"Ranch Roundup Family Style" - читать интересную книгу автора (Conley Carl)

Chapter 10

Two weeks before Christmas, Jerri and Dave wrote to their parents, once again asking for understanding and acceptance. They hoped-with reason-that the spirit o! the holiday season would" open them up" a bit and perhaps their attitude would change. Almost seven months had passed, certainly enough time for her parents to get over the shock of her leaving New York and the modeling profession. And by now Lydia and Ray would have begun to realize their children were not coming home.

They mailed the letter, hoping. That same day they bought Christmas decorations and supplies for the gifts they were making, and went home to decorate the big Christmas tree Rob and Dave had cut down on the mountain.

It was the coldest night of the year. The wind whistled through the beams of the ceiling, but the roaring fire kept them warm. Jerri and Dave remembered the Christmas they had spent with their grandparents in Vermont, and they wanted to re-create that one as much as possible.

Jerri played Christmas carols on the piano and everyone sang as they decorated the Christmas tree. Carol and Tracey strung cranberries and popcorn, alternately, on long lines of heavy thread, and then hung them around the tree. Rob painted silver glitter on pine cones and then sat them on various branches, in between the strings of red and white. Russell hung bits of pine branches around the windows, and arranged pine boughs and cones on the mantel. When the tree was finished, they sat around and looked at it.

"Beautiful!" Carol said with pride.

"Fantastic!" Jerri said.

"The best," Rob added. "You know, this is going to be the best Christmas I ever had. I have a family now, for the first time in my life. "He hugged Jerri and then looked around at the rest of his dear close friends.

"Wish some of the love we have for each other would spread to the neighbors!" Tracey said honestly.

"There's no peace on earth these days," Dave muttered.

"But there is here," Tracey added.

"Yeah, and maybe if we start it the whole thing will spread around. Love. Peace. That's what Christmas is all about!" Jerri smiled.

"Well," Carol said, getting up from the floor, "at least those kids are going to have some happiness." She pointed to the two huge boxes of toys and gifts they had made for the poor children.

"How many do we have now?" Rob asked.

"About three hundred," Carol replied.

"God, that's great! That's about fifty over what we planned!" Tracey said.

"Fantastic!" Russell said, leaning on the piano.

"Far out!" Jerri said, sitting down at the piano. "Shall we have a rousing chorus of Winter Wonderland to urge the snow upon us?"

"Yeah," Rob shouted, walking to the piano.

"Hey, great," Carol said, beginning to sing. "La la la la!" She kidded, clearing her throat.

"Hey, everyone, wait!" Tracey called from the other side of the room. "Look! Come here, look!"

They all ran over to the front window. It was snowing outside! White-silver flakes were falling gently to the ground.

"We don't need to sing," Jerri said, happy.

"Hey, come on!" Rob called, flinging the front door open. He ran out into the snow, jumping into the air in the front yard, shouting and laughing in joy.

Jerri ran after him and joined him, hugging his body tightly to hers as the flakes fell around them.

Carol and Russell ran across the yard, freezing, but laughing too hard to know it.

Tracey and her husband stood on the porch, watching the others, feeling the cold flakes melting on their faces.

"I've never been so happy," Tracey whispered her hands on her stomach.

"Me too, darling, me too," Dave said, kissing her on the cheek.

The snow fell all night.