Free Christmas Kisses (Romance on the Ranch Series #5) by Verna Clay Page B

Razzle-Dazzles, the boy almost smiled. Cecelia's enthusiasm was
infectious and he found himself asking questions and even chuckling.
All-in-all, Mac considered the day a success as far as making progress with
Sean—thanks to Cecelia.
    After Sean said goodnight and Mac was left alone
with Cecelia, she said, "I think he had fun. He met several teens and
Sarah Tanner invited him to her ranch. Her boys are about Sean's age and if we
could get him to the Lazy M, I just bet he'd have a great time. Sarah and her
husband, Sage, operate a dude ranch so there's a never-ending list of
activities. I wonder if Sean likes horses?"
    A wave of thankfulness flooded Mac. "Thank
you, Cecelia."
    She reached to place their cups on a tray and
then shyly lifted her eyes to his. "I enjoyed every minute. Sean is a good
kid. He just needs time to adjust to you."
    Mac sighed. "There isn't much time before
his return to Denver. I hope we can at least become friends in the next week
and a half."
    "Perhaps you should invite him back. Maybe start
a yearly get-together."
    "I know you're right, but I don't know the
outcome of my surgery just yet."
    Cecelia frowned, "What does that have to do
with being with your son?"
    Mac studied her face. "I'll be honest with
you, Cecelia. If I lose my ability to paint, I'll be no good to anyone,
especially Sean."
    Cecelia stood, lifted the tray, and said softly
before turning to leave, "That's a copout." When she returned to the
living room, she said quickly, "Goodnight. See you in the morning."
    Mac watched her retreating back. He'd give her
one thing; she had guts to speak her mind when provoked.
    A week later, Mac hadn't progressed any further
with his son. The boy had started going to the coffee shop daily with Cecelia.
She said he showed interest in watching Justin make drinks. She also paid him cash
to help with cleanup, like sweeping and mopping. When he was back at the house however,
he spent most of his time in his room and Mac was feeling very frustrated.
Once, to curb his frustration, when no one was home, he'd unlocked his studio and
tried to mix some paints. The effort ended with a mess on the floor and him
spouting profanities into the empty room.
    The night of that same day, while Cecelia tried
to engage him in conversation, he'd barely responded. He'd been surprised by a
flash of anger in her eyes. She was usually so calm and understanding. He'd
expected her to speak her mind, like before, but she merely said goodnight to
him and Sean. Rather than stay in the same room with his father, Sean also
headed to bed.
    Two days later, Mac received a phone call that
sent him through the roof. "What!" He practically yelled into the phone.
"Sean can't stand the sight of me and now you want him to stay until
January. What kind of Christmas can he have here? I don't even decorate a
tree."
    His arguing had been useless.
    That evening, after sitting around the coffee
table finishing a dinner of Chinese takeout, he broke the news. "I
received a call from your parents, Sean."
    Sean jerked his eyes away from the fortune
cookie he'd just cracked open.
    Mac scratched his eyebrow. "You won't be
returning home until January."
    "What! No way!" Sean shot off the
couch.
    As calmly as he could, Mac explained, "Your
parents got a call from your grandmother in Italy. Seems your grandfather fell
and broke his hip. Ruth insists on going to help her mother and James won't let
her go alone. They said your grandfather is a crotchety old man and the time
spent there will not be pleasant, so they want you to stay here—in fact, they
insisted that you stay here."
    "And they think this is better? You're just
as crotchety as him. I won't stay!" The boy tossed his sliver of paper
from the fortune cookie onto the table and stormed from the room.
    Mac rubbed his forehead trying to ease the
headache that was trying to gain a foothold. "That went well." Cecelia
was so quiet he finally glanced up. Their eyes met and he ground out, "Go
ahead and say