As Slim and Jess hung up their coats, Mike rushed over to them, and tugged at their belts excitedly.
�Slim, there�s another present under the tree!� and he dragged them both over to take a closer look. Sure enough under the tree stood an enormous parcel wrapped in blue paper and trimmed with a red bow.
�Well, I never,� exclaimed Jess and Slim together. �And it�s got Daisy�s name on it too.�
Daisy looked up from setting the table. �Don�t be silly, I�ve had my gift.�
Slim and Jess looked at one another trying to be serious.
�Well if it�s got, Daisy�s name on it, then it must be for Daisy,� Jess said firmly.
�Take it over to Daisy, Mike and let her open it,� Slim urged. But the box was too large for Mike to handle and Slim had to help him. Finally they placed it on the floor in front of Daisy�s chair and beckoned her to sit. She leaned forward and looked at the parcel. There was nothing on it to say who it was from - it just had Daisy written on it in a somewhat familiar scribble.
�What have you boys been up to?� she mused as she carefully untied the bow then gently undid the paper.
�Aunt Daisy, you do take a time,� Mike said impatiently. Jess pulled Mike out of the way and picked him up, sitting him on his knee and ruffling the boy�s hair.
Daisy lifted the lid from the box and pushed aside layers of soft wrapping cloth. She couldn�t believe her eyes and looked at Slim and Jess in sheer amazement. Folded neatly in the box was a blue dress trimmed with white lace and blue ribbons. Next to it laid a small bonnet that matched the dress perfectly.
�Well take it out, Daisy it isn�t gonna to bite,� Slim urged her, impatient to see it.
Daisy slowly stood as she lifted the dress out of its box and held it up against her small frame.
�It�s just like the one in the magazine. How on earth did you�?� Words failed her.
�You remember the week that you thought you�d lost your magazine and then we found it again? Well, Jess has a confession,� Slim paused poking Jess in the ribs with his elbow.
Jess fidgeted. �The dressmaker said she could use the picture from your magazine to make a pattern and that she already knew your size. So it actually was never lost. I took it.� Jess swallowed, this was the one part of the surprise that he had disliked; deceiving his Daisy. She had been so upset at the loss of her beloved magazine and it had tormented him the whole time the dressmaker had needed it to work from.
He sat there with Mike on his knee, his head hung in shame. �We just wanted our special lady to have something special, something that she really wanted.�
Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she stepped towards them, putting her hand under Jess� chin and lifting his head up to look at her. Then her gaze fell upon all three of her boys.
�I already have something special,� she said putting a hand on each of her eldest boys� cheeks. �I have both of you.� Slim brushed away the tears that were falling from her face onto the new dress.
Mike pulled at her elbow. �Me too, Aunt Daisy.�
�Yes, Mike and you too,� she said kissing her youngest on the forehead making him smile.
�Now go put it on, we want to see what it looks like.� Slim said as he and Jess stood taking her tender hands from their cheeks and holding them lovingly in their own.
�But what about lunch?� asked Daisy, surprised that her usually hungry brood would let anything come between them and a meal.
�Lunch can wait,� Jess said, his smile resembling that of a small boy, cheeky and full of fun. �We want to see our pretty lady in her pretty new dress.� He turned to Slim and with a determined look at his Pard, �Slim and I can get lunch. Go on hurry up, you women folk always keepin� us men folk waitin� on you.�
Slim grabbed the box as Jess took the dress from Daisy laying it in the folds of cloth, and then they hustled her to her bedroom and urged her inside handing the box to her as she went.
Jess looked at Slim as they looked back at Mike, a warm feeling flowing through them. They had made their two favorite people happy. It was a great Christmas.
�I�ll get lunch. Mike you can lay the table for us,� Jess said heading toward the kitchen. Slim followed behind Jess and almost bumped into him as he turned abruptly. �No, Slim. Mike and I can do this, you go relax.�
�But, Jess,� Slim objected. But Jess was having none of it. He put his hands on Slim�s shoulders spun him around and pushing gently he marched Slim back into the living room and pushed him down on the leather couch that Slim favored.
�Stay,� Jess said as if he were talking to a disobedient puppy.
Slim looked up at Jess, his blue eyes smiling. �This was the best Christmas ever,� he thought. �If only Andy could�ve been here to share it with us.� A lump formed in his throat and he brushed his face with his sleeve. He wasn�t going to do this. He turned his mind to the sounds of Jess and Mike in the kitchen clattering around as they got lunch. The feelings of sadness and loneliness fading replaced by feelings of love and joy knowing the rest of his family were with him and that he had made their Christmas a happy one.
Daisy appeared from her room just as Jess and Mike had finished setting out the lunch. Slim and Jess hardly believed their eyes.
Mike rushed over to her and hugged her. �Aunt Daisy you look like one of those princesses out of my story books.�
�Wow!� was all Slim could manage.
The dress fitted her so perfectly. The tight bodice emphasized her small neat waist, and a figure never before seen in her everyday dresses. The small matching bonnet sat pertly on one side of her head. She was beautiful. The dress was the deepest shade of blue with white lace around the shoulders and adorning her throat. The sleeves reached her elbows and were also trimmed with wide layers of lace that flowed down to her wrists.
Jess was speechless, his blue eyes gazing at the angel before him.
Daisy smiled at Slim and Mike�s comments looking toward Jess for his reaction. None came he just stared.
Daisy started to look concerned. �Don�t you like it on me, Jess?�
Jess suddenly came to his senses. Walking towards her he took her hands in his.
�I�ve never seen anything�.� He began stumbling to find the right words to say - he had never been good with words. He tried again. �Daisy�.� When at a loss for words he knew of only one thing to do. His hands holding hers he bent down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. �You�re beautiful.�
Daisy flushed slightly. �I should dress up more often if this is the kind of reaction I�m going to get. Three charming young men swooning at my feet,� then she lightly touched her mouth to Jess� returning his kiss.
Jess flushed bright red and coughed loudly trying not to show his embarrassment. �Lunch is ready,� he announced and motioned to the table.
The afternoon was spent sitting and talking over the events of the past few months that had brought them together and made them a family. Jess was telling Daisy how hard it had been for him to keep from telling her when she got so upset about her missing ladies magazine. Mike spent the afternoon with his soldiers winning and losing endless battles. Slim lay on the couch quietly staring into the fire.
Slim was thinking about Andy; what he might be doing. Was Andy missing him as much as he was missing Andy? Earlier in the summer when Andy had been home on school vacation they had talked about Christmas, even though it was several months away. They were trying to decide what to get Jess. It had to be something special, something from the heart, but what? Then Jeb Miller had approached Jess a few weeks later about breaking the stallion. The horse was mighty powerful and Jeb said it would need one heck of a man to break it and he felt Jess was the only one who had the skill to gentle the headstrong animal.
Slim immediately knew that this was just what he and Andy had been looking for. He approached Jeb asking what he intended for the horse once it was gentled. Jeb said he would be looking to sell as it would bring a pretty good price and Jeb needed the money for repairs to his ranch house. After some telegrams to Andy and discussions with Jeb, the bargain was struck. Jeb agreed to a slightly lower price and Slim would make up the difference by doing the repairs himself.
He had worked on the accounts juggling figures until he finally came up with the funds necessary to purchase the stallion but found that there was not enough left over to cover the fare for Andy for Christmas. He telegraphed Andy again explaining the situation and asking what did Andy want him to do. Andy�s answer came back in just three short words. �Buy the horse.�
Slim knew what Andy was telling him. They loved Jess very much and considered him their brother but had never found a way in which to tell him. He telegraphed Andy back. �I love you, little brother.� Jess had sacrificed so much for them over the years without even a second thought, now it was their turn.
Slim�s eyes misted over and he wiped his sleeve across his face again. Daisy touched Jess� hand motioning over to Slim�s quiet figure, quietly saying she would make some coffee. Whenever there was trouble or cause for concern Daisy knew her duty and that was to put the coffee on.
Jess got up and put another log on the fire, pulling the rocker over beside the couch he sat down. �He�s thinking about Andy.� Jess knew it had been a hard decision for Slim but there wasn�t enough spare money for a round trip ticket to bring Andy all the way from St. Louis. He knew the decision had hurt Slim, though Slim had put a brave face on it for everyone and said nothing. Jess knew Slim too well though, knowing that, in reality, the decision had cut Slim up badly inside. For this was the first Christmas Slim and Andy had ever been apart. Jess knew nothing of the sacrifice that the brothers had made for him. He just knew that the two most important people in the world to him, who had given him a home and a family, were apart and hurting when they should be together.
Jess put a comforting hand on Slim�s arm. �Penny for em,� he smiled, hoping that the knowledge that Jess understood his pain and was there for him would help Slim in some small way.
Slim turned his gaze from the fire to the familiar comforting face seated next to him and sadly smiled. �Oh Slim, if only you knew.�
�Sorry, Jess I was miles away.�
�Somewhere like St. Louis maybe?� Jess inquired. Jess rubbed Slim�s arm affectionately. �I know, Slim I miss him too.�
Daisy brought in fresh coffee and some apple pie. Slim and Jess spent the rest of the afternoon talking over the years they had spent together, enjoying the warmth of both the fire and their friendship.
