Published: 27 Aug 2026
From the Previous Chapter:
Throughout the entire time the Christmas presents were being brought down and compiled into eight different stacks for the boys, Edith watched the three adults work as a team. The older woman did help straighten the mounds of gifts, to keep them from falling over, and she made sure that the names all matched in the individual heaps.
It was close to twelve-thirty when the four adults headed off to bed. Before they went to their rooms, Ken and Kate hugged one another shared a long Christmas kiss and then they headed to their respective bedrooms for a good night’s rest. The Cove household was peaceful and quiet throughout the night, as everyone waited for Santa Claus to arrive.
The boys were up well before seven-thirty. Even Rusty and Jessy were up early because of their excitement that Santa had come during the night. All eight boys made sure they were properly dressed, as they sat in Robert’s room talking about what they should expect when they went downstairs.
Charles told Rusty and Jessy that they will probably know which stack of presents is theirs by just looking at what’s there. The teen added that if they weren’t sure they should just check the name tags.
The Cover teen looked over at his two newest ‘brothers’ and told Darrin and Phillip they should do the same. There was some laughter in the room because of the way Charles told Darrin and Phillip how to find what hoard of presents was theirs.
Jessy was the most anxious of them all, as he kept asking if it was seven-thirty yet. Billy had to keep telling him what the time actually was, and that when it was time to go downstairs, he’d let him know.
Ken, Kate, and Edith were down in the Kitchen Nook having their first cup of coffee at seven o’clock. Ken was trying to read the morning newspaper, as he drank his coffee, but the two women were distracting him with questions over the size of the piles of Christmas presents Rusty and Jessy had.
Ken told the women that they should blame Santa and to just enjoy the smiles on the boys faces as they open all their presents. Then he told them to drink their coffee.
hen Collin came into the Nook and grabbed a cup of coffee and told the three adults that the boys were dressed and eager to come downstairs. He also told them that Jessy kept bugging Billy if it was seven-thirty yet.
The adults then looked at the time and seeing that it was getting close to the appointed time they all headed to the Great Room to await the arrival of the eight boys.
The eight boys were led down the stairs by Jessy who was quickly followed by Rusty. The other six boys were on their heels with Sarge right there with them. Chief did come down the stairs, but at a much slower rate than she could have because of the puppies inside of her.
“I see my pile,” shouted Jessy, as he ran over to the stack that had an acoustic guitar right next to it. The smile on the boy’s face was priceless, as he strummed the brand-new guitar. Everyone could tell that it was definitely out of tune, so Phillip left this own big pile of presents and went over to the boy and tuned it for him.
Rusty found his stack of presents and he began opening them. He first found a LEGO Creator 3 in 1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter Toy set. The set could transform from a flatbed truck to a propeller plane to hot rod, just by changing the pieces.
Darrin found that Santa had replaced his football, basketball, soccer ball, as well as his baseball glove along with a baseball.
Phillip found that he had a brand-new electric guitar that for the life of him he couldn’t believe that he’d get one. He strummed on it, but knew immediately that it was out of tune and even though he tried to tune it, he knew he needed the amplifier to do it properly.
The youngest Cover also found there was a guitar pick punch with which he could create custom handmade guitar picks. There was also a leather key chain pick holder along with 15 starter plastic strips of different designs that he could make over 100 picks from them. The guitar pick punch would also allow him to make picks from any piece of plastic, such as old discarded credit cards.
All of the boys received new boxer briefs, Nike t-shirts and shorts, as well as Under Armour t-shirts and shorts. There were new sneakers and the socks they liked to wear. Crocks were also in their heap of presents along with a few Jibbitz charms that the boys also liked.
Each of the older boys also got a new wallet and inside was a crisp new one-hundred-dollar bill. They also all received a new cell phone that came with 1500 minutes, 1500 texts and 1.5 gigabytes of data that could be added to their present phone. They would all have to activate the phones later in the day.
The older boys also received a certificate that entitled them to a new bedspread and curtains for their bedrooms to match their new paint schemes. The certificate was with Mary Taylor to come over and work with them to help pick what would work in their newly painted room.
Also, in their pile of presents there were boxes of ammunition, which told them that they would eventually be going out shooting soon. Seeing the boxes of bullets, Rusty asked if he’d get to shooting with his big ‘brothers’. But Mr. Ken told him that not until he turned ten would he even think to ask his mother if he could take him to the range and begin to show him how to shoot. A smile was seen on Kate’s face after ‘dad’ Ken told the boy that.
Besides getting his guitar, and clothes similar to his big ‘brothers’, among the other items Santa also brought Jessy was a remote-controlled stunt car, a set of walkie talkies, a marbling paint art kit, and a Winning Fingers handheld Flashing Cube Electronic Memory & Brain Game.
The youngster also received an LED Multifunctional Waterproof Watch, a Spiral Art Kit, a 29″ Dart Board with sticky balls, and a Mini Drone with Crash Proof LED Night Lights that is also remote controlled, and much more.
Rusty also received a lot of gifts from Santa. Among them, beside getting clothes just like his big ‘brothers’, he found a rechargeable laser tag game for four players, a rechargeable game activity cube with 9 fun brain & memory games, a waterproof camera, compact high-resolution binoculars, and an LED multifunctional waterproof watch just like Jessy’s.
The almost-ten-year-old had also gotten a coin saving bank, a flying orb hover ball, a remote-controlled mini drone that can be used in a land or flying mode, a boomerang, some diving toys for playing in the indoor pool, along with a few board games like Monopoly, Sorry, Clue, Life, and Uno, and much more.
In between the boys opening their presents, Collin and Edith also found some Christmas presents ‘under the tree’ for them to open, as well.
One Cover boy who was startled by the presents that Santa gave him was Matthew. He had kiddingly asked for items to help outfit his new puppy training building and that’s what he got.
There was one very large present that distinguished Matthew’s pile of presents from his ‘brothers’. It was a sign that read: Matthew’s Puppy Training House. It was for the teen to hang on the entrance to where he will operate his puppy and small dog training enterprise.
The teen also received both a four-foot and a six-foot nylon leash, which he could easily fold and store on his body. He would use those to control any errant puppy during train.
There was also a martingale dog collar which slightly tightens when there is tension put on the leash, so the young puppy or small dog will be less likely to try to twist or back out of their collars during the training session.
Matthew had also asked for crates that his pups and small dogs would be able to stand up in, to turn around in and also lay down to rest if Matthew was working on multiple client’s pups or small dogs at a time, and he wanted them to be separate from the others.
The teen Cover had also asked for a harness, which would allow him to train the pup to walk properly without the physical discomfort on the throat that pulling with a collar can cause to apuppy or small dog. The one Santa got for him was considered heavy duty and adjustable and it had reflective safety tape sewn onto it.
Matthew had also asked for a few toys for the pups. He saw that the pups he had trained liked a ball, but he figured that since they are still teething and they love to chew on things, that he’d want a few different things for the pups to play with.
So, Santa brought him a pack of 23 interactive toys for small dogs and puppies for them to chow on while teething. It included rope toys, treat balls and squeaky toys. There were also a few small plush animals for the pups and small dogs to chew on.
Besides the crates, the teen also asked for an elevated or climbing bed. He told everyone that it would improve the health of the pup by providing a comfortable sleeping and resting space between learning sessions, and get the pup off the floor and give the pup, or small dog, a good overview of the room, which results in an increased sense of security.
Those Christmas presents were from what Matthew learned while watching and talking to the dog trainers a few weeks back. They all encouraged him in his endeavor and for him to get some if not all of those items to help in training his canine ‘students’.
Besides getting all of those wonderful and useful devices to help him in his training the pups and small dogs, Santa also brought him six bags each of soft and crunchy puppy treats for him to use in his training program. There were also plastic containers for him to store his treats and training supplies in, so he could store them up in the storage buildings rafters.
When the boys had opened all of their presents, ‘dad’ Ken said that it was time to eat breakfast. But Robert and Billy told him that they had a few Christmas presents for him, and for him to wait until they brought them down.
The two older teenagers brought down six wrapped gifts for their ‘dad’ to open. The man was speechless that the boys had pulled this off. Kate was thrilled that the boys had thought enough to buy something for their ‘dad’, her fiancé.
Robert gave his dad the first wrapped present, which he opened to find a red caboose for his train set. In the second and third gifts, ‘dad’ Ken found more rolling stock for his train to pull. When the dad of two adopted sons and the foster dad to four boys opened the next present, he found a Plasticville building that he didn’t have.
The fifth gift the owner of The Cove opened he found accessories, like fences, livestock, trees, figurines, cars and much more that he could place on the platform to further complete the look of the train platform running under the Christmas tree.
When Billy handed him the sixth and last gift, ‘dad’ Ken could feel that it was much heavier than all the rest. By now he was bewildered by what the boys had bought him. And now feeling the weight and size of the last gift he wondered if it was another engine.
Ken Thomas continued to look at the present as he held it. He had tears forming in his eyes for what the boys had done for him out of the love they had for him. The boys then began to speak up for him to open the package to see what it was.
‘Dad’ Ken wiped his eyes, which didn’t go unnoticed by anyone, and he carefully unwrapped the gift only to find a plain box. And when he opened it, he found there was Vintage American Flyer 370 American Flyer GM GP7 Powered Diesel Locomotive.
“Boys … I … I don’t know what to say,” choked out ‘dad’ Ken. “These gifts … they are so … so wonderful I … I love them! Come over here and let me give you all a great big hug.”
As the boys came over to get their hugs, Kate and Edith watched the love that was shared between the man and the boys. Edith told her daughter that she truly found a man who is not selfish, and who will share his love with all of those around him.
‘Dad’ Ken then took his new diesel engine over to the platform and set it on the tracks. He had Phillip show Rusty how to run the train around on the tracks.
As everyone watched the new diesel run around on the tracks, Robert got the three new rolling stock cars and brought them over to the siding and set them on it. He then asked his younger ‘brother’ to show Rusty how to back the diesel into the siding and hook up the new cars.
Rusty did as Phillip told him and before long there was a second train running on the platform under the tree. ‘Dad’ Ken watched as his new railroad pieces were being run around on the track. Kate came over to him and hugged him and the two stood there admiring their ‘family’ of boys playing with the new train.
As the two watched the boys, Ken walked away a few feet and pulled out a gift that he had hidden under the platform. He walked back over to Kate and presented it to her. “Merry Christmas. I love you!” was all he said to her, as the gift was given to his fiancée.
“Ken … you didn’t have to buy me anything,” protested Kate. “But I’m glad you did,” said a smiling Kate Partlunds, his fiancé.
With the presentation of the gift, it caught the attention of all the boys including, Edith, Kate’s mother. As Kate looked at all sides of the gift, all of the boys, and Edith, too, looked on to see what could be in this fairly large square box.
No one, including Kate could figure out what could be inside. Kate then did what Billy did by shaking the box, then listening to it and then holding it up to the light to see if she could peer inside. All that procrastination brought her sons to yell out, “Hurry up and open it, mommy.”
So, Kate finally did tear the wrappings off and open the box only to find another wrapped box inside it. Kate smiled and then tore the wrapping paper off that box only to find another box.
Seeing the next wrapped box, Kate looked at Ken with suspicion. Ken just nodded for her to continue. So, Kate did as she was asked, and she opened the final box. And when she looked inside it, the woman found a diamond necklace.
“Ken … this … this is beautiful,” announced Kate, as she held the necklace up for everyone to see.
Ken went over to her to allow him to put it on her. Her boys came over to admire the necklace and everyone saw how beautiful it looked on her.
“I couldn’t let you attend my New Year’s Eve Party and not have some bling to wear,” teased Ken. “So, I figured … I’d buy you something to set you apart from everyone else.”
Kate kissed him right there in front of everyone.
With all the Christmas gifts now opened, everyone went up to the Kitchen Nook to eat breakfast. Mr. Ken had already placed a number of Momma’s breakfast tacos in the convection oven and they were all thawed and somewhat warm. All everyone needed to do was heat them some more in the microwave oven.
After breakfast, everyone headed to their rooms to get ready for their day. Matthew caught Rusty and Jessy before they took over Phillip’s bathroom and told them that their older ‘brothers’ were going to get ready first, and that they would have to wait this time around.
It didn’t take Darrin, Matthew and Phillip long to take their showers, as afterwards all they did was put on some deodorant and fresh underwear and then they would walk to their rooms to put on clean clothes. The bathroom was then available for Rusty and Jessy to use, who took much longer to take their showers and get dressed afterwards in the bathroom.
Once all the boys were showered and dressed for the day, they met downstairs to decide what they were going to do before Christmas dinner. ‘Dad’ Ken told them not to go out and get dirty.
So, Rusty suggested that they play some of the games he got. Jessy suggested that his big ‘brothers’ show him how to work his remote-controlled stunt car. Phillip said that he wanted to go up to the Pavilion to tune his new electric guitar.
Billy suggested that they all go up to the Pavilion, so Phillip can tune his new guitar and so that Jessy can play with his new stunt car and then Rusty can play with his new flying orb hover ball and his remote-controlled mini drone.
The boys loaded into the golf carts and they all headed up to the Pavilion.
Momma, Sophia and Isabela arrived right after everyone had finish breakfast. Momma brought with her a 25-lb. turkey that was practically fully cooked and all she needed to do was finish cooking it at The Cove. The other ladies started working on the other portions of that Christmas dinner that was to feed upwards of sixteen people.
Kate continued to wear her Christmas present that Ken gave her that morning. Her face glowed as she walked around The Cove. And Edith couldn’t be happier for her daughter.
As the four adults talked about the trip that would begin at o’dark thirty tomorrow morning, Collin told them that he was taking his corporate jet. That revelation truly surprised Edith. So, an explanation was in order.
After hearing a Cliff Notes version of how Collin was now the owner of CWE, INC., Edith was even happier that her daughter was marrying into a ‘family’ that had the resources that they had.
Collin asked his Big Bro who could fly with him tomorrow, so he could call the pilots in order for them to file their flight plan to include the passenger list. Mr. Ken told his Little Bro that until Wayne and Dennis are there, he couldn’t speak for them. He did say that Robert and Charles would probably like to fly with him, though.
Edith then spoke up and asked if she could fly in the corporate plane. She added that she knows what it is like to fly in the planes that Ken uses. She also said that if Kate approves, she could also take Rusty and Jessy along with her, so they get the new experience, too.
Wayne and Dennis arrived around two o’clock and they were greeted by Ken and Kate. Wayne immediately noticed the new necklace and told Kate how good it looked on her. As the two joined the other people in the Study, Collin was quick to ask them if they would like to fly with him tomorrow on his corporate plane.
Ms. Judy and Eric arrived closely after the two men. They were greeted by Ken and Kate and Judy immediately notice the diamond necklace around Kate’s neck. The two women went off to talk as Judy hadn’t been over at all while Kate had been there all week.
Wayne asked his boss who would then be flying with him. Mr. Ken said that he hopes that Kate would be there, and then there would also be Bill, Matthew, Darrin and Phillip, if everyone else jumps ship and flies with Collin.
Wayne decided to fly with the boss, so the planes would be more evenly balanced with passengers. Dennis suggested that they mix the planes up between parks, like they did last year. Mr. Ken said that was an option and they’d have to talk about it, while on the trip.
The larger group continued to discuss the seating arrangements on the two planes, but the bottom line was that both Mr. Ken and Collin needed to know who was flying in which plane tomorrow morning, so the pilots could file their flight plan and submit their passenger lists.
Dinner was going to be served at three o’clock, so ‘dad’ Ken called Robert for the boys to head on back to the house. Upon their return, ‘dad’ Ken had the boys wash their hands, ‘up to their elbows’, which got some laughs out of Rusty and Jessy.
When the group sat down to Christmas Dinner, there were fourteen seated at the table, with an empty chair for Dan, with the hopes that he could get away from the job. The reason he was working was that the single Sheriff Deputies usually had to work on the major Holidays, so the married Deputies could be home with their loved ones.
Ken had no sooner began cutting the golden-brown turkey when they all heard the alarm beep signaling someone came in through one of the doors. Sarge went looking, while Chief just laid there in a way knowing it was Mr. Dan. And sure, enough, Dan, dressed in his Lieutenant’s uniform, came into the Dining Room and he then apologized for being late.
The fifteen people at the dinner table that Christmas Day afternoon had a wonderful meal and great conversation as they enjoyed what Momma and her amigas had prepared. Rusty and Jessy were center stage at the table, as they asked loads of questions of Dan about his uniform.
The boys also described what they got from Santa and how much fun they had playing with them up at the Pavilion. Jessy also told everyone how excited he was about going to Mr. Ken’s parks and getting to get on every one of his rides.
Billy burst the youngster bubble, though, when he told the boy that he was looking forward to him riding all of the roller coasters with him. Jessy looked to his mom and he asked her if he had to. Kate had to stifle a smile, as she told her youngest son that Billy was only teasing him, for now.
After dinner, everyone tried to catch up with Dan, as he hadn’t been seen around The Cove in quite some time. Dan told them how he’d been put on special assignment and was circulating around the county, so he wasn’t close by even if he wanted to stop by.
The boys tried to get him to tell them what the assignment was all about, but he told them, “If I tell you; then I gotta kill you.” Everyone laughed at his explanation.
But before long everyone needed to start packing for tomorrow’s trip. Dan told Ken that he wished he could have gone along, but that maybe he could get away when they go during the summer. The two good friends wish one another a Merry Christmas and then Dan had to get back on the job.
Wayne and Dennis departed at the same time, as Dan, and they, too, said that they needed to check their suitcases to ensure they had what they needed for a three-park trip. They told Ken that they’d be back at about five-thirty tomorrow morning. Even Judy and Eric left around that same time. Judy told her friend that she’d bring her son back around five-thirty with his suitcase and anything else he needs. Ken told her to make sure she packs for four days.
Everyone was in their rooms packing what they thought they needed for a three-day trip. The boys knew from experience to pack for four days. Billy went to Darrin’s room to tell him to pack for four days, just in case there is a change in plans. The older teen then had to explain it to the newest foster boy.
After Ken was finished packing, he went up to check with Kate to see if she was packing for four days instead of three. She didn’t understand either until her fiancé told her that if the weather changes, or the planes break, they could be delayed another day, so having an additional change of clothes is always good to have. Kate had to quickly add an extra change of clothes to her and her boy’s suitcases. Kate then went to her mom’s room to tell her what Ken just told her.
Everyone brought their packed suitcases down to the Foyer when they were finished. The boys knew to keep their toiletries separate, and to pack those and bring them down in the morning.
By then it was getting late and because they had a late dinner no one was particularly hungry. But Kate and Ken went out to the Kitchen Nook and set out the cold turkey and the other leftovers for everyone to have something to eat. Ken reminded them that they would only get a breakfast taco and something to drink in the morning, and nothing else until the planes are at cruising altitude.
As they were eating, ‘dad’ Ken then told Robert and Charles that they would be flying with Collin tomorrow. Edith then spoke up and said that she was also going to go with Collin and that she was also taking her grandsons, Rusty and Jessy.
Hearing that they were not flying with their mom was a complete surprise to the two younger boys. But when it was explained that they would be flying in a corporate jet they got excited that they would get to do something different on the trip.
‘Dad’ Ken then told Bill, Matthew, Darrin and Phillip that they have to fly with him, or with Mr. Wayne, because they are their guardians. He mentioned, for Darrin’s sake, that if any one of them fly with Collin, then they, too, could fly in Collin’s corporate plane. Hearing that put a smile on Darrin’s face, with the hope that he might get to do that.
After they finished eating and the boys had cleaned up the Nook, ‘Dad’ Ken asked the boys to meet him in the Great Room, as he had one more Christmas present for them. The boys wondered what it could be as they already got loads of great gifts already.
Once the Cover boys were down in the Great Room, along with everyone else, ‘dad’ Ken handed each of the boys one last Christmas present. The gifts were all wrapped the same and they were all the same size, so the boys knew that each of them was getting the exact same thing.
Charles told his ‘brothers’ that they should all turn their backs to one another as they open the present, so that way they don’t see what it is before they open it themselves. The six boys did just that and on the count of three they began opening the gift.
When the boys opened their last present, they found a 14 in 1 Multitool that included almost all of the tools they would need in a pinch. The multitool had in it: long nose pliers, round nose pliers, cutting pliers, a sharp knife, a Phillips screwdriver, a small slotted screwdriver, a serrated knife, a double-sided file, a large slotted screwdriver, a small scraper, a medium slotted screwdriver, a can opener, a bottle opener and a hook remover.
The boys all thanked their ‘dad’ with hugs and with that done, ‘dad’ Ken sent all the boys up to their rooms. He told them that even though it was early, o’dark thirty of five o’clock comes sooner than they’ll want, and they needed to try to get as much sleep as they could.
Ken and Kate sat and snuggled together and talked for a few minutes, while the boys got themselves settled upstairs. Kate thanked her fiancé for everything and especially for the diamond necklace. They hugged and kissed some before Ken mentioned that he needed to say good night to the boys and get them all in bed.
The two walked up the stairs hand-in-hand and Ken first walked Kate to her room where he hugged and kissed her one more time, as he said good night to her. The man then stopped by all of the boy’s rooms to make sure they were resting and not talking. He told them to turn off their lights and get into bed, and that he’d see them in the morning.
The owner of The Cove then headed down to his own retreat to get ready for bed. Once he’d done his usual preparations prior to going to bed, the man sat on the edge of his king-sized bed and thought back on what a wonderful two days it had been. He was so happy to have Kate there with him, and he couldn’t wait until they were married.
He then reached over and turned off the lights and when he lay down, he was so tired that he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit his pillow. The Cove household was peaceful and quiet the whole night through.
The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhnd at Gmail dot Com
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