Christmas in Cowboy Country

by Janet Dailey

  It would take all her self-control not to go for a fourth. She knew in her soul that his possessive closeness was partly to get back at her for refusing his invitation at Nell’s saloon and partly for show. Not all of the men were as friendly to him as Jim, and several had cast envious looks their way.

  He didn’t seem to notice them at all. The possibility that he might actually not be showing off crept into her mind. Tired of trying to figure it out, Annie rested her cheek just below his shoulder for an unthinking moment.

  She drew in a breath when Stone caressed her hair, cupping her head for a few seconds, then letting his hand drift down to her upper back.

  Instinctively, she leaned away, and her lower body arched against his. Oh my. He was all man and then some.

  Even with her mixed feelings about him, she didn’t see any reason not to enjoy the purely physical contact. He seemed to be of the same mind.

  And then the tune changed.

  Some requested a popular country song and the boot-scootin’ got started. So much for the magic, although the livelier dancing was fun. And exhilarating.

  Stone knew how to dance fast too. His steps anticipated hers. His hold was close but never confining. He led assertively without making her feel rushed.

  Her heart was racing as they moved in tandem, barely aware of the other dancers spinning around the polished floor.

  It just felt so damn good to be with him. Was she fooling herself?

  Annie didn’t have time to think about it before a young ranch hand cut in. He had a raw look to him, with shave-scraped cheeks and an overbite.

  “She’s all yours,” Stone said with a smile and a wink at Annie. He whispered in her ear just before he handed her over to the competition, “Save the last dance for me, girl.”

  Had he really said that? Her new partner grabbed her hand, swung her out and brought her back before she could think.

  “Hey there. My name’s Eddy.”

  He was athletic and a little rough in contrast to Stone’s smooth strength, rushed and careless where Stone had taken his time.

  Hell. Annie kept up. She couldn’t dance with the same man all night. And eventually she had to get back up on stage and give Nell a break. She was going through the motions with Eddy and both of them were sweating.

  Gasping for air as the song concluded, she quickly thanked him and made her escape.

  Annie clambered back up on stage, not missing Nell’s wary look or the manicured hand on the mike switch.

  Click. It was off.

  “Are you still mad at me?” Nell inquired. “I really didn’t plan for Stone to show off like that.”

  “No, I’m not mad. Just interested to know why you think he was showing off.”

  “Um. Well, maybe that was an unkind thing to say, under the circumstances. And the hundred dollars was a nice gesture, don’t you think?”

  “Yes. Here it is. I almost forgot about it.” Annie took it out of the arrowed pocket of the cowgirl shirt. She’d hoped for a more enlightening answer. But it wasn’t the time or place for a heart-to-heart talk with Nell or anyone else. She checked the cheat sheet. “Who’s on next?”

  Nell pointed to the band. “The Banjo Brothers. You will not believe how well they play. Then there’s an intermission. Then we start up again with the Cowcatchers. They’re a novelty band and they’re pretty funny. You all set?”

  “Yes. Thanks for covering for me. Hey, do you think you could ask someone on the crew to ease up on the spotlight?”

  “I sure will.”

  Annie stood at the stand, watching Nell wend her way to the man at the light board. She breathed with relief when the spot on her dimmed down. She could see the dancers now.

  There was Marshall, with a new partner, a petite girl in a crop top who had trouble keeping in step with him, though he was doing his best. She stopped and started up again several times.

  Just watching him be so nice to someone else was even more frustrating. From every angle, he moved like the real deal. Annie would have loved to take the girl’s place. But she had to stay where she was. Another, bolder woman elbowed his partner aside and got her claws into Marshall, tossing her hair around and smiling extravagantly.

  The shameless hussies were out in force tonight. Annie thought ruefully that she had definitely qualified as one herself. It bothered her a little to watch, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  No matter who Stone was partnering, he danced like a dream.

  There was something unique about the way he held a woman. As if he had her safe and could get her all excited at the same damn time. The one he was with now was flushed and laughing.

  He was so close to her and yet his expression seemed far away, watchful and remote. He guided his partner into a turn and looked over her head, straight at Annie.

  Even at this distance, his gaze burned into hers. Annie was transfixed. The drummer ended the song with a crash of cymbals and she jumped a little. As the band left the stage and the Banjo Brothers came on, she studied the cheat sheet. When she looked up, Marshall had left the dance floor. She spotted his flirty partner with someone else. Easy come, easy go.

  Annie cleared her throat and switched the mike back on. “And now . . .”

  She got through the introductions without a hitch, even as her gaze swept the hall for some sign of Marshall. Not there. Maybe he’d left. At least he hadn’t left with Miss Teeth & Claws.

  The Banjo Brothers began a dazzling set, building up melodies and breaking them down again with not one wrong note. The music was almost too complicated to dance to and a lot of people seemed happy to take a break and listen intently.

  Annie did the same, carrying out a high stool from the wings so she could man her post and still watch the band on stage. The banjo players slowed it down and played tunes from mountains far away, softer songs that sounded lonely.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. Marshall Stone had gotten onto the stage without her being aware. He could move with the stealth of a cat when he wanted to. A very big cat.

  Annie shrugged off his hand. He made no comment on her response. “Hey,” he whispered. “I was wondering if you wanted to get together after this wraps up.”

  “Um—I don’t know,” she whispered back. “I probably should stay late and help Nell.”

  “Is that something you have to do or are you just avoiding me?”

  “Why would I avoid you?” she asked innocently.

  “I wish I knew.” The deep grooves around his mouth tightened.

  She relented when she saw that. “Check with me later, okay? I really do have to stay here. There’s an intermission after these guys. Maybe Nell can take over after that.”

  The band played even more softly and he made no response beyond a nod. Stone left the stage with a silent jump down to the dance floor.

  The leader of the banjo band nodded to one of his brothers and they picked up the pace with an upbeat tune for four. Annie cheered up some and hummed along as the men sang in close harmony. She turned around on the stool to make sure everything on the dance floor was as it should be and realized that she had another visitor.

  The redhead in the pink sweater was in front of the stand. Only tonight she was wearing an interesting shade of green that brought out the color of her eyes. Annie didn’t know what to say. The redhead took the initiative.

  “Hi. We met the other day when you were with Marshall. You’re Annie, right?”

  She must have arrived too late to hear Nell’s introduction.

  “Yes, I am.”

  Annie really didn’t want to ask if she was Bunny. But she didn’t have to.

  The redhead volunteered her name. “I’m Kerry.”

  Annie swallowed hard. “Hi.”

  “How’s Rowdy?”

  Save me, someone. Annie looked around. No one else was near the stage. She would have to be nice and not say anything sarcastic. “Fine, I guess. He’s not my dog.”

  “Oh. Just asking.”<
br />
  Maybe, Annie thought, Kerry doesn’t know Marshall Stone much better than I do.

  “Well, nice to see you again. Just thought I’d say hi. Great dance.”

  “I’m glad you’re having a good time.” That line barely got out of her mouth. But in more ways than one, Annie Bennett was a co-hostess of the dance. There were no scheduled catfights and she wasn’t going to start one.

  “One more thing. Have you seen Marshall?” The redhead’s green eyes sparkled.

  Annie shrugged. “He came up and said hi too. That was about five minutes ago. I don’t know where he is now.”

  Something in her tone served as a warning to the other girl, who actually backed away, giving a tentative wave. “Thanks. I’ll look for him.”

  Annie waved back. “You do that.”

  She pleaded a headache to Nell during intermission.

  “Oh dear. I’m so sorry. It is awfully loud up here.”

  Annie nodded. She hadn’t thought of that as an excuse, but it would do.

  She handed back the hat before she went to find her jacket. “I’ll bring the shirt back tomorrow, if that’s okay.”

  “That’ll be fine,” Nell said. “And you can hang on to the hat for now. Are you sure you’re okay to drive home?”

  “It’s only a headache. Don’t worry.”

  Annie zipped up her jacket and put the Stetson on her head again.

  “You look darling,” Nell said. One of the musicians called to her and she said a hasty good-bye to Annie, bustling past the drum set and knocking over the hi-hat, which clanged as it hit the floor.

  Annie grinned, then remembered her alibi and kept a straight face. She headed directly for a side exit to avoid the people milling around in the front area. The heavy door was unlocked per fire regulations as she’d known it would be. She stepped outside into bracingly cold air and breathed in gratefully. The sky overhead was crowded with thousands of stars that sparkled in the frigid air.

  She’d be fine once she got back to the ranch.

  Annie looked for her truck, not seeing it at first. But then she’d come in through the front, not the side. She spotted it and walked that way. A deep voice stopped her.

  “Going somewhere?”

  Marshall. She turned around. Alone. Thank goodness for that. Clearly, Bunny didn’t hop fast enough.

  “Yes. Home.”

  “I thought you wanted me to check back with you.”

  It was no use wasting a sweet-as-pie smile on him when he couldn’t see it. A plain reply would do. “I changed my mind.”

  “Thanks for letting me know.”

  Annie flipped up the collar of her jacket and turned to walk away. She could hear his footsteps crunching in the light snow as he followed behind her.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Stone caught up to her. “Can I ask what’s on your mind?”

  “Sure. Nothing.”

  “You got pretty close on the dance floor. Why so distant now?”

  “I don’t feel well.”

  He fell silent. But he stayed with her. “I’m a big girl,” she said. “I don’t need to be walked to my truck. Besides, we’re here. This is it.”

  “No, it isn’t. Red, yes. Yours, no.”

  Annie swore under her breath. He was right.

  “I’ll help you find it. Did you park to the east or west of the entrance?”

  “I don’t know,” she mumbled ungratefully, walking on. “Did you bring your surveying equipment? We could use the telescope thing.”

  “I don’t need it. I happen to know exactly where your truck is because I took the space right by it.”

  “Why didn’t you say that in the first place?”

  He stopped her with a firm hold on her arm. “Look, Annie, I don’t want to argue with you. I just want to get you safely to your vehicle, if you’re heading home. Can we agree on that much?”

  She heard a clear feminine voice calling his name. Stone’s expression didn’t change and he didn’t answer. She spotted her truck at last, looking small next to his big black shiny monster.

  The voice rang out again. “Marshall? You in the parking lot?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Friend of yours?” she asked icily.

  “I don’t know the voice. I danced with a lot of women.” He didn’t budge.

  “Tell me about it. See you around.” She pulled away from him and opened the cab door with the remote on her key ring, zooming off as soon as the engine roared to life.

  Annie made a stop at a convenience store just outside town, needing to calm down before she hit the road. She could leaf through a couple of magazines, pretend to read for a half hour. Annie hated to admit to being upset. She wanted to walk in through the ranch house door with a smile on her face and not deal with curious looks or tactful questions from her parents.

  The selection of reading material on the rack was a little limited, but Annie made do with New Potluck Suppers and even peeked into Auto Repair Monthly before she picked up a quart of milk and some off-brand cookies that were probably stale. She tossed a packet of beef jerky onto the counter for her dad and bought the potluck magazine for her mother, paid for all of it with a twenty, then walked back to her truck.

  She clicked open the door and put the bagged items on the seat before she got in, turning at the sound of an engine humming by. A new, high-powered engine that belonged to a big shiny black truck.

  Annie just glimpsed Marshall’s rugged profile. He didn’t look to the side and didn’t see her. A semi came over the rise in the road and bore down on his truck, going well over the speed limit, honking its horn. The driver swerved dangerously to pass him. Annie realized she’d been holding her breath when she saw his taillights continuing on not too far down the road. She guessed he was okay.

  And not only him.

  He wasn’t alone in the cab. There were two heads silhouetted in the glare from the headlights of a smaller, oncoming truck. He drove away too fast for her to tell whether his passenger was male or female.

  Annie told herself that she didn’t care.

  Chapter 15

  “That was close.” Kerry leaned forward to try and see the semi around the next bend. “You don’t think he was following us, do you?”

  Stone shot her a disbelieving look. “He just passed us. Try a little deductive reasoning. He’s probably trying to make it over the mountain before a storm hits. Happens all the time at higher elevations.”

  “Yeah. I knew that.”

  “So what the hell happened to your phone? I’ve been trying to reach you.”

  “Stolen.”

  Stone glanced over at his colleague. “Anything sensitive on it?”

  “No. I upload my notes into the agency cloud and clear the memory every day.”

  “Where was it when they took it?”

  “In my car,” the redhead answered. “That’s the last place I had it. My best guess is that it slipped out of my pocket and fell under the seat before I knew it was gone. Please don’t give me a lecture.”

  “I wasn’t going to.” He kept his hands on the wheel as the grade got steeper, listening absently as the engine kicked up a notch to handle it. “Someone was prowling around my truck the other day.”

  “Did you catch him? Or should I assume it was a bad guy?” she asked dryly. “Could have been one of your many female fans.”

  “Give me a break. I can’t help it if the ladies love me. And no. Nothing was taken. I didn’t really see the person.”

  “Rowdy didn’t bark?”

  “He sniffed the door latch, so I guessed someone tried it to see if I’d left it unlocked and ran when I showed up with Annie.”

  “Ah,” the redhead said. “Your new girlfriend. Is she staying in that cute little cabin you rented?”

  “No. And she’s not my girlfriend.”

  “You danced with her like she was,” Kerry teased.

  His jaw set in a stern line as he managed not to react. “So what?” Stone
said finally. “I like dancing.”

  “Don’t we all.” Kerry snapped on the radio and hummed along with a forgettable song. “Looked to me as if you really liked her. But maybe like is not the operative word.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  Kerry leaned her head back. “Mind if I play life coach?”

  “Yes. You’re a junior agent and I outrank you. Also, and don’t take this too personally, you’re a kid. I don’t need advice from someone who graduated from college a year ago.”

  Kerry seemed unruffled by his sharp retort. “Don’t you ever get tired of ricocheting from state to state on all these boring assignments? Real estate fraud isn’t exactly thrilling.”

  “It could get rough. This is a multistate investigation and the racket is making millions. You think these guys are going to be writing us thank-you notes after we slap cuffs on them?”

  Kerry hummed some more. “Nope. I’m just trying to point out the obvious. You’ve been on the road too long.”

  “I appreciate your concern. So where do you want me to leave you?” He nodded toward the lights of the town ahead.

  “My car is by the movie theater next to the motel.”

  “Is that where you’re staying?”

  “Yup. When I’m not pretending to be a ski bunny.”

  Marshall slapped the steering wheel. “Which reminds me. I told Annie your name was Bunny. You didn’t happen to talk to her at the dance, did you?”

  A strained silence fell. “I not only talked to her, I introduced myself. As Kerry. I wondered about the look she gave me. Other than that, I would say that she seems like a nice person.”

  “She is.”

  “And she’s really beautiful. You blew it, Stone,” Kerry said gleefully.

  “Yeah. Big time.” Marshall groaned. “Goddamn it. No wonder she suddenly hates my guts.”

  His partner in crime fighting began to laugh. “You’re not going to be able to dance your way out of this one.”

  He cursed a blue streak as he made a right turn into the alley that ran between the movie theater and the motel.

  “Are you still sure you don’t want my advice?” Kerry needled him.