A Cowboy for Christmas (14 page)

“See you later,” Ben bid them.

“Thanks for your help, Ben.” Lou urged the team on.

Penny and Dwylah shared a knowing look as they began the last part of her journey home.

“I’m almost there—” Penny said softly to Dwylah.

The older woman patted her hand gently. “It won’t be long now.”

Penny said no more as she prepared herself for the upcoming reunion with her father. Her mother had always told her that he’d been furious with them for leaving, and that was why her mother had never, ever considered returning even for a visit. Somehow, Penelope knew there had to have been more to the separation than that, especially since she’d learned the truth about her father’s attempts to stay in touch with her. Before the day was over, she planned to set things right between them.

“So, Lou, how long have you been working on the ranch?” Dwylah asked.

“Some days it feels like I’ve been working here too long,” Lou chuckled. “But I guess I’ve been riding the Lazy Ace brand for about eight years now.”

“And you like it?”

“There are always good times and bad times, but there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing, and no other boss I’d want to be working for. Jack Anderson is a good man. He’s worked hard, and he’s turned the Lazy Ace into a real fine spread.”

“So it’s a quiet life out here?” Dwylah asked. “We hear so much about the ‘Wild West,’ and I’ve read quite a few of the dime novels. Everything seems so violent.”

Lou glanced at Dan and answered, “There are hard times. I can’t deny that, but you make the best of it. Why, I still remember the time when things got rough back when Hank was the foreman—”

Penny spoke up, vaguely remembering the other man who’d been the foreman when she’d left. “What happened then?”

Lou shared a quick look with Dan as he realized for the first time that she didn’t know what had gone on there. “It’s a long story, but Hank had been causing a lot of trouble with his drinking, so your daddy fired him. Hank wasn’t too happy about that, so he was planning on getting even. Jack’s always said it was a real good thing Dan was in the saloon in town that night.”

Penny looked at Dan in surprise. “What happened?”

Lou went on to tell her about her father’s confrontation with the drunken Hank and how Dan had stepped in.

“It was a good thing you were in the saloon that night,” Penny agreed.

“So you like jumping into fights that aren’t your own?” Dwylah asked, giving Dan a grin. Her respect for him was growing even more, if that was possible.

“Sometimes a man has to do crazy things,” Dan told her.

“I’m glad you did,” Penny said. She didn’t even want to think about how things might have turned out if he hadn’t been there.

They fell silent for a while. When they topped a low rise that overlooked the valley below, Lou stopped the carriage.

“You’re home, Penny,” Lou said.

Penny looked down in the valley to see the house. Tears blurred her vision as she remembered all the loving, beautiful times they’d shared there—when they’d been a real family.

“What a nice house,” Dwylah said, impressed by the large two-story home and multiple outbuildings. On the trip there, she’d tried not to think about what the ranch house would be like. Whenever she’d heard Penny’s mother talk about it, she’d always said how crude and uncivilized life was there. Yet here before her was a house that looked spacious and well maintained. It certainly was no run-down, one-room shanty, as everyone who’d listened to her had been led to believe.

“It is lovely—” Penny said softly, staring out across the land.

“How much of the land is yours?” Dwylah asked.

Dan answered her, “As far as you can see, it’s all the Lazy Ace.”

“Let’s go home,” Penny told Lou.

Lou started the team up again and they covered the final miles to the ranch house.

Physically, Jack was feeling weak, and his emotions were in turmoil as he sat on the sofa in the parlor—waiting.

Soon, very soon, his little Penny would be coming through the front door.

Jack wasn’t quite sure what to expect. He didn’t know how she was feeling about returning to the ranch, but he hoped their reunion would be a good one and they would be able to heal things between them. He needed that peace before he could leave this world, and he needed to know, too, that the Lazy Ace was safe in her hands. As a young girl, she had enjoyed ranch life, and though he’d rarely heard from her since her mother had taken her away, he was hoping she would be interested in staying on. The ranch was his life’s work, and he wanted her to cherish it as much as he did.

At the sound of the carriage pulling up outside, Jack mustered what strength he could and got to his feet. He made his way to the doorway at the front hall.

Penny didn’t wait for Dan or Lou to come help her from the carriage. The minute the horses came to a stop, she jumped down and ran up to
the house. She didn’t know what to expect from her homecoming, but she was here—and somewhere inside the house, her father was waiting for her.

Penny dashed up the steps to the porch. Memories from her childhood swept over her as she let herself in, and instinctively as she’d always done as a child, she called out, “Papa, I’m home!”

And it was then she saw him, standing in the parlor doorway.

“Papa—” She had so much to say, so much to tell him, but in that moment, she was silent. Her memories of her big strong father were clear, and she saw the change in him right away. He looked older now, and it seemed as if the life in him was draining away.

Jack stared at Penny, seeing what a lovely young woman she’d grown into. He had missed her so much and now, to have her finally here with him . . .

She took a tentative step toward him and was thrilled when he opened his arms to her. Without hesitation, she went into his welcoming embrace.

“Penny, you’re home!” Jack said, wrapping his arms around her and holding her near. “My little girl’s finally come home.”

“Oh, Papa!” Penny’s tears fell freely as she treasured this moment of closeness. She had forgotten over the years how safe and protected she’d always felt when he’d hugged her.

“It’s been so long.” Jack drew back and looked down at her. “You’ve grown up, and you’re so beautiful.”

She managed a teary smile at his words. “And you’re just as handsome as I remembered.”

He chuckled at her teasing and slipped an arm about her shoulders to hold her close to his side as he turned to greet the woman who’d just followed her into the house with Dan. “Welcome to the Lazy Ace. I’m Jack Anderson, and you must be the chaperone.”

“I am,” Dwylah replied, and she quickly introduced herself. She was thrilled to see him and Penny together. She had been worried about what condition they would find him in upon their arrival, and she was relieved he was strong enough to be up and around—and that he had hugged his daughter. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir, and I must tell you, you have a wonderful daughter.”

“I know.” Jack gazed down at Penny to find she was smiling up at him. “How was the trip?”

“Long,” Penny answered. “I thought we were never going to get here, but thank heaven the weather was good so there were no delays.”

“You didn’t run into any trouble along the way?” he asked. He’d been worried about the danger of the trip, and that was why he’d sent Dan to accompany her.

“Nothing Dan couldn’t handle,” Penny answered.

“Good.” Jack could feel his strength waning. “Come on, let’s go in the parlor.”

Dan was glad their reunion seemed to be going well. “Jack, where do you want me to put their bags?”

“Take them on upstairs, Dan. Penny’s room is at the far end of the hall and Miss Dwylah will be using the bedroom to the right at the top of the stairs,” he directed.

“I get to stay in my old bedroom?” Penny was delighted at the news.

“It’s yours, isn’t it?” he replied.

Jack led the way into the parlor.

Dan was feeling real good as he went upstairs with the first load of bags. He hadn’t seen Jack looking this happy in a long time. He felt a great sense of satisfaction that their reunion seemed to be going well. They had a lot to catch up on and to set straight between them, but the hard part was over—Penny was home.

Dan put Dwylah’s bags in her room, then went back out to the carriage to get Penny’s luggage. Returning upstairs, he made his way down the hall to the room Jack had said was hers. He opened the door and was surprised by what he found. The room looked like it belonged to a child, and he realized then that Jack hadn’t changed it in all the years she’d been away. Dan knew it was going to be a surprise for Penny when she finally came upstairs to find everything probably very much the way it had been when she left. He put her bags in her room and went back downstairs.

“Jack, is there anything else I can do for you?” Dan asked as he stood in the parlor doorway.

“You’ve already done plenty. Thanks for your help,” Jack told him as he sat comfortably on the sofa with Penny next to him and Dwylah in the armchair facing them.

Dan left the house, ready to get back to his normal routine. The other ranch hands had watched them ride in, so he figured they’d have a lot of questions for him when he joined Lou down at the stable, and he was right.

“What’s she like now?” Fred asked as he and several of the other men cornered Dan.

“She’s a lady,” he answered.

“Is she as pretty as her mother was?”

“I never met her mother, but from the portrait Jack’s got, I’d say she’s even prettier,” Dan told him.

“Well, that’ll liven things up around here,” one of the newer ranch hands named John put in, glancing past Dan up toward the house. “Having a pretty girlie around the place all the time will be real exciting.”

Dan squared off on the man who was known to be on the lazy side and sometimes drank too much when he was in town. He was actually surprised Jack hadn’t fired him during the time he’d been away, and he knew he wouldn’t last much longer unless he changed his attitude. The boss wasn’t going to like that at all. “Don’t go getting any ideas, John.”

“What? You claiming her for yourself already?” he taunted the foreman.

“No, she’s Jack’s daughter. That says it all. Don’t even think about going near her or talking bad about her. She’s a lady.”

The other hands knew how serious Dan was when he used that tone of voice, and they quickly spoke up to try to ease the tension between the two men.

“It’ll be good for Jack, having her here,” Lou put in.

“That’s right. It will be,” Vic added.

“All right, get on back to work,” Dan ordered.

“You are one hard-driving man, Dan Roland,” Vic countered.

“That’s why I’ve got this job,” he said with a grin. He tried to make his tone easygoing, but he knew he’d have to keep an eye on John now that Penny was there. After what had happened with the man on the stage, he wasn’t going to let anyone near her who had less than honorable intentions. The intensity of his need to protect her surprised him. He tried to tell himself he was only doing it for Jack, but deep within his heart he knew it was more than that. What he was feeling was more than protectiveness, more than jealousy. It was a soul-deep feeling of “right.”

“If you don’t mind, I think I’ll go up to my room and rest for a while,” Dwylah said shortly
after Dan left the parlor. “I’m feeling quite exhausted.”

“Of course. My cook will be up here to the house in a little while to prepare dinner. I usually eat around five or five thirty.”

“Wonderful. You two enjoy your visit and I’ll see you for the evening meal.”

Finally alone together, Jack looked at his daughter. Things had been pleasant enough so far with the older woman in attendance, but now that they were by themselves, he had to know the truth behind all that had happened. He had to know why she hadn’t responded to his letters over the years. “I’ve missed you,” he started.

“I missed you, too. How are you? What has your doctor said about your health?” She was earnest in her need to know.

Jack was touched by her concern, but he couldn’t help wondering at it after all this time. “The doc says there’s nothing more he can do,” he answered honestly. “It’s just a matter of time now.”

Penny reached out and touched his hand. “I’m sorry, Papa. I’m so sorry . . .”

“For what?” he challenged, a bit of a hard edge coming to his voice.

Penny had known there was no avoiding this moment, and she was as ready as she could ever be to explain what had happened. “I’m sorry that I never responded to your letters. I didn’t know—I didn’t even find out that you had been writing to me until Dan showed up.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, suddenly wondering what had been going on.

“It was Mother—”

“What about her?”

“The night Dan got there and was telling me that you needed me to come home, I was confused. I hadn’t heard from you in so long, and you never answered my letters, so I thought you didn’t care about me anymore.” She saw how his expression darkened at her words. “I didn’t find out until that very night that Mother had destroyed almost all of your letters to me, and, though she told me she was mailing them, she had thrown away most of my letters to you. Aunt Matilda even admitted that she continued to do the same thing after Mother had died.”

“So you never got any of my letters?” He was shocked by the harsh cruelty of what his wife had done. She had wanted to hurt him and she’d found the most painful way—she’d taken his daughter from him.

“Very few. Did you get any of mine?”

“Not many,” he answered tersely, realizing even more now just how vindictive and cruel his wife had been. “I’m sorry this happened, Penny. I’ve been missing you all this time, but I thought you wanted nothing to do with me anymore, just like your mother.”

“Oh, Papa—” She threw her arms around him and hugged him again.

Bitterness filled Jack on learning of his wife’s
deceit, but at least Penny was there now, and he still had time to make up for all the lost years. He put his arms around her and held her to him. “We’ve missed so much, being kept apart this way. It’s a good thing I sent Dan to bring you back. Why, if I’d only sent another letter—”