Christmas Kisses with My Cowboy - Diana Palmer Page 0,67
whose family owned half the town would dare use. “I mean, a patrol car and everything.”
“It wasn’t a patrol car. It was a work SUV.”
“Is there a difference?” Before Faith could explain that, in fact, there was a difference, Molly-Mae continued. “How is Pax handling all this? He must be so embarrassed, bless his little heart. Will it go on his permanent record?”
As if he knew he was the subject of the conversation, Pax walked his barely touched breakfast over to the sink. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he disappeared into his bedroom to get dressed.
Faith wondered if Molly-Mae could feel the fury coming through the phone. This whole situation was complete madness. She wanted to ask if this was a joke, but didn’t need to. The lives of everyone in her family had been out of her control the moment her daddy pulled the trigger.
But she was done taking the back seat of her own life.
She knew what Molly-Mae would say the moment she hung up, just as she knew there were a couple of different ways to handle this situation, neither of which was remotely appropriate for Pax’s ears. So, tightening her robe and slipping on her house boots, Faith stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her.
Like Faith, the sun hadn’t fully awoken, and the sky was a golden blue. A few mourning doves called to each other, and the neighbor’s car was running on idle, a smokestack of steam escaping into the frigid morning air.
“You’ve heard the news?” Faith said, lowering her voice as if about to impart a secret of national security.
“Honey, everyone in three counties has heard by now.”
“Oh boy.” Her slow exhale froze on contact with the crisp air. “I know everyone saw him in the SUV, but it was part of Pax’s initiation as a Junior Texas Ranger. It’s a way to honor kids who display the characteristics of becoming outstanding citizens.”
Faith would find a lump of coal in her stocking for that lie. But it was worth it to hear Molly-Mae choke on her jealousy. “Outstanding citizens?”
“I know. Isn’t it amazing?” Faith’s fingers and ears stung from the low temperature, but she didn’t even consider going back inside until Molly-Mae had not one bad thing to say about her brother. “There’s a lot of competition for this kind of honor, so we were over the moon when Officer Tucker picked him up to deliver the official news. And right before Christmas, too.”
“I’m president of the PTA and didn’t know about this.”
“No, I don’t expect that you would. It’s not something they advertise, as it would be a huge liability if they chose the wrong kind of kid. Part of his award was a ride-along with a real Texas Ranger. He even ran the sirens. Not in town of course.”
“Oh, of course.”
“The best part was that all of this came from the anti-bullying campaign Pax used when running for class president. And how important it is to win by merit and not intimidation tactics, which is why it will look so great on Pax’s college application.”
“But he didn’t win,” Molly-Mae snapped.
“He didn’t need to. Being a Junior Ranger is about ethics and quality of character, not who’s the most popular or who handed out personalized swag to the student body.”
That candidate would have been Decalin. The swag was personalized ball caps for every fifth grader.
“They should have told the parents about this before the election.”
“That’s a great idea. You know who you should talk to about that? Texas Ranger Noah Tucker. I have his contact info from when he took Pax on the ride-along.” She rattled off the e-mail address she’d come across on Google when stalking Noah. He didn’t have much of an online presence, but his officer photo on the Texas Ranger Web site made for good dreams. “But before you reach out, I’d make sure Decalin has his essay on How to Combat Economic Prejudice in the Heartland written and edited.”
Faith heard several gasps on the other end of the phone, confirming that Molly-Mae wasn’t alone.
“Essay? They’re eleven.”
Faith grinned. “They’re only looking for the best when it comes to Junior Rangers. So if I were you, I’d take the two-thousand-word minimum with a grain of salt and shoot for three or four. Anyway, thanks for calling, but Pax won’t be able to make it after all. He’s got another fun day of Junior Ranger stuff ahead of him. Have a good time at the park though,