“No, that’s what went on. Mike told me that they’ve found the guy and there will be a trial. Brie is determined she’s going to testify against him and put him away so he can’t do this to anyone else, ever.”

“Jesus,” Tommy said.

“Yeah,” Paul said.

“Right here. These stories. This little dinky place full of big trees and pretty rivers and good-looking deer, and people are performing heroic acts and living out these huge dramas. Every day.”

Paul laughed. “And I haven’t even told you about Preacher. And Paige.”

Christmas dinner at the Booth household was served at six—small and somber. Paul and the general cleaned up the kitchen and not long afterward Vanni just went to bed. Paul knew she wasn’t sleeping well, as he could often hear her in the night. But she continued to go to bed earlier and earlier. Paul suspected she wanted to be alone, to grieve, to cry without impacting the rest of the household.

When it was down to just the men, Paul excused himself to run into town to pay a call on Paige and Preacher, and Tom took his little red truck in the same direction, to visit Brenda.

When Tom got to Brenda’s house it was still all lit up, and it looked as if there were a lot of people inside. He knew he should’ve called, but he hadn’t been thinking straight lately. When he rang the bell, she answered. “Hey,” he said.

“Tommy! Hi! Wanna come in?”

“Um—I was wondering if you could come out. For a little while.”

“Let me ask my mom,” she said. “Here, step inside. Come on.” She pulled his hand and he let himself be drawn into their house.

The moment Brenda’s mom saw him, she stood up from her place at the table with Brenda’s dad, brothers and sister, grandma and grandpa and a couple of other people. She went straight to him and put her arms around him. “How are you, Tommy?” she asked, giving him a motherly hug. “You getting by?”

“I’m doing all right,” he said with a shrug. “Sorry. I should’ve called.”

“It’s okay, honey. How’s Vanessa doing?”

He hoped he wouldn’t get choked up. “Um. She’s having a pretty hard time. I think it’s going to be a while. You know?”

“Mom?” Brenda asked. “Okay if I go out with Tommy for a little while?”

“Sure, honey. Don’t be too late. Tommy—keep an eye on the time,” she said.

“Yeah, I will, Mrs. Carpenter.” He held Brenda’s coat for her. Then held her hand as he took her down the porch steps and out to his truck. Once they were in the truck, still sitting out in front of her house, still holding her hand, he said, “I’m sorry, Bren. I haven’t called. I haven’t given you any attention.”

“I didn’t really expect anything, Tommy. I understand—it’s a really rough time. You feeling any better?”

“Right this minute, with you, I feel a lot better. Can we drive out to the woods? Maybe Jack’s homesite? Brenda, I just have to hold someone.” He smiled at her. “You’re my first and only choice.”

She squeezed his hand. “Sure.”

He put the truck in gear and headed out of town. “You know—you’re about the best thing that’s happened to me since I got here. If I weren’t going with you, this year would be—it would be total crap.”

She laughed a little. “I feel the same way. My year didn’t start out real good, either. It wasn’t half as tough as yours, but it was still pretty crappy.”

“You’ve been so great to me,” he said.

“You’ve been pretty good to me, too.”

“I mean it. A lot of girls are real complicated. Ever since we started talking, going out, you’ve been awesome. You don’t worry about little shit, you don’t get all moody, you’re just so— Brenda, you’re the best girl I’ve ever known.”

“Thanks. You’re pretty much the best guy I’ve ever known. There’s only one thing wrong with you as far as I can tell.”

“Yeah?” he said, smiling in spite of himself. “What’s that?”

“You’re going away next year.”

“Yeah, there’s that. Could be a long year. But I’ll get leave—I’ll be back here to visit. And you can always pick a school not so far from West Point when it’s your turn. People do that, you know. Actually date for a long time. Go steady for a long time. Of course, that’s all up to you—I don’t expect anything.”

“It would be all right to ask, though,” she said.

“I wouldn’t tie you down your senior year,” he said.

“And maybe you don’t want to be tied down your freshman year?” she asked.

“Whew,” he said. “First of all, I don’t think they let the little guys out much at West Point the first year. And second, if I knew you were my girl, I wouldn’t even have to think about it. Being tied down to you—that would be worth my time, no kidding.” He pulled off the road up to the top of the hill where the house was being built. He stopped the truck, leaving it running, and put on the dome light. “I have something for you.” He opened the glove box and withdrew a small, wrapped box. “I bought this before… Before Matt… I had this big deal planned for giving it to you—a real nice night out, something special. For sure not sitting in my truck in the woods. Open it, go ahead.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Of course I didn’t have to. Don’t you think I wanted to?”

She tore into it and found a gold ID bracelet with her name on the topside and underneath, “With love, Tom.” She read it aloud. “God, it’s beautiful. It’s just beautiful.”

“You like it?”

“I love it! Here, put it on me.”

Once the bracelet was latched, he put his hand against her soft hair. “I do, you know. I love you.”

“Tom…”

“You don’t have to say it back. I know I’m rushing you a little. Think it’ll get me kissed, though?”

“At least,” she said with a smile. She leaned toward him across the console, her hands on his shoulders while his found her waist, and the kiss was good. Hot and openmouthed. She made little noises while she kissed him, and he loved that. Kiss at an end, she said, “Thank you. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever been given.”

All he wanted was to feel her warmth against him, and this wasn’t getting it. Their make-out sessions had been a lot more comfortable than this—either at her house when no one was home, or out riding, on the soft ground under a tree, or in fresh clean hay in the stable. “I have an idea,” he said, turning off the truck.

He went around to her side, opened her door and said, “Come with me. Let’s hope Uncle Paul doesn’t lock things up too tight.”

“What are you thinking?” she asked, laughing, going with him.

He pulled her to the fifth wheel and, God bless Paul, the door swung open. He stepped up inside and pulled her up and right into his arms, covering her mouth with a passionate kiss. Then he pulled her down onto Paul’s bed and held her there, tight. Close. “God, that’s better. That is so much better.”

“Tommy… You’re not thinking we’re going to, you know, do it…?”

“I hope we do it, Bren. But it’s not going to be tonight. I’m not lying—I just have to feel you next to me. I’ve been feeling so damn empty. And alone. I just wanna hold you. So bad.”

“But I bet you have a rubber in your pocket.”

He laughed at her and buried his face in her neck. “I’m a seventeen-year-old guy. What do you think?”

“That’s what I think.”

“It’s staying in my pocket, don’t you worry. We seventeen-year-old guys, we don’t even want to carry ’em. But it’s the law.”

“You’re so funny….”

“Yeah, this is working,” he said. “Snuggle up here, baby. You feel so good. Hmm.”

“Tommy?” she said.

“Yeah?”

“I love you, too. I do.”

“Aw,” he said, pulling her closer. “That’s so nice to hear.”

“And if we fall asleep here, we’re history.”

“No kidding.” He laughed. Then he slipped a hand against her breast, and she covered his hand with hers. “We’re not gonna fall asleep, Brenda. We’re gonna get all hot and bothered for a little while.”

“Yeah,” she said against his lips. “I know.”

Preacher unlocked the door to the bar and let Paul in. They shook hands tight and hard, bringing them shoulder to shoulder. “Hey, man,” Preacher said.

“Merry Christmas, my man. How was your day?”

“It was okay. Come on in. Paige told me to call her when you got here, then we’ll have a drink. How’s that?”

“Just what I need,” Paul said, going to the bar.

Preacher called back to his quarters, then went behind the bar. “How’s it going out there at the general’s?”

“Real tough,” he said. “Real, real tough.”

“Yeah, I can’t even imagine.” He pulled down a couple of glasses. “Vanni?”

“She’s hanging in there, but I can see the pain in every damn breath she takes. God, Preach—that girl is hurting all over. She’s trying so hard to be brave, especially over these holidays, it just kills me to look at her. And she’s growing by the minute.”

“It’s good, though, that she’s got that baby in her. That little bit of him. There has to be some consolation in that.” He tipped a bottle over two glasses. “And it’s good you’re there. I know she needs you there.”

“I’m not sure it’s a great idea. We spend an awful lot of time talking about Matt, and we’ll have some fun things to remember, but it always ends up with her in tears.”

“I don’t know how you can get around that, man. She’s gonna cry. At least she has a good friend to hold her up while she’s doing it.” Preacher touched his glass to Paul’s. “If something happened to me and I left Paige with a baby in her, I hope to God one of my boys would be there for her.”

“It’s automatic, Preach,” Paul said, taking a drink.

Paige came into the bar and walked straight into Paul’s arms, giving him a big hug. “How are you holding up?” she asked.

“I’m doing okay, Paige. Thanks. How about you guys? How was your Christmas? I bet the little guy had a big day.”

“Oh, you know he did. He now has everything but a car.”

“And you?” he asked. “The man here spoil you like you deserve?”

“You have no idea,” she said. “We’ve been sitting on a little news. We’re having a baby.”

“Well, damn!” Paul said. He looked at Preacher and grinned. “You finally came through on ovulation day, huh, buddy?”

He puffed up a little. “I did at that,” he said, throwing his chest out.

“And John promises that in the future when we have personal business, like we’re going to have sex all day and I’m going to stand on my head between rounds, he’s not going to tell the town. Or the one-ninety-second.”

“Aw, I think we took it pretty much in stride,” Paul said, but he couldn’t help grinning. “That’s awful good news, Paige. I’m really happy for you.”

“You know, it’s not that easy,” Preacher said. “Being married to someone like Paige and waiting for ovulation day. I think I did pretty good there. I should get a little more credit.”