A Cowboy for Christmas (7 page)

“Let’s go tell Penny,” Matilda said. “I’m sure she’ll be relieved.”

Matilda and Dwylah went to seek Penny out and let her know everything had been arranged.

Richard was a bit startled as he looked down at Penny. “There’s no other way for you to handle this?”

“No. It’s important that I get to see my father again, and I didn’t want to leave without telling you good-bye.”

Richard thought about taking her in his arms and kissing her, but this was hardly the place to be so bold, and, besides, Amanda was standing right there with them. “We’ll miss you, Penny.”

“I’ll write Amanda regularly and let her know how things are going.”

“Do you think you’ll be back by Christmas?” Amanda asked.

She looked uncertain. “There’s no way to know what’s going to happen once I get there.”

Penny didn’t get to say any more, for just then
her aunt and her friend Dwylah sought them out.

“Are you ready to leave, Penny?” Aunt Matilda asked, her manner reserved. She knew her niece was very angry and upset with her, and she would have to handle things between them very carefully from now on.

“Yes, Aunt Matilda,” she replied. Then looking back at Richard, she said, “Good-bye, Richard.”

“Good-bye, Penny.”

Penny and Amanda went with the ladies as they made their way from the ballroom. They were all aware that they were being watched quite carefully by the other people in attendance, but they didn’t care.

“I’ll thank Edwin and Lillian, and then we can go,” Matilda said. “Wait for me in the hall.”

She saw their host and hostess standing nearby and went to speak with them and to tell them how everything had turned out. A short time later, Matilda came out into the hall where Penny, Amanda, and Dwylah were standing.

“Did you tell her yet, Dwylah?” Matilda asked.

“No,” the older woman answered.

“Tell me what?” Penny looked between the two of them in confusion.

“Your aunt and I have everything all figured out, so you’ll be able to leave tomorrow,” Dwylah explained.

“I will?”

“Yes. I’ve agreed to be your chaperone on the
trip. I can be ready to leave for Texas as soon as you are.”

Penny was stunned and thankful. She had so feared being delayed for days trying to find someone suitable to make the long journey with her.

“Oh, Dwylah, thank you!” Impulsively, she hugged the older woman. “I’ll let Mr. Roland know first thing in the morning that we’ll be ready to travel whenever he is.”

“We’d better go, dear. You have a lot of packing to do,” Matilda said. “Dwylah, we’ll send word to you as soon as we hear back from Mr. Roland, but plan on departing on an afternoon train.”

“I will.”

Matilda and Penny left the Chase mansion to head home.

Penny knew she wouldn’t get much rest that night.

As exhausted as he was, Dan had thought he would fall asleep right away. It had been weeks since he’d had a clean bed to sleep in, but he had too much on his mind to be able to completely relax and enjoy the comfort of the room. His thoughts were racing as he tried to imagine how long it would take Penny and her aunt to hire a chaperone to accompany her on the trip. He hoped not long, but he’d never had to deal with this kind of situation before.

Dan stared up at the ceiling, wondering again how Penny and her mother could ever have left Jack and the Lazy Ace the way they had. After what he’d experienced in life, he knew how important it was to have a real home and a family.

Dan wondered, too, how Penny would fare on the long trip to the ranch. The train travel wouldn’t be bad, but that was a very small part of the overall journey. Covering the long miles across Texas in the cramped stagecoaches in cold weather was going to be a rough time for her and her chaperone—there was no doubt about that.

He tried to imagine Penny living on the ranch again after all these years of being in the city, and he knew it wasn’t going to be easy for her.
Even so, he didn’t care. His job was to make sure she got there safely, and he would do it . . . for Jack’s sake.

Dan finally managed to fall asleep, but it wasn’t a deep sleep. He came awake again just as the eastern sky started to lighten and decided he might as well get up. He’d just finished getting dressed when a knock came at his door.

“Who is it?”

“Charley, the desk clerk.”

Dan opened the door to see what he wanted at such an early hour.

“I have a message for you here from a Miss Anderson,” the clerk said as he handed him a small envelope.

Dan gave him a tip for his trouble and shut the door to quickly read the message.

Dear Mr. Roland
,

All the arrangements have been made. My chaperone and I will be ready to depart whenever you are. Please let me know as soon as possible when you need us to be ready
.

Sincerely
,

Penny Anderson

With great relief at the good news, he grabbed up his coat and left the hotel to get the tickets for the afternoon train and to send a wire to Jack letting him know they were on their way.

The days ahead would be challenging, but he believed the hardest part of his trip was over.

Jack’s daughter had agreed to return home.

Penny finished packing the last of the clothes she was going to take with her in her two suitcases. This had been her home for a long time now, and she found herself wondering if she would ever be back here again. Tears threatened, but she refused to cry. She was doing what she had to do. Right then, seeing her father again was the most important thing.

She could only imagine how long and rough the trip was going to be, but with Dwylah along, she knew their time together wouldn’t be dull. Drawing a deep breath to fortify herself, Penny got up and left the room. Mr. Roland had sent a note to meet him at the train station at one o’clock. And there was still one more thing she had to do before then. She found her aunt in the parlor, waiting for her.

“I’m ready to go to the cemetery now,” Penny said.

“Let me get Andrew. I told him earlier that we were going there some time this morning.”

A few minutes later, Andrew, the cook’s husband, drove their small carriage around front to pick them up. The drive to the cemetery didn’t take long.

Matilda waited back in the carriage as Penny
descended and headed toward her mother’s grave. She knew her niece needed some time alone there.

Penny stared down at the marker as if it would give her the answers she sought. “Why did you keep Papa’s letters from me?” she whispered.

A chilling wind picked up, and Penny clutched her coat more tightly around her.

“Good-bye, Mama,” she said softly.

She took one last look around and then returned to the carriage. The driver helped her back in, and she sat down beside her aunt again.

“Are you ready?” Matilda asked.

Penny nodded. “We need to get back before Dwylah and Mr. Roland show up.”

“We can go now, Andrew,” she ordered.

They started the trip back to the house.

In her heart as the cemetery disappeared from view, Penny wondered how long it would be before she came back to visit her mother’s grave again.

They’d been riding in silence for a while when Matilda finally spoke up.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving.”

“Neither can I. Everything happened so fast.”

“I’m going to miss you, and with Christmas coming . . .” It saddened her to know Penny wouldn’t be there for the holidays.

“I’ll be with Papa this Christmas.” The thought warmed her heart. She was so glad that she was
being given the opportunity to set things right between them. She knew she had a lot to make up for, and she was going to get the chance.

“Yes, you will.”

They fell silent again.

Dwylah had made it a point to arrive at Matilda’s house early, and she’d been keeping a sharp eye out the front parlor window ever since, watching for Dan Roland to arrive. The minute she saw his carriage pull up, she headed for the front door to let him in. There was no need to bother Matilda and Penny as they made their final preparations. She was about to travel across the country with this handsome young cowboy, and she was eager to see him again and to get to know him.

Deep in her heart, Dwylah realized this was a sad time for Penny, but she was determined to try to keep the young woman’s spirits up as best she could during the trip. She had even spoken to Matilda about the possibility that she would stay on with her for a while once they’d reached the ranch, just to make sure Penny didn’t feel alone and lost.

“It’s about time you got here!” Dwylah threw open the front door just as he reached the top step.

“Am I late?” Dan was surprised by the older woman’s welcome. He had no idea who the short,
silver-haired woman was, and he immediately worried that something had gone wrong.

“Heavens, no,” Dwylah said. “I’ve just been waiting to get to meet you, that’s all. Come on in.”

She stepped back as Dan took off his hat and came into the front hall.

“I saw you last night, but didn’t get the chance to talk to you,” she went on, giving him a big smile. “I’m Dwylah—the chaperone.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Dwylah. I’m Dan Roland.”

“I know who you are, young man,” she laughed. “Don’t just stand there. Come on in where it’s warm.” She grabbed him by the arm and drew him farther into the house before shutting the door behind him. She gazed up at him, happy to be getting her first real good, up-close look at him. She was pleased to find that her first impression had proven true. He was one handsome man with his dark hair and eyes and lean, hard jawline. She had no doubt he was a force to be reckoned with.

“I want to hear all about you on this trip. You must have some great stories to tell us about living out West.”

“There might be a few,” he answered good-naturedly.

“Only a few?” There was a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

“Only a few that are suitable for ladies such as yourself,” he answered.

“I’ll be looking forward to hearing them.” She was hoping she could get some of the wilder tales out of him, too, before their long trip was over. She always did like finding out the real truth about things.

“Is Miss Anderson ready to go?”

“Yes, she is. We’re all packed up.” She gestured toward their bags there in the hall near the bottom of the staircase. “Let me go see if I can find her, and I’ll let her know you’re here.”

Dwylah had just started off down the hall when Penny and her aunt came out from the back of the house.

“I’m here, Dwylah,” Penny told her.

“Miss Anderson,” Dan greeted her, and nodded to her aunt. “Ma’am.”

Matilda, taking charge of the moment. “Hello, Mr. Roland. I see you’ve met Dwylah already. Has she told you that she’ll be traveling with you as Penny’s chaperone?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“She’ll also be staying on with Penny for as long as necessary once you get to the ranch.”

“That’ll be fine,” he said. “I’d better get these bags loaded up so we can get over to the station.”

“I can get Andrew to do that—” Matilda began.

“No need.” Dan put his hat back on and quickly picked up several of the bags to carry out to the waiting carriage and driver.

Dwylah knew the moment of their departure had come, and she followed her cowboy outside to give Penny and Matilda time to say their good-byes in private. With all the tears that were about to be shed, she understood why Matilda didn’t want to go to the station with them to see them off.

“Penny, darling, please be careful,” Matilda bid her when they were alone.

“I will.”

She embraced her niece warmly. She loved her and everything she’d ever done had been because she’d wanted her safe and happy. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

“Tell your father . . .” She paused, not sure what would be appropriate after all this time. “Tell him I’ll be praying for you both.”

“Thank you.” Penny didn’t say anything more as Dan came back in the house just then to get the last of their luggage.

Matilda was openly weeping now, and Dwylah was definitely teary-eyed.

“Good-bye, Penny.” She kissed her one last time on the cheek and walked with her out to the carriage. When Dan finished loading the last of the luggage, she said to him, “You make sure she’s safe.”

“I will,” Dan promised, his expression serious.

He helped Penny up into the carriage with the chaperone and then climbed up to sit beside the driver on the driver’s bench.

“We’ll wire you as soon as we get there,” Dwylah told Matilda.

“I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

“Good-bye, Aunt Matilda,” Penny called to her as the carriage started to move away.

Penny was as prepared as she would ever be for the long journey to come. “It’s going to be a long trip.”

“Yes, it is,” Dwylah agreed, “but as long as the weather stays clear, we should be able to make it without too much trouble.”

A flash of pain was mirrored in Penny’s eyes for a moment as she looked at her friend. “I hope so. I really need to see my father again.”

“You will, dear,” she reassured her. “You’ll be with him for Christmas. I can’t imagine that he’d like any present better than having you with him.”

“Being with Papa is going to be my best present, too.”

They sat back, and Penny realized how thankful she was that her father hadn’t given up and had sent Dan Roland to find her.

Dan was glad to be leaving St. Louis. Things had worked out just as he’d hoped and now it was just a matter of keeping Penny and Miss Dwylah safe and out of trouble on their cross-country trek. Safe, he hoped wouldn’t be a problem. But he had a feeling it would be a challenge to keep Dwylah out of trouble. The train depot was crowded, and he kept the ladies with him as he went to check in with the clerk.

“Is the train on time?” Dan asked.

“It should be pulling out real soon. Once everything is loaded up, you’ll be on your way.”

“Thanks.” Dan was looking forward to the day when the railroad made it all the way to Sagebrush, but it wasn’t going to happen any time soon.