Mistletoe Rodeo (Welcome to Ramblewood) (14 page)

“You think somebody had already leaked the story?” Cole asked.

“I do.” Jon rubbed the back of his neck. “I think it was Scott David. The
Times
is reporting an exclusive.”

“When Nola ran into the studio before the interview, she was visibly upset,” Kay said. “She asked me to follow her lead and trust her. I’m sorry if some of you don’t agree, but in my heart of hearts, I know she was trying to tell me something. Something had happened—”

“Mom?” Cole asked. “What is it?”

“Something did happen.” Kay looked at Chase. He hadn’t noticed the dark circles under his mother’s eyes until then and they concerned him. “Nola had a phone call.”

She was right. That was why Nola had left the room moments before the interview. “When she didn’t return right away, her producer began to panic,” Chase added.

Kay’s shoulders straightened. “When she came back, her whole demeanor had changed.”

“That’s interesting. She may have been tipped off that the story was about to break,” Jon said. “In the meantime, if anyone asks you anything, say no comment. There’s security in place at all the ranch entrances, and the one reporter who did manage to get in has been removed.”

Feeling claustrophobic, Chase stepped out onto the back porch overlooking the ranch—the legacy of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather. How could one man, a stranger to most of them, viciously attack his father’s name? Even if there was the slightest bit of truth to his story, he could at least have the decency to speak to the family directly. Threatening and demanding exorbitant amounts of money made Scott David a coward in his book.

Furthermore, he could have saved his attack on the family until after the Mistletoe Rodeo. Chase hadn’t expected to get so attached to the project, but now he wondered if all their efforts had been for naught. One of the biggest draws to the event was his family’s name. If people suspected the Langtrys of illegal business dealings, the whole thing might fall apart.

As for Nola, she was his problem. He had brought her into his family and he was prepared to pay for the repercussions. He had gained full access to his trust fund on his birthday and he would personally replenish any food bank funding the Mistletoe Rodeo lost. Chase refused to allow anyone’s Christmas to suffer because of his actions. Too many people deserved the community’s help, and Chase would be damned if he’d stand by and let anyone take it away from them.

* * *

“O
H
,
NO
!” N
OLA
,
Kylie and Aaron stood on Clay Tanner’s front step. “You’re not welcome here.”

“Clay.” Aaron wedged himself between Nola and the closing door. “I’m asking you as a friend to listen to what Nola has to say. Once you do, I promise you won’t turn her away.”

“Let them in, Clay.” A woman’s voice came from the other side of the door.

Clay stepped aside and they filed into his living room.

“Hi, Nola.” The woman who spoke was blonde and very petite. “I’m Abby, Clay’s wife. Please pardon his manners. We would’ve met at the cookie party, but I was on my way back from Charleston that night and couldn’t get there in time. I’m sorry I missed it.” Abby turned toward Aaron and Kylie and gave them a group hug. “I know I can’t tell you two enough, but I am over-the-moon happy for you both.”

Abby might be friendly, but her husband was shooting Nola death rays with his eyes from across the room. Two more people walked out of the kitchen to join them.

“I don’t know if you’ve met or not. This is my twin sister, Bridgett, and her husband, Adam,” Abby said.

Twin sister?
That was unexpected. At least a foot in height separated the two women. “Actually, I’ve known Bridgett for a few years,” Nola said. “You used to wait tables at The Magpie.”

“What brings you by?” Tight, thin lips replaced Bridgett’s usual smile. Warmth had definitely taken a vacation.

“I’m assuming you’ve all seen the news.” Aaron stood in the middle of the room playing referee. “I’m asking you to listen to what Nola has to say. And, Clay, as a friend of the Langtrys and the best private investigator I know, we need your help.”

Nola told her story once again. By the time she had finished, Clay was hanging on every word. Believing she wanted to help the Langtrys, he broke protocol and filled her in on what she didn’t already know.

“I want to see Nate David,” Nola said. “If he has at least some coherency, then maybe he can tell me something about the day in question. Maybe even the name of a friend who could vouch for him at the time. There’s quite a gap between the time Scott says Nate developed Alzheimer’s and when he actually went into the nursing home.”

“I want to know who’s been visiting him,” Clay added. “Whoever’s dropping in on him now may have been around back then. But, Nola, you can’t go there. The risk of somebody recognizing you from television is too great, even all the way up there.”

“I’ll do it.” Abby stood and removed her HC General credentials from her handbag. “I work at Dance of Hope, but I’m also a physical therapist for the hospital here. I have the perfect cover.”

Clay sighed and rolled his eyes. “I have to admit you would fit rather nicely into this investigation.”

“Finally!” Abby clapped her hands together. “I’ve been asking to assist him for over a year now. He always says no.”

“Do you really think Joe Langtry is innocent?” Bridgett asked Clay. “You knew him better than any of us.”

Clay seemed to weigh his words. “To people on the outside looking in, Joe could seem ruthless at times. He was a very shrewd businessman, and I can’t see him doing something that had the potential to come back and bite him. He had the money to make sure anything he did was legal, and he didn’t make mistakes in business. I don’t know if Scott David truly believes Joe did his grandfather wrong or if this is a revenge thing. Either way, I agree with Nola. We need to figure it out before the Mistletoe Rodeo.”

“I want you all to know how much I appreciate your help.” Nola had definitely learned a lesson in small-town camaraderie today. “I’m grateful for the second chance to make things right with the Langtrys.”

Bridgett and Adam laughed quietly together. “I’m sorry. We’re not laughing at you,” Bridgett said. “We’re laughing at what you said. A lot has happened around here over the past couple years and second chances have been handed out as if they were going out of style. Adam has even had a few of his own.”

If they could save the Mistletoe Rodeo, then maybe Chase would be willing to give her a second chance, too. Nola knew the man needed space, but she couldn’t just let him believe that she had betrayed his family.

“I’m going to head to Miranda and Jesse’s now.” Aaron stood and stretched his arms over his head. “I think we have a long night ahead of us. I’ll give you guys a call as soon as I know something.”

Kylie kissed her fiancé goodbye. Nola already missed the easy companionship she had shared with Chase. As quickly as it had come, it had gone. It shouldn’t matter. It was crazy for her to be this worked up over a man.

A part of her hated Chase for letting her down. He’d taught her how to feel again. He’d given her hope and had made it okay to enjoy the spirit of Christmas. Now when she went home, she’d have to face the gingerbread house and the Christmas tree and sleep in a bed they had recently shared.

The same bed where Chase had broken her heart. Nola’s condo had always been her safe zone. She had kept it devoid of memories and had never allowed anyone she dated inside. Why hadn’t she stopped Chase at the door?

Because he felt like home.

Chapter Twelve

The morning of the Mistletoe Rodeo was bedlam around the Langtry house. Kay ran in overdrive, barking orders so fast Chase was worn out before the sun came up.

The entire Langtry clan gathered in the kitchen, poring over the day’s agenda. Lexi was in charge of the tricky tray raffle at the firehouse, Tess was hosting the Christmas carol pancake brunch at the Methodist Church, Chase and Kay were the masters of ceremonies for the Mistletoe Rodeo itself and Miranda was hosting the charity dinner and auction in the new Ramblewood Food Bank addition. Shane, Jesse and Cole were in charge of anything with four legs at the fairgrounds, and the rest of the extended family was running everything in between.

A caravan of forty vehicles and trailers rolled out of Bridle Dance by six o’clock, everyone heading off in separate directions. All of the hard work had come down to this one day, and Chase wanted nothing more than to have Nola by his side to share the joy.

It turned out their attorney had been right about Nola’s interview—they all owed her a huge thank-you. By covering the story first, she had allowed Kay to preempt Scott David before he did too much damage. A few Mistletoe Rodeo sponsors had pulled out, but Chase had found replacements easily enough. The legal battle with Scott was far from over, but thanks to a gag order, no one involved could publically discuss the case.

Five days had passed since Nola’s interview. Chase had driven out to her condo in Willow Tree on three occasions, and either she wouldn’t answer the door or she legitimately wasn’t home, even though her Beetle was in the parking lot. Chase chose to believe she had been out wedding shopping with Kylie, but a part of him sensed she had chosen to stay away. And he couldn’t blame her.

When George had called and told him Nola had quit her job even after she’d been offered the co-anchor position, Chase’s heart broke. If he’d never gotten involved with her, she’d still have a job. He knew it was her choice to leave, but he felt partially to blame.

Chase understood that Nola had been trying to protect his family during her final interview. Maybe someday he’d get the chance to apologize. He could’ve made it easier on himself and called her, but it felt too impersonal. They needed to talk face-to-face. As for his decision about dating Nola, it hadn’t changed. He wished he could say it had. A family of his own was too important for him to walk away from, and unless Nola could meet him halfway, it would never work.

Chase pulled into the fairgrounds behind Shane. With their bulls and broncs, the Ride ’em High! Rodeo School was ready to put on a great exhibition rodeo. Many of his students were competing, including Hunter, who was staying in Ramblewood during the Christmas break.

“Woo-hoo! Ride ’em high, brother,” Shane shouted. He was in rare form this morning, no doubt reliving his own rodeo days through his son.

Chase wandered into the middle of the arena and looked up toward the bleachers, all decked out in Christmas trim. The brides of Bridle Dance had taken over and run amok last night, decorating one location after the other. He’d never seen so much crepe paper in his life, yet rarely had he felt less festive.

* * *

N
OLA
HAD
BEEN
up all night staring at the same stacks of paper on her dining room table. With the gag order in place, there was no longer a rush to solve the Scott David mystery. But it was the principle of the thing. She’d lost everything because a stranger attacked the family she’d grown to love. Now she was determined to take him down along with her. She had nothing left to lose.

The good news was that Clay and Abby’s nursing home mission had been a wild success, albeit a slightly illegal one. When they had discovered Nate David wasn’t able to remember much of his life, let alone the sale of the mineral rights, Clay had taken drastic measures.

While Abby had occupied the nurses’ station, Clay had managed to slip the visitor registry book into the bathroom, photographed all the pages with his phone and put it back into place with no one being the wiser. Nola and Clay had each taken half the list. There were a few people who regularly visited Nate, and Nola had left messages for each of them to call her back. Every person except for one woman had returned her call. Nola hoped that person held the answers and would agree to testify against Scott, because none of the others would. Either they didn’t want to get involved or they hadn’t known Nate at the time of the sale.

Nola felt Flash rub against her leg. She reached down and scratched her pure-black feline friend between the ears. The night she returned home from Clay’s she’d thrown the gingerbread house down the garbage shoot along with the sheets from her bed, and had given the Christmas tree to her next-door neighbor. It had been cathartic. She’d needed to remove all traces of Chase from her home.

The following day, since she’d had an excessive amount of time on her hands, she had purchased new bedding and a couple cans of paint. Then she had adopted Flash from the local animal shelter. Now she had deep cherry-red bedroom walls and a sunny yellow living area, and she was no longer alone.

She’d also taken the time to call her parents in the Netherlands. After an hour-long conversation with her mother, followed by a phone call to her brother, she’d managed to convince her family to attempt a visit to Ramblewood for Kylie’s spring wedding. At the very least, her mother had promised to come, even if her brother and father couldn’t get away.

Checking her watch, Nola realized she needed to get ready if she planned on making the tricky tray on time. She hadn’t been to one of those in years, and today she was determined to win something. A TV would be nice—her twenty-inch set was beyond pathetic.

Today would be the first day she’d see the Langtrys since the interview. The one day she’d been brave enough to visit Kay, she’d been turned away at the main gate. Employees, family and scheduled visitors were the only ones allowed on the ranch nowadays. But Kay had taken the time to phone and thank her for all she’d done to help them.

Nola began to have second thoughts as she pulled up to the Ramblewood firehouse an hour later. When Kylie and her mother parked next to Nola a few seconds later, the reality of facing all the friends and family she had humiliated began to set in, despite Kay’s call. But Kylie had invited her and Nola was prepared to see it through.

Kylie walked over and opened the driver’s side door of Nola’s Beetle and pulled her to her feet.

“You’ll be just fine.” Kylie and Jean linked arms with her, one on either side, propelling her toward the entrance. When they walked in, the boisterous room fell silent.

For a few seconds.

Then went back to boisterous again.

The three women purchased a hundred dollars’ worth of tickets each and skimmed the list of prizes on the wall.

“Nola!” Lexi greeted her with a hug. “It’s wonderful to see you. I know Kay spoke to you already, but I do hope you realize how grateful we are for what you did with that interview. You really saved the day by taking a potentially disastrous situation and making it less volatile.”

“It was nothing.” Nola searched the room for—no, not Chase. Chase wouldn’t be at a tricky tray.

“He’s at the fairgrounds, if you’re interested.” Lexi placed a hand on her forearm. “If it’s any consolation, he’s been miserable without you.”

Nola’s heart thudded against her chest at the news. It was a consolation. A very good one. She wanted Chase to miss her. Maybe there was a slight glimmer of hope in all of this.

“Lexi, do you have any idea where the extra tickets are?” Kay’s normally calm demeanor looked as if it had been struck by lightning. “Nola, hello.” Kay leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “I’m delighted you could make it. Chase is over at the fairgrounds if you want to stop by and see him.”

Nola pursed her lips. “Lexi already covered that one.”

“Yeah,” Lexi said, “I did, but she wouldn’t take the bait.”

“Extra tickets?” Kay frowned at Lexi.

“I’m sorry. I’ll get them now.” Lexi tore off toward the back of the room, waving goodbye over her shoulder.

“We won’t keep you,” Kylie gracefully interjected, pulling Nola from an awkward moment.

“Don’t be a stranger,” Kay said before dashing off toward another minicrisis.

“That sounded promising.” Kylie linked her arm in Nola’s as they walked the perimeter of the room, trying to decide which bowls to choose for their raffle tickets.

“Do you really think so?” Nola hated sounding anxious, but she did want to see Chase.

“Oh, please.” Kylie shook her head. “And people call
me
an airhead. Where on earth did my mom go?”

“She’s over there.” Nola pointed to the far corner of the room, and that was when she saw it. She dragged Kylie with her to stand in front of a large seventy-five-inch television. “This one. This is the one I want.” Nola tore off her tickets one by one and tossed them into the aquarium-size bowl.

“There must be a couple thousand tickets in there already.” Kylie laughed. “Good luck.”

This was her lucky day. She could feel it. The Langtrys—some of them, at least—had forgiven her. And as soon as the tricky tray was done, she’d head over to the fairgrounds to see if Chase had, too.

* * *

“L
EXI
CALLED
. N
OLA
’
S
over at the tricky tray,” Shane called to Chase as he made another pass with the arena drag, loosening the soil and ensuring it was level.

Chase was surprised she’d come when she knew he would be there. Not that he would go to the tricky tray. Although, if one wanted to support his mother’s charity work, especially if one was cochair, one really should take the time to put in an appearance at all of the day’s events.

“I’ll be back in a few,” Chase shouted over the noise of the tractor. “I’m going to check in on Mom.”

“Sure you are,” Shane shouted back. “Tell Nola I said hello.”

Between the traffic and the long lines of cars waiting to get into the center of Ramblewood, the tricky tray was over by the time Chase arrived at the firehouse and Nola was nowhere to be found. Heading off to the Methodist Church for the pancake brunch, Chase reasoned he could grab a bite, just to make sure the pancakes were edible. If he happened to run into Nola it would be nothing more than a coincidence.

Fighting the traffic back across town, Chase began to wonder if it would have been faster to walk. He finally made it and found a parking spot. As he walked in the side door, he saw his mother, Lexi and Tess making their rounds to all of the tables, thanking everyone for coming.
What a great idea.

Chase approached the first table, quickly scanning it for Nola. “Merry Christmas. Thank you for coming.” Chase shook hands as he walked to the next table over. “Merry Christmas, and thank you for supporting the Ramblewood Food Bank.”

After ten tables, he was tired of shaking hands and still hadn’t spotted Nola or anyone from her family. He passed his mother greeting the next row over, and she smiled appreciatively at him.

“I’m so glad you made it, honey,” Kay said before moving on to another table.

As Chase shook the final hand at the last table in the room, he couldn’t help but feel a stab of disappointment. He passed right by the kitchen on his way toward the exit, no longer hungry.

“Hey, Chase.” Lexi backed out the kitchen door with two trays full of pancakes. “Can you take one of these? Who knew pancakes were so heavy?”

“Sure.” Chase eased a tray out of her arms.

“They go to this row. You take the outside, I’ll take the inside.” Lexi placed a steaming stack of pancakes on the serving table every two feet. “Did you hear Nola won that huge TV at the tricky tray?”

Chase’s head shot up at the sound of her name. “No, I hadn’t heard.” He smiled. He served the last plate of pancakes on his tray and followed Lexi back toward the kitchen.

“You should have seen it.” Lexi started laughing. “Nola, Jean and Kylie attempting to squeeze that big television into Nola’s tiny car. Dan had to come pick it up in his truck. I hope they get back before we run out of food.”

As happy as he was for Nola, he was disappointed that he’d missed her. Why did it even matter? He had been resolute in his decision about having children. Nothing had happened to make him think she’d changed her mind. But something had changed... He had.

* * *

“I
CAN
’
T
BELIEVE
I won this thing.” Nola said as they tugged it out of the box. “It’s huge.”

“It takes up a good portion of your living room.” Kylie tilted her head back. “If you sit on the couch and watch it, it’ll be like sitting in the front row at the movies.”

“Uncle Dan, you don’t need to set it up for me.” Nola felt bad enough about dragging everyone away from the Mistletoe Rodeo to help her get her TV home. “I’ll do it later. Since we missed the pancake brunch, how about I treat you all to breakfast and then we’ll make our way over to the rodeo?”

“How about I treat, since you’re unemployed.” Nola’s uncle gave her one of his stern “I won’t take no for an answer” looks.

“I have money.” Nola locked up behind them as they left the condo. “It’s not as if I’ve splurged much since I moved here. My savings can potentially hold me over for a few years. But I will not turn down a free breakfast.”

Nola wasn’t sure if her relationship with her parents would ever be repaired, but she felt as if they were off to a good start. Having her aunt and uncle in her life had helped to fill that void. Regardless of how things turned out with Chase, she’d be forever in his debt for showing her what Christmas meant. It wasn’t about the decorations or the presents. It was about spending time with family and embracing the love around her instead of hiding from it.

“Let’s go, everyone—I’m starving.” Nola’s phone fell out of her bag as she unlocked her car door. She picked it up and noticed a message from a number she didn’t recognize. She held up one finger, asking her family to wait while she checked her voice mail. Her heart began to pound rapidly as she listened to the message. “There is a Santa Claus!”