Christmas in Cowboy Country (21 page)

A
nnie was one of the last riders on the ski lift for the day. Still not cleared to swoop down slopes, she had decided to rattle up, if only for the view. She was solo this time.

She got off at the top and went toward the lodge to buy a cup of tea. It would keep her hands warm. She wanted to be outside, despite the frigid air. The sky was clear, but beginning to darken toward the west, when she brought the cup to a table placed away from the others and sat down.

The town of Velde lit up as the day began to fade away. Every street was strung with lights, every lamp decorated with giant candy canes and Christmas bows. Far below, the scene looked like something inside a snow globe, pretty and sparkling and unreal.

Tiny figures moved about on the sidewalks. Cars, not many, moved slowly down the streets. Some stopped between the traffic lights. Annie figured the people inside were calling to friends, wishing happy holidays to all.

She was going to spend every second of hers surrounded by family. Mother, father, brothers—and now, sisters-in-law she really wanted to know better. There would be plenty to talk about, wonderful food, and good cheer. She was infinitely grateful for all of it.

The aching loneliness she felt would soon pass, Annie told herself.

So would the annoyance known as Marshall Stone. A few kisses and a dance didn't add up to anything permanent.

She sipped the cooling tea, telling herself that she deserved a lot of credit for not getting emotional over Mr. Tall, Dark, and Uncommunicative.

Out in the distance, she saw a lone tree suddenly blaze with colored lights. It was topped with a star that shone golden against the dark blue drifts of snow. A ranch family's tree. Solitary and yet there for all to enjoy.

“Miss? We're closing in fifteen minutes.”

Annie looked around. A teenage waitress stood near the lodge, holding a tray. She didn't have a jacket on and probably wasn't going to come over.

Time to go anyway. Annie rose and walked over to give her the empty cup. “Thanks. I was kind of lost in thought.”

“No problem.”

 

 

Back down on the streets, Annie realized that she was now one of the tiny figures in the snow globe. She smiled to herself. The thought sort of helped her get perspective on her situation.

Until she saw Marshall Stone opening the door of his big black truck. She heard static from a car radio inside, something she hadn't noticed when she was riding in it with him. Another one of his gizmos, no doubt.

An emergency call crackled in. She stopped a few feet away and listened, holding a tote with the few grocery items she'd picked up.

“Stone, stand by. We may need you to go rescue a lady. She went off the road into a snowdrift. No injuries. Shook up is all.”

“Okay. Got everything but the keg of brandy.”

“Seriously, dude.” That had to be the new deputy, a former snowboarder. “They got her dug out, but her car's totaled. She needs a ride to town.”

“What's going on up there?”

“The pass is a mess. A snow squall blew through. What's it look like in Velde?”

“Clear.”

“Hope it lasts. The squall went the other way.”

“Storms like that move out fast. How am I going to find you?”

“Look for the black and white. Roof lights are on. We're about ten miles to the west out on the old ridge road. I'll send the coordinates to your GPS app.”

Stone took out his smartphone. “Okay.” He waited.

Annie stepped back, but not quickly enough. He saw her.

“Annie. Did you hear all that?”

“Yes. How come they're calling you?”

Stone's phone beeped as the coordinates came through. “They need all the help they can get, obviously. Want to come along?”

“I guess I could,” she said reluctantly. “But I don't want to drive my truck somewhere I might not be able to get out of.”

“I meant come with me.”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”

He got behind the wheel as she went around the side, climbing in again. It wasn't a date, she told herself. It was a rescue.

The car radio filled the silence, crackling with news of more stranded drivers. Mountain weather was unpredictable this late in December.

“Any word on who the lady is? From Velde?”

“The deputy didn't say, so maybe. You all seem to know each other.”

“We actually don't. The town's not that small.”

A loud crackle from the car radio carried the deputy's voice to them. “Stone?”

“On my way.”

“The lady says she has family in Velde.”

Stone glanced toward Annie. “There you go.”

“Her name is Bree Rivers.”

Annie sat bolt upright within the confines of her shoulder belt. “That's Cilla's cousin. She's the mom of those two little girls. You saw them.”

“I did?”

“At the pageant.”

“There were a lot of kids there, Annie.”

“Yeah, well—let's get going. I'm glad she's all right. She took a job at a North Dakota oil field as a cook. Saving her money for a new start. I understood she wasn't coming back until January.”

“Maybe she decided to drive down for Christmas.”

“Good guess. I wonder if I should call my mother.”

“Not yet. Let's go get Bree first.”

Annie stared ahead. There was very little traffic. The sudden squall must have overtaken other vehicles besides Bree's. She looked up, realizing that the sky had disappeared behind thick clouds.

“Are we going to get caught in this?”

“He said it went thataway.” Stone lifted a hand from the wheel and flipped back the cover on a globe-type compass.

“Look at that.”

“It's the real deal. GPS isn't everything.”

Red and blue flashes of light tinted the air above the rise in the road. Stone gunned the engine and slowed when he saw the accident scene.

As soon as he stopped Annie jumped out and went to the cruiser. Stone got out and talked to the deputy while Annie peered into the back window.

“Bree? It's me, Annie.”

The woman wrapped in the silver heat blanket brightened. She cracked the door to say hello. “Hi. Are you an EMT too?”

“No. I just came along with my friend. We're going to bring you back to town.”

“That would be wonderful. I think these guys are needed elsewhere. I guess you heard I went into a snowdrift.”

“Yeah. Glad you're okay. Let's get you inside the truck.”

She helped Bree out of the back. Bree took off the heat blanket and put it into the cruiser. “Someone else is going to need this.”

“No doubt.”

Stone was already at the wheel. He'd turned on the wipers to remove the light snow that had begun to fall. “Let's roll out.”

“Thanks so much,” Bree called to the deputy. The young man in the cruiser wasn't waiting around to chat. He took off, driving up into the pass.

“I'm Stone. You know Annie. Let's go. I don't want to get caught in any more snow.”

Annie took a few seconds to make sure Bree was comfortable in the backseat and then got in quickly, putting the grocery tote between her feet.

They drove down the road as the snow began to fall harder. It wasn't long before the flakes were whirling in all directions.

Stone swore under his breath. “Looks like another squall. Not quite here yet. Think we could make a run for the ranch?”

Annie looked out the window, barely recognizing the landmarks. She spotted a wide gate she knew, not on Bennett land, but not far from it.

“Yes. It's up ahead.”

Bree was awfully quiet in the backseat. Out of the frying pan, into the fire. “I'm okay,” she said in response to Annie's glance over her shoulder.

“Go for it,” she told Stone. “I'd rather we were off the road than stuck on it. Right here!”

She'd glimpsed the turnoff at the last second. He swerved, keeping some control over the steering wheel, but they skidded into a wire fence. Three neon surveyor's tags swept against the window before the wire snapped with a piercing twang.

“Don't worry. Everything's under control,” Stone said.

Annie rocked back in the seat, the breath knocked out of her. She heard Bree gasp. “Are you crazy?”

“I know exactly where we are.”

“Yeah. So do I. In a whiteout.”

“It's not that bad yet.” Stone reversed a few feet and gunned the truck again. The wheels spun and grabbed the stubbly ground beneath the snow. “But it will be,” he added as they roared forward.

“What are you doing?” Bree gasped.

“Going off-road. The truck is all-terrain. The ranch is due north of those three tags, less than half a mile if I remember right. Keep your eye on that compass.”

Annie did, without knowing quite what she was supposed to look for.

The huge truck jolted over uneven ground below, sometimes swerving in and out of potholes they couldn't see.

Ahead were lights. The snow fell more heavily, obscuring them.

“Is that the ranch?”

“Hope so!”

“Hang on,” Stone said grimly. They roared ahead. The lights flickered out. “We still going north?”

She clutched the dashboard and peered at the compass. “Yes.”

“They may have lost power,” Stone muttered.

“Now what do we do?” Annie asked.

“Drive in the dark,” he answered with infuriating calm.

A huge gust of wind slammed into the struggling truck. Annie slid to the side. Bree screamed. Another gust from the opposite direction pushed the truck back up.

Even Stone seemed rattled by that. He caught his breath for a few seconds, then forged on.

Annie swore. “The compass fell off.”

“Then find it.”

“I can't. Not with a seat belt on.”

“You have five seconds.”

She unlatched it and scrabbled desperately in the foot well, feeling for the smooth globe. “Here.”

“Give me that.” He slapped it back on the dash and the ball glowed again. Stone revved the engine and maneuvered the truck until the needle hit due north. “Keep me on track. I can't drive through blinding snow and be a Boy Scout at the same time.”

“No. Of course not. Didn't expect you to.”

“Bree, you good?”

A weak “yes” from the back. Then Annie thought of something. She stared worriedly at the spinning compass.

“What if the directions got scrambled up?”

“It's a goddamn compass, Annie. The needle will always point north. Unless you stepped on it.”

“I didn't,” she snapped, buckling up again. “Keep going. I think we're okay.”

She saw nothing but snow. Then the lights again. Much larger. Square. Very close. A gust blasted the snow off something huge and dark.

“That's the chimney!” she screamed. “Stop!”

Stone slammed on the brakes. Annie went forward and her hand hit a button on the glove compartment. A ton of stuff tumbled out over her lap. She stuck it all into the tote. God only knew what gizmo she might have to find next.

“Bree?” She looked over the seat.

The other woman had a dazed look. “Get me out of here.” Annie heard her unbuckle her seat belt. She did the same and so did Stone.

He jumped out and yanked open the back door, dragging Bree toward him and scooping her up in his arms. Head down, Stone carried her through the ranch house door, which Annie's mom and dad had just opened.

Annie took the keys out of the ignition and grabbed everything she could—Bree's purse too. The truck might be buried by morning. It all went into the tote.

T
he next hour faded into a daze for the three people who'd been in the truck.

Lou got everyone what they needed. Tyrell followed her lead. Bree was settled in an armchair, on the phone with Cilla and Ed.

“Yes. I made it. I'm fine. There was an accident, but I'm at the Bennetts'. Please don't worry. I'll be there tomorrow. And not a word to the girls.”

“She needs to rest,” Lou whispered to Annie. “Think of it, her driving all that way and then, wham, a snowstorm.”

“
Wham
is the word,” Annie said. She was exhausted. Her body ached. So did her head.

“That must have been one hell of a ride, Stone. What kind of truck is that?”

“Custom model. Tricked out to the max.” He'd taken a plain wooden chair, seeming unable to relax.

“Well. I think the man at the wheel—you—is the reason everyone got here safe and sound.”

“I knew where I was, once I saw the flags on the fence. Got my bearings, headed here.”

Tyrell looked at his wife.

“And you were going to tear them off,” Lou said, shaking her head.

“The lights helped,” Stone said. “Until you lost power.”

“Not for long, thank God,” Lou said fervently. “Now, Ty, come help me get the bedrooms ready. We can talk in the morning.”

Bree followed Annie's mother out of the room, and after a look at Stone and Annie, Tyrell did too.

“Made it. Told you,” Stone said softly.

Was that a twinkle in his tired eyes or a reflection of the firelight? She looked at him, intensely grateful. Other, stronger feelings welled in her heart. For once, his arrogance didn't get a rise out of her.

“You're amazing.”

“No, I'm not. I do what needs to be done and try not to think about it.”

“Right. No big deal. You're still my hero. Thank you.”

He leaned back in the chair, clasping his hands behind his head. “You're welcome.”

Annie got up and bent over him. The tender kiss she pressed to his lips said everything she couldn't right then.

“Nice. But your folks are around.”

“Yes. They live here. Let's go into the kitchen.”

She took his hand and pulled him up. Stone encircled her waist and wrapped her up in a huge hug.

“I kinda like being a hero. Can we do that again sometime?”

“Hell no,” she said vehemently.

She made two cups of cocoa and set them on the counter. “Better let that cool,” she told Stone, pushing aside the tote she'd brought in. Then she looked inside again, lifting out Bree's purse. “She might need that.”

Absently, Annie began to take out the things underneath, random items that had fallen out of the glove compartment.

There were papers, the owner's manual for the truck, a tire gauge, a pack of chewing gum, more papers, and a stapled report.

“What is this?”

She read it before Stone could stop her. Her eyes widened. There it was in black and white. An arrest report for Shep Connally. Mrs. Pearson's sworn statement. A photocopy of Marshall Stone's federal ID.

“Take a guess,” he said laconically.

“Why didn't you tell me?”

He explained the reasons why in more detail and told her why she couldn't tell anyone for the time being.

Annie just stared at him.

“Did Nell know about this?”

“There is nothing that woman doesn't know or can't find out. I'm thinking of recruiting her for the bureau.”

“Um. One more question. Who is the redhead?”

“A colleague. New hire. And her real name is Kerry, by the way.”

Annie made a face. “Oh. Guess I could have given you the benefit of the doubt.”

“But you didn't.” Stone grinned, as if he was getting used to that. “Come here.”

Annie started to—and stopped when Tyrell came into the kitchen. “Dad. Is Bree all right?”

“Your mom got her tucked up in bed. They're talking now. Thought I'd come down, see how you two were getting on.”

“Mr. Bennett, I have something for you.” Stone shuffled through the papers on the counter, gathering up most of them and sticking them back into the tote.

“What?”

“The survey report.” Stone handed it over. “Pfeffer owes you a new fence. He tried to grab some of your land.”

“That squattin' son-of-a-gun. Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Stupid thing to do. He screwed up his title, that's for sure.” Tyrell leafed through it. “Hmm. Maybe he'll sell to me cheap. Wouldn't mind adding some land to the spread. Never know when you'll need it.”

He shot a meaningful look at Annie and then nodded at Stone. “I'll leave you two alone. I'm sure you don't mind.”

They moved closer together when they heard his footsteps go down the hall. There was a brief moment of silence when her father stopped.

“You go right ahead and kiss her,” he called in a low voice. “No one's looking.”