This story was written for the annual Advent Calendar over on Bonanza Brand. Go and have a look as there are 24 fabulous stories to be read about our favourite family and friends at Christmas.

Reunion

Chapter One

The snowflakes drifted slowly past the window and settled gently onto the roofline below. The storm from the day before had blown itself out overnight and the last of it had become nothing more than a few flurries of snow. Little Joe's face was pushed up against the glass and his cheek had become numb to the cold as he stared into the pre-dawn darkness. The sun was just beginning to creep up over the edge of the barn and soon the yard below would be bathed in light. Until that came, his imagination would keep telling him that the shadows below were Indians silently making their way up to the house or bank robbers who had escaped the sheriff over in Carson City. Whatever they were, they made his insides churn and he found himself clutching the blanket a little tighter and tugging it a little higher up over his head.

He hated feeling scared, especially because nobody else in the house ever felt scared. His pa could take on a bear with one hand. Hoss was nearly as big as Adam now and had stepped into his boots since Adam had left for Boston over a year ago. Hop Sing would deal with any of those Indians or bank robbers with that meat cleaver of his and they'd be running for the hills. Then there was him. Too small to be much use for fighting off a grizzly cub or an Indian squaw or even stopping Billy Hawkins from ruining Christmas!

Joe sighed and his breath condensed against the window. The light was beginning to dissolve the shadows in the yard below and the shapes resolved themselves into fence posts and the water pump. Across the yard, Joe could see Hoss moving about as he tended to the horses in the barn. It would soon be time for his pa to come knocking on his door and shake him out of bed and Joe reluctantly pulled himself away from the windowsill. It wouldn't do to be found sitting there and then having to explain to Pa why he was there and not in bed. It wasn't like he could really explain it to himself. Billy had ruined everything! Joe just knew that he wasn't going to get the best Christmas gift ever and why Pa would still have that strange look on his face that meant his thoughts were all the way over there in Boston.

He slowly hauled himself upright and realised just how cold his face was as he tried to rub some warmth into it. Tugging the blanket even tighter around himself, he trudged downstairs and plonked himself down on the hearth. The wood box was full as Hoss had already made sure of that the night before. Joe could hear Hop Sing in the kitchen, preparing their breakfast. Not that he felt like eating any of it.

He leaned over towards the fireplace and pushed a few logs into it to stir up the fire that had burned down during the night. As the smoke and sparks flew up through the chimney, he felt a lump rising in his throat. That chimney had always been magical for him since he could first remember learning that Saint Nicholas could climb down through it without being set on fire! He had asked his pa and then Adam and even Hoss how that could be. They had all smiled and told him that things happened at Christmas that never happened at any other time of the year. More than once, he had seen his Pa wink at Adam as he walked away, and he had wondered about what they knew that he didn't. Still, it hadn't really mattered as somehow there were always presents in the stockings that hung across the fireplace and he knew they had not been there the night before. He figured if it was Saint Nicholas who brought them, then he must have some kind of special power because he knew that nobody could break into their house without one of his family knowing about it.

That was how he had come up with his idea for the best Christmas gift ever. He knew how much everyone missed Adam and he figured that Adam must be missing them too so he sat down and wrote the very best letter he could manage. It wasn't easy with his left hand and all, but he'd done the very best job he could. It needed to be the very best because it was a big ask and he knew that he needed to make it convincing.

Except it had all been a lie. Billy Hawkins had taunted him for the last few weeks of school and called him a baby for still believing the story. Everybody knew that nobody could climb down a chimney with a sack, and then somehow climb back up again, and then fly around the whole world in just one night! As Joe sat and stared at the floor, he couldn't bring himself to look at the chimney behind him. The stockings hanging across the top just taunted him.

Ba-by! Ba-by! Who's a dumb ba-by?

So why did Adam insist on writing to him last year to tell him that even on his first Christmas away from them, Saint Nicholas had still found him? Surely Adam wouldn't have lied to him. Would he?

So while Billy had sauntered away with a grin from ear to ear, Joe had been left with the realisation that if Saint Nicholas wasn't real, then he couldn't possibly fulfill Joe's request to him.

Hoss hung the rake back on the hook and stepped back to survey the barn. Everything was where it should be, and all the horses had their fill of grain and water. He reached over to give each one a last scratch behind the ears before heading in for breakfast. It sure was cold with the snow that had piled up over the last few days and he shoved his hands back into his pockets before moving towards the door.

As he pulled the front door open and stomped across to the fireplace to warm up, Hoss was startled to see Joe perched on the hearth with a blanket wrapped around him. He could have sworn he saw his little brother take a swipe across his face as though wiping away tears.

Joe yawned and made a show of rubbing his eyes and then pulled the blanket even lower around his face. Nobody needed to see him crying and give them even more reason to call him a baby!

Ben placed the last of the wrapped gifts under the tree and stepped back to admire the huge pine tree that filled the great room. He had taken his boys to select one a week ago and he had been mystified as to why Joseph seemed reluctant to go with them. Usually, he was chomping at the bit to be allowed to go out in the snow and help choose the tree. Somehow, he had seemed less excited about Christmas this year, but then it had been an abrupt end to the school year with early snowstorms meaning it was cut short. Several of the planned festivities had been cancelled and he knew how much his son loved celebrations. Hoss had been disappointed too, but was not at all concerned that school had been closed early.

As he looked around the room, Ben felt the memories rising up that always did at this time of year. He looked across at the empty chair and felt his heart ache as he considered his son's second Christmas away from them all. He knew that Abel had done his best to make the last one as festive as possible and Adam had written a cheery letter telling them of their exploits in Boston, but still, his son was sorely missed.

It had made his heart ache a little more when Joe had sat with Hoss and written a letter to his brother telling him all about how he had asked Saint Nicholas to let him see his brother for Christmas. He had explained many times to his youngest son just how far away Boston was, but since Joe had never gone more than a hundred miles from home, it wasn't surprising he couldn't grasp the scale of the geography.

With one last glance at the angel atop the tree, Ben began to climb the stairs for bed. Morning would come soon enough, and his boys would come bounding down those stairs with more energy and excitement than newborn calves!

As Joe dragged himself down the stairs, he tried to avoid the creaky floorboard that always gave him away. Pa wouldn't be happy to see him out of bed in the middle of the night, but something tugged at him anyway. He reached the foot of the huge pine they had chosen and cut down together and he stared up at the decorations that glistened in the firelight. He knew which ones came from New Orleans and which ones Hoss's mama had made as they travelled in the wagon. There was an angel right on top of the tree and he knew he was never allowed to touch that one. It had come all the way from Boston and Joe knew the story well. Adam's mother had made it and had only once placed it atop their tree. It was a story he had heard told a few times of the small white pine that stood in the drawing room of Adam's grandfather's house. They didn't have the room for anything like a Ponderosa pine and he had soon dismissed the story as it had no importance to him.

Joe sat down on the floor in front of the fireplace and looked again at the top of the tree. If Adam's angel could travel all the way from Boston, surely he could travel all the way to Boston. If only what he thought he knew about Saint Nicholas wasn't a lie.

The warmth of the fire combined with the late hour and it didn't take long before Joe was fighting to keep his eyes open. He had no idea what had drawn him out of bed in the first place, but it was like being pulled along on a string that he couldn't disconnect from.

It could have been mere minutes, or it could have been hours later when Joe heard the noise outside. It started as a muffled thump followed by the sound of snow sliding from the roof. It was nothing unusual in the winter months and he rubbed at his eyes and yawned. The things that caught his attention and made him really blink awake was the sound of bells. Who would be visiting at such a ridiculous time?

He glanced up the stairs and wondered for a moment if he should call for his pa, but before a sound came out of his mouth, the front door opened. A flurry of snow blew in, followed by a large man wearing a thick, red fur trimmed coat. The stranger stomped the snow off his boots before pushing the door shut behind him.

Joe stared at the man. Nothing came out of his mouth as he intended and he watched as the man headed for the fireplace, while pulling off his gloves.

"Sure is cold out there. Mind if I warm up for a minute?"

Joe found the answer stuck in his throat and slowly nodded instead of answering.

"Thanks. It's been a busy night."

As the man rubbed his hands together, Joe looked him over from head to toe. He was tall. Taller than Pa. And big! Bigger than Hoss. He was wearing a red coat with white fur trimmings and huge black boots. The cap on his head looked more like a nightcap than any kind of hat he'd ever seen and it was trimmed in the same white fur. A huge black belt finished off the outfit.

"My name's Nicholas, but I really do prefer Nick. How about you? Should I call you Joseph or just Joe?"

"Ummm, Joe. People call me Joseph mostly when I'm in trouble."

Nick laughed and nodded. "Well then, Joe it is. Now, young fella, you're going to need a warm coat and we need to get going soon."

"Go where?" Joe frowned at the man's comment.

"Well Boston, of course!"

Joe found himself staring again as his brain tried to catch up with what he was seeing and hearing.

"Boston?"

The man laughed another hearty laugh that Joe was sure would wake his family up.

"Assuming you still want to go and see your brother like you wrote to me. That is where he lives, isn't it?"

Joe shook himself to check he wasn't dreaming and slowly nodded again.

"Let me show you my team and then maybe you'll believe me."

The man pulled a matching red fur-trimmed coat seemingly from out of his pocket and Joe found himself being wrapped in it and herded towards the door as Nick lifted the hood up over his head.

"Oh, I almost forgot." The man strode back towards the huge pine tree and snapped off a piece of a branch and dropped it into his coat pocket. "Now we can go."

If Joe had been shocked by the man's appearance, he was even more so when he made it out into the yard and looked up towards the roof. There was a team of reindeer harnessed to the most beautiful sleigh he had ever seen. He couldn't work out how they were perched in such a precarious place, but the big man whistled, and they suddenly shifted and almost floated down to the ground.

Joe felt himself being lifted into the sleigh and the big man settled in beside him. Before he could catch his breath and even think about speaking, Nick slapped the reins just like Pa would do and the team began to run.

"Look out!" Joe yelled as the lead reindeer ran towards the barn and he was sure they were about to slam right into it. He braced his arms across his face and squeezed his eyes shut. Suddenly he felt the sleigh beneath him shoot upwards and they deftly skimmed over the roof of the barn. Of course, he never saw that part as his eyes were still firmly shut.

"Don't you worry, young fella. My team has been doing this for a very long time and they have never hit anything yet. You can open your eyes now or you'll miss out on the best view ever. I do love this part of the world where I get to ride over the snow."

Joe slowly dropped his arms and tentatively opened his eyes and looked around. The cold air rushed past, faster than any horse he had ever been on. He turned to look over the side of the sleigh and almost screamed.

"Now, you just relax there. You can't fall out. I promise! If you take a look inside that box down there, you'll find some boots that I reckon will be just about your size. Much warmer than those slippers of yours."

Joe reached down to the beautiful timber box and opened the lid. Inside, the space looked enormous, and he saw shelves with rows of things sitting neatly stacked up. Right near the top was a beautiful pair of long black boots, much like the man next to him was wearing. He pulled them out and measured them against his foot.

"Trust me, they'll fit."

Joe quickly pulled off his slippers and eased on the boots. They had fur trimming inside and he felt his toes moving of their own accord against the softness.

"Now, if you have another look in that box, there's a pot of warm cocoa. How about pouring us both a mug?"

Sure enough, on another shelf, there was an ornate silver pot with wisps of steam curling out the spout. Two silver mugs were sitting beside it and he was sure none of that had been there when he first looked for the boots. He poured a mug for Nick and passed it over before pouring himself one and placing the pot back on its shelf. As he took a sip of the cocoa, he felt it warming him through.

"I can't tell Hop Sing," he muttered to himself.

"Tell Hop Sing what?"

"This is lots better than his!"

"Of course it is. But you're right – don't tell him. Don't need to hurt anyone's feelings."

Finally, Joe began to really look around as he saw tall trees rushing by beneath them. He had to be dreaming, but it was the best dream he'd ever had.

"Where are we?"

Nick leaned over the edge and looked below.

"Well now, let's see, that down there is Kansas. Not too much longer and we'll be there."

"Kansas!" Joe didn't know a whole lot of geography, but he knew that Kansas wasn't anywhere near home.

Nick looked over the edge again.

"Well, it was, but we're not in Kansas anymore."