A Cowboy for Christmas (6 page)

“Who knows?” Richard said. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is the musicians are playing again and we’re not dancing, Amanda. May I have the honor?” Earlier, he’d been seriously considering courting Penny, but after seeing how she acted with the cowboy, he believed Amanda just might be more to his liking.

“I’d be delighted,” Amanda responded. At any other time, being in Richard’s arms as he twirled her around the dance floor would have been as close to heaven on earth as she could get. But she was too worried about Penny to fully appreciate the experience. What could have happened?

Edwin Chase took them down the main hall to the front parlor. “I’ll leave you to take care of your business. If you need anything—” He looked to Penny, wanting to reassure her.

“Thank you, Mr. Chase.” Penny was truly grateful that Dan’s unexpected intrusion hadn’t caused too much trouble. She didn’t want to ruin anyone’s good time.

Edwin left the room, but he did not close the hallway door on his way out. He wanted to make sure the ladies were safe, and by leaving it open, his servants would be able to hear if anything went wrong.

Alone at last, Matilda looked up at the stranger, trying to judge his character. “Well, Mr. Roland, what is so important that you had to come barging into the Chases’ home this way to see Penny?”

Dan saw the fierce protectiveness she had for her niece. He knew that was a good quality, but it also meant he was going to have to convince not only Penny, but her aunt, too. “I have a letter for Miss Anderson from her father.”

He pulled the envelope from his shirt pocket and held it out to her.

Penny hesitated for a moment, looking from the letter to Dan Roland. Their gazes met, and she could see how serious he was. She took the envelope from him, feeling decidedly unsettled by what might be in it. She took a deep breath and pulled out the one-page letter.

Dear Penny
,

It is with great sadness that I am sending this letter to you
.

I have just learned that I have only a short time left to live and I need to see you again before I pass away. Dan Roland is
my foreman here on the Lazy Ace. He will accompany you back to the ranch
.

With love,
Your father

“What does the letter say?” Matilda asked, noticing how Penny paled as she’d read the missive. “What does your father want from you?”

Penny lifted her gaze to her aunt, her thoughts dark and troubled, her heart aching. “I have to go back to the ranch—”

“No, you don’t,” her aunt said. “Your life is here now. Your mother wanted you to stay right here in the city with me.”

“You don’t understand, Aunt Matilda—” Her voice was choked with emotion.

“Understand what?”

“My father needs me,” Penny managed. “He’s dying.”

“Jack is dying?” Matilda was aghast at the news. Of all the things she’d suspected Jack was going to this length to contact Penny about, this wasn’t one of them. The thought that he could be in such ill health shocked her. She looked to the man who’d brought the letter to Penny, and remembering all that Elizabeth had told her about the harshness of life on the ranch, she demanded, “What happened to him? Was he shot? Did he have an accident?”

“No, ma’am,” Dan replied. “It was nothing like
that. The doctor told him it was his heart, so I have to get Miss Anderson back to the Lazy Ace as quickly as possible.”

Memories overwhelmed Penny as she stood there holding the letter—memories of her father’s one short visit to see them there in St. Louis all those years ago and memories of the life she’d led on the Lazy Ace when she’d just been a young girl. Along with those memories came the pain of knowing that he hadn’t tried to stay in touch with her very often, even though she’d written to him regularly early on. “Why does he want to see me now after all this time? Why does he suddenly care about me and want me there?”

Dan was gravely serious as he answered her, “He doesn’t have long to live, and he wants to see you before—”

“But he never tried to stay in touch with me—”

Dan was caught off guard by her statement. He glanced at her aunt and wasn’t surprised to see the older woman quickly avert her eyes and look away from him. He told Penny, “Your father did write to you. He wrote regularly, but he never heard back.”

“He didn’t write regularly,” she denied. “I only got a few letters from him—”

“Maybe you should ask your aunt about that.” Dan wondered what had really gone on after seeing Matilda’s reaction.

“Aunt Matilda?” Penny turned to look at her, her eyes wide and questioning.

“What, dear?” she responded nervously.

“Is he right? Do you know anything about this?”

“Well—”

“Well, what?” Penny pressed her for the truth.

Matilda met her gaze, feeling decidedly guilty over the deception her mother had started and she had continued. “Your mother always thought it best to keep your contact with your father to a minimum. She wanted you to be happy here, so she made it a point to destroy most of the correspondence he sent you, and, though he wasn’t writing as often, I did continue her practice after she passed away.”

Penny was absolutely taken aback by the discovery. She stared at her aunt in shock. “But why? Why would Mother do that? She knew how much I loved my father.”

“That’s precisely why she did it,” Matilda countered a bit harshly. “She didn’t want you to go back to the ranch. She wanted to keep you in the city with her, where she knew you would be safe.”

Penny couldn’t help it. She sank down on the sofa and said nothing for a long moment as she thought about what her mother and her aunt had done. She wanted to cry, but she knew it was pointless. Raw, painful emotions churned within her, and she decided to draw upon those very emotions for the strength she needed to get through this hard time. Finally, she lifted her head to look at her aunt. “I’ll be leaving for Texas with Mr. Roland as soon as he can make the arrangements.”

“But, Penny—” Matilda wanted to convince her not to go.

The Anderson side of Penny came back to life within her as she stood up to face her aunt. “I’m
going, Aunt Matilda. I will need your help to find an appropriate chaperone for the trip,” she said, for she knew her aunt would never consider leaving the city to travel with her.

“It’ll take us two to three weeks to get back, depending on connections,” Dan noted. “I checked the schedule when I arrived in town earlier today, and there is a train leaving late tomorrow afternoon.”

“If we can arrange for my chaperone in time, we’ll be on that train, Mr. Roland. Where are you staying?” she asked.

“I have a room at the Planter’s House Hotel.”

“Fine. I’ll send word to you in the morning to let you know how arrangements are progressing. I plan to do everything I can to make sure we leave tomorrow.”

“I’ll wait until I get your message to purchase the tickets.” He was relieved she had agreed to come along without a fight, but he also knew she had been hurt by the deception she’d discovered in her life.

“Thank you, Mr. Roland,” Penny said.

“I’ll be waiting to hear from you in the morning, Miss Anderson.” He tipped his hat to them. “Good night, ladies.”

Dan left them alone in the parlor to let himself out. He wasn’t surprised to find the doorman standing by the front door, but he was surprised when he opened the door for him.

“Good night, sir,” the servant said.

“Good night.” Dan walked outside to see the driver and carriage still waiting for him.

“Did you get your business all taken care of?” the driver asked.

“Yes. We can go back to the hotel now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dan was quiet as they started back to the Planter’s House. Things had worked out so far, but they still had a long way to go. He had to get Penny safely back to the ranch to Jack. He couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for the girl. With the way her mother and her aunt had deceived her, she’d never had any idea just how much her father loved her and had been missing her. Dan was glad that she would get the chance to be with him again. Not everybody had that opportunity.

Back inside in the parlor, Matilda faced her niece. “Penny, I—”

“No, don’t say anything more,” Penny said, starting to leave the room, her father’s letter still in hand. “I’ll be ready to leave as soon as I find Amanda and tell her good-bye.”

Matilda was ashamed by all that had transpired, and she relented. “I’ll have our carriage brought around.”

Penny made her way back to the ballroom and stood in the main doorway looking for her friend. Amanda happened to see her first and came
hurrying across the room to find out what was going on.

“You’re back!” Amanda said, glad to see her, but worried because her friend looked so serious.

“Not for long,” Penny told her. She led them to a quiet corner so they could talk.

“What do you mean?” Amanda asked. “What did that man want with you?”

“His name was Dan Roland and my father sent him here to find me and give me this letter.” She looked down at the missive she was still holding. “Amanda—” She lifted her sad gaze to her friend. “My father is very ill. He doesn’t have long to live, so I’m going back to Texas. I have to see him again before he dies.”

“Oh, Penny—” Amanda hugged her, knowing how the news must have upset her. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Just pray, Amanda. Mr. Roland was saying we have to hurry back, so I’ll probably be leaving tomorrow if I can arrange for a chaperone to travel with me quickly enough.”

“I wish I could be your chaperone,” Amanda offered, knowing her friend was going to need all the moral support she could get, to get through the hard times ahead.

“So do I,” Penny said.

“Have you told Richard yet?”

“No, I wanted to tell you first.”

“Let’s go find him.”

“All right, but then I’ll have to leave. I’ve got a lot to get done before tomorrow.”

Richard was on the dance floor with one of the other young ladies, so they stayed where they were, waiting for the dance to end before approaching him.

Meanwhile, in the corner where the older ladies were sitting, the gossip was quickly spreading. They had seen Penny return, but not Matilda or the cowboy.

“What have you heard?” Louise Gallagher asked as she joined them.

“Nothing yet,” Dwylah Carpenter replied. “I wonder where Matilda went with that cowboy. I got a good look at him, and he was real handsome.”

“If you like cowboys,” one matron said, sneering.

“I do,” Dwylah said without hesitation, “and you could probably use one in your life. He’d liven things up for you a bit!”

“Oh!” The other woman was outraged by her remark. “I prefer true gentlemen.” She got up to move away.

Dwylah and Louise shared an amused look.

“She doesn’t know a good thing when she sees it,” Louise told her friend.

“That’s fine with me. Then I won’t have to fight her for him,” she laughed. “I’ve read some dime novels. I know what heroes those cowboys are—always standing up and doing what’s right to save
the day—and rescue the heroine. Do you think Matilda might have run off with him?”

“I wouldn’t have blamed her.”

“Dwylah—here comes Matilda now. She’ll tell us what this was all about,” Louise said, pointing toward the main door where their friend had just reentered the ballroom.

“It’s about time. Our cowboy’s not with her, though. I wonder what she did with him?” she chuckled. “She should have brought him back in with her, so I could have claimed him for at least one dance.”

They were laughing until Matilda got closer and they saw how dark and serious her expression was. Their mood sobered, for they knew whatever news she had wasn’t good.

“I’m afraid Penny and I will have to be leaving soon,” Matilda began.

“Why?” Dwylah asked. “The evening’s just getting started.”

Matilda quickly told her two friends all that had happened. “She desperately wants to leave tomorrow and I can’t let her go until I’ve arranged for a chaperone to make the trip with her.”

“Who are you going to get at this late date?” Louise knew it wouldn’t be a simple thing to find someone willing and able to leave town on such short notice, especially to travel to some place as uncivilized as Texas.

“I have no idea,” Matilda said wearily, sitting down with them to try to collect her thoughts.

Dwylah’s eyes lit up. “I know who you can get to be her chaperone.”

“Who?”

“I’ll go with her.”

“You?” Matilda was startled by Dwylah’s offer.

“I’ve always wanted to see the Wild West, and this will be my chance. In fact, it might be my only chance, as old as I’m getting.” Dwylah was a widow with ample funds and a very comfortable lifestyle, but she’d always enjoyed a challenge.

Louise was smiling. She knew what an adventurer her friend was. “Dwylah’s right, Matilda. She’s the perfect one to make the trip with Penny, and who knows, maybe she’ll find herself a cowboy while she’s out there.”

Matilda couldn’t believe her friend really wanted to do this, but she knew Dwylah would be fantastic as the chaperone her niece needed. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I have nothing to keep me here. Penny needs my help, and I’m more than willing to do it.”

“And you can be ready tomorrow?”

“It won’t be easy to get packed that fast, but I’ll do it. When Penny is ready to leave, I’ll be with her. I’ll make sure she gets to Texas safely.”

“I’ll pay for your ticket and all your travel expenses and whatever else you need for the trip. And, oh, I almost forgot to tell you, Dan Roland will be traveling with you,” Matilda informed her.

“I was hoping you were going to say that.” Dwylah smiled in delight. “Now I know I’m going.”

Louise couldn’t help smiling, too. If nothing else, Dwylah’s ability to make people laugh would no doubt help make the long trip seem less arduous for everyone. “I’ll miss you.”

“Come with us,” she challenged.

“No, you’re the adventurous one. You go and then come back and tell me all about it.”

“I will,” she answered, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.