Christmas in Cowboy Country (18 page)

“There are several in this area, including one I've known for years. She just completed an assignment and I believe she's free. I'll let you know as soon as I can.”

“Thanks so much,” Elsie said, looking at her husband. He seemed agreeable to the idea, judging by his expression.

Jane Generosa located her business cards in a small pocket of the briefcase and put one on the table. Then she handed another to Annie. “It's good to know the Pearsons have friends to look in on them. You can call me too.”

Annie nodded. She got the point.

“Where are you going?” Jack wanted to know.

The visiting nurse named a town that he seemed to remember. He nodded. “Drive carefully,” he said. “The roads stay icy longer out that way.”

“I'll keep that in mind. Annie, very nice to meet you.”

She rose from the table when the nurse did. “Yes. Same here. I'll walk you out, since I stopped by to shovel the walk. Might as well get to it.”

Elsie didn't protest or tell her to sit down, and neither did Jack. They were holding hands.

“I'll take care of that and come back in,” she promised the couple. Annie had seen an old coal shovel, banged-up but serviceable, on the porch behind some wicker chairs. It would do.

She didn't bother with her jacket as she went outside with bundled-up Jane. Just the gloves. Clearing the walkway would get her warmed up fast.

Annie said good-bye to Jane as she adjusted the shoulder strap of the canvas briefcase and went down the porch stairs. “Thanks so much,” Annie called after her.

“Just doing my job,” Jane replied with the same cheerful smile.

Annie watched her go, thinking there was much more to it than that for Jane.
Satisfaction
was the word.

She moved the wicker chairs and dragged out the coal shovel by its rusted handle. When she was done, she would make a stop at the hardware store and buy the Pearsons a lightweight one.

Annie hoisted the old shovel and went down the steps. She had cleared them all completely before she realized that she'd accomplished another objective: working off her anger at Marshall Stone, which was pretty much gone.

But not forgotten. She shoveled and scraped the walkway in record time.

 

 

Sooner or later Annie would have to go back to the ranch. But she swung by the saloon first, pushing open the door to see that every booth was full.

Nell and her son, Harold, were running back and forth between the bar and the beeping microwave, carrying snack items and sandwiches to the tables, along with pitchers of beer and canned soda.

Nell grinned at Annie, wiping her hands on her apron. “The whole town came in. What can I do for you?”

“Nothing. Just wanted to say hi. I went to the Pearsons' house to see if they needed shoveling out and I met the visiting nurse.”

“Wonderful!” Nell beamed. “Wonderful. Did you like her?”

“Very much.”

“I don't know her personally, but I do know the county official in charge of the program. He comes in here occasionally.”

“I see. Well, you would like Jane Generosa. She was filling out about a hundred forms so the Pearsons didn't have to.”

Harold went by her, balancing a heavy tray. “Hey, Annie.”

“Oh dear. I have to get back to work.” Nell stepped away from the bar and Annie noticed the new addition to it. The model of a covered wagon that they'd seen in the shop window took pride of place in the center of the bar.

“Holy cow. Did you buy that?” Annie went right up to it to enjoy the details. It was protected by a glass case, but she could get much closer than she could at the shop.

“Yes, I did,” Nell said proudly. “I found out that the artist does the dioramas for a frontier museum in Telluride. And he is just the nicest man.”

Annie straightened. “What was his name again?”

“Chester Byron Hamilton. He brought it over yesterday before it started snowing hard.”

“Oh.” So that was the owner of the male voice in the background when she'd called Nell, looking for a place to stay. Annie had half a mind to ask if Chester had enjoyed snuggling over hot toddies. But she didn't. The saloon was getting crowded and the jingle-bell wreath on the door was making a racket.

“Here come more customers,” Nell said gleefully. A party of young women in skiwear breezed in, talking nonstop. Annie thought she recognized a few from Rowdy's fan club on the day he'd run away. But no redhead named Bunny or Kerry.

“I should go,” Annie said, taking one last look at the covered wagon on the bar. “I'm glad you bought that. It looks great there. And good luck with Chester.”

Nell sailed past her, the order pad in her hand fluttering. “I may be in love,” she murmured.

“Really?” Annie gave her an amused look.

“When you're my age, you figure it out sooner. No time to waste, dear.”

“Whatever you say, Nell.”

Summoned by her son, who'd been besieged by the ski bunnies, Nell scurried away. Annie headed for the inner door, pulling on her gloves and pushing it open just as someone came through the swinging doors on the outside, a tall man who was silhouetted by the sun.

She nearly ran into Stone's broad chest.

“Oh—it's you. Hi.”

“Nice to see you too,” he said dryly. “You leaving?”

“Yes. Going home.”

“How did it go with your dad?”

Annie hesitated, not wanting to give him the time of day, let alone a straight answer.

“He was actually okay about it. Teased me a little. That was all.”

Stone nodded. “Good to hear. So I guess he's not going to come after me with a shotgun or anything.”

“No. He didn't seem to think my honor needed defending.”

Annie stepped to the side, about to go around him.

“Well, I have to go in,” he said with a trace of reluctance. “I'm meeting someone. They could be here already.”

Annie kept on going. “The place is packed.”

“See you around.”

She pretended she didn't hear him say that and she didn't answer. Annie didn't plan to return to town until the night of the Christmas pageant. And that was several days away.

A
nnie was backstage, fielding complaints as she helped her little shepherds get into their burlap costumes.

“I'm hot.”

“This itches.”

“When do we go on?”

She responded to all of them simultaneously. “Go stand by the fan until the curtain opens. Stop scratching. You're on right after the star.”

The choir director had decided on having Tina, a girl with a sweet soprano voice, play the Star of Wonder. She would climb a ladder to the painted sky, where there was a platform for her to sit on and sing a solo.

Tina stood in front of a mirror, tucking a few stray locks of her hair inside the silver-paper star that circled her face. Her mom tightened the elastic strap that held it on. The rest of her was draped in dark cloth the same color as the sky.

“Tina has a neat costume,” one of the boys said, a touch of envy in his voice. “I wish we could be stars too.”

“There's only room for one on the platform. Now don't forget to look up at her when Opal gives you your cue,” Annie advised them.

“We will,” they promised.

“Where's that sheep?” she asked, looking around.

“Some of the high school kids made extras. We have a whole bunch now.”

“We do?” Annie looked around again, not seeing even one cotton-puff sheep. Then Nell's son appeared, pushing a hand truck loaded with the new critters. “Oh. There they are.”

She waved Harold over so he could unload them. “They're on skateboard wheels,” he explained. “And each one has a handle in back, so the kids can roll them along. Worked fine at the dress rehearsal.”

Something Annie had missed after not marking it on her calendar. “I'll take your word for it.”

The boys did seem to know how to manage the prop sheep. They rolled them back and forth, working off a little nervous energy before the performance. The crew-cut kid who had stayed more or less in charge of the others set his sheep aside and went to peek through the curtain.

“Don't do that,” Annie said. They didn't have to whisper, what with the recorded carols playing over the sound system.

“Nobody saw me,” he reassured her. “There's tons of people out there. And more coming in.”

“Good. I hope we sell out. More money for the youth group.”

“Can I go see?” asked the littlest boy.

“Nope. Everyone line up with their sheep. Miss Opal is here.”

The choir director had hurried into the backstage area, dressed in wine-red velvet, her hair beautifully styled.

Annie looked down at her jeans and plain sweater. Nothing special, but her clothes were comfortable and no one was going to see her.

Opal rehearsed Tina for a minute or so, then moved to the other young performers. She smoothed Jenny's hair and bent down to pat little Zoe's cheek. The sisters didn't have speaking parts, but they had insisted on participating. The shepherds quit horsing around when Opal reached them.

“Hello, boys. How's the flock? Are the new sheep cooperating?”

“Yes, ma'am,” they chorused.

“Well, they look great and so do you,” the choir director said approvingly. “Oh, I wish we could've had a camel,” she whispered to Annie. “Maybe next year.”

The children fidgeted as Opal made sure all was in readiness. They grew quiet when the lights on the other side of the curtains dimmed and the audience noise died down.

Opal stepped through and welcomed the audience. An unseen hand pulled the curtains apart and the pageant began.

The star entered and went up the ladder, sitting down on the platform atop it for her solo. Annie waited until Tina had sung the first few bars, then gave the first shepherd a little push. He was staring at the audience from the wings, transfixed, completely missing the choir director's repeated cues.

“Go,” she whispered urgently. He got over his stage fright at the sound of her voice and led the others on without a hitch.

They rolled their sheep and stopped on a strip of colored tape as one, gazing up at the Star of Wonder. Tina was warbling away, obviously enjoying the spotlight. When she was done, the crew-cut shepherd held up his crook and said his line. “Behold!”

The word echoed to wild applause.

Annie was proud of them all. She peered out into the audience, seeing her parents and Nell, and Ed and Cilla Rivers, all sitting together. Ed had a mini video recorder up and running to get every minute of the performance, especially scenes that included Jenny and Zoe; she was sure of it. There were lots of other people she knew but hadn't caught up with in a while. It was great. Nothing could spoil this night.

Tina finished her song and climbed down. The shepherds rolled on and out. Annie was supposed to meet them at the other side of the stage, but she didn't get there in time.

She'd spotted Marshall Stone in the last row. There was an empty seat beside him. It was the only one left. The show had sold out.

Never in a million years would she have expected him to attend a family event like this. At least he was alone. For now, she told herself crossly, tearing her gaze away from his tall form. She ran around the back of the stage to get to her little guys before they scattered.

“How'd we do?” they whispered excitedly.

“Shh. You did great. Now we have to go out the back way very quietly and then you can watch the rest of the pageant.”

They peeled off the itchy burlap costumes they wore over their regular clothes and tossed them into the laundry sack Annie held out. “Stack the sheep over there,” she murmured, pointing. “Then follow me.”

They obeyed and trotted after her, not jostling each other too much and not making any noise. She led them outside the building through a narrow alley and in again, down a corridor that ran across the back of the hall. There was a low balustrade that separated the viewing area from the seats and they were happy to lean on it and watch their friends in action.

Annie watched Marshall. There was still no one in the seat next to him. One long arm was stretched over its back. She craned her neck. He'd put his Stetson on the empty seat, as if he was reserving it for whoever hadn't showed.

She felt a certain pleasure in the fact that he'd been stood up and she hoped the redhead had done it. Stone seemed relaxed, though. His attention was on the performance, which he seemed to be enjoying completely.

The first act concluded to even more wild applause and the ceiling lights went on. Many in the audience stood and stretched. Some headed out to the front of the hall, where candy and snacks were being sold to raise additional funds.

Annie sat back when Marshall rose. He looked around at the doors, and the people passing in and out. Then his hat went flying.

Her eyes widened. Rowdy, sporting a huge red bow, had jumped up on the empty seat to greet some kids.

They patted him while he wagged his tail. Annie couldn't help eavesdropping.

“Did he like the pageant?”

“He loved it. And thanks for the last-minute tickets, kids. Rowdy wasn't expecting to be treated to a show.”

“How come he didn't sit in the seat?” a young boy wanted to know.

“He generally prefers the floor,” was Stone's answer.

“We thought he'd sit in it because he's so famous,” a girl insisted. “After he herded us onto the float, everyone was talking about him. That's why we stuck the red bow on him.”

“You hear that, Rowdy?” Marshall looked down at him. “You're a VIP. I just get to hold your leash.”

Rowdy barked, only once, but heads turned.

“I think I'd better get him outside for the rest of the intermission,” Stone told the kids. They stepped back to let him proceed up the aisle. He turned sideways to ease out of the narrow space between seat rows and lifted his gaze.

“Hello, Annie.”

She waggled her fingers at him. “Hi.”

“We're going out to, uh, get some fresh air. Want to join us?” Marshall asked.

“I have to stay with my group.”

“You can go with him,” a boy solemnly assured. “We'll be good. We promise, right, guys?”

“Yeah.” Seven times over.

Annie shook her head. “Miss Opal would never let me hear the end of it if I left you angels to your own devices.”

“But we're not angels,” the crew-cut boy protested.

“Exactly my point.” She turned to speak to Marshall again, but Rowdy had tugged him away.

The lights had dimmed when he returned and took his seat again. The dog lay at his feet, where Annie couldn't see him.

The boys had joined their parents in the audience and she was alone in the same spot. He hadn't looked up at her when he'd come back with Rowdy and she hadn't really minded that much.

The pageant continued. Missed cues, forgotten lines, and kids stepping on each other's costumes—none of it mattered, compared to the good time they were having and the magic they were creating. It was a night to remember for Velde's youngsters.

And for Annie.

She moved back into the shadows and slouched way down in a different seat when she saw her mother and father get up after the finale, hoping they wouldn't see her as they headed up the aisle. Annie had no idea what, if anything, her dad had told her mom about where she'd been the other night—the subject hadn't come up. If they saw her in Stone's vicinity, it just might.

They were picking their way through a crowd of people and didn't look up. Annie could watch the scene without anyone seeing her. The same kids plus a few more of their friends were already clustered around Rowdy. Lou stopped and patted her husband's arm.

“Oh, Ty, will you look at that adorable pooch. What would you say he is?”

Her father's expert eye for animals got it right the first time. “Cattle dog, mixed breed. And I do believe that's the one who was helping out at the parade,” Tyrell said. “Got his picture in the paper, herding kids.”

So it wasn't just the Internet outage Annie had missed out on. The local news had been tossed into the kindling box before she'd read it.

Her mother seemed to want to speak to Stone. The Bennetts stood in the aisle, the departing audience members flowing around them, until most of the kids drifted away. Tyrell exchanged a few words with Stone, and then, to her amazement, clapped him on the shoulder.

“I coulda used a dog like that for my three back in the day. You train him yourself?”

Stone chuckled and looked down at his dog, who had scrambled up from under the seat. “No, sir. I only found him a few weeks ago. He'd run off from somewhere and been on his own for a while. No microchip or tag. He made it pretty clear that I needed a dog.”

Tyrell smiled slightly.

“I knew from the looks of him that he was a herder,” Stone continued, “but not that he could do what he did. He's the reason I got the last two tickets. The kids wanted to see him again.”

“Oh. Well, he got his picture in the paper.”

“Didn't see it.”

“I'll ask the gal in the
Register
office to send you a copy. Where are you staying?”

Her father already knew the answer to that question. Maybe he just didn't want Stone to know
how
he knew.

“Nell Dighton's rental cabin.”

Her father nodded. “Tell you what. I'll drop it off at the saloon. She'll make sure you get it.”

“Thanks,” Stone said. “I appreciate that. I don't know how much longer I'll be staying in Velde. Always a new assignment. I'm nearly done here.”

“Ah. I did want to ask you about that.”

Annie tensed. Her mother had let go of her husband's arm and turned to chat with a friend.

“As you know, Chuck Pfeffer and I disagree about the precise location of the boundary line between our ranches. I believe I'm entitled to a copy of the surveyor's report.”

“You certainly are. And I'll make sure you get one.”

Tyrell harrumphed, as if he hadn't anticipated instant cooperation. “Thank you. I look forward to reading it.”

Stone's back was to her, but Annie guessed from the tone of his voice that he expected her father to be pleased with the results.

That was even more interesting than the fact that her father had sought him out and talked to him.

Annie edged farther back into the darkness. She ought to be able to sneak out and get in her truck before the two men were done talking; she might even get home first and hole up in her room where she could think.

The empty seat beside Marshall had been meant for Rowdy. But she'd still seen him with the redhead a few days ago. And now she knew for sure that he was leaving town. Probably before Christmas.

So that was that. A new year would begin and he would be long gone. Annie told herself not to care. But the thought of him leaving still hurt.