Montana Sky Christmas: A Sweetwater Springs Short Story Collection by Debra Holland Page B

scarves.”
    Mrs. Cobb pursed her lips. “Twelve cents.”
    A strange feeling of power filled Sally with courage. “Fifteen and not a penny less.”
    The woman leaned back. “Thirteen, then.” Her tone held grudging admiration.
    And I’d hoped for a dime! Sally had to resist jumping up and down. She left the scarves with Mrs. Cobb and wandered through the store. So many things to choose from.
    Sally stopped in front of some fine cotton. Because of Harry’s generosity, she had enough money, not just for material for handkerchiefs, but for undergarments for herself and her ma and sisters. All of them needed a new chemise and drawers. She also chose hanks of embroidery threads in pink and green to make trim.
    She selected some walnuts and raisins, three peppermint sticks, six oranges (one for herself) and a ham. They didn’t have any pigs yet, and ham was a rare treat. When they ate meat it was mostly rabbit or chicken. Just the thought of baked ham made her mouth water.
    Sally took her selections to the counter.
    Mrs. Cobb had several balls of colored yarn waiting for her to choose from, and Sally selected green, enough for five scarves. Then she told Mrs. Cobb how many yards of the cotton she wanted, and waited while the woman unwrapped the fabric from the bolt and cut the material. When Sally was finished, four pennies remained. I can put one in each of the children’s stockings, with one left over for me.
    Sally tucked her purchases into her pillowcase, bade goodbye to the dour shopkeeper, then left. She had a long ride home and, after meeting Harry O’ Hanlon, plenty to think about.
    ~ ~ ~
    Christmas was everything Sally had hoped for. The tree filled the soddy with pine fragrance. Her brother looked happy, and the girls squealed at the sight of their stockings, stuffed with new mittens and the treats Sally had bought. A penny dangled in the toe. The children peeled their oranges and ate half of each, saving the second half for later. They also shelled a few of the nuts, but agreed among themselves to parcel out the rest over the next few weeks.
    Ma took obvious pleasure with the gift of fabric. She sniffed back a few tears when she held the new handkerchief with the pink crocheted lace on the edges and her initials embroidered in the corner that Sally had stitched in secret. Da was equally pleased with his large handkerchief, plain edged and monogrammed with a green shamrock over his initials.  
    Best of all, Sally now wore one of Ma’s silk dresses—a surprise in blue that matched her eyes. The garment didn’t have to be altered because Ma had gotten it before her marriage when she was Sally’s size, although Ma had taken in the large bustle to tailor a small padded one, with sweeping pleats in the back for a more current style.
    The smell of baking ham filled the house, and Sally looked forward to Christmas dinner. Everything was as she’d dreamed it would be. Everything but that nagging restlessness … the sense of something missing.
    A knock sounded at the door.
    Ma looked up from the cake she was taking out of the oven. “Must be the Knapps come to wish us Merry Christmas. Your Da’s probably in the barn and didn’t see them. Good thing there’s just the two of them. We have enough food and can invite them to stay. Sally, answer the door.”
    Sally laid down her knitting and moved to open the door, expecting to see the cheerful faces of the elderly couple who were their nearest neighbors. Instead, she saw Harry O’Hanlon, holding the reins of the Pinto she’d seen outside the mercantile. Her scarf was draped around his neck.
    She gaped at him, completely taken aback. “Harry!”
    “Miss O’Donnell, I’ve come at the request of the rest of the cowboys at the Thompson ranch. They wouldn’t give me any peace today. They all want scarves, although they want me to work a deal with you so they don’t have to pay a dollar each.”
    “Why of course.” Sally hoped she sounded coherent and