A Cowboy for Christmas (24 page)

“Good.” Dan was relieved to hear that the rancher hadn’t worsened.

Just then Fred asked, “How did you end up on John’s horse? Where’s John?”

Dan answered cryptically, “I’ll tell you on the ride back.”

With that kind of answer, Fred and Lou understood that something bad had happened.

“Let’s go home,” Penny said. “If we’re lucky, we can still make it back in time for Christmas Eve.”

“If we’re running too late, maybe Santa will
find us and give us a ride in his sleigh,” Fred joked as they started for home.

“It would probably be warmer,” Penny chimed in.

“No doubt about that,” Dan agreed.

As they rode for the ranch house and Dan told them about John’s ambush and attempted robbery, Penny held on to him even more tightly. The memory of how close she’d come to losing him still had the power to frighten her. She wanted to keep him near to her and never let him go.

Lacey had had a feeling things might not go easily in Sagebrush, but she figured she could handle whatever life threw her way. After spending the entire day trying to find decent employment and being turned down repeatedly, she was devastated as she returned to the hotel. She kept her expression pleasant as she passed through the lobby on her way up to her room, but once she’d gone inside, she’d locked the door behind her and thrown herself across the bed to cry her heart out.

In two more days she would be completely out of money, and she couldn’t bear the thought that she would have to go back to working in a saloon just to have a bed to sleep in and food to eat. She had no idea what the future held for her now. With all the praying she’d done lately since she’d been with Reverend Miller and Steve, she wondered why her prayers hadn’t been answered.
Didn’t Jesus always go after those who needed his help the most? Didn’t he always search for the lost sheep to save them?

The knock at the door startled her. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she struggled to sit up and called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s Steve! Open up!”

A surge of joy went through her. Steve was truly a sweet and gentle little boy, and she did love him. She was glad that she’d taken the time to buy him several pieces of candy for Christmas. If nothing else, she was going to help him keep his belief in the beauty and the goodness of the season.

“What is it, Steve?” she called out again, wanting to stall as long as she could so he wouldn’t be able to tell she’d been crying. But one quick look in the small mirror over the washstand told her there was no point in trying to hide it. Her face was red and her eyes slightly swollen from the torrent of tears that had consumed her. She went to the door and opened it to find him standing there smiling at her with the reverend right beside him.

“Miss Lacey, what’s the matter?” Steve didn’t like knowing she’d been crying and he wanted to help her in any way he could. He knew if she stayed with them, she wouldn’t be crying anymore. He’d see to it.

“Nothing. Nothing’s the matter. What did you need, Steve?” She tried to ignore Reverend Miller’s presence.

“We have a surprise for you. You get to spend Christmas with us!”

“What?”

“Do you mind if we come in?” Nick asked.

She stepped back and closed the door behind them.

Nick quickly explained how Jack’s daughter, Penny, and Dan were missing and how they were going to stay out at the ranch with Jack to await their return.

“I’m sorry about your brother and Jack’s daughter. Do you think they’re safe?”

“We hope so.” He went on, “Steve mentioned to Jack that you were here alone, and Jack said there’s plenty of room at the ranch if you’d like to come and stay with us over Christmas.”

“You want me to go with you?”

Nick gazed down at her, knowing Steve had been right. They did need her with them for Christmas. “Yes, I do want you to go with us,” he said. “Pack up your things. The driver’s waiting for us out in front.”

“I don’t have a lot to worry about,” Lacey said as she donned her coat and grabbed up the one bag that contained all her worldly belongings.

As she left the hotel with Steve and the reverend to make the trip out to the ranch, Lacey understood that her prayers truly had been answered. Deeply thankful, her heart filled with joy, she offered up another prayer for the safe return of Nick’s brother and the rancher’s daughter.

Jack went upstairs to rest. He was trying to keep from being consumed by his worries about Penny and Dan, but it seemed he was fighting a losing battle, even with Dwylah around as a distraction.

Dwylah stayed in the parlor eagerly awaiting Nick and Steve’s return from their trip to town. She wasn’t sure who this young woman named “Lacey” was, but she knew she had to be special if the little boy adored her so much. Dwylah found out she was right when she heard the buckboard pull up out in front of the house and she hurried to let them in.

“Miss Dwylah, this is Miss Lacey,” Steve said, the moment she opened the door. “Miss Lacey, this is Miss Dwylah.”

Dwylah found herself staring at a remarkably lovely young woman. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lacey. Come in.”

“Thank you, Miss Dwylah,” Lacey said, entering the house followed by Steve and the reverend.

“There’s no need for you to call me ‘Miss.’ I’m just Dwylah to my friends,” she laughed.

Lacey was completely taken with her from the first and she found herself smiling back at her. “Dwylah, Steve was telling me about you.”

“Good things, I hope.”

“What else could there be?”

“I think I like you a lot already, Lacey. Go ahead and leave your things here in the hall. Make
yourselves comfortable in the parlor while I go get Jack.”

She hurried upstairs to find he was just coming out of his room.

“I heard all the commotion, so I take it they’re back?”

“They’re downstairs waiting for you,” she answered.

Together, they went down to the parlor to spend the day with them as they awaited Penny and Dan’s return.

It was Christmas Eve—and it was getting late—well after dark. Dwylah had excused herself and gone up to her room for a few moments. She was trying to put up a brave front, but with each passing minute, her hopes for Dan and Penny’s return grew dimmer. Her heart ached as the fear that she’d tried to ignore all this time came back to haunt her.

What if something terrible had happened to them?

What would they do?

Unable to face the possibility, she forced the thoughts away.

Everything was going to be all right.

It had to be.

Penny didn’t think she’d ever seen anything as beautiful as the ranch house lit up as it was in the night, far up ahead of them as they rode back in. They’d considered stopping earlier and riding back in, in the morning, but they’d all decided they would risk covering the final miles to the ranch that night. It was Christmas Eve, and Penny wanted to be with her father on what might be their last Christmas together.

“We’re home,” she said softly, a deep abiding love for the place filling her.

“Yes, we are,” Dan agreed. He put his heels to the horse’s side and they moved more quickly over the final distance to the house.

“Jack’s going to be real glad to see you two tonight,” Fred remarked.

“And we’re going to be real glad to see him,” Penny responded.

Dwylah was just about ready to go back downstairs. She paused to take one last look out at the snow-covered, moonlit night, and she was completely shocked to see three horses charging back up to the house. Excitement filled her and she ran out into the hallway.

“Jack! Jack! Somebody’s riding in!” she shouted as she rushed down the steps.

Jack had been in the parlor with Nick, Lacey, and Steve, and he got up as quickly as he could to hurry from the room. He reached the front hall at the same time Dwylah made it to the bottom of the stairs. She could tell no one was going to get in his way, so she stayed back as Jack all but ran toward the front door.

But he didn’t get the chance to open it, for it flew open and Penny came running into the house.

“Papa! Papa, we’re home!”

Jack grabbed his girl and gave her a huge hug. If he’d been stronger he would have swung her
around the hall. “Oh, Penny—we’ve been so worried!”

When he finally stood still, he just hugged her for a moment longer before letting her go.

It was then that Penny looked up to see the three strangers standing in the parlor doorway watching them. She frowned and started to ask who they were, just as Dan came inside carrying Jack’s boxes.

“I’m so sorry, Jack,” he began as he put the boxes on the small table nearby.

Dwylah immediately ran to him and pulled him down to her for a kiss on the cheek.

“All that matters is you’re safe, Danny, and—” she whispered to him, but as soon as she said it she saw the bullet hole in his coat and the bloodstain. “What happened?”

Jack looked over, too, but Dan quickly told them, “It’s just a scratch. I’ll tell you what happened later.”

Jack nodded, understanding now that something had happened to them out there, and he fully intended to find out what it was.

“Well, this will make you feel better,” Dwylah went on. “We’ve got a surprise for you.”

Dan frowned as he glanced down at her, and then he looked up just as the stranger came out into the hall.

Nick couldn’t believe it. Dan was there! He was safe! He was back! Powerful emotions filled him,
and he couldn’t stop himself as he came forward to his brother.

It was as he took the first step that their gazes met.

Dan went still as he found himself face-to-face with his brother. He would have recognized him anywhere. “Nick—”

“Danny!”

The two men covered the distance between them in a flash and threw their arms around each other in a desperate, emotional reunion.

“It’s really you?” Nick choked.

“It’s me, Nick. And it’s you?” he countered, clasping his brother to him in a tight man hug.

“You’d better believe it—” Nick answered, still not letting him go.

Penny stood back with her father and Dwylah watching their reunion, with tears burning in her eyes. Dan’s brother had found him! After all this time, they were together again.

From the parlor doorway, Steve stood with Lacey, beaming with happiness. He tugged on her arm and when she glanced down at him, he told her, “I knew we’d find him.”

Lacey bent down and gave the boy a loving hug. “And it’s all because of you, Steve. You’re the reason they’re back together again.”

Steve swelled with heartfelt emotion at her words. “I’m glad.”

Lacey lifted her gaze to the two brothers and said, “So am I.”

Dan and Nick finally moved apart to look at each other in amazement.

“How did you find me?” Dan asked.

“You aren’t going to believe it,” Nick began.

“Try me.”

“Well,” Nick said, holding out a hand to Steve.

Steve ran to take it and looked up at the reverend’s brother. “Hi, Danny! I’m Steve.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Steve,” Dan replied, a little confused.

“If I hadn’t run away from the orphanage, Reverend Miller wouldn’t have seen you getting on the train!” Steve smiled triumphantly up at him.

Dan had assumed Steve was Nick’s son and the woman standing in the back was his wife, but he knew now he was wrong. “I need to hear this story. I think it’s going to be real interesting.”

Jack spoke up. “Let’s go in the parlor.” His reunion with Penny had been wonderful, but he knew seeing the two brothers reunited again after all this time was just amazing.

“We’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” Dan said.

Nick started to move ahead of him with Steve to join Lacey, while Dan waited for Penny to join him.

Penny was so excited, she went to him and pulled him down for a quick kiss. “I am so happy for you—”

Jack looked over at them just then and was surprised by their embrace. “Is there something going on here I don’t know about?” he growled.

Penny and Dan looked over at him and they both smiled.

Dan decided to set things straight right then. “We were all set to tell you, but then finding Nick here . . . Well, Jack, I’d like your permission to marry your daughter.”

Jack looked between the two of them. “And what does she have to say about this?”

“I already told him yes, Papa, but he insisted on doing this the proper way.”

“I knew he was a good man.” He turned and looked at Dan. “Yes, you may marry my daughter.”

“Thank you, Jack.” Dan was serious as he extended his hand to shake hands with his future father-in-law.

The older man took it, thrilled to know Dan was going to be family. He couldn’t have chosen any better if he’d arranged it himself.

Dwylah spoke up, having watched everything that had transpired with delight. “So you’re getting married?”

“That’s right,” Dan said, “and it’s all thanks to you.”

“Me?”

“You’re the best chaperone ever,” Dan told her, and this time he went to her and kissed her on the cheek.

Dwylah actually blushed. “Oh, Danny, you are a sweet one. She is one lucky girl.”

“Yes, I am,” Penny agreed.

And they all went into the parlor, where Nick and the others were waiting for them.

“Congratulations,” Nick wished them as they all settled in.

“Thank you,” Dan and Penny responded.

As they began to talk, Dwylah noticed that Lacey seemed quite distant, sitting back away from everyone as she was. She got up and went to her.

“Want to help me make some tea and coffee?” she invited.

“I’d love to.” Lacey was feeling quite out of place and was glad for the chance to slip away with Dwylah.

When they were in the kitchen, Dwylah asked, “How long have you known Nick and Steve?”

“Not long,” she hedged.

“Steve said something about you being on the stagecoach with them coming to Sagebrush.”

Lacey knew there was no point in trying to hide anything. “Yes, I was anxious to get to Sagebrush and get a new job.”

“So, did you get hired while you were in town?” Going with her instincts, Dwylah knew there was more to her story than what she was revealing.