by Janet Dailey
Annie had an uneasy feeling about the call he hadn’t taken. It wasn’t like anyone needed the services of a surveyor after a snowfall. Who had wanted to talk to him?
Hmm. If he’d wanted her to know, he would have told her. There were just too many things she still didn’t know about Marshall Stone.
Annie climbed into the back of her truck and cleared off the tool chest that held a folding shovel. She straightened before she unlatched the tool chest, watching Stone stride around a corner. She figured he was going back to the restaurant. His truck was still there. Thank goodness Jelly Jam was nowhere near the town square, where her dad was probably helping to put up the blue spruce.
Annie clambered back out and got to work. The snow was nowhere near as fluffy as it looked. It had begun to melt, making it heavy, and a lot of it had turned to chunky ice where the sun didn’t reach. She cut through the chunks with the edge of the shovel and smashed them into small bits. It didn’t take her long to free the wheels. She opened the door and tossed the shovel into the passenger-side foot well and got in.
Time to face the music.
Annie circled the town square from a distance. Just as she’d thought, her dad was there, directing a two-man crew installing the blue spruce from the Bennett ranch. Tyrell was giving instructions and not doing any heavy lifting.
Annie found a parking space behind some evergreen shrubs, hoping he wouldn’t see her until the installation was completed. She left the key in the ignition and kept the heat on, then switched on the radio, listening to the weather report and then the news. No more snow for a while. Peace on earth at the moment. Good enough.
She leaned her head back, closing her eyes for a little while that turned out to be longer than she thought.
A rap on the window snapped her out of her doze.
Tyrell chuckled as Annie rolled it down. “Did I wake you up?”
“No,” she said defensively. “I was just tired, that’s all.” Annie wished she could take the words back the second they were out of her mouth. She didn’t want him to think she’d been up all night. As if she wasn’t in hot water already.
Her father nodded and made no reply. He moved away and she saw him go around the back of the truck in her side mirror. Soon enough, he’d reached the passenger-side door, which he opened, climbing in.
“The spruce looks good,” Annie said.
“It’s a fine tree.” Her father paused for a moment. “Now then. We need to talk.”
Annie braced herself. Tyrell had a way of getting to the point. And he did.
“It’s none of my business where you were last night. You’re not a child. And that’s all I have to say about that.”
No questions. No accusations. She quickly glanced at her father. He looked straight ahead through the truck’s windshield.
“I just wish you trusted me enough to tell me the truth. But maybe you felt you couldn’t.” Tyrell looked at her steadily. “Unless there isn’t anything to tell.”
“I didn’t plan to—it just sort of happened. Darla didn’t answer and I couldn’t reach anyone else and Nell had a friend over and the snow was really coming down, so . . . I ended up with him.”
“Where?”
Her father’s nonchalance didn’t last long, no matter what he said. Annie suppressed a smile.
“Nell’s rental cabin,” she answered. “He insisted that I take the bed. He slept on the floor with the dog.”
“Oh.”
The younger man from the tree crew, a heavyset guy in a padded flannel jacket, was heading their way. He waved when he caught sight of them behind the windshield and called to Tyrell.
“Be right there,” her father called back.
“Aren’t you done with the installation?” she asked.
“Apparently not. Anyway, there’s one more thing, Annie.”
“What?”
“I knew you didn’t pick up that information about surveying online. Our Internet’s been down for a week.”
Annie looked at him sideways, biting her lip. Busted. It was no use trying to act innocent. “Shoot. I never noticed.”
“Next time keep your story straight.” Tyrell opened the door and got out. “From what I hear, Stone is quite the dancer.”
“Dad—”
He shut the truck door before she could finish the sentence. So her father had guessed at some of what was going on even before this morning and had kept his mouth shut. Now, that she never would have expected.
She ventured a smile when he looked back at her. Tyrell made her wait for a few seconds before a faint smile creased his face. They understood each other. She couldn’t ask for anything more.
The man in the flannel jacket gave her a polite nod, and commanded her father’s attention as they walked back to the town square.
Relieved, Annie rested her hands on the wheel, thinking that the conversation could have gone very differently. She collected herself, and put the gearshift in drive, rolling away from the curb and turning down a different street.
Then she slammed on the brakes. A half block ahead, Stone’s gleaming black truck shot through an intersection with no light or stop sign. She saw his passenger for only a second or two. The redhead.
There went her good mood. Annie reversed and went in the opposite direction.
Then she pulled over. She wasn’t going to go back to the ranch or to the town square. No, she was going to stay on the side streets until she calmed down.
And do what? she asked herself.
Annie chastised herself for not thinking of Mrs. Pearson sooner. She would go by and make sure the old lady and her husband were all right. If they needed shoveling out, Annie needed the exercise. The frigid air might just cool off the heat of her temper.
So Kerry had called Stone. Now she knew why he hadn’t answered. Annie felt like a fool.
There weren’t many cars in the part of town where the Pearsons lived. The houses were mostly small and set on large lots, built back when land was cheap. No wonder Shep Connally had been trying to make friends with Mrs. Pearson. The area was home to a lot of seniors whose children had grown and gone decades ago.
Annie noticed the quiet. There were no kids making snowmen or forts or having snowball fights. No snowblowers, either, but then it hadn’t been a major storm and the bright sun would help melt a lot of it. She parked and made her way down the sidewalk, waving to a couple of hale-looking old guys in trapper hats who were out with big red shovels. Maybe Mrs. Pearson had hired someone to do her walkway.
She stopped at their mailbox. There were footsteps in the undisturbed snow, only one set, going to the door. Probably a woman’s. They were neat and narrow. Maybe a friend had stopped in.
Annie glimpsed the old lady through a window, waving at her. She waved back and hurried up the walkway to the porch. Mrs. Pearson had the door open before she’d raised her gloved hand to knock on it.
“Good morning, Annie. How nice to see you. Would you like some coffee?”
“No, thanks. Just had some.” Annie stepped into the small foyer and glanced toward the table, where a thirtyish woman with short, nut-brown hair was sitting, filling out forms. She looked up from her paperwork and gave a friendly nod.
“But you can stay for a bit, can’t you?” Mrs. Pearson asked Annie.
“Sure.”
“Then take off those warm things and come meet Jane Generosa. She’s a visiting nurse from the county. Nell contacted her. We’re finding out about some benefits and programs that could be very helpful.”
“That’s great. Hi, Jane.” Annie unzipped her jacket, stuffing her gloves into a pocket before she hung the jacket up on a hook.
“I’ll take a cup of coffee,” Jane said. “Good morning, Annie.”
It wasn’t only the sun that brightened the interior of the little house. The visiting nurse’s cheerful nature was clear from her broad smile and self-assurance. Nell had obviously forgotten to mention anything about this last night, but then Nell had been pretty cheerful herself. Annie
made a mental note to stop by the saloon and catch up with her.
Jane returned her attention to the forms, obviously finishing up her morning’s work.
Annie sensed immediately that the nurse was thoroughly capable, exactly what both Pearsons needed right now.
“You can sit there, dear.” Mrs. Pearson indicated a chair across the table for Annie and went into the kitchen.
Jack’s rumbling voice issued from inside it. “I took care of the coffee, Elsie. You don’t have to fuss.”
“All right then.”
The elderly couple reentered, Elsie behind Jack, who was holding a cup on a saucer. He set it down with care as Jane Generosa collected the papers and stacked them on one side. “Thank you, Mr. Pearson.” She relaxed and leaned back a little, her plump shape filling the chair.
“Call me Jack.”
Elsie put creamer and sugar on the table. She gave Annie a tiny, crinkly wink, no doubt noticing Annie’s surprise at seeing her husband in such a good mood.
“Glad you could make it to Velde,” Annie began, speaking to Jane. “No one was expecting this much snow.”
Jane lightened her coffee and sipped it appreciatively. “The main roads got cleared pretty fast. Of course, I always check the highway report before I head out.”
“Good idea.” Now Annie understood her dad’s early arrival in Velde. He must have cut and loaded the tree yesterday, and moved the truck into the garage when the snow started really coming down. She wondered who had helped him.
The four of them chatted for a little while. Then Jane gathered up her papers and put them into a canvas briefcase, sorting them out into the right pockets. “Thanks for the coffee. Too bad I have to leave,” she sighed. “This has been a really pleasant morning. If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me.”
“We will,” Elsie said. “But I do have a question before you go. On the home health aide.”
“There are several in this area, including one I’ve known for years. She just completed an assignment and I believe she’s free. I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”
“Thanks so much,” Elsie said, looking at her husband. He seemed agreeable to the idea, judging by his expression.
Jane Generosa located her business cards in a small pocket of the briefcase and put one on the table. Then she handed another to Annie. “It’s good to know the Pearsons have friends to look in on them. You can call me too.”
Annie nodded. She got the point.
“Where are you going?” Jack wanted to know.
The visiting nurse named a town that he seemed to remember. He nodded. “Drive carefully,” he said. “The roads stay icy longer out that way.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Annie, very nice to meet you.”
She rose from the table when the nurse did. “Yes. Same here. I’ll walk you out, since I stopped by to shovel the walk. Might as well get to it.”
Elsie didn’t protest or tell her to sit down, and neither did Jack. They were holding hands.
“I’ll take care of that and come back in,” she promised the couple. Annie had seen an old coal shovel, banged-up but serviceable, on the porch behind some wicker chairs. It would do.
She didn’t bother with her jacket as she went outside with bundled-up Jane. Just the gloves. Clearing the walkway would get her warmed up fast.
Annie said good-bye to Jane as she adjusted the shoulder strap of the canvas briefcase and went down the porch stairs. “Thanks so much,” Annie called after her.
“Just doing my job,” Jane replied with the same cheerful smile.
Annie watched her go, thinking there was much more to it than that for Jane. Satisfaction was the word.
She moved the wicker chairs and dragged out the coal shovel by its rusted handle. When she was done, she would make a stop at the hardware store and buy the Pearsons a lightweight one.
Annie hoisted the old shovel and went down the steps. She had cleared them all completely before she realized that she’d accomplished another objective: working off her anger at Marshall Stone, which was pretty much gone.
But not forgotten. She shoveled and scraped the walkway in record time.
Sooner or later Annie would have to go back to the ranch. But she swung by the saloon first, pushing open the door to see that every booth was full.
Nell and her son, Harold, were running back and forth between the bar and the beeping microwave, carrying snack items and sandwiches to the tables, along with pitchers of beer and canned soda.
Nell grinned at Annie, wiping her hands on her apron. “The whole town came in. What can I do for you?”
“Nothing. Just wanted to say hi. I went to the Pearsons’ house to see if they needed shoveling out and I met the visiting nurse.”
“Wonderful!” Nell beamed. “Wonderful. Did you like her?”
“Very much.”
“I don’t know her personally, but I do know the county official in charge of the program. He comes in here occasionally.”
“I see. Well, you would like Jane Generosa. She was filling out about a hundred forms so the Pearsons didn’t have to.”
Harold went by her, balancing a heavy tray. “Hey, Annie.”
“Oh dear. I have to get back to work.” Nell stepped away from the bar and Annie noticed the new addition to it. The model of a covered wagon that they’d seen in the shop window took pride of place in the center of the bar.
“Holy cow. Did you buy that?” Annie went right up to it to enjoy the details. It was protected by a glass case, but she could get much closer than she could at the shop.
“Yes, I did,” Nell said proudly. “I found out that the artist does the dioramas for a frontier museum in Telluride. And he is just the nicest man.”
Annie straightened. “What was his name again?”
“Chester Byron Hamilton. He brought it over yesterday before it started snowing hard.”
“Oh.” So that was the owner of the male voice in the background when she’d called Nell, looking for a place to stay. Annie had half a mind to ask if Chester had enjoyed snuggling over hot toddies. But she didn’t. The saloon was getting crowded and the jingle-bell wreath on the door was making a racket.
“Here come more customers,” Nell said gleefully. A party of young women in skiwear breezed in, talking nonstop. Annie thought she recognized a few from Rowdy’s fan club on the day he’d run away. But no redhead named Bunny or Kerry.
“I should go,” Annie said, taking one last look at the covered wagon on the bar. “I’m glad you bought that. It looks great there. And good luck with Chester.”
Nell sailed past her, the order pad in her hand fluttering. “I may be in love,” she murmured.
“Really?” Annie gave her an amused look.
“When you’re my age, you figure it out sooner. No time to waste, dear.”
“Whatever you say, Nell.”
Summoned by her son, who’d been besieged by the ski bunnies, Nell scurried away. Annie headed for the inner door, pulling on her gloves and pushing it open just as someone came through the swinging doors on the outside, a tall man who was silhouetted by the sun.
She nearly ran into Stone’s broad chest.
“Oh—it’s you. Hi.”
“Nice to see you too,” he said dryly. “You leaving?”
“Yes. Going home.”
“How did it go with your dad?”
Annie hesitated, not wanting to give him the time of day, let alone a straight answer.
“He was actually okay about it. Teased me a little. That was all.”
Stone nodded. “Good to hear. So I guess he’s not going to come after me with a shotgun or anything.”
“No. He didn’t seem to think my honor needed defending.”
Annie stepped to the side, about to go around him.
“Well, I have to go in,” he said with a trace of reluctance. “I’m meeting someone. They could be here already.”
Annie kept on going. “The place is packed.�
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“See you around.”
She pretended she didn’t hear him say that and she didn’t answer. Annie didn’t plan to return to town until the night of the Christmas pageant. And that was several days away.
Chapter 20
Annie was backstage, fielding complaints as she helped her little shepherds get into their burlap costumes.
“I’m hot.”
“This itches.”
“When do we go on?”
She responded to all of them simultaneously. “Go stand by the fan until the curtain opens. Stop scratching. You’re on right after the star.”
The choir director had decided on having Tina, a girl with a sweet soprano voice, play the Star of Wonder. She would climb a ladder to the painted sky, where there was a platform for her to sit on and sing a solo.
Tina stood in front of a mirror, tucking a few stray locks of her hair inside the silver-paper star that circled her face. Her mom tightened the elastic strap that held it on. The rest of her was draped in dark cloth the same color as the sky.
“Tina has a neat costume,” one of the boys said, a touch of envy in his voice. “I wish we could be stars too.”
“There’s only room for one on the platform. Now don’t forget to look up at her when Opal gives you your cue,” Annie advised them.
“We will,” they promised.
“Where’s that sheep?” she asked, looking around.
“Some of the high school kids made extras. We have a whole bunch now.”
“We do?” Annie looked around again, not seeing even one cotton-puff sheep. Then Nell’s son appeared, pushing a hand truck loaded with the new critters. “Oh. There they are.”
She waved Harold over so he could unload them. “They’re on skateboard wheels,” he explained. “And each one has a handle in back, so the kids can roll them along. Worked fine at the dress rehearsal.”
Something Annie had missed after not marking it on her calendar. “I’ll take your word for it.”
The boys did seem to know how to manage the prop sheep. They rolled them back and forth, working off a little nervous energy before the performance. The crew-cut kid who had stayed more or less in charge of the others set his sheep aside and went to peek through the curtain.
