of the fire.

  She has clothes that fit me? Jon found he was a little disappointed. Deep down he didn’t want her to have a man in her life.

  She reappeared a few minutes later and handed him a neatly folded stack of jeans, socks, and a sweater.

  “I’m not changing into your husband or boyfriends clothes.”

  She tipped her head and smiled. “No husband or boyfriend; only brothers. You remember. I have five of them.”

  “Oh… yeah,” Jon mumbled.

  “The bathroom’s through there.” She pointed.

  Jon struggled with the buttons on his shirt with his frozen fingers. He turned on the water in the sink and ran his hands under the hot stream until he felt the tips of his fingers once again. He scrubbed a hand over his face and looked in the mirror.

  Laura. Why here? Why now? Why did she have to come back when it took so many years to try and forget her? Damn…

  Chapter 2

  “Thanks again for saving my horse, Mr. Dunn.” Laura poured a cup of coffee from the pot and handed it across the table.

  “It was mainly Jon. He’s the one who dove in the pool. You would have done the same thing. Poor animal was scared out of its mind. And, you’re not kids anymore-you call me Marlon.”

  Marlon had a weathered face, but kind blue eyes… just like his son.

  “How’s your roofing business?” she asked as she stirred a teaspoon of sugar into her coffee.

  “Dunn’s is the only roofing business still in town,” Jon said as he came out of the bathroom. “Neither Dad or I have had a day off in a month - ‘Blue collar guy’ making a living wage. Imagine that?” he said with a hint of sarcasm.

  Laura hated having her hurtful words repeated. She’d been eighteen when she’d said them. Stupid and eighteen. Couldn’t he see she wasn’t the same girl? “I never meant what I said like that.”

  “Then how had you meant it?” Jon’s eyes flashed with anger and pain.

  Laura sighed. “There are a lot of things I should apologize for. Things are different now.”

  “What about New York and your ballet dreams?”

  “That’s different too. These days, I can’t allow myself to dream… it never seems to work out.”

  Jon motioned to his dad. “We should go. We’ve lost most of the afternoon and we need to get back to Mrs. Murphy’s roof.” He walked out the door and let it bang closed behind him.

  Marlon thanked her and pushed himself to his feet. He started to leave, but then stopped and turned to face her. “Are you really home this time- for good?”

  Laura nodded.

  “He’s never given up hope you’d come back. I just thought you should know that.” Marlon closed the door and left her in the empty kitchen.

  ****

  By the time Jon and his dad returned to the shop, it was well after eight.

  His jaw ached like a S.O.B where the horse kicked him. He’d dry chewed two or three aspirin back at the job site, but it was starting to wear off. He’d break out the Vicodin when he got home. His jaw wasn’t broken, it only felt like it.

  Marlon held Jon’s chin with his thumb and tipped it up. “Man, are you ever gonna have a bruise and a fat lip in a day or two.” He smiled and chuckled. “It was such a pretty face too.”

  “Get off,” Jon said with a chuckle and brushed the hand away. “The offer for the date and hot wings is off. I would never go out with someone as shallow as you.”

  Both men laughed as the office phone rang. Marlon walked over to the desk to answer it.

  “Don’t answer that; it’s freaking eight-o’clock! Come on, I’m tired.”

  “Dunn’s Roofing,” his dad answered, and then listened for a moment. He handed Jon the phone. “It’s for you.”

  “Hello.”

  “It’s Laura. Earlier, I talked to Marlon. I need the roof redone on the building I’m trying to buy. It’s kind of an emergency; I need it done as soon as possible. I was hoping you and your dad could…”

  He cut her off, “We’re completely booked though Christmas and into the beginning of next year. Sorry.”

  “But… can you at least take a look?”

  “Sorry, we’re really busy right now. The best I can do is to put you on the schedule for us to take a look in about two or three weeks.”

  “No, that’s okay.”

  “Have a good night then,” Jon said coolly and pushed the ‘end call’ button.

  His dad yanked the phone from his hand. “You can be a real jerk sometimes.”

  Jon was happy to be finished with Mrs. Murphy’s job. They took the three days off before Christmas and it would be pure heaven to put on his sweats, pop open a beer, and kick back to watch some bowl games.

  Marlon disappeared upstairs to take a nap. Jon wished his dad didn’t have to work so hard, but knew it was what kept him going. He needed to keep his mind and body active. Maybe after the holidays, Jon would push again to hire some subcontractors.

  It was good to be busy, but it was also good to have a few days off and - have a life.

  There was a soft rap on the back door. Jon glanced at the clock on the microwave and walked to open the door.

  “Laura, what are you doing here?”

  “This was the best way I thought of to thank you for saving Red.” She held a plate of Christmas cookies. “It’s been a few years, but I still remember how much you liked my lemon-pecan shortbread.”

  He accepted the plate, but didn’t invite her in. Instead, he grabbed his coat and pulled it over his t-shirt. As he followed her out into the driveway, he couldn’t stop his hand from slipping one of the cookies off the plate and taking a bite. It melted on his tongue.

  He set the plate on the fence post and turned to face her. “So, you’re back.”

  “Yes. I am.”

  “I never thought I would see you again unless it was to get the key to the city in a red carpet affair or on Entertainment Tonight.”

  She hooked her thumbs in the front pocket of her jeans and rocked forward. “I had my fifteen minutes of fame.”

  “Are you still dancing?”

  “No. That’s over.”

  “You told me once you wouldn’t stop until they put you in the grave.”

  “I’m still in my twenties, but my body had a different idea about a career plan. Achilles tendonitis turned into a rupture.” Laura leaned down and pulled up her
pant leg. An angry red scar ran three or four inches down the back of her leg to her ankle.

  Jon shook his head. “You dance beautifully. I saw Swan Lake in New York. You were amazing.”

  Her eyes widened. “You came to New York? You saw me dance? Why didn’t you call me and tell me you were in town?”

  “Too much time passed. I could only expect you’d wait so long. I figured you would have someone else in your life.”

  “I wanted you in my life.”

  “I couldn’t live in New York. I’m the same person I‘ve always been. ‘Blue collar’”.

  “I never cared what you worked in, you know that. I wanted you to leave the family business and start your own in New York. We loved each other. I thought…” she stopped and pulled in a deep breath. “I thought if I said those things you would leave North Grove and come to the city.”

  He looked into her emerald colored eyes and a part of his heart slipped. “Just for the record, I had my bags packed and my bus ticket purchased. Then my mom had the stroke. Everything changed.”

  “I tried to get a hold of you, but you never answered my calls.”

  Jon looked over at the house. “Dad fell apart when she died. That mixed with his bad leg…well, I couldn’t leave. He needed me here to work in the business.”

  “Why didn’t you call and tell me this?” Tears clung to her lashes. “I thought the worst, that you had given up on me… on us.”

  “You were a three- thousand miles away, on another coast. I couldn’t leave my dad, and if I asked you to come back, you would have regretted giving up your dreams of dancing with a big company.”

  “I had my dream… or at least a part of it. I danced for the New York Ballet. I’ll always have that memory.”

  “You’ll dance again.

  She shook her head and smiled weakly. “I would like to believe you, but you’re not my orthopedic surgeon and he said it’s over.”

  “That’s why you came back to North Grove?”

  “My dad made that decision for me. After I had the surgery, I hadn’t called him for a month. I was holed up in my apartment with a mountain of pizza boxes and take out Thai cartons. I guess I all about feeling sorry for myself. I hadn’t taken a bath in a week. When my dad showed up with three of my brothers, they looked at the shape I was in and loaded my apartment into their trucks. So, here I am. I needed my family- it was the right decision. I had to get out of New York. There was nothing left for me there.”