A Cowboy for Christmas (18 page)

Penny wasn’t sure she should say anything yet, but knowing her father trusted him she told him, “I don’t know if I can keep the Lazy Ace going after Papa . . .” She paused for a moment, emotion choking her. “After Papa is gone. I’ve been away for so long, and I know so little about actually running a ranch as big as this one. The ranch hands aren’t going to listen to me. I probably should sell it and go back to St. Louis. That would be best for everybody.”

Dan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He knew if she did that after Jack died, Jack would be turning over in his grave. “Your father would never have considered putting you in charge of the Lazy Ace unless he believed you were capable of taking over and running things. He trusts that you can do it. You should trust yourself.”

Penny shrugged and looked away, her thoughts in turmoil.

“Penny—I believe you can do it.”

“You do?” She glanced at him, shocked.

“That’s right. I admit I had my doubts back in St. Louis. I didn’t know how the girl I found at
the dance was going to react to the idea of leaving the good life she had in the city to take up living on a ranch again. I was worried—for your father’s sake—but I’ve been watching you and I’ve been impressed. You are Jack’s daughter, and you’re doing him proud.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes, I do, and, Penny . . .” He waited until she met his gaze. He saw the doubt, confusion, and uncertainty in her eyes. “This is your home. Don’t ever forget that.”

Something stirred deep within her at his words, and she felt a sense of pride strengthen her. “You’re right, Dan. I am my father’s daughter. I’ve got work to do here on the Lazy Ace.”

“Yes, you do, so you’d better get some rest tonight. Tomorrow is going to be an even harder day in the saddle for you.” He knew how sore she was going to be in the morning.

“You’re right about that,” she agreed, getting up slowly from her chair to clean off the table. “I can only imagine what I’d be feeling like right now if I’d been on a different horse.”

While she washed the dishes, Dan checked the stove and added more wood to it to keep things warm overnight.

“Do you need some time alone to get ready for bed?” he asked, wanting to give her the privacy she needed.

Penny looked up, a little unsettled by the thought
of the night to come. “Just a few minutes, if you don’t mind.”

“All right. I’ll go check on the horses and be right back.”

Penny took care of her needs and then thought about changing into the heavy flannel nightgown she’d brought along. As cold as the night was turning out to be, though, she realized she’d be better off just sleeping in her clothes. She took off her boots and climbed into the bottom bunk, opposite the bunks where Dan would be sleeping.

When he came back in a short time later, he found her curled up in her blankets on her bed.

“You need anything else?” he asked.

“No, thank you.”

“I guess I’ll get up on top, then,” he said, smiling to himself.

Penny watched as Dan sat down on the other bottom bunk and took off his boots. Then he turned out the lamp and climbed up into the top bunk to settle down. She waited a minute, listening to the harsh gusts of the wind outside, before she told him, “Thanks, Dan.”

“For what?”

“For helping my father—and me. There’s no way I could have made this trip on my own in this kind of weather.”

“You’re welcome. Now get some sleep.”

“You, too,” she returned. She thought he
sounded grouchy and, though it puzzled her, she just figured it was probably because he was tired. She rolled over and, huddling beneath her blankets, she sought warmth and rest.

Dan was still cold as he lay in his solitary bunk. Earlier, being “on top” had sounded good, but now he knew it wasn’t. He glanced down to where she was nestled on the other bottom bunk, and he found himself wishing he could climb down there and take her in his arms. He knew they would both be a whole lot warmer if he did.

Dan still found it hard to believe that Jack trusted him enough to let him make this trip alone with Penny. He tried to imagine Dwylah making the ride with them, and he knew they wouldn’t have gotten very far with the chaperone along. Even so, it was a great responsibility, being here in the line shack with Penny. He thought about their conversation about being on top again and grimaced, shifting positions so he was facing the wall away from her.

Dan closed his eyes.

Morning was going to be there real fast.

He just hoped he could get some sleep.

“If the weather holds, we’ll be in Sagebrush in a few more days,” the stage driver said as they sat at the table in the way station having a late dinner. They’d had some damage to one of the wheels and had fallen behind schedule. “Sorry we’re running late, but some things can’t be helped.”

“We’re just blessed no one was injured,” Nick said, knowing how serious things could have been had the stage been wrecked.

“You’re right about that, Reverend,” he agreed. “I’m thinking it pays to have a preacher man riding with me this trip.”

“So, are all you folks going to be home in time for Christmas?” Andy, the manager of the station, asked as he came back inside after taking care of things down at the stable.

The little boy named Zach spoke up, smiling brightly. “We are! It won’t be long now, will it, Mama?”

“No, it won’t. We’re going to have a wonderful Christmas this year,” his mother said.

“Santa is coming! I know he’s going to bring me presents this year ’cause I’ve been good, haven’t I?”

“Yes, Zach, you’ve been very good.” His father smiled at him.

“I can’t wait to get home!”

Santa Claus
—

Presents
—

Home
—

Steve was sitting between Nick and Miss Lacey at the table, listening to the other boy. The boy and his parents had been traveling with them for the last two days, and they’d been much better company than the other man and woman who’d been so mean to Miss Lacey when she’d first got on the stage. Even so, all the talk about Santa Claus and the joy of spending Christmas with his family left Steve feeling miserable. He would never again be with his mother and father on Christmas, and he had no idea if Santa would even know where to begin to look to find him and bring him any presents this year.

Steve didn’t let on about his heartache. He just stayed quiet and tried to concentrate on eating his beans and bacon. He told himself he was being an adventurer, making this long trip with Reverend Miller. The excitement that had filled him until now, though, faded away, and he was left with only the realization that he would never be able to go back to the days when he was surrounded by a loving family.

Andy started to clear the table as some of the adults finished their meals. As he took away Nick’s place, he frowned, staring at him.

“Is something wrong?” Nick asked, puzzled by his expression.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I just recognized you, that’s all.”

Nick was surprised. “We’ve met before?”

“Yeah, you just were through here not too long ago, weren’t you?”

“No. This is the first time I’ve traveled this way.” Hope suddenly flared within him.

“Well, you look a lot like a fella who came through here on his way to Sagebrush.”

“Do you remember his name?” Nick asked, a bit excited.

“No, I get too many people through here to keep track.”

“My brother, Dan Roland, was traveling this way, too, so it might have been him.”

“Could have been.” Andy moved off to take care of business.

Glad to be distracted from his own sadness, Steve looked up at Reverend Miller. “He was here!”

Nick smiled down at him. “I hope so, Steve. If it was Danny, we’ll be catching up to him real soon.”

Lacey smiled, too. “Your long trip will all have been worth it, once you find him.”

“Yes, it will,” Nick agreed. Over the days of traveling together, he’d found Lacey to be a very smart young woman. It was obvious she was a survivor. They’d had no chance to talk privately,
but he’d been impressed with how she’d conducted herself around the young boys. He believed there was a lady inside her, and he hoped he could help her find a way to improve her life.

It was a short time later the women started to retire to their separate room.

“Wait!” Zach ran to his mother to give her a good night hug. “Good night, Mama.”

“Good night and sleep tight,” she said, lovingly kissing his cheek.

Steve pretended not to notice. He went with Reverend Miller to get ready for bed. As harsh as the accommodations were, they all knew they were fortunate that the stage had been able to make it to the way station. It would have been a cold, hard night, if they’d been forced to sleep on the stage.

Steve took the cot beside the reverend and curled up on his side, facing away from him. He didn’t want Reverend Miller to know how listening to the other boy was affecting him.

And yet alone in the darkness, Steve was filled with sorrow and he couldn’t stop himself from crying. He wept as quietly as he could, but feared one of the men would wake up and hear him. Taking great care, Steve got up from his cot and crept from the room. He made his way to the front door and grabbed his coat and went outside.

The night was cold, but Steve just wanted to be alone with his misery. He made his way to the side of the station and hunkered down against
the building. He cried his heart out, knowing he had no one to spend Christmas with and knowing no one loved him the way his parents had loved him.

Inside the station, Lacey had been trying to get to sleep. The other woman had drifted off right away, but Lacey found herself staring at the ceiling, worrying about the fact that they were almost to Sagebrush. The driver had said just a few more days. Soon she would be left all alone in a strange town with little money and no friends. She’d been in bad situations before and she’d survived. All she had to do was find a job to support herself and things would be all right.

Even as Lacey thought it, though, she knew she was limited on the type of work she could get. She wasn’t much of a cook, but she figured she could probably wait on tables if there was a restaurant there in town. She certainly didn’t want to risk going to work in a saloon again. She would work hard for her money, but the work had to be respectable. She would work as a laundress or a maid if she had to.

Firmly resolved, Lacey felt a little more at peace and had just rolled over to try to fall asleep when she heard it—the distant, muffled sound of someone crying.

Lacey got out of bed and moved over to the window, and it was there she could hear the weeping more clearly. Though she couldn’t see anyone
outside, she had a real good feeling it was Steve. She’d noticed how he’d gotten quiet when the other boy had been talking about Santa Claus and being back home for Christmas, so she knew he needed some support right then. Lacey had slept in her clothes, so all she had to do was slip on her coat and boots and sneak out of the room to go check on the orphan.

The main room was deserted and the lamps had been put out, but there was enough light coming from the fireplace so she could see. She tiptoed across the room and as silently as she could, she opened the door and crept out into the cold, dark night. She quickly closed the door behind her and made her way to the side of the house.

She came around the corner to find Steve. She thought about going to get Reverend Miller, and then changed her mind. She decided to follow her instincts instead. She knew right then the boy needed love, and she did love him. He was sweet and adorable and resourceful, and she wanted him to know that she truly did care about him. Without saying a word, Lacey went to him.

When someone knelt beside him and put an arm around him, Steve was startled, for he had not heard anyone coming.

“Steve, it’s me—Miss Lacey,” she said in a quiet voice as she drew him to her.

“I’m all right. I’ll go back inside,” he managed, choking on his words as he tried to stop crying.

“Steve, if you want to cry, go ahead,” Lacey told him gently. She held him to her heart, and she felt the misery in him as he stayed rigid for a moment in her arms. “It’s all right.”

At her tender words, Steve collapsed against her, all pretense gone. “I miss my mama and my papa so much—and it’s almost Christmas—” His breath hitched.

Lacey knew there was nothing she could say right then that would make things better. She just held him close and let him weep. He just clung to her, drawing on the solace she was offering.

When the cold started to get to her, she brushed his tousled hair and kissed his forehead. “We’d better get back inside. I don’t want you getting sick.”

“All right,” he said hoarsely.

Lacey got up and drew him up with her. Keeping her arm around him, she guided him back inside. “Next time you get lonely, just remember there are people who love you very much. I know I do.” She gave him a squeeze. “You get some rest now.”

He looked up at her, his eyes red and swollen from his tears, and he nodded. Then he stood on tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. “I love you, too, Miss Lacey.”

She had never heard a more heartrending declaration of love, and she watched him as he moved off back to the men’s sleeping area. She stayed there a few minutes longer, wanting to make sure
he didn’t have any trouble. Only when she was sure he was safe did she return to the women’s room.

Lacey knew Steve was a special child, and she was going to have a talk with the reverend about him as soon as she could find a moment alone with him. Steve needed help, and she was going to do whatever she could for him. She knew what it was like to be alone in the world, and she didn’t want him suffering this way at his young age. Somehow, she had to find a way to bring peace and joy back into his life.

Lacey thought about all he’d said to her that night and knew that once they got to Sagebrush she was going to have to find him a present for Christmas. Santa Claus couldn’t miss a good boy like Steve.

It was early morning and John was hidden out behind some big boulders halfway up the hillside behind the line shack. He kept watch as Dan and Penny came outside and mounted up, and he couldn’t help smiling when he wondered what had gone on inside there overnight. Jack’s daughter was a real looker, and Dan would have been a fool not to take advantage of her while he had the chance. He knew he certainly would have enjoyed himself if he’d been alone with her all night.