Unbreakable (8 page)

Sophie hummed softly to herself as she hung the washing up to dry. Badger and Tilly lay on the ground nearby, absorbing as much of the morning sun as they could before it got cooler later in the day. Christmas was just two days away so things were busier than usual as decorations went up and food preparations were made.

She was feeling particularly pleased with herself that she’d been able to get Miller under control so easily. All she’d had to do was act contrite and he’d accepted it. She smirked at the thought of him reigning it over her as her guide. Let him think that if he wanted, it suited her purposes just fine. As long as it
looked
like she was trying her best and taking an interest in the things he was teaching her – she couldn’t care less how to fix a tractor – he wouldn’t rat on her like he had done with regards to the mucking out. Her uncle had approached her directly and told her he knew about her leaving the mucking out undone. She told him she’d come back to finish and found the work done already, but even to her it sounded like a hollow excuse in order to avoid getting into trouble. So she’d sucked it up, apologized and told him she would do better in the future and that she would get help and advice from Miller since he knew so much about the ranch. This had seemed to placate her uncle and things had been going smoothly since then on all fronts.

It had dawned on her a few days ago that she didn’t have any Christmas presents for her aunt and uncle but she had come up with a solution. She was going to get up really early and make breakfast for them, as well as attempt some Christmas cookies that she would decorate with icing and offer to each of them as little bundles. She wasn’t sure how the food would taste, but she had a feeling they would appreciate the gestures regardless of the taste.

The rest of the day, like the previous two days, was spent helping her aunt around the house. Even though she was eighteen, she could admit privately to herself that she loved rummaging in the big box of decorations and hanging them on the tree and around the house just as much as a kid would. Though they celebrated Christmas back in San Francisco, it wasn’t like this. The house was full of delicious aromas that wafted through from the kitchen and she liked the way the firelight was reflected in the decorations as they sat near the fireplace in the evenings, enjoying the warmth as they chatted about what they’d all been up to during the day. She found that she liked the conversation and the bonding it brought. It was something sorely lacking back home.

The following day passed in much the same way, with final preparations being made and as many tasks being completed as possible in order to free up time for relaxing on Christmas. In the late afternoon, however, she took a drive with her uncle as he made various inspections around the ranch. It was by no means the largest ranch in the county but she hadn’t realized how far it extended. There was something very tranquil about seeing the cattle settle down for the night and the fields slip slowly into darkness as if a blanket covered them. By the time they got back the sun had set completely. The dogs bounded up to the truck as they came to a stop before the house but before Sophie exited the vehicle her uncle caused her to halt.

“Sophie, can I ask you a question?”

She turned to face him in her seat, dropping her hand from the door handle. “Sure, Uncle Philip.”

“How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine, Uncle Philip.” Sophie noticed his questioning look. “Why do you ask? Is there something on your mind?”

Her uncle smiled in response. “I just want to make sure you’re doing okay. I’m sure the time you’ve been here so far has been a big adjustment for you. Just wanted to let you know I’m proud of you.”

Sophie could feel a blush spreading but she hoped it was dark enough in the truck that it wouldn’t be obvious. “Um…thanks, Uncle Philip. You and Aunt Kay have been a big help in getting me settled in.”

“And Miller?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Miller too.”

“So what do you think of Miller?”

Sophie paused to consider her answer. “Um, he’s very mature and responsible.”

Her uncle chuckled softly. “Yes, that he is.”

“He loves this ranch.”

“I know he does.”

“And he thinks very highly of you and Aunt Kay.”

“We think very highly of him. He’s like a son to us.”

Sophie was silent for a few seconds before she spoke again. “Uncle Philip, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, darlin’.”

“How come you and Aunt Kay never had kids?”

Her uncle smiled softly but she could detect a Abby of sadness to it. “It just wasn’t meant to be for us.”

“Did you want them?”

“Oh, yes. We both did. Kay was…unable to have children though.”

“Oh…” Sophie sat still, not sure what to say. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay, honey. It meant we had time and resources to throw ourselves into the ranch and build it up from basically nothing to what it is today.”

“It’s a great ranch.”

He laughed quietly, “Thanks. I’m rather partial to it myself.”

“For what it’s worth, you would have both made great parents.”

Philip reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “Thank you, Sophie. That means a lot.”

“I bet your kids would have been just like Miller. Moral, upstanding citizens.”
Unlike me
, she thought, but left the words unspoken.

“Oh, he’s an honest, loyal and hardworking boy to be sure,” her uncle gave her a brief sideways glance before staring out the windshield, his voice taking on a thoughtful tone, “but there was something I was hoping to discuss with you as relates to Miller.”

“What’s that?”

“Well you said it yourself that he’s very mature.”

“Yes…”

“Too mature, perhaps?”

“Um…”

Her uncle grinned. “You can be honest with me, Sophie. I won’t tell him what you say.”

“Well he could loosen up a bit, I guess.” Sophie shrugged, glancing at her uncle to assess how he was taking her words.

“I had a feeling you might think that. I think you’re right.” Sophie looked questioningly at him and he continued. “Miller is all you could ask for in a ranch hand. He’s dedicated, takes pride in his work, goes the extra mile, loves the ranch as if it were his own. You can rely on him to get things done and to help out in a pinch. He’s got big plans, you know. Wants to have his own ranch some day and breed horses. It’s going to take a lot of work but he can do it, I have no doubt about that.”

“It’s good he’s got a plan. A goal to work towards is…comforting.” Sophie looked out of the window. “From what I know about him, I don’t doubt either that he can make it happen.”

Her uncle nodded once. “However, it’s important to remember he’s eighteen. I agree, plans and goals are good, but sometimes you need to remember to have a bit of fun as well along the way. When you’re eighteen you have your whole life ahead of you to make plans and work towards goals. When you’re young you should leave time to relax and enjoy yourself, not take things so seriously all the time. I suppose what I’m saying is that it’s important to find a balance. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes, Uncle Philip.”

“He’s going to join the army. Did he tell you that?”

Sophie turned her head to face him. “No, he didn’t. When is he joining?”

“After he finishes school. He wants to serve on active duty. He’s hoping that if he saves as much as he can of his pay and earns some money through breeding with Blizzard – she’s his horse now – he’ll have enough for a down payment on a ranch of his own.”

“I see.” Sophie considered this new knowledge thoughtfully. “I think I understand what you’re getting at, Uncle Philip. You want me to show Miller how to loosen up and have a bit of fun before he goes off to the army. So he can look back and not regret having missed out on his crazy teen bit, so to speak. Though in his case crazy is probably pretty tame, all things considered.”

“You’re a smart girl, Sophie.”

“Of course, no doubt you’re hoping some of his maturity will rub off on me in the process, isn’t that right?” She stared at him pointedly and he laughed.

“Like I said, Sophie, you’re a smart girl.”

“Well don’t get your hopes up about the latter part of your plan. However…” she paused while considering, “I don’t see why I couldn’t help Miller to have a bit more fun.”

“I’m pleased to hear that. Shall we head indoors now? I’m sure Kay has something positively mouthwatering waiting for us inside.”

Sophie grinned. “You read my mind.”

She should have felt exhausted. After all, she’d risen an hour and a half earlier than she normally did but she wanted things to go well and to be honest she was too excited to sleep. She studied the image of the cookies in one of Kay’s cookbooks, sizing it up as if it were a worthy adversary – which, in a sense, it was.
You’re going to come out perfectly first time
, she vowed to the image, not letting any sense of self-doubt dissuade her as she began to carefully measure ingredients. Making sure she was following the recipe instructions exactly, she cut the cookie dough into various festive shapes before placing them in the oven and checking the time.

While they baked, she got started with her breakfast preparations, pausing when the cookies were ready to be removed from the oven. Holding her breath, she slid the baking tray out and placed it on the stove top, surveying her creations and then glancing back to the image in the cookbook. They
looked
like the ones in the book but she didn’t want to get her hopes up too much. Placing them on a wire cooling rack, she returned to her breakfast preparation. She’d decided to make pancakes with a range of topping options as well as bacon, eggs, mushrooms and toast, all things that she knew her aunt and uncle liked.

Once everything was chopped, mixed and placed in pans ready to be cooked, she turned back to the cookies which were cool by now. Lifting one, she took a tentative bite, chewing slowly and thoughtfully before swallowing as a grin spread across her face. They actually tasted good, and that was even without the decoration! Pleased and relieved, she got to work decorating the cookies with icing and chocolate buttons before placing them in the fridge. Returning to breakfast, she got things cooking and then prepared her cookie packets. She’d managed to find some old parcel ribbons in the decoration box which she was going to tie around the plastic packets she would place the cookies in. Sitting at the kitchen table, she wrote out a little nametag and Christmas message for each packet, frequently checking on breakfast to make sure nothing was burning.

Setting out juice, coffee and tea on the table, she served up the breakfast food and then put the plates in the oven to keep warm while she filled the packets with cookies. Placing the packets in a cupboard out of sight, she took a seat and sipped a mug of tea while she waited for noises from upstairs. Glancing at her watch, she knew she didn’t have long to wait and sure enough, a few minutes later noises could be heard as her uncle and aunt rose at the same time they had done every day for many years and got themselves ready before heading downstairs. Retrieving the plates from the oven, Sophie checked everything was as it should be on the table before standing next to the counter to wait for them.

Her aunt was the first one into the kitchen but she paused in surprise at the sight of the table before a huge smile spread across her face. “Sophie, did you do all this?”

“Yes, Aunt Kay. Merry Christmas.” Sophie blushed as her aunt came bustling forward and enveloped her in a tight hug.

“Philip, get your butt down here right away. There’s a big surprise waiting for you,” her aunt called before surveying the table with pride. “You really outdid yourself, honey. Thank you so much. This all looks amazing!”

Philip came sauntering into the kitchen and stopped, a wide grin appearing on his face. “Sophie, darlin’, is this your doing?”

“Yes, Uncle Philip. Merry Christmas.”

“This smells incredible! Merry Christmas, Sophie, and thank you, sweetheart. Best Christmas present I’ve ever had.” He came up and hugged her as well.

“Well I’m not so sure about that but you guys should sit and get started before it gets cold. I just hope it doesn’t poison you.” Sophie took a seat in her regular spot and sampled food from her own plate, sighing mentally in relief when it tasted the way it was meant to. Once breakfast was finished, Sophie retrieved the cookies and handed them to her aunt and uncle. “I didn’t have any Christmas presents for you so I decided to make these. I hope you like them but I won’t be offended if they ‘accidentally’ get eaten by Badger or Tilly.”

Kay and Philip exclaimed in delight at their gifts before opening the packets and trying the cookies. Her uncle took a large bite and closed his eyes, an expression of bliss on his face. Swallowing, he opened his eyes and looked at her. “Sophie, I reckon you should just stay here and make cookies all day because I’m going to suffer without having a regular supply of these.”

“You really like them?” Sophie sounded unconvinced. “You can tell me the truth.”

“These are exceptional, Sophie.”