A Cowgirl's Thanksgiving Kiss
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Amy Vastine
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25
PROLOGUE
ELIAS BLACKWELL WAS ready to roll. His RV had a full tank of gas and a refrigerator stocked with plenty of snacks and drinks. He’d cleaned it up so his sister and niece had a comfortable place to sit for their next adventure. The only issue was getting these Blackwell women in the vehicle.
“You sure you don’t want me to come along?” Barlow Blackwell had been saying goodbye to his wife, Flora, for fifteen minutes now. Big E was beginning to lose patience, something he never had much of to begin with and certainly was lacking these days.
“I appreciate the offer,” Flora said, leaning into her husband. “But I’ve got this.”
Barlow kissed her forehead. “I’m proud of you for figuring out how to make things right. Once you’ve reconciled with our daughters, maybe they could come visit us next time.”
Big E caught Denny watching her son with a satisfied grin on her face. One of his sister’s main goals was to see those two together again. She had accomplished that, and he was happy for her.
Flora smiled up at her husband. “That sounds like an excellent plan. All this traveling has been wearing on me. It was nice to have some time with you. Makes me motivated to finish this so we can make up for lost time.”
After visiting with Iris in Cottonwood Creek, Flora, Denny, and Big E had needed a break. It was time to check in with the families they had left behind to begin the mission of getting the Blackwell Belles back together. Denny had gone back to Eagle Springs to get an update from Corliss about the Flying Spur, Flora had asked for some time in Flame to help Barlow move into her place there, and Big E had returned to Falcon Creek so his wife and grandkids didn’t think he had forgotten about them.
“Let’s hit the road so we can get you two lovebirds back under the same roof again.” They were already behind schedule. Flora wasn’t much of an early riser and was never ready when she said she would be. The trip itinerary included a stop in Austin to meet with a friend before surprising J.R. in Brighton this evening.
“You’ll be back by Thanksgiving?” Barlow asked Big E as his wife settled aboard the RV.
The old man shrugged from the vehicle’s doorway. “Your daughters have yet to make things easy. We could be back in a couple days or a couple weeks. Who knows how long it will take to get J.R. to come back to the fold.”
Barlow shoved his hands in his pockets. “Given how much my eldest is like her grandmother, what do you think?”
Big E hadn’t been aware that he was heading toward Denny Jr. He took off his hat and shook his head solemnly. “Looks like you’re going to be celebrating Thanksgiving alone. No way this is going to be easy if she’s like my sister.”
Denny harrumphed from behind him. “If she’s like me, she’ll be fair and wise. It won’t be hard to get her to make a reasonable decision.”
Barlow’s eyebrows lifted as he rocked back on his heels. “Right, Ma. Exactly.”
Her eyes narrowed and she pointed her finger. “You two think you’re so funny. As if you both don’t have the Blackwell stubbornness in spades.”
Big E couldn’t deny that. He put his hat back on and was about to swing the door shut.
“Maybe I’ll drive down for Thanksgiving if you’re still there,” Barlow said. “Drive safe and stay in touch.”
“We’ll keep you posted,” Big E said with a nod. Jasmine Rose Blackwell might be a carbon copy of her grandmother, but they were coming down there with the original. There was no way they would return empty-handed.
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