Merry Christmas, Cowboy

by Janet Dailey

  Zach slowed down. He realized that the sign was swinging slightly, although it hung in a sheltered spot and the wind had long since died down. He leaned forward and peered through the windshield.

  No one was by the front door. But it bothered him. He drove the pickup halfway around the block and turned off the headlights as he approached the empty parking lot.

  He was just in time to witness two boys scramble over the fence and jump down into an area that was deeply shadowed. They landed on sneakered feet. The second one stumbled but the other yanked him away. They ran into the night, not making a sound.

  No way in hell he could ID either one.

  Zach stayed in his truck. He found the flashlight he kept handy and drove near enough to give the back entrance to the mansion a once-over, rolling down the window. He’d have to climb the locked gate himself to get any closer.

  The heavy door was shut tight. No paint scrawls on the wall. The flashlight picked up the faint glitter of glass on the stairs. As far as he could see, the windows were all intact. But the double set of motion-sensor lights wasn’t functioning. He moved the flashlight beam up. One bulb was cracked.

  A well-aimed rock or a BB gun could have done that. More likely a rock, he thought. The running boys hadn’t been carrying anything. Zach sat there with his foot on the brake. A steady dripping sound penetrated his thoughts. He used the flashlight again to find the source of it.

  The cold snap had caused icicles to form above the housing for the lights. There were meltwater stains he hadn’t noticed around the electrical connection. The motion sensors might’ve shorted out from the drip at some point and frozen again when the temperature dropped, cracking one bulb and blowing the other.

  He’d let Paula do the detective work tomorrow. Zach doubted the boys would be back tonight.

  Chapter 4

  Paula brought her laptop with her the next day, going up to the attic room to run background checks using police databases. The new volunteers came up squeaky clean. They needed a replacement for Norville, who was going out of town for a week to visit relatives in Nevada. He’d promised to stay on until they found someone.

  Still, she preferred a personal recommendation for anyone who handled cash. Records could be falsified and crimes covered up, especially if they were minor.

  Paula heaved a sigh. The new people would have to be assigned to tree trimming and cleanup after closing time. She just wasn’t comfortable with handing over a key to a box that held more than a thousand in cash each night. If necessary, she could pitch in at the door herself.

  Fortunately, other basic security issues were covered for the moment—the broken motion-sensor lights had been replaced, for one thing, and the dripping icicles above them whacked away. Zach had told her what he’d seen in a matter-of-fact way without making any accusations.

  Her cell phone chimed. Edith’s number appeared on the screen. Paula picked up.

  “Hi there. How are things on the first floor?” It was easier to use cell phones than to holler up and down the grand central staircase.

  “I’m on the second,” Edith puffed. “On my way up to see you.”

  “Stay there. I can come down,” Paula offered.

  “No. I need to talk to you in private.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  Paula went to the door and opened it, looking out into the hall as Edith’s blond head appeared at the bottom railing of the stairwell. The last few steps had the older woman breathing hard. She paused on the landing.

  “That wasn’t so hard last week,” Edith grumbled. “You would think I’d be accustomed to the climb by now. I blame Christmas cookies.”

  “You could be right. Come on in.” Paula followed her into the room. “I brought a bag of baby carrots.”

  “I’ll have one. For medicinal purposes.” Edith helped herself from the bag on the table and sat down heavily on the bed, nibbling on the carrot. “The postdinner rush starts in an hour. There are more people every day. We need a doorman.”

  “I’ll put that on my list.”

  “Check with me before you assign anyone,” Edith said absently. “I have someone in mind.” She looked at the laptop. “What are you doing?”

  “Standard background checks on the new volunteers.”

  Edith frowned, a look of concern in her eyes. “I guess you have to, with so many people coming and going around here.”

  “Everyone so far comes up clean,” Paula reassured her. She sat down at the table and entered a password to get out of the databases. She put the laptop on standby, waiting a moment until the screen went dark. “So what’s on your mind?”

  Edith’s frown changed to a faint, sad smile. “Brandon. Who else?”

  “He’s been good as gold around here,” Paula said.

  “I know,” Edith replied. “But he’s not always here. He was picked up yesterday evening at the high school for hanging out under the bleachers.”

  “That’s not a crime. Not even a misdemeanor.”

  “The school was closed and the area’s posted. No loitering. They let him off with a warning.”

  “Was he alone?”

  “I didn’t think to ask,” Edith said thoughtfully. “I mean, he was by himself in the police station. But don’t they keep troublemakers separated?”

  “Yes. But I’m not sure if I would call what he did making trouble.”

  Edith gave her a mock glare. “Oh, don’t make excuses for him. I do it too often myself.”

  “If they let him go, sounds like no one took it too seriously. Kid, you can go. Sign here. Scram.”

  “Were you there?” Edith asked. “That’s exactly what the sergeant said.”

  “No. But I know how the station gets this time of year.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t complain,” Edith said. “You have enough to worry about on your day job.”

  “True enough,” Paula conceded. “But I forget about it when I’m here. I’m having a great time. Thanks for making me volunteer. It keeps me from putting in overtime.”

  She’d taken on too many extra shifts this year, banking the money for a down payment on a little house in the Denver suburbs. Except that she’d never gone to look at any. But the nest egg was growing. Knowing it was there almost made it worth it to deal with crooks and crazies day in and day out.

  Staying on the bed, Edith leaned back a little, bracing herself with one hand. “Someone had to drag you out of your apartment,” she replied. “Of course, I benefited and so did the Christmas House, but a gorgeous girl like you has to have some fun. Speaking of that, I heard you and Zach Bennett left together last night.”

  “We did. In separate cars. We got something to eat and then we went home. In separate cars.”

  “It’s a start,” Edith said impishly.

  “Think so?” The question was entirely rhetorical. Paula looked at her watch and got up. “Seven o’clock. I’m supposed to be downstairs.”

  Edith leaned all the way back onto the bed. “Tell everyone I’m resting. This bed is more comfortable than I thought.”

  Paula took her place at the entryway table next to Norville, who was sporting a loud red shirt with a green tie.

  “Glad you could make it,” he said. “I was getting lonely. Hey, before I forget, that Zach boy was just in here looking for you.”

  “Oh. What did he want?”

  “He didn’t say. But he’s been tryin’ to persuade me to play Santa for the big party. I told him I don’t have the time or the tummy.”

  Paula smiled. Norville was definitely on the lean side. “There’s room in that shirt for a pillow, and the party’s not for ten days,” she said. “I thought you were only going away for a week.”

  “Plans change. You have plenty of time to find someone else to ho-ho-ho. Fake beards make my chin itch.”

  She heard a muffled banging coming from the front doors and rose partway from her chair to see who was doing it. Several small hands were thumping on the glass. Parents pulled the children b
ack.

  “Edith’s right. We do need a doorman,” she said, rising from her seat and going around the table.

  Brandon stepped up and doffed a top hat to her. He ran a hand through his black curls, obviously not used to the way an old-fashioned topper could flatten hair. His hazel eyes gleamed with amusement.

  Paula opened her mouth in surprise, but he spoke first. “Good evening, Miss Lewis.”

  He put the hat back on his head at a jaunty angle and ran his white-gloved hands along the lapels of a dark, brass-buttoned overcoat. A candy-cane-striped muffler completed the look.

  “What? Where did you—”

  “My grandma said she doesn’t want me standing around doing nothing. She rented this getup. I actually kind of like it.”

  “You look great.” Paula admired him for a moment. Brandon seemed proud of the long coat and the glossy black top hat. The striped muffler was the perfect colorful touch. She gave it a tug. “Ready for the stampede?”

  “Yup.”

  “Go for it.”

  Brandon strutted to the doors and flung them open.

  “Happy holidays!” he called in a bright voice. “Line up, please!”

  The restless children stopped for a moment to stare at him, then obeyed.

  Paula caught a glimpse of the shy smile he received from a pretty brunette baby-sitter with dark doe eyes who seemed to be about his age. Brandon tipped the top hat to her and winked. The petite girl was as dazzled as if he’d been a rock star.

  He straightened and stood tall. Clothes make the man, Paula thought. It was nice to see Brandon truly happy. And it didn’t hurt that he had something to do that was all his own.

  A flash behind her brightened the entryway. Paula turned to see Edith standing there with a digital camera.

  “Just had to capture the moment,” she whispered. “I wasn’t sure he would cooperate. He’d give me heck if he knew I was taking pictures.”

  She stepped back just as Zach entered from the hall, bumping into him.

  “Oops, sorry,” Edith murmured.

  Bemused, Zach watched Edith scurry around him and away. The commotion at the front doors got his attention. He walked over to Paula. “What’s going on?”

  “Brandon is now our doorman,” she said.

  “How about that,” he said in a low voice. “He looks like he’s having a blast. I’m not sure I would want that job.”

  The two elementary-school boys with the baby-sitter made a beeline for the table. Other children and adults flowed past Brandon in an orderly fashion.

  Paula ran back around to help Norville collect admissions. Zach followed her and picked up the stamp pad. “Settle down, kids,” he said. “Everyone gets a star.”

  “I like the doorman,” the baby-sitter said to Paula. There was a dreamy look in her eyes.

  “That’s Brandon Clayborne,” Paula replied with a smile.

  “I like his name.”

  Zach stamped the girl’s hand. “Next, please.”

  The rest of the evening passed in a blur. A toddler had to be rescued when he escaped his mother’s hold and climbed up on the fake fireplace with stocking puppets. One tug on a toe, and the row of stockings burst into song. The startled toddler burst into loud wails.

  Once his tears were dried, he got over it—and turned out to be the last kid to leave, asleep on his dad’s shoulder.

  The volunteers were next, departing in groups of two and three, tired but happy. Edith brought up the rear. “Whew. Glad to go home,” she said to Paula. “Don’t stay too late.”

  “I won’t,” Paula promised. “I do a walkthrough when everyone’s gone and that’s it for me.”

  “We got the rooms pretty well cleaned up. Now, where is Brandon?” Edith called his name.

  In a few minutes, the teenager appeared. He looked like himself again without the brass-buttoned coat and top hat. But there was a new authority in the way he walked.

  “Here I am,” he said to his grandmother.

  “Did you hang up the doorman outfit?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I know I have to take good care of it. I will.”

  Edith rolled her eyes for Paula’s benefit. “Unlike the heap of clothes on his floor.” She propelled him to the front closet to put away his rented duds and then they left. A few more volunteers straggled out.

  But Paula knew she wasn’t alone. She hadn’t seen Zach go by. She quickly checked the reception room, the kitchen, and the rest of the first floor. He had to be upstairs.

  She listened, not hearing anything.

  A walkthrough on the second floor revealed no one. She looked thoroughly, having once found a young child in a closed store and reunited her with her frantic family. Things like that happened. However, Zach Bennett would be impossible to miss.

  Paula called up the stairs to the attic floor. “Zach? You there?”

  “Yes,” came the muted reply.

  Sounded like he was in the small room. Up she went, wondering why he was there, although she could guess.

  The door to the hall was open. She walked quietly to the room and hesitated on the threshold, looking at the big man silhouetted by the faint light from outside. Zach stood in front of the window, looking down into the parking lot.

  “Keeping an eye on things?” she asked.

  Zach turned to her with a smile. “Why not?”

  She went to the window and stood beside him. A light dusting of snow brightened the asphalt below. Footprints made intersecting tracks to various cars. Some were idling and some were backing up to leave.

  Brandon and his grandmother stood by the gate, waiting to enter as several vehicles drove slowly past them.

  Paula saw him put his arm around his grandmother’s shoulders and give her a brief hug.

  “Aww,” she said. “He really cares about her. It’s not easy for either of them right now, but somehow Edith always manages.”

  She had the feeling that Zach had set aside his initial doubts about Brandon, but it didn’t hurt to emphasize that he was a good kid.

  “Where are his parents?” Zach asked. “You never did say.”

  “I don’t think anyone knows. Even when he was little, he was with Edith most of the time.”

  “Maybe it was for the best.”

  Paula nodded. “I believe so. It’s not something I talk about with Edith.” She wasn’t going to tell Zach that she’d first met Brandon when he’d been brought in to the police station.

  She moved away from the window, looking at her laptop and making sure it was closed down before she disconnected the power cord. “I’m taking this home.”

  Zach cleared his throat. “Mind if I see you get there safely?”

  Paula wound the power cord into a neat bundle. “Second time you’ve asked. I’ve never had a problem. I live in a safe neighborhood.”

  His gaze moved over her. She avoided it, not liking the glint of amusement in the depths of his eyes.

  “Hey,” he said easily. “It’s just that where I come from, you get the girl to the porch and make sure the light’s on inside before you say good night.”

  What a line, considering he carried around a snapshot of his girlfriend and had to know she’d seen it.

  Paula gave a low laugh. “Oh. Is that all?” she teased.

  Zach shifted his stance a little. His hands were jammed in the pockets of his jeans. Something had changed between them. The confined space of the small room intensified the heat that had risen through the house during the day. Unless it was his very male and inescapable presence that was making her feel so warm.

  She slipped the laptop into its case and put it into her tote bag. When she straightened, he took a step forward. The slight smile he gave her was more sensual than amused. “Depends on the girl, I guess.” His voice was husky.

  Paula swallowed hard. “Okay.”

  Up here alone with Zach, suddenly without the constant distractions of a place filled with people and noise, all she could hear was the soft sound of his b
reath. She couldn’t ignore how incredibly attractive he was. From the moment she’d seen his photo in the cruiser, she’d wanted him.

  Too bad she knew there was a girlfriend. However, she hadn’t confirmed that for a fact. Paula was a stickler for the facts.

  Paula put down the tote bag and looked at him. “Well? I’m waiting.”

  Zach closed the distance between them and took her in his arms. His mouth was softer than it looked, covering hers and tasting her lips with an eagerness that made them part for his exploring tongue.

  Her hand was crushed between them, resting over his thudding heart as he pressed himself to her. As his dark head rose, Paula gave a little moan, wanting more. Zach’s warm breath stirred her hair as his fingers stroked through it, lifting the silken strands away from her neck. His hand moved down, gently rubbing her nape, then moved lower still to the small of her back. He pulled her top out of her jeans, caressing the bare skin. His touch was scorchingly sensual.

  He brought her even more firmly against him as he captured another, hotter kiss, his mouth searching and urgent.

  Paula arched her body, tilting her head back, letting her hair fall free. His lips lifted as he took advantage of the way she’d exposed herself, tracing kisses and skillful nips along the sensitive cord of her neck.

  She was lost in his embrace, falling, yet held. He had her exactly where he wanted her. Doing exactly what she wanted him to do without a word being spoken.

  There were no words for a kiss like this. It took all her strength to break away. Paula didn’t dare look at the bed behind them. She stepped back.

  Zach’s hands fell to his sides. But his gaze still held her.

  Chapter 5

  Paula tried to compose herself, tucking her top back into her jeans. She couldn’t look at him.

  “That can’t happen again,” she muttered. “Not here, anyway.” She got a hairbrush out of the tote bag and used the window as a mirror of sorts, turning her back to him. The lamp had never been switched on. The glass glowed darkly. She could barely see herself. She didn’t want to.