Bring Me Home for Christmas

her and grinned. She had high rubber boots over her army-green jeans, wore a brown turtleneck under a camouflage vest and covered her golden hair with a khaki hat. Hah! This was not a last-minute deal! “Where’s your gun?” he asked.
    “I left it in Rich’s truck last night,” she said.
    “You’re dressed perfect, Becca,” he pointed out to her.
    “Why, thank you, Dennis. I looked up what to wear on Google.”
    “Very smart,” he said. He knew his girl. Okay, she hadn’t been his girl in a long time, but she couldn’t have changed that much. She was into clothes in a big way; work or school clothes; going out to dinner clothes; club clothes, beach clothes, biking or hiking or skiing clothes. Very girlie things. Did she really expect him to believe she had rubber boots and a camouflage vest lying around waiting for her first duck-hunting excursion? So…she had an agenda. “Let’s go,” he said. “Becca, stick close to your brother. Ride with us.”
    “Sure,” she said, jumping in the back of Rich’s extended cab.
    Denny took the wheel on Rich’s truck, since he knew the way, and within thirty minutes they arrived at a marshy lake in a designated hunting area in Trinity County. It was still foggy in the predawn hours; there were probably ducks on the lake. They pulled up right behind a big dually truck. Standing beside it with a couple of Labs, one brown and one yellow, was Muriel. A few other trucks pulled off up ahead indicated other hunters.
    Denny made the introductions. When Muriel shook Becca’s hand, she said, “Nice to have another woman along. I’m almost always the only one!”
    “Well, I’m a novice,” Becca said. “I’ve never been duck hunting before. How long have you been hunting?”
    “Since I was a girl,” Muriel said. “I grew up on a farm around here. My dad taught me to hunt when I was about twelve, but I’d been tagging along for a few years before that. This is Luce,” she said, introducing the chocolate Lab. “She’s an expert. Buff is still iffy—sometimes he retrieves, sometimes he just goes for a swim.” Muriel nodded at the rifle, still in the case. “I take it you shoot.”
    “Skeet,” Becca said. “I’m not sure how I’ll do with ducks.”
    “Ducks are bigger, but you don’t set them off by yelling ‘pull.’ Just stay quiet, pay attention, try to be invisible. Damn fowl have excellent vision, I swear. Coffee? Danish?”
    “Sure,” she said. “That would be great.”
    Muriel opened the passenger side of her truck and poured Becca a cup. “We have a few minutes before we get in the weeds. Your boys are unloading their boat and setting up their decoys. Are you going in the boat?” she asked.
    “I don’t know,” Becca said.
    “One of the advantages to having a couple of dogs, I can stay on dry land and they’ll do the swimming.”
    “Doesn’t look to me like there’s enough room for everyone in that boat,” Becca said. She sipped her coffee.
    “I like this area,” Muriel said. “Lots of natural blinds. I get comfy with my thermos and my dogs and wait for the ducks to come to me.” She smiled. “What’s your excuse for doing this?”
    Becca gestured toward the men with her coffee cup. “See the big one? My twin, Richard. And the two guys carrying the boat to the water? Friends of Richie’s from the Marine Corps. And the really cute one? Denny. We used to be together. We broke up about three years ago.”
    “Really?” Muriel said. “You and Denny?”
    “We were just kids.”
    “Ah,” she said. “You’re not over him.”
    “I have a boyfriend,” Becca said, but she didn’t make eye contact with Muriel. “I think he’s getting real serious, too.”
    “So, you’re not over him,” Muriel said again.
    “It’s not relevant. He’s over me,” she said.
    Muriel sipped her coffee. “Gotcha,” she finally said.

    It was an hour before Becca realized who Muriel was—a well-known actress. She just didn’t look the same without makeup, her hair covered with a stocking cap and hood. “I’m sorry, Muriel,” she said softly. “I didn’t know you were that Muriel!”
    The woman just laughed softly.
    “Is this how a famous actress spends her spare time?” Becca asked.
    “I’m just a farm girl who learned to act, sweetheart.”
    Becca was so happy to have Muriel to follow. She imitated her behavior, sitting still and silent in the bushes. Thank God there was another woman to cover for her when the time came to