Sleigh Bells Ring

by Jessica James

  “No. Just talking about what a wonderful day it is.”

  “It is a wonderful day, isn’t it?” Chad turned toward them and started walking up the steps. “That reminds me...I left something here that I need to grab.” He reached up near the top of the post and removed the foaling camera he had placed there earlier. “I’ll just get this out of your way.”

  Both men stood with their mouths open as they obviously tried to replay in their minds what they had just said and how damaging it would be. Judd reacted almost immediately by making a wild grab toward the camera, but Chad pulled it out of his reach. “Just so you know, everything recorded on here has been automatically downloaded to my phone.”

  “This ain’t legal. You can’t do this.” Judd recovered enough to put up a fight. “I got lawyers and we’ll fight this! You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

  “You’re on private property and were recorded on a security camera,” Chad replied calmly. “I’ll give you the number for the ranch’s attorneys and you can discuss who broke the law. Okay?”

  As expected, Judd didn’t back down. He shook his finger at Chad, and bellowed in a voice that could be heard for quite a distance. “Do what you want, but I’ll make sure this ranch’s reputation is destroyed.” He glanced at his watch. “That’s right. The big Gala is about to begin and I’m going to make sure everyone hears about this.”

  “Actually, here’s what’s going to happen.” Chad’s voice was low but confident, an intimidating combination. “I have enough evidence on here to put you in jail for a long time, but I’m going to give you both the opportunity to leave with your heads up. All you have to do is pack your bags and vacate this property...immediately and quietly.”

  He paused a moment to let that sink in. “But if you’re not off this land in the next thirty minutes, the police will be here to remove you. Leave peacefully. Or leave in handcuffs. The choice is yours.” He crossed his arms and eyed both men intently as they stood without speaking.

  “Do you understand?” Chad’s voice grew loud.

  Both men nodded their heads, but they seemed so stunned by how quickly the tables had been turned they were unable to move.

  “The clock is running.” He glanced at his watch. “You only have twenty-nine more minutes.”

  That caused them to move, one going one way and one the other. “Make sure you warn Trixie,” he shouted after them. “Don’t forget, you mentioned her on the video too.”

  When both men had disappeared, Chad made his way to the barn. He found Jordyn in Bell’s stall, hanging up a bucket of water. “They’re packing now,” he told her. “I expect they’ll be off the property in the next fifteen minutes.”

  “Then what? They’re just going to get away with it?

  “Then it’s out of our hands.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the stall door. “Except that I’ve already sent all the information to the police, and they probably have officers ready to pull them over as soon as they hit the main road.”

  Jordyn surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck. “Chad, thank you so much! What would I do without you?”

  “I don’t know, Jordyn.” He unwrapped himself from her embrace and stepped away. “But you seem to have figured that out just fine over the past ten years.”

  Chapter 19

  Some Christmas tree ornaments do more than glitter and glow, they represent a gift of love given a long time ago.

  – Tom Baker

  “Any good news about Chad?” Kristy asked the question while using a curling iron on her hair. She looked innocently toward Jordyn as if the question had just popped into her head, but Jordyn knew she’d been dying to ask it all evening.

  Jordyn didn’t answer right away. She leaned closer to the mirror they were sharing and turned her head from side to side, checking out the small silver and red beads that Kristy had braided into her hair. The result was a festive holiday look that looked both sophisticated and glamorous.

  “No.” She didn’t bother to tell Kristy his last words to her, and how much they had stung. They still hurt too much to repeat them, and she winced just thinking about it.

  “But he’s coming to the Gala, right?” Kristy put the curling iron down and picked up a brush.

  The two of them had decided to do their makeup and hair in a huge dressing room in the Lodge, just like the old days. Jordyn had been enjoying laughing and catching up with her best friend. The last ten years had melted away as if they’d never been apart, but now Jordyn felt a hint of wariness. She didn’t want anyone to see how intensely she felt about Chad.

  “Maybe at some point.” Jordyn leaned forward, trying to act indifferent as she put on a light shade of lipstick. “Mom said he’s helping to deliver wood.”

  “Oh, I guess it’s all hands on deck to be a wood elf tonight.” Kristy laughed. “I almost forgot about that tradition.”

  “Me too. Every other day of the year it’s up to the guests to get their own wood, but tonight it gets delivered.”

  “Your father was so creative. It’s those little things that make Painted Sky so special to everyone.”

  Jordyn smiled. “Dad and I used to do it ourselves though—and in the middle of the night, so when people woke up on Christmas day they would discover the ‘wood elves’ had come. Now there are too many cabins, so everyone pitches in.”

  “How do I look?” Kristy twirled around in her green and red dress, making it swirl out around her, as they prepared to make their way out to the party.

  “You look like you’ll turn every head in the room,” Jordyn said as they walked down the hallway. “Luke is a lucky man.”

  “Aww. Thanks. I can’t believe I’m this excited—and nervous.” Kristy held her hand over heart. “I haven’t gone on a date—or even thought of such a thing—for years.”

  “You’re going to have a great time,” Jordyn said. “Luke seems like a really nice guy.”

  The sound of music playing and lots of talking and laughing reached their ears a few moments before Jordyn opened the door.

  “Does your mother have you doing anything special?” Kristy asked as her eyes searched the room full of people. Some were dressed in gowns and tuxes, and some were dressed in blue jeans and cowboy hats. But it was plain to see that everyone in attendance was already in high spirits.

  “She gave me strict orders to ‘mingle’ and enjoy myself. That’s all.” Jordyn gave Kristy a quick hug as she saw Luke waving at her from the other side of the room. “Merry Christmas! Have a great time.”

  Kristy had no sooner left her side when someone from town recognized Jordyn and began chattering away. For the next few hours that scene repeated itself over and over as old friends from high school or people who knew her father gave her a hug and talked as if there had never been an absence of a decade. She also chatted with families who had been coming to Painted Sky for years, and appreciated hearing stories about her father that she’d never heard before.

  But she couldn’t help but occasionally search the crowd for Chad’s tan cowboy hat. If nothing else, she wanted to thank him again for getting rid of Judd and Ricky. That action had lifted her mother’s spirits noticeably and relieved her of a huge amount of stress. His plan had worked like a charm, with none of the guests—or apparently even the ranch hands—noticing the two missing men. One of the volunteers had noticed Trixie was missing though because she’d signed up to help. Another had said he’d seen her leave in a hurry without saying goodbye.

  Jordyn grabbed a cup of hot chocolate from the table and did a doubletake when she noticed Chad standing by one of the fireplaces. There was an air of isolation about his tall figure, yet his appearance was compelling. He turned to throw another piece of wood on the blaze, but the person beside him continued to converse as if trying to keep his attention. Jordyn recognized the woman instantly. The red cowboy hat and boots from the trail ride had been replaced with a bright red shimmering gown...and matching red lips.

  The wannabe c
owgirl was conspicuous, but then again, Chad was quite noticeable too. Clean-shaven and sporting a nice red shirt of his own, he stood out...a massive, self-confident presence in a room filled to the brim with handsome cowboys. No wonder Miss Red Dress had latched onto him.

  Jordyn watched as the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder while the woman showed Chad something on her phone. His eyes grew large and expressive as she flipped through the screens with long, red fingernails.

  Jordyn tried to ignore the feelings of jealously that surged through her when she saw Chad leave her side, and then return within a few minutes with a glass of wine. Was he just being nice? Or was he actually enjoying her company? His last words to her replayed once again in her mind, making her cheeks feel warm with remorse and regret.

  Seeming to sense her eyes upon him, Chad glanced up and offered her a distracted nod, the type of polite moving of the head that might come from an uninterested stranger. Jordyn raised her chin and assumed all the dignity she could muster before turning away and engaging in conversation with a guest.

  Though she tried to enjoy herself for the next forty-five minutes, Jordyn was glad when she noticed a large number of empty mugs beginning to pile up on the front table. Loading them onto a tray hidden under the table, she headed toward the kitchen. She needed some time to think. To breathe.

  When she was almost to the swinging door, Chad stepped in front of her. “Let me take that. It looks heavy.”

  “I’ve got it,” Jordyn snapped in response. “Go enjoy Miss Red Dress.”

  “Whoa.” He ignored her and lifted the tray out of her hands, a crooked smile peeking through his usually straight face. “I didn’t know you were watching me that closely.”

  “I wasn’t watching you.” Jordyn attempted to cover her mistake while trying to keep her heart cold and still. “I just noticed you talking to her, that’s all.”

  Chad continued into the kitchen and set the tray down on the counter beside the sink. Jordyn ignored him as she began placing the glasses in the dishwasher one by one.

  “The strange thing is, she’s a photographer,” he said as if just making conversation.

  “Really?” Jordyn snorted. “Because I’ve never seen her with a camera.”

  “I’ve never seen you with one either, to tell you the truth.”

  Jordyn froze, but only for a moment. “I’m on vacation. No one does their professional work when they’re on vacation.”

  “That’s what she said.” Chad found a plate of vegetables on the center island and gnawed on a celery stick, as he stared thoughtfully at the reflection of blinking Christmas lights through the window. “Taking pictures is the last thing she wants to do when she’s here to relax.”

  “And what’s the first thing? Hooking up with a cowboy?” Jordyn regretted the words as soon as they were spoken.

  Chad cocked his head and looked over at her. “You sound jealous.”

  “Why would I be jealous?” Jordyn took the last glass from the tray and sat it down on the counter with a loud bang.

  “Easy with that.” Chad crossed his arms and his legs, and leaned back against the counter, studying her with his head tilted to the side. “It’s funny, with her being a photographer and all, that she’s never heard of you.”

  Jordyn’s breath caught in her throat as she began to understand what this conversation was about, and why he had offered to help her in the first place. She could tell he was puzzled...could almost see the wheels of his mind spinning. He was beginning to question if the job she’d been doing and the job everyone thought she’d been doing were two different things.

  She recovered quickly and said the first thing that came to her mind. “That’s probably because she’s an international floozy who pretends to be a photographer so she can latch on to a gullible cowboy.”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  Jordyn turned her gaze to Chad at the seriousness of his tone. That’s when she noticed the bolo he was wearing. Made of silver and engraved with the image of a horseshoe, it was both familiar and memorable. “Is that Dad’s?” she asked raising her gaze to meet his.

  Chad looked confused at the sudden change of conversation, then realized what she was talking about. “Yes. Your mother let me borrow it. I don’t have one anymore.”

  Jordyn continued to stare at the familiar piece that her father had called his lucky charm, but Chad went back to the conversation at hand. “Anyway, she showed me some of her photos from magazines on her phone. Pretty impressive. And if she can afford to stay here for Christmas, she must be doing pretty well for herself, right?”

  “What exactly are trying to get at, Chad?” Jordyn didn’t really want to spend the rest of her evening talking about the woman in the red dress. “Just spit it out.”

  Chad opened a can of soda, poured it into a glass, and then regarded her thoughtfully. His deliberate, casual attitude came across as boldly intimating, and when he leaned back and sipped the drink slowly, Jordyn felt a wave of panic.

  “Like I said, she’s never heard of you. I just find it a little strange considering the fact that you’ve been traveling around the world for the past ten years in the exact same profession.”

  Jordyn felt impaled by his steady gaze as a tense silence enveloped the room. She swallowed hard, not sure how to respond.

  “And then there’s the snake, and about a dozen other things that just aren’t adding up. So I guess what I’m getting at is...” He leaned forward, his eyes clinging to hers as if analyzing her reaction. “What are you hiding?”

  Jordyn was so stunned by the suddenness of the question she didn’t know what to say. The minute she’d seen Chad, she’d known in her heart this moment was going to come—but not so abruptly and from out of the blue. She bit her lip and looked away, shaking her head as she tried to untangle the jumbled thoughts that left her unable to come up with a reasonable response.

  “I’m sorry, Chad. I never meant to leave you like that.” She shook her head and looked down, knowing that sounded like a weak excuse. “I never meant to hurt you.”

  “And let me guess,” he retorted angrily. “You never meant to lie.”

  Jordyn closed her eyes and prayed, asking for guidance on how to respond. He was right. She’d never meant to lie. And especially not to him. But the truth was just as hard to explain—and certainly more complicated—than the lie had been.

  She moistened her dry lips nervously as a flicker of foreboding coursed through her. She’d once been good at masking her inner turmoil with deceptive calm—but under his steady scrutiny she felt incapable of pretending.

  “Terra Gardez.” The name of the far-away town tumbled out though she’d had no intention of revealing this long-held secret.

  Chad nearly choked on the soda he’d just swallowed. “Excuse me? What do you know about Terra Gardez?”

  Jordyn paused, not sure she should continue, then plunged right ahead. “I was there.” She took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of relief the admission brought even though she’d not made the decision to confess it to him consciously. The sudden disclosure had been dredged from a place beyond logic or reason.

  “That’s not funny. Stop playing around, Jordyn.” The calm expression on Chad’s face was replaced with raw emotion. “You couldn’t have been there. It was me and three other guys on a rescue op, and one of them didn’t make it out alive.”

  Jordyn didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. She closed her eyes as guilt and grief consumed her—even though she knew it wasn’t her fault.

  Chad’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “The only way you could have been there is if—”

  She opened her eyes as his gaze darted back to her again.

  She nodded, trying to keep her own emotions under stern restraint. “You saved my life. I didn’t know it at the time, but—”

  He shook his head, obviously replaying the memory in his head. “No. It couldn’t have been you. The woman had dark hair...and she definitely wasn’t a photograph
er.” He flung the word out as if it were poison. “She was an intelligence officer...the only survivor on a military chopper that went down in enemy territory. Our mission was to rescue her.”

  Jordyn merely nodded as she thought about how unrecognizable she’d been. Her hair had been dyed black and she’d been pretty banged up. When she woke up in the field hospital after the rescue, her face was so swollen and her eyes so black and blue that she didn’t even recognize herself.

  Chad’s eyes remained fixed on the wall over her shoulder, as a wistfulness stole into his expression. She saw a nerve in his cheek flick indicating things were beginning to fall into place. The long absences without word to her family. The secrets. The lies. She watched the play of emotions on his face as he turned his steady eyes to her. “Who are you Jordyn Dunaway?”

  The door to the kitchen burst open just then and Mrs. Dunaway came hurrying in. “I was afraid I’d find you in here working instead of enjoying the party.” She motioned to Jordyn and then noticed Chad. “You too? Come on! It’s time for the sing-along!”

  As Jordyn followed her mother through the door, she felt Chad’s hand clasp hers and pull her to a stop. His touch was strong. Firm. Protective. Her heart thumped violently in her throat, but Jordyn didn’t say anything. She turned and looked up at him, afraid of what she would see. Distrust? Disbelief? Disapproval?

  It was none of the above. His look conveyed thoughtfulness, not judgment.

  “Let’s talk. Now. Just you and me.”

  Chapter 20

  The Christmas spirit is a spirit of giving and forgiving.

  – James Cash Penney

  Jordyn nodded once and then made her way to the closet for her boots and a coat. There was an inch of snow on the ground and more falling heavily, but neither one of them really seemed aware of it.

  The night was quiet until the sound of their breaths as they labored to climb the hill broke the stillness. Without warning Chad pulled her down on a bench beside him next to a small crackling campfire. “Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice sounded more disappointed than angry. “I would have understood about the job if you would have just told me.”