Free Heart of Clay by Shanna Hatfield

and
Bobbi were the last out the door. Callan gave Bobbi an extra hug.
“Thank you so much, Mom, for helping Clay with the portfolio. I
love it. Thanks, too, for the wonderful gift card. I’m really going
to enjoy finding something fun to buy with it. You guys are the
best.”
    Bobbi hugged her back with a big smile. “You
are so welcome, sweetie. Why don’t you come out to the ranch one
day while you’re off? I’d love to catch up on things. I haven’t had
a good visit with you for a long while.”
    “Great, I’ll plan to do that. Maybe we can
bring the girls sledding one day,” Callan said, already making a
mental list of things to accomplish on her days off.
    “I’d love that. It would be great fun,”
Bobbi said, tugging on Steve’s coat sleeve. “Come on, Frosty, let’s
head for home.”
    “Yes, dear.” Steve gave Callan a quick hug
and Clay a thump on the back then escorted his wife out to their
car. “Thanks for a great day, kids. Merry Christmas.”
    Exhausted after cleaning up all the
trappings from the gathering, Clay rested on the couch as Callan
walked into the room. He motioned for her to come over and she
stretched out with him, resting her head on his chest. He slipped
his arm around her and pulled her closer.
    It was the best Christmas he could remember
for a while. He watched her look above the patio door to where he’d
hung her gift to him that morning.
    Clay owned a long saw blade that had
belonged to his great-grandfather. It had been gathering dust and
rust in the barn for years and Callan thought it might be nice to
have it painted with an outdoor scene. One of her event clients was
a talented artist who agreed to take on the project. It turned out
even better than Callan had hoped. She gave the artist some copies
of outdoor photos Clay liked and Sally turned them into one amazing
collage. Callan was so excited about the gift, she had a terrible
time waiting until Christmas morning to give it to Clay.
    “So you like your saw?” she asked.
    “Yep. I can’t believe anyone could make that
old rusty thing look that good. It’s a wonderful present, Callan.
Thank you.”
    “You’re most welcome. Thank you for a
wonderful Christmas.” Callan sounded happy and content.
    Clay tipped up her chin and gave her a kiss
that made her toes tingle. When he declared it past her bedtime,
Callan didn’t argue, eagerly following him to bed.
    During her week off, Callan couldn’t
remember having so much fun, laughing so hard, or enjoying Clay so
much for a long time.
    The two of them took Audrey and Emma
sledding out at the ranch twice and Callan caught up on all the
news with Bobbi.
    She and Laken drove into the city one day to
have lunch with Jenna and do some after Christmas shopping.
    Best of all, she and Clay spent some time
together, becoming friends again. All too soon, though, her week of
play was over and it was back to work. She dreaded the coming of
January, but she’d make it through somehow.
    The alternative wasn’t an option.
     

Chapter Five
     
    January, with its gloomy gray skies, dirty
snow, and barren landscape seemed like it would last forever. By
the middle of the second week, Callan felt like a worn-out rag.
Concerned she might be coming down with something, she didn’t have
time for sickness.
    She dug another roll of antacid tablets out
of a drawer, tore off the wrapper and popped two in her mouth. She
never thought she’d see the day when she’d use them again, but it
had arrived. The ever-present knot in her stomach had added a
burning sensation to the mix that only a few dozen antacids a day
seemed to help.
    Callan had vowed as a young teen that
another antacid would never touch her lips after years of having
them stuffed down her by her mother. She was only seven when
horrendous stomach pains kept her out of school more often than she
was in class. After many inquiries about the problem from her
teacher, her mother finally took her to the doctor.
    She could still