“Deck the halls with lots of cow patties,” Jasmine chimed in.

“Rockin’ around the Christmas tree, and it ain’t with you.” Liz added a line.

They all three cracked up in giggles and looped their arms together and went back to the tack room to bring in boxes of ornaments.

When they brought the boxes back, Gemma shook her finger at Raylen. “Don’t be scratchin’ your heads and measuring things. Shove a whole box up to Dewar and Ace. They can balance a box at a time on the ladder tops and get the top part done. You can help us work on the part we still can’t reach.”

In thirty minutes, the tree was covered with ornaments, and Liz brought out the angel for the top. It reminded her of what her mother had said about not letting anyone cut off her wings.

This is to prove that I can have wings and roots both. Gemma does, and Jasmine does, so I can too, she thought.

Liz carefully climbed the ladder to the top and then Raylen handed up the porcelain angel with real feather wings. She settled it on the branches, and then slowly descended to Raylen’s waiting arms. He held her tightly and then handed her a box of silver icicles.

“And now for the finishing touch.” Liz handed everyone a fistful of icicles. “Y’all help me get these all draped everywhere, and then we’ll light it up.”

When the tree was all aglitter with silver icicles, Raylen plugged in the lights and Liz gasped. It was more beautiful than any tree she’d ever seen in the windows of real houses or even in the malls she’d visited on her travels from one place to the other.

“Like it?” Raylen wrapped his arms around her waist and she leaned back into his chest.

“Love it. I hope the one in the house is half as pretty,” she said.

“Okay, one down,” Jasmine said. “One to go. Load up the rest of the boxes and let’s go to the house.”

“I’m glad we did this together,” Liz told Raylen. “I will always remember this night.”

“Me, too,” he whispered.

Ace poked Jasmine on the arm. “You sure are bossy.”

Jasmine laid a hand on his shoulder. “Think pecan pie when we are all done.”

The tree in the house didn’t take nearly as long because they followed the same routine. When Liz flipped the switch on the electrical cord, she was just as amazed as she had been with the one in the barn.

“Please don’t tell me that you want one in the kitchen now,” Raylen said with a laugh.

“I was thinking just a tiny one, and then one for the bathroom, and my bedroom,” Liz teased.

“Think about all the work when you have to take all this down and pack it away,” Gemma reminded her.

“Oh!” Liz gasped. “Y’all will come and help me, right?”

“Depends on if Jasmine is going to make pie for us to have afterwards,” Ace answered.