Betting On Santa. Debra Salonen

hissing sound pulled Amelia back to the stove. Moments later she returned with two cups of hot water. Each contained an unbleached muslin bag filled with fragrant herbs. “So…you’re wondering if I can shed any light on this mystery man.”

      Tessa nodded. “I have Sunny’s diary, but it hasn’t been a lot of help. You know how… convoluted she could make things.”

      Amelia chuckled softly. “Always. I once asked her why she didn’t write things down in order as they happened, and she said, ‘Where’s the fun in that? If I ever look back at my life, I don’t want it to read like some boring textbook.’”

      Tessa had heard that before, too. A creative trait Sunny had inherited from her father, Zebulon Barnes. Poet, musician, troubadour, troubled human being. A sweet, ineffectual man who gave up on his dreams way too easily and took his family down with him.

      “Do you have any idea what happened to Sunny after she left here?” she asked.

      Amelia was silent a moment. “She went to San Antonio with Cole Lawry. He was the Realtor handling the purchase of a piece of land for us. He said he could get her a job answering phones at his office. He was a nice man. I didn’t think he was trying to…I guess they say ‘put the make’ on Sunny, but you know how beautiful she is. Men can’t help themselves.”

      Something in her tone made Tessa wonder if Amelia’s husband had fallen for Sunny’s charms. That could explain why Amelia hadn’t known about Joey. Her sister might have been embarrassed to return any correspondence.

      “I met Cole Lawry last night,” she said. “He seemed genuinely upset about her accident. He admitted that he and Sunny were friends, but when I asked him to take the paternity test, he said he had to think about it.”

      “Cole? He was our go-to guy. Never pussyfooted around with our land deal. I wonder what happened to make him change?

      The baby made a mewling sound and Amelia adjusted the tie to give him access to her breast. She smiled beatifically as the baby nursed. “I guess I shouldn’t think too badly of him until we know the truth. He went out of his way to help the Spirit of Harmony families buy the adjoining farm. We never would’ve been able to do it without him.”

      “He said he’s not a real estate agent anymore. I gather he’s divorced.”

      “That’s unfortunate. I hope Sunny didn’t have anything to do with that. I mean…since I introduced them and all.” Her hand popped up to cover her mouth and her cheeks turned apple red. “I shouldn’t have said that. The poor girl is fighting for her life and I’m thinking the worst. Just because she wasn’t happy here doesn’t mean she wasn’t a good person.”

      Their conversation ended when Amelia’s husband returned, hungry and obviously not pleased that a hot lunch wasn’t waiting for him on the table. Although Amelia invited her and Joey to join them, Tessa declined. “We need to get back to check on Mom and Sunny.”

      “This is one of those rare times when I hate not having a phone. Will you let me know what happens? I’d like to help any way I can. If you need someone to watch Joey for a few days, he’d be very welcome here.”

      Tessa was touched. “If the prognosis changes for the worst, I might take you up on that. Mom can’t spend the whole day with Sunny then watch Joey while I take a shift. She’s just too drained. Thanks for the offer.”

      She and Joey left a few minutes later, and as she drove back to the city, she thought about Cole. Who was he? Santa? Nice-guy Realtor? Good Samaritan? Or someone very skilled at playing whatever role was handed him?

      He’d told her he wanted to see Sunny today. If he showed up, she might be able to draw a more reliable conclusion about the real Cole Lawry.