Christmas With Hover Hill

by Risner, Fay

  After a long hesitation, he accused, “Did you have to run off without giving me a chance to change your mind? It might have helped if you had let me explain how much I care for you.”

  His tone caused indignant color to flare in her cheeks. “Nothing you could have said then or now would make any difference in the way I think about you.”

  A pickup raced toward the house and braked to a halt out front.

  Hover announced, “Farmer is here.”

  Elizabeth opened the door as Bud pounded up the steps. “Please come in. Steven is here.”

  “I heard. He talked to Susie.” Bud focused on Steven. “You aren't welcome here. Elizabeth wants you to leave and don't come back.”

  “I've come a long ways to get Elizabeth and that robot. They are coming back to Cedar Falls with me,” stormed Steven.

  “Now we are getting at the real reason you came. Hover is not going anywhere with you. Not now, not ever and I'm not either,” Elizabeth said as she took hold of Bud's arm for support and courage.

  “You lost out a long time ago with Elizabeth the way I hear it. Time for you to go back alone to where you came from.” Bud ordered, pointing at the door.

  “Those words aren't coming out of your mouth, Elizabeth. Come back to Cedar Falls with me. I have a teaching job now. You can go back to teaching. We'll be fine together,” Steven vowed.

  “As long as you can take Hover Hill with us is what you're getting at. Bud did a fine job of speaking for me. It seems you haven't heard a word I said. There isn't a we anymore. Hasn't been for years. I tried to tell you that in December after Scott and you tried to deceive me. Truth is, I'm moving in with Bud right away. I don't want you hanging around here trying to mess up my life again.”

  Bud's mouth flew open as he stared at her. Hover made a rumbling drone of surprise.

  “So that's the way it is. What about my robot? He cost me a lot of money. I want him back,” Steven demanded.

  “Hover wasn't yours the minute Scott gifted him to me as a Christmas present. I haven't any reason to give Hover away. Him I'm fond of,” Elizabeth retorted. “You can't have Hover now or ever. If you feel you need paid back talk to Scott about paying you. Now leave.”

  Steven marched out and slammed the door. Elizabeth felt drained. Relief caused her to sag down on the couch.

  Bud said, “You all right, Lizzy?”

  She gave him a weak smile. “I am now. Thank you.”

  Bud pulled the curtain back to see if Steven was really gone. “No problem. Does that man always dress like he's going to a funeral?”

  “Pretty much,” Elizabeth said.

  “That guy is a real piece of work. Am I reading him right? He didn't want you back as much as he wanted Robot,” Bud said as he sat down beside her.

  “You got it. Hover and I decided just yesterday that I wasn't the priority in the search for him and me. How did you know to come at just the right time?

  “I went to the diner for breakfast which I didn't get. Susie told me a stranger asked about you, I knew who it was and got here as fast as I could. I can see why you worried about facing that man. He don't take no for an answer until he's outnumbered.”

  “You got him pegged. Probably needed the money he paid for Hover for another poor venture with Scott,” Elizabeth said. “By the way, you surprised me. That was the first time you've ever called me Elizabeth.”

  “What I call you is none of that man's business. I just happened to think the name Lizzy fits you. Matter of fact, you surprised me, too. Did you mean it about moving in with me?”

  “She surprised me as well,” Hover droned from behind them.

  “Didn't you say Hover and I could stay with you until Dad leaves? That's the last of June. After he's gone, I can come back here if Dad doesn't mind.”

  Bud grinned from ear to ear. “I sure did say that. How soon can we start packing?”

  “Right away I guess. Do you have a hookup for a computer at your house so I can work on my book?”

  “You bet I do.”

  Chapter 14

  Elizabeth couldn't believe in two days they had her moved out. As far as her father was concerned, there wasn't a trace that she'd ever lived in his house. Hover had even boxed all the food in the cupboards to use at Bud's ranch style house.

  Elizabeth watched out the large kitchen window by the table as Bud left to do his chores. Buster barked loudly as he chased the tractor out of the driveway.

  The large dog was way too friendly to suit her. As a greeting the first time she stepped out of her car, he jumped up on her. She pushed him down, scolding him to stay away from her.

  Buster knew something was different about Hover. His nose wiggled in a sniffing frenzy until Bud scolded him and told Buster to go lay down. The dog did mind well and was harmless. She might get to like him once she got used to him, but she had never cared much for dogs.

  She finished her coffee and put the dirty cup in Hover's dish water. Hover asked, “Are you ever going to get married?”

  “Some day I might,” she mused.

  “To anyone I know?” He asked.

  Elizabeth patted his shoulder. “Maybe, Mr. Nosy.”

  “From around here?”

  “Oh, Hover! Stop asking so many questions. You will be the first to know when I decide what I'm going to do. I promise,” Elizabeth said.

  “I do not think I can trust you to keep that promise. You do not tell me everything. You did not bother to tell me we were moving in with the farmer immediately,” Hover complained.

  “I hadn't decided to move in with Bud until I was trying to get rid of Steven. That decision was made on the spur of the moment. I had to find some place to live right away. Besides if I'm living with Bud, Steven might give up bothering me easier. He won't want to tangle with Bud again.

  The change in my lifestyle would be hard to make. There is something to be said for being single. It's worked for me so far. I haven't seen the day yet when I couldn't take care of myself.”

  “That is quite a statement when you consider for countless days now I have been taking care of you, and just two days ago, Farmer and I had to defend you against Steven,” Hover bragged.

  “Fine! Have it your way. I'm going outside for some fresh air.”

  “Good, but do not fall into water again. Bud just left, and I can not save you from that without shorting out my transmitters,” Hover called after her.

  Elizabeth slipped onto the swing seat attached to the ancient oak tree in the front yard. She watched the birds flit from tree to tree. So much about this place she liked, including Bud. His home was modern but modest and comfortable. A homey place that suited Bud.

  The question was could she live here with him and be happy? All she knew was living in the city where people didn't do chores. If she went back soon she had her teaching position and an apartment she called home waiting for her. That meant going back to the same way she had lived before. The same old stagnant routine awaited her.

  Suddenly at the thought of leaving, she felt as if she couldn't breathe. Her chest tightened up. She whispered, “Elizabeth, breathe. Breathe deep.”

  Bud and her worlds were so different. This was the only one he had ever known. He was at home here. There would be no getting him to live in her world. He'd be too out of place and unhappy. In no time, he'd be headed back to Wickenburg and his farm without her.

  Now that he'd been used to her under his roof, it was going to be hard for him to let her move out again. He was going to be upset. Bud knew this arrangement was only for a month, but he seemed determined to come up with ways to make her want to stay with him. Sometimes, she thought he was as headstrong and pushy in his own way as Steven. She just liked the way Bud went about making his point better than she did Steven's way. She didn't have any intention of living with a man that she wasn't married to for the rest of her life. By the end of June, Bud and she could so easily slip into a married routine without the certificate. No, she couldn't let that happen even fo
r Bud Carter.

  That evening after supper, Bud said, “Lets go for a walk before dark.”

  “All right,” Elizabeth agreed. They ambled around the house and along the edge of the timber. She took a deep breath of fresh air. “I love the woodsy scent the trees give off. Oh, look! See the cardinal. Such a beautiful bird.”

  “He is that all right. There's an old saying. See a redbird at sunset, and you're going to be kissed twice before dark,” Bud predicted.

  “Do you suppose that saying comes true very much?”

  “Never had much chance to prove the saying one way or the other. My guess is it depends on the girl,” Bud said easily. He stopped, pulled Elizabeth around to face him and kissed her. “Dang! The saying must work.”

  Elizabeth stepped away from him. “Not quite. You said two kisses,” she quipped and sped away before Bud could claim the second one.

  Dusk was closing in on them. The sunset painted the western sky a brilliant red. The tree frogs and crickets had a symphony going on. Bullfrogs were making loud, deep croaks on the pond bank. Bud's cattle gave low dolorous moos in the pasture. All that nature noise was loud enough to drown out the worrisome thoughts in Elizabeth's head. She just wanted to enjoy the moment and the walk with Bud.

  Bud stopped her and pointed into the timber. “See that?”

  “Oh my! A fire in the forest!”

  Bud shook his head. “No, that's fox fire.”

  “What is that?” She inquired.

  “Let's turn around, and I'll tell you.” As they headed back to the house, Bud said, “That glow in the timber is a natural phenomenon. Old folks called the lights will-o'-the-wisps when they told stories about ghosts roaming in the woods. They didn't know any better, but now we can explain what we see. Actually, it's a gas given off from rotting leaves and dead wood.” Bud settled down on the swing seat and patted his lap. “Sit with me.”

  “Will the swing hold both our weights up?”

  Bud laughed. “We'll find out together, won't we? Better sit easy just in case.”

  Elizabeth eased onto his lap and smiled at him as their eyes met. “We didn't break the swing.”

  They stopped smiling and just looked at each other. The stare stretched into seconds, then minutes. As Elizabeth's head came near him, Bud kissed her. “Now the redbird saying came true for sure.”

  “So it did,” Elizabeth said. She picked her feet up and put her head on his shoulder. She stayed very still except for the strands of her hair picked up by the breeze that brushed against Bud's face.

  He put his arms around her and swayed the swing gently back and forth. “There's a Memorial Day dance coming up at the Legion Hall on Saturday. Want to go with me?”

  “To the dance? Are you sure you want to take me?”

  “Whew! I'm just glad I got the words out. If I didn't want to take you I sure wouldn't have worried myself about how to ask you,” Bud said. “You haven't a reason not to go now that you don't have to hide anymore. That must be a good feeling, Lizzy.”

  “It is,” she said.

  The evening darkened and cooled. Shadows gradually stretched across the grass, letting them know it was time to go inside.

  The next morning, Elizabeth woke up and started worrying immediately that she shouldn't have accepted the dance date. It wasn't fair to keep going out with Bud if he was expecting more from her than she could give.

  On the other hand, she didn't know how to tell him no. She did enjoy the Christmas dance they attended. One thing was for sure. If she went, she wanted to be dressed for the occasion. That meant all her dresses, folded in boxes, were wrinkled and not quite the style for the area. She didn't have a clue what to wear. A light bulb went off in her mind. Maybe Susie could give her some advice on what type of dress to pick.

  After Bud left the house, Elizabeth gulped down the last of her coffee. “Hover, want to go to Wickenburg with me this morning? I'm going to have to find a dress to wear to the Memorial Day dance.”

  “Why would you need me along?”

  “You can help me pick a dress.”

  Hover grumbled, “Oh, no! If I remember correctly, you told me that I was not programmed to choose your wardrobe. That still stands as correct.”

  Elizabeth relaxed back in her chair and studied him. “Do you have total recall on everything I've ever said to you?”

  “That is correct. My memory bank does not erase anything.”

  “All right, guess I'll go by the Maidrite and ask Susie to help me,” Elizabeth said.

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Hover droned.

  “Yes, I think so. You know the more I talk, the smarter your memory bank is going to get. That is the way I see it.”

  Hover replied, “We are both so very gifted, aren't we?”

  By mid morning, the Maidrite wasn't so busy. Elizabeth hoped Susie would have time to talk to her.

  Elizabeth sat on a stool at the counter. The waitress, Mary Beth, came over. “What can I get you?”

  “A cup of coffee. Is Susie around?”

  “Sure. She's in her office. You want to talk to her?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Mary Beth looked her over. “Can I give her your name?”

  “Yes, Elizabeth.”

  The waitress returned quickly. “Susie said to come back to her office to visit and bring your coffee.”

  “Thank you.” Elizabeth reached in her purse for change to pay for the coffee.

  “Susie said tell you the coffee is on the house. Go through that door, and you will see the office.”

  Susie was standing in the office doorway, waiting for her. “Morning, Elizabeth. What can I do for you this morning?”

  “I am completely flummoxed. I wondered if you could give me advice on a dress to buy to wear to the Memorial Day dance. I have all kinds of dresses, but I'm not sure what fashion is right to wear here.”

  “I see. Is Bud taking you?”

  “Yes, he asked. Did Bud tell you that my former boyfriend came to see me? I don't have to stay undercover anymore. Bud helped me convince the man I wanted him to leave and never come back.”

  “I am so glad. It will be good to see you out and about in town more now. So about the dance. Didn't Bud tell you the dance is a fairy tale costume dance?”

  Elizabeth said in surprise, “Not one word.”

  “Men! They don't seem to think that little bit of information is important for a woman,” Susie said indignantly.

  “That means I have to figure out what would be appropriate to wear. I don't even know where to look for such a costume. What do you suggest?”

  Susie said, “There's a small antique store three blocks south of here that has costumes to rent. Usually, the costumes are used for a Halloween dance. At this late notice, most of the costumes may be picked over.”

  “Oh, dear. That is a problem.”

  “Tell you what. Before the lunch crowd gets here, let me go with you. Maybe between the two of us we'll find something.”

  “Thank you so much. What are you going to wear?”

  “I'm going as Little Red Riding Hood.”

  When they reached the All Things Old store, Susie introduced Elizabeth to Holly Winterode, the owner. Dark haired Holly, in her mid thirties, asked what she could do to help them.

  Susie explained the urgent need for a costume gown.

  Holly groaned. “Not much to pick from now. As soon as the dance was announced, women flocked in here to get first picks.”

  “I was afraid of that,” Elizabeth said.

  “Are you sure there isn't a gown here that would be right for Elizabeth?” Susie insisted.

  Holly started to shake her head no then she brightened up. “Wait a minute! I put a gown in the back room that needed some work on the hem.”

  “I'd be glad to fix the hem,” Elizabeth said eagerly.

  “Oh, I got it fixed. I just forgot to bring it back out. Come see what you think?”

  Holly led the way behind a curtain into a ding
y storage room filled with broken and uncleaned antiques. Hanging on a nail was the gown she wanted them to see.

  Susie said, “Wow! That's really fancy.”

  “What fairy tale does that belong in?” Elizabeth asked.

  “It's Cinderella's dress.”

  “I'm surprised that wasn't grabbed up right away,” Susie said.

  “It would have been if I hadn't taken it off the rack. It's been needing the repair since last Halloween when Mary Peters wore it. She hooked one of her spike heels in the hem. Since there wasn't a demand right away for the gown, I didn't get in any hurry to fix it until yesterday.”

  Elizabeth moved closer to inspect the dress. The gown couldn't be very old. The material was still crispy new and bright looking. White satin covered with sheer material dotted with pearl beads. “What do you think, Susie? Is this gown a little over the top for me?”

  “No way! I think you, in that gown, will be the bell of the ball. I'd take it home if I were you.”

  Elizabeth said, “I'm not so sure about this, but what other choice do I have? I'll take it.”

  When Bud came home that afternoon, Elizabeth mentioned she had been to Wickenburg to look for a dress. “Why didn't you tell me the dance was a fairy tale ball? I wouldn't have known if your sister hadn't helped me. No telling what I could have worn that wasn't right for the dance.”

  Bud shrugged. “Sorry about that. I thought whatever you wore would be all right.”

  “Well, you thought wrong. Everyone is supposed to be in character.”

  “So who are you going to be?” Bud asked.

  “I'm not telling you. You just wait and see.” Elizabeth sounded like she meant it.

  After she left the kitchen, Bud whispered to Hover, “Do you know what kind of dress she bought for the dance?”

  “Yes, it is a Cinderella gown.”

  “Perfect,” Bud said, grinning from ear to ear.

  Later on Saturday, Bud said he had to go check the cows before they left for the dance. Elizabeth should go ahead and get ready while he was gone. Elizabeth thought that was strange. He usually did his cow checks early each morning. She did as Bud suggested and dressed in her gown.

  As usual, Hover stood sentry at the window while Elizabeth circled the living room several times, swishing in the full satin skirt. Finally, she forced herself to sit down. That didn't work. She couldn't stay still. She got up and made another circle.