Buck Wilmington drove slowly in the driveway to the ranch house, smiling at the beautiful lights and the colored decorated trees in the front yard. Sarah's tree, decorated with her favorite colors of red and silver, along with special bulbs and an angel at the top. Sarah had been an angel, beautiful with her dark hair and blue eyes; wearing red brought out all the vibrancy. Adam's tree, next to it with every color available in the decorations and every kind of ornament, along with several horses of every kind and color. The little drummer boy sat at the top of his tree. Buck thought of how Adam loved his special tree and tears came to his eyes. He looked over to his tree, and how Adam insisted on all kinds of blue for Buck's tree. Buck always let Adam pick his ornaments, even if some of the results were comical. And Chris – decorated with green that matched his eyes. Adam was always so happy viewing the green tree, even if green tinsel, bulbs and lights were hard to see on the green tree. Buck walked over to the manager scene, smiling at the several horses around the manager along with cats and dogs. He remembered how tenderly Adam handled the baby Jesus and covered the doll with a blanket, 'cause the baby would get cold'. Buck sat down, tears in his eyes. "I miss you so much, Adam," he choked. He thought of Sarah. Friends had always asked teasingly if Buck had ever met a woman he would have married and been faithful to. He had – once. But the woman he loved had fallen in love with his best friend, and Buck never let on that his heart had been broken. He always told the friends that no one woman was enough. And there was Chris. Not the shell of the Chris that existed ever since Sarah and Adam died when a car forced them off the road and into a lake. Chris almost drowned trying to locate Adam, after finding Sarah's body trapped in the car. The fact that he never did, haunted Chris day and night as he kept hearing Adam's voice pleading for his dad to find him. Chris would stumble all over the ranch house trying to locate Adam's voice and Buck had feared Chris would lose his mind. He once had to pull Chris from the lake where he swore he had Adam's voice calling him. Deep in thought, Buck did not hear the front door slam as Chris staggered out.

"What do you mean, turning the ranch into Winter Wonderland!" Chris bellowed. He took several menacing steps towards Buck.

"You weren't supposed to be here, Chris," Buck tried to pacify him.

"Well, I'm here now! You know how I feel about Christmas!" Chris screamed. "How could you do this to me?"

"I didn't do it to hurt you!" Buck yelled back instead of walking away as he had done in past years. "This," and he swept his arm to indicate the holiday decorations, "helps me remember all of the good times and honor Sarah and Adam and what they stood for! Unlike you, dishonoring their memory with your Scrooge-like behavior and running away and getting drunk every holiday!"

Chris' face, already slightly red, turned bright red. "What do you know about, Buck? Sarah was MY wife and Adam was my son!"

Buck's face reddened. "I loved them almost as much as you did, Chris! You are not the only one who gets to grieve them. Others have suffered losses. Think of what Sarah and Adam would feel if they could see you now and how disappointed they would be in their hero!"

Chris threw his beer can at Buck and his eyes were maniacal. "Get out of here, Buck, before I do all the women of this world a favor and kill you. I don't ever want to see you again! Stay away from me and outta my life!"

Buck opened his mouth and then shut it, shaking his head. He walked towards his pickup and got in, not looking back. As he drove slowly down the driveway, he glanced back and said softly, "I've tried, Sarah. I've tried, Adam. It's up to someone else now. It's in God's hands."

TBC