Merry Cowboy Christmas (12 page)

Fiona took one long, last look at each room before she turned out the lights in the kitchen. She carefully picked up two bottles of cold beer and carried them upstairs, along with a platter of leftovers from the supper buffet.

A thin line of yellow light cut across the neutral-colored carpet of the hall but it grew to a wide band when Jud threw the door wide open. “I thought I heard you. Weatherman says we're in for sleet off and on all day tomorrow and Thursday, but the sun will come out on Friday and melt most of it, so we should be good to go dancing. Want me to tell Deke we'll go to Frankie's with him?”

“No! I'm not going to Frankie's. I can't believe that Lizzy went. That's just a glorified brothel. I'll go up to the Rusty Spur with you, though, as long as you let me pay my own way,” she said. “Hungry?”

“Not right now, but I'll take one of those beers,” he said. “How'd you get those anyway?”

“Deke sneaked them in when Dora June's back was turned. But we have to drink them tonight because she'll find them tomorrow.”

“Bless old Deke's heart.” Jud twisted the top off and drank a fourth of the contents. “Icy cold, too. Come on in. I've been dying to tell you about what happened with Truman.”

Setting the platter on the end table, she settled in on the bed with pillows behind her back. She removed the lid from her beer, then hurriedly sipped the froth when it threatened to overflow the bottle. “Don't want to waste a single drop of this precious stuff. You do know that Throckmorton County is dry and we have to cross the county line to get anything to drink.”

“That's the first thing Blake moaned about last winter.” Jud settled into the recliner. “Do you realize that we're like two old married folks? You have your spot and I have mine.”

“We're more like a couple of high school sophomores, sneaking beer and kisses behind the principal's back,” she laughed.

“And the principal is Miz Dora June O'Dell, right?”

She raised her bottle and leaned forward. He did the same and touched his to it.

“You could have knocked me over with a feather when you and Truman walked in the store together, so talk.” She bit into a chicken salad sandwich. “These are so good. I have to ask Dora June what spices she uses. But back to the Truman story.”

“Well, I got to thinkin' last night about how to knock some of that jackass attitude out of him, so I got up early and went down to breakfast.” Jud told the whole story between sips of beer and bites of three cookies.

“Wow!” she said.

“I'm having breakfast with him again every day for the whole time they're here. He's either going to shape up or else leave because he hates me so bad,” Jud said.

“Why were you interested in that old well? We always thought it had water in it and maybe the folks who lived there had their house burn down and that was the reason the house was gone. Did you do your homework?” she asked.

“About what?” He reached for a sandwich at the same time she did.

The reaction when his hand touched hers didn't surprise her anymore, but that didn't mean she had to do anything about it. She could ignore it until it got bored and went away.

“This whole area was filled with military forts because this is where they housed the Indians about the time Texas became a state. So there could have been houses all over the place, and that old well could have been the main source for water during that time,” she explained.

“Well, according to Truman, that well never had water because they hit limestone, which he thought was a hoot. He figured he was delivering bad news to me, but it was really good news. I'm going to talk to Blake and Toby first, since this is a joint venture but…” He paused.

“You think you are sitting on oil?”

He nodded. “Or natural gas, but my nose says it's oil.”

She leaned forward and held out her nearly empty bottle to clink with his again. “That's fantastic. Good luck with it. Are you going to use your old work connections to drill it for you?”

He shook his head. “No, I'm going to subcontract a rental agreement for the equipment and sink it myself. It will take every dime of what I've got saved and my inheritance from my grandparents, but if I hit oil, it will all come back to the Lucky Penny.”

“And if you don't?”

“Then I'll be broke, but at least I won't have cost the ranch anything,” he said. “It will take a few months to get it going, and Josie might even want to partner with me. She's thinking about it.”

“That's a big risk.”

Another nod. “Life is full of risks. We make a decision based on what we have to work with that day, not the day before because that bronc has already been ridden or the day after because that wild horse isn't ready to ride, but today.”

Fiona drained the last drop from her beer bottle. “I had no idea you were a philosopher.”

His slightly lopsided grin warmed her heart. Why had she not noticed that his smile wasn't perfect?

“Me? I'm just a rough old cowboy with a pretty good nose for oil. That's why I couldn't get here before now. I had another year on my contract with a company based out in the panhandle. I'm not bragging, but if I said to drill in a certain place, they sunk a well.”

“You ever wrong?” she asked.

“One time, but I stopped the job before it started.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“Josie thought it was a mistake and the more I listened to her, the more I realized she might be right. I went back over my notes, went back to the site, and I had doubts. So they didn't drill. Usually Josie and I agreed, but that time she was right and I was wrong.”

Fiona picked up an extra pillow and hugged it against her stomach. “Did it hurt to admit that to your sister?”

“Hell, yes, it did. And she rubbed it in for weeks,” he chuckled.

There was something about Fiona's fire that drew Jud to her like a gypsy to a bonfire. He looked forward to the evenings when they talked. He missed having breakfast with her. His heart skipped half a beat when he walked into the store and there she was either behind the counter or at that table in the back room with the laptop in front of her.

It could simply be because they were thrown together, living in the same house, kin to the same people, working in a town with a population of less than five hundred people, so there weren't many folks to talk to. But that argument wouldn't hold water if he was honest. He was flat out attracted to her.

She threw her legs off the bed. “I'll take care of the beer bottles if you'll take what's left of those dirty dishes in the morning.”

“What are you going to do with them?” he asked.

“Hide them in my coat pockets and then toss them in the Dumpster out behind the store. It's an old trick us girls perfected years ago.” She smiled.

“You drank beer under your mama's nose?”

“When we could get it,” she said. “But never more than one or two at the most. Us Logan girls cannot hold our liquor worth a damn. Both Lizzy and Allie had their first drunk experience after your brothers came to the Lucky Penny. I won't be following in their footsteps.”

“Did Blake make them do his hangover cure?” Jud asked.

“Oh, yes, and from what I hear it's a miracle, but I hate, absolutely hate, bananas.”

“Noted. No bananas for you.” Jud stood, handed her his beer bottle, and slung an arm around her shoulders. “Let me walk you to your room.”

“I'm pretty sure I can make it on my own,” she laughed, and rolled her eyes. “But I appreciate the gesture.”

“Aw, where's the fun in that?”

Jud wanted to kiss her again. No, he wanted to kiss her lots of times and then slowly lead her back to his room, tumble her onto his bed, and make slow, sweet love to her all night. Instead, he kissed her knuckles one at a time and then cupped her face in his big hands and lowered his mouth to hers for a long, lingering kiss.

“Good night,” he whispered, and turned around to go back to his room.

“Jud,” she called out.

He glanced over his shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows. “Change your mind?”

“Dora June would catch us for sure,” she giggled. “These old beds have squeaky springs.”

“I wouldn't worry about her hearing the springs nearly as much as hearing your screams,” he teased as he shut the door to his room.

The next morning, Jud hit the floor with determination to make progress on thawing Truman a little more. Fiona had been right about the squeaky springs, because he heard her tossing and turning as he tiptoed past her bedroom door early that morning. A picture flashed through his mind of the two of them making beautiful music with those springs, but he quickly made himself think of other things.

Truman and Dora June were both at the table when he reached the kitchen and immediately Dora June pushed back her chair.

“Three eggs? I got biscuits and sausage gravy and the waffle iron is hot,” she said.

“Sit still, Miz Dora June. You don't have to wait on me.”

“It's all on the stove,” she said. “I appreciate you gettin' it for yourself, Jud. My old knees are feelin' this cold weather.”

“Can I warm up either of y'all's coffee while I'm getting mine?”

“I'd love a warm-up, thanks,” she said. “And Truman's cup is nearly empty, so he'll take more, too.”

Jud filled all their cups and then set the coffeepot back on the warmer. “I thought I'd go with you this morning, Truman. It's a nasty day out there. Are your cell phone batteries charged?”

Truman puffed out his chest. “I don't carry one of them damn things. They are the ruin of society and I didn't ask for your help.”

“You could fall and freeze to death in this weather if you're out there alone.” Jud carried a plate of food to the table. “You don't have to use it unless you need it. Miz Dora, we need to buy him a pay-as-you-go phone for Christmas.”

“If you do, I'll throw it out in the yard,” Truman declared.

“Well, you're not big enough to throw me out in the yard,” Dora June said. “So either Jud goes with you until this weather clears up or I'm going with you every morning. Your choice but you need to make it now because I'll have to get into my warm clothes.”

“Hmmmph.” Truman snorted. “I ain't takin' you out in this weather. You'd catch cold and maybe pneumonia. I guess Jud can go with me.”

“Thank you for offering, Jud. I do worry,” Dora said softly.

“So would I if it were my grandpa out there without a phone or any way to get in touch with us if he got hurt,” Jud said.

“I'm not your grandpa,” Truman said tersely.

Jud let him have the last word but he caught the sly wink from Dora June.

I
t was time for Fiona to go to work, but she lingered over her coffee that morning. “Mama, I need one more hug before I leave. You will call when y'all settle into the hotel for the night, right?”

“I will.” Katy wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter. “I'll make sure to have time to hear all about your first day on the job.”

“I love you. Please be careful.” Fiona's voice almost cracked.

“No tears,” Katy whispered. “This is an adventure for both of us. I get a vacation and you get to run the store all by yourself.”

Fiona took a deep breath and hugged her mother even tighter before she let go and stepped back. “Wish me luck. I've never been the boss.”

“You'll be a wonderful boss. Call one of Herman's granddaughters to help you if things start to get overwhelming. But I have faith in you.” Fiona kissed her on the forehead. “That's your kiss on the forehead. You gave them to us when we were little girls and we thought they were magic.”

“They were and I'm sure this one is, too,” Katy said. “Now go before you make me cry. I can be on the next flight home if you need me or if anything happens with your grandmother.”

“Go and don't worry,” Fiona urged her.

“Get on out of here. I bet the old guys are fuming because the store isn't open so they can catch up on the gossip and eat doughnuts,” Katy said. “I'm looking forward to warm weather, a little sunshine, and the beach.”

“Without a single guilt trip, right?” Fiona opened the door and waved.

She'd been home almost a whole week. This was her third day at the store but her first one without her mother there. She made sure the coffee was brewing, but the pastry guy had left a message on the store's answering machine saying the roads were too slick, so he wouldn't see her until Monday. The guys weren't going to like that one bit. They'd have to eat the prepackaged things off the shelf if they wanted their snacks today.

Sleet fell sporadically. The tiny pellets beat against the windowpane for five or ten minutes, put down enough ice to lay a coat on the snow that had already fallen; then it stopped. But it was just teasing. In ten minutes it would start all over again and the roads would be even greasier.

Fiona shut her eyes and imagined sitting on the beach with a book in her hands, watching the sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico. In her imagination, she could hear the children laughing and making sand castles, see their parents walking hand in hand across the beach, all with the sounds of Christmas music in the background.

How often had she wished for a chill in the air to make it seem like Christmas? How many parties had she attended when they'd turned down the air-conditioning so the ladies wouldn't sweat in their cute little velvet cocktail dresses? Now she had real Christmas weather and she was dreaming of the beach.

She could not have her cake and eat it, too, but that morning she was determined to worry about nothing other than her old guys who wouldn't have their morning doughnuts.

The phone her mother gave her as an early Christmas present rang. She fished it out of her pocket and smiled when she saw Katy's picture appear. “Yes, Mama,” she answered.

“I just wanted to tell you that Trudy has snow tires on the van and that we're heading due south all the way down to Interstate 10. Fifty miles south of us the roads are completely dry. But the main reason I called is that you need to put the snow tires on the car. They are in the storage shed out back. I haven't used them since last year, so get Jud to check the air in them.”

“I'll do that. Now go on and have a great time,” Fiona said.

“I'll call when we check into a hotel so you can give me an update on the store. Bye, now!”

“Bye, Mama.”

“Hey, Fiona!” Sharlene shook snow from her blond hair and fluffed it back away from her face. “Is the coffee ready? The electricity is out at our house this morning. Can you believe this weather? We've still got another day left in November and it's snowing and sleeting. It's downright crazy.”

“Y'all need a place to stay?” Fiona asked.

Sharlene hung her coat on the back of a chair. “No, we'll be fine. We've got a gas hot water tank and gas heat, so we aren't going to freeze, but the cookstove is electric and so is the coffeepot.”

Fiona picked up the biggest cup and filled it. “Here you go.”

Sharlene grabbed two honey buns on the way to the back table. She set the coffee and the pastry on the table. “I'm starving and really glad I don't have any kids arriving at the day care this morning until nine. You got any of your Christmas shopping done?”

Fiona couldn't do a lot of shopping on less than three dollars, but she didn't tell Sharlene that. On Friday she would have a paycheck and she planned to buy a few gifts each week until Christmas arrived.

“Not yet but Lizzy, Allie, and I are going with Dora June after church on Sunday to do a little bit.” Fiona left the counter, pulled out a chair, and sat across from Sharlene.

The cellophane paper around the honey bun crinkled as Sharlene pushed it across the table. “Want a honey bun?”

Fiona sent it sliding back across the table. “No, thanks. Dora June made a big breakfast this morning.”

“I envy you for having Dora June's cooking, but I still wouldn't want to live with either of those old farts. Do you miss the city?”

“Sometimes, but being home for a few months isn't a bad thing, especially during the holidays. How about you?”

One of Sharlene's shoulders inched up toward her ear. “Remember, I had both. I commuted from here to work. So I got all the fun of the small-town gossip and close-knit community and then when I was in the city I got Starbucks and lunch specials at all the restaurants.”

“Does Mary Jo miss it?” Fiona asked.

“She loves having her own beauty shop and not having to commute an hour to work every day. Sounds like the coffee bunch is here,” Sharlene said as truck doors slammed outside. She slipped on her coat, then picked up the extra pastry in one hand and the coffee in the other. “Figure up my bill and I'll give them the table and scoot across the street. I need to get ready for my first batch of kiddos. Who would have ever thought I'd enjoy a day care so much, but I do.”

“Having a day care and having kids of your own are two different things,” Fiona said.

“I know, but I just love them all. Someday I'm going to run that family that has nineteen kids some competition. Oh, look. It might be snowing but I'd know that swagger anywhere. That's Jud Dawson going into Mary Jo's place.” Sharlene pointed to the salon across the street. “I'd love to get my hands all tangled up in that blond hair of his.”

Fiona had no right to be jealous, but she was.

“You forgot to ring up the coffee,” Sharlene said.

Fiona fought against the crimson filling her cheeks, but it didn't do a bit of good. “Coffee's on me today. You'll need it since the kids can't go out in the backyard and play.”

“You got that right, darlin',” Sharlene said. “But don't think that blush escaped me.” She leaned across the counter. “And don't worry. If you
didn't
have the hots for him, I'd worry about you. What you do or don't do about it, that is your business, but if you ever decide to act on that attraction y'all have for each other, I will expect a full report.”

Three men, including Truman and Herman, pushed through the door and stomped the snow from their feet on the coarse welcome mat. “Mornin', Sharlene. How's that babysittin' business goin'?” Herman asked.

“It's keepin' the bills paid and food on my table and it sure beats commuting in this weather,” she answered. “Y'all boys have a good day now.”

The door shut behind her at the same time Fiona picked up the coffeepot and three mugs to carry to the table. By the time the old guys had hung their coats on the backs of their chairs, she had filled their cups. “You boys are late today. I expected you to be waiting for me.”

“Took us longer to get the chores done in this weather. Where's the doughnuts?” Herman asked.

“Y'all are out of luck today. You'll have to eat the prepackaged stuff on the shelf if you want a midmorning snack or go up to Nadine's. I hear she's making apple pies this morning.”

“Just bring us a dozen of those things up there on the rack. If we go to Nadine's, the wives will get upset because we didn't invite them. This is just a convenience store. That's a real restaurant,” Herman said.

Fiona picked up a red plastic basket, put a paper in it as if she were serving doughnuts, and filled it with honey buns, chocolate cupcakes, and powdered doughnuts. When she set it in the table, they were cussing the insurance companies. According to them, Truman's company should have already settled with him and a new house should be built right where the old one stood.

Fiona really had no right to watch the clock and conveniently be at the front of the store when Jud hunched his shoulders against the cold as he left Mary Jo's Beauty Shop. Hoping he might swagger on across the street, she held her breath, but he got into his truck and drove away.

“Hey, if y'all need anything else, yell right loud. I'm going into the back room to do some book work,” she yelled.

Herman waved to let her know that he'd heard her and went back to listening to the next rant about insurance. She whipped around and went to her desk, opened up Nadine's files on the computer, and started inputting data.

Fifteen minutes later, Truman hollered that they were leaving. “Put what we had today on my bill.”

“Will do. Y'all be careful out there in that mess,” she shouted back.

“Hey, Fiona, your sister's comin',” Herman yelled as he left the store.

Fiona set her work aside and in seconds, Lizzy carried two cups of hot chocolate to the back room. Fiona had always envied her for knowing exactly what her path was in life and never looking back once she made a decision. She'd known in junior high that she would inherit the feed store, and she never looked to one side or the other. She strapped on the harness and took care of business.

“I just saw Jud leave Mary Jo's. Guess he got a haircut this morning.” Lizzy handed off one cup of hot chocolate and sat down in the chair facing the desk. “How are things really going in the house? Last night was all
Walton
wonderful, but still waters run deep. Are you going to be all right with Mama gone and having to be in that house with Dora June, Truman, and Jud?”

Fiona chuckled. “Remember when Granny used to watch reruns of that television show and tell us no one in the world was that perfect?”

Lizzy warmed her hands around the mug. “But she'd watch them over and over again, wouldn't she? I miss her.”

“Me too. I still expect to hear her cussin' down the foyer before she even appears in the kitchen or living room.”

“It got bad there at the end. She ran away and it was awful the way she dressed. Either in sequins and mismatched shoes or else she'd run away in her nightgown and a robe with rubber boots on her feet. But I wasn't asking about Granny. How are things with you?”

“It will be fine. It's not forever and I enjoy Jud being there. It's nice to have someone to talk to in the evenings but…”

Lizzy set the mug on the desk. “But what?”

Fiona shrugged.

“But he's putting down roots and you still want to fly, so you aren't going to start anything, but he's a damn fine-lookin' cowboy and you haven't had time for a romp in the bed since your divorce.” Lizzy stopped to catch her breath and then went on. “How close am I?”

“I've only been home a week.”

Lizzy blew across the top of the steaming hot chocolate. “What's that got to do with my question?”

Fiona sighed. “Yes, you're right on all counts. We're going to the Rusty Spur Friday night, but it's not a date. Besides, what can we do with Dora June and Truman in the house? You know how the bed springs squeak.”

“Oh, honey.” Lizzy's grin said that she could tell tales that would make a sailor blush. “If that's the only thing holding you back, it can be arranged that they will be out of the house any evening of the week.”

“That is a lovely sweater. I believe it belonged in my closet at one time,” Fiona said.

“Nice way to change the subject. I can totally see you blushing, you know,” Lizzy told her.

“Quit playing matchmaker with the hopes that if I fall for Jud Dawson I'll stay in Dry Creek.”

Lizzy's head bobbed up and down several times. “I only do it because I love you and this is where you belong. You just don't know it yet. I should probably get back to the store, though everyone is holed up in this kind of weather and no one needs anything. I hope I don't die of boredom. Toby, Blake, and Jud are even painting the inside of my house because they can't do anything on the ranch until this clears up.”

Fiona went back to her bookkeeping work when Lizzy left but she couldn't keep her mind on her work. Finally, she saved what she had done, drew up another cup of hot chocolate from the machine, and picked up a six-pack of miniature powdered sugar doughnuts on the way to the table. She propped up her scuffed cowboy boots on an empty chair and tried hard not to think of Jud, his kisses, that cute little crooked smile when he was amused, the sexy strut, or his drawl.

But it didn't work…

Deke was the tallest of the four men, so he got the job of rolling the white paint on the ceiling. Toby and Blake were already working on the walls when Jud arrived, and as luck would have it, the last one to the party got the worst job. He had to paint the woodwork. He opened the gallon can of semigloss trim paint, dipped the brush, sat down on the floor, and started painting baseboards.

“So, Deke, I heard you were out with a hot redhead over the weekend,” Jud said.