Read Online Forever Country by Brenda Kennedy - Free Book Online Page B

she drives off
and I think about what she said. Bring me firewood or coffee. I get
in my truck and drive past her house. The street is sparsely
decorated with Christmas lights. Some homes have their Christmas
trees in the front windows. Savannah Mae’s house is dark. No
lights, no electric candles burning in the front windows, and no
Christmas wreath on the front door. I drive by, looking in her
window, and I can’t see a tree. Her house is small and I have a
good view of the entire living room. I know
what to do, so I drive to the farm.
    Savannah Mae
    After I pick up Sawyer Jackson, I pull up at
my house and I’m surprised to see Abel Lee sittin’ on the wooden
rocker. I get out of the car as he walks off of the front
porch.
    “ Hi,” I finally say as I
open the passenger side door to get a sleepin’ Sawyer Jackson
out.
    Abel Lee is right behind
me, looking into the car. “I’ll get him for
you.”  
    Steppin’ out of the way, I wait for him to
unfasten the seatbelt. I watch as he carefully picks my son up.
    “ Thank you.” I close and
lock the car door behind us.  
    We both remain quiet, careful to not wake
Sawyer Jackson as we walk into my house. Abel Lee follows me and I
lead the way to Sawyer’s Jackson’s room. I pull the Thomas the
Train covers back and watch as Abel gently lays my son on his bed.
Once his coat and slippers are removed, I kiss him and pull the
covers up to his waist, the way he likes it.
    Abel is leaning against the
doorframe, watching. I follow him out into the livin’ room. “What
brings you here?”  
    “ I forgot to tip you.” I
can see a hint of a smile on his lips.
    “ Are you back to that
again?” I walk into the kitchen. “Can I get you something to
drink?”  
    “ No, I’m okay. I have to
run out to the truck, I’ll just be a minute.”  
    Before I fill the glass with water, he’s
gone. I walk to the front door and watch in surprise as he removes
a live Christmas tree from the bed of his pickup. He is wearin’ a
grin of a five-year-old. I have to smile as I open the door as wide
as I can for him and for the tree. He holds the tree up in the
middle of the living room floor.
    “ What in the dickens is
that?”  
    He smiles, revealing that
single dimple in his cheek. “Savannah Mae, that is called a Christmas tree. See
the long pine needles.”  
    I have to laugh. “Abel Lee,
I know it’s a Christmas tree, but what is it doin’ in my
house?”  
    “ It’s your tip.” He smiles
even bigger, revealin’ a beautiful boyish grin. “You said to bring
you firewood or coffee. I had one of these lying around the barn
and thought you and Sawyer Jackson could use
it.”  
    I cross my arms over my
chest. “You just so happen to have a tree in the barn you weren’t
usin’?”  
    “ Sure
did.”  
    “ Abel Lee, does your Momma
know you be tellin’ lies?”  
    He places his hands over
his heart and acts as if he’s wounded. “Savannah Mae, did you just
call me a liar?”  
    I try to hide my toothy
smile. “I may be from the country, but I ain’t plumb
dumb.”  
    “ Whoa, I never thought you
were.” He readjusts the tree and says, “On Thanksgiving, we cut a
few trees, one for us, one for the church, and this one here is for you and Sawyer Jackson.”
    “ Really?” I tilt my head
and squint my eyes.  
    “ Really.”  
    I smile. “In that case, I
reckon you should put it over there.” I point to the area between
the window and the fireplace.  
    I get the tree stand from
the basement and the tree fits in it perfectly. Abel Lee and his
daddy even had the bottom of the tree cut and trimmed to make it
fit into a tree stand. He holds it in the corner and looks at me.
“Here?”  
    “ Nope, it’s crooked. Turn
it again.”  
    He lifts the tree and turns
it. “Here?”  
    I pretend to be inspecting
the tree. I raise my hand and twirl my index finger around to
indicate he needs to spin the tree again. “Nope, bare
spot.”