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got one! I got a Teen Tiger doll!”
    “Now where’d that come from? Did Santa bring you that?”
    “No, Dillard did.”
    Jesse felt as though he’d been punched. He did his best to smile while he looked the doll over. “Which one’s this?”
    “It’s Teresa Tiger. Ain’t she cool?”
    “Hmm, I thought you want Tina Tiger?”
    “I did, but they was all out down at the drugstore.”
    “Well, I guess she’s pretty a-okay. I mean, if that’s the best the old man could do. I can see how it might be that an old fart like Dillard wouldn’t want to go driving all over Creation to get the one you really wanted. Elderly men like that . . . it’s hard for them to sit for real long on account that they got hemorrhoids.” He cupped his hand and whispered loudly. “Itchy buttholes.”
    Abigail giggled. Linda shot him a sour look and said, “Why don’t you ask your daddy what he got you?”
    Abigail set her big eyes on him.
    “Well, Abi, sugar blossom. Did you know that your daddy and Santa Claus just so happen to be real good buddies?”
    “Nuh-uh.”
    “Yup, it’s God’s honest truth. Why, we go fishing together every now and again. As a matter of fact we’re such good buddies that he lent me his magic sack. Told me if I knew any good little girls I could give them whatever toys they wanted. Do you know any good little girls?”
    Abigail beamed, and pointed at herself.
    “Now, I want you to close your eyes and wish for any toy you want.”
    Abigail shut her eyes tight.
    “No peeking,” Jesse called as he stepped back to the bush and retrieved the two garbage bags. Linda eyed the bags suspiciously as he sat them down in front of Abigail.
    “Okay.”
    Abigail opened her eyes, saw the two bags, and gave her parents a questioning look.
    “Go on,” Jesse said. “Open them.”
    Abigail laid down her doll and pulled open the top of one of the bags. Her eyes grew wide. “Daddy?” she whispered, then opened the bag wider. She just stared, like she was afraid to move or even breathe. She slowly pulled out a Teen Tiger doll, then another, then another, then let out an ear-piercing squeal. She clapped her hands, laughed, jumped up and down, and squealed some more as she emptied all the toys out onto the porch.
    “Daddy!” Abigail flung herself around his neck. Jesse hugged her back and stuck his tongue out at Linda. Linda was not smiling, she didn’t look happy in the least; she looked like she wanted to jab her finger in his eye.
    “Abigail, dear,” Linda said, her voice terse. “Could you do me a favor and take all these inside? We don’t want ’em to get messed up.” Linda knelt down and started putting the dolls back in the sack. “Here, just take ’em in. You can open them inside. That way you won’t lose nothing.” Abigail, practically dancing with excitement, dragged one of the sacks inside and down the hall. “I’ll be there in a sec,” Linda called. “Just need to have a word with your daddy.”
    Jesse didn’t like the way she said “word.”
    Linda sat the other bag inside the door and pulled it shut. She glared at him.
    “What’d I do now?”
    “You know exactly what you did,” she snapped. “Where’d all them toys come from? Are they stolen?” She jabbed a finger at him. “Tell me Jess, what kind of a father gives his daughter stolen toys for Christmas?”
    Jesse held her eye. “They’re not stolen.”
    Linda didn’t look convinced.
    “They’re not stolen,” Jesse repeated. “And that’s all you need to know. How come you always gotta think the worst of me?”
    “Are you telling me you bought these?” This seemed to make her even angrier. “You had cash and this is what you went and spent it on? All the things your daughter needs and you buy her toys? Jesse—” She didn’t finish, she looked past him, her face stricken.
    Jesse turned and saw Chief Deaton’s patrol car coming down the road.
     
    S ANTA C LAUS STOOD upon the boulder, staring across the