by Regina Duke
Keegan slumped like he’d lost all the bones out of the top half of his body. “I know. But someday, when I’m older, you’ll say yes. I’m just practicing until then.”
Krystal suppressed a laugh. “I see. Well, come in and get a cookie instead. Call David on the phone. If you want to visit, I’ll talk to his parents and drive you.”
“That’s okay. I’ll play with the Garcias.” He dropped his bike on the ground and bounded into the house. “After my cookie!”
Krystal shook her head in mock exasperation. She started to close the kitchen door and her gaze wandered again toward the arena. She couldn’t see through the walls but in her mind’s eye, she saw her foreman the way she’d seen him earlier. Zach looked so good when he was working with the horses. She shook her head. No sense in getting all hot and bothered. It’s not like she could do anything about it. Not yet, anyway. She pulled her gaze back across the snow and spotted Keegan’s bike. His bright red bike. Fire engine red.
CHAPTER FOUR
MARIA HAD COME DOWNSTAIRS WITH A freshly diapered Kissie. Keegan was at the table with a glass of milk and a trio of cookies on a plate. Cookie guided the toddler’s legs into the high chair. Kissie squealed a greeting. She smashed her cookie in half a dozen pieces on the tray of the chair.
“You ladies are going to spoil that baby beyond recovery,” Krystal said gently, shedding her winter coat. Beneath it, she wore a pale blue vee-necked fleece over a thin white turtleneck top. Her lined jeans felt a bit warm for indoors, but she was planning to go right back out once Megan’s lesson was done.
Cookie’s cheeks were red from the heat of the oven, and heavenly smells filled the kitchen. She took Krystal’s coat and hung it on a peg near the back door.
“Would you like some tea?” Cookie asked.
“Yes, please. Are you planning to feed all those cookies to my children?”
“Oh no, ma’am,” Cookie said seriously. “I plan to share them with Maria and the Garcias and then eat a few myself.”
Krystal laughed out loud and took a seat at the table next to her son. “In that case, I think I should do some taste testing, don’t you, Keegan?”
He nodded eagerly. “That’s what I’m doing, too, Mom.”
“Such a helpful young man,” said Krystal. “Any sign of Kevin yet?”
Keegan answered innocently, “He’s real busy today. He said he had to go to a big meeting in Eagle’s Toe. It sounded boring. Chunky wanted to go with him, but Kev said no dogs were allowed.”
“Undoubtedly boring, then. Speaking of which, where are the dogs?”
A tale thumped the floor beneath the table. Krystal leaned over to take a peek. All three Labs were curled up together around the children’s chairs.
“I should have known.” Krystal accepted a dessert plate with three cookies on it. “They look delicious, Cookie. Maria, I thought you, Checo, and Rosalinda were taking the boys to New Mexico for Christmas with your other sister. Shouldn’t you be on the road?”
Maria looked sad and apologetic at the same time. “Checo’s car won’t make it. It’s at the garage, but Mr. Felton says it’s in very bad shape.”
“Oh dear. Well, what if your sister came here?”
Maria’s eyes widened with hope. “Could she?”
“I don’t see why not. If Checo and Rosalinda don’t have enough room in their little house, they can dust out one of the guest cabins and make sure the furnace and cookstove are working. You won’t be expected to do household chores on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but you’re welcome to remain in your room here in the big house.”
Maria’s features slid from hope to joy to gratitude, but ended unexpectedly on a note of disappointment. “Teresa, our sister, she doesn’t have a car. And she has six kids. I don’t know if she can afford the bus. But thank you, Mrs. Krystal. That is such a kind offer.”
Krystal pretended that she knew all along that the woman had no car. She didn’t want to embarrass Maria. “Transportation will be provided, of course. If you could write down Teresa’s phone number?”
Maria did so eagerly. “Cookie, may I run over and tell Rosalinda the good news? Then I’ll come right back to do dishes.”
“Of course!” Cookie wiped flour off her hands on a kitchen towel. Once Maria left, she said to Krystal, “You are a very generous woman.”
Krystal said wryly, “Just because my Christmas present refuses to arrive doesn’t mean I can’t help others get what they want.”
Keegan’s face lit up. “Really? Does that mean I get a go-cart?”
Krystal pinned him with a stern glare. “In the middle of winter? Where do you plan to drive a go-cart in this weather?”
Keegan sagged in his chair. “That’s a no, huh?”
“Let me see your Christmas list again. Since when is there a go-cart on it?” Krystal tried to stay serious as Keegan frantically dug through his pockets to find his Christmas list.
“Here it is!” He unfolded it and thrust it at his mother.
Krystal cleared her throat. “Well. Let me see. Why, you were pulling my leg. There’s no go-cart on this list.” She made noncommittal noises as she moved her finger down the long list of ten-year-old desires. Then she frowned. “But there are certainly extras on this list today. When you showed it to me last week, it was much shorter. And what do these stars mean?”
“Stars?” asked Cookie.
“Yes. There are stars next to some of the new items. Baby chicks, starred. Miniature donkey, starred. Two kittens, starred.” She narrowed her eyes and looked askance at Keegan. “What’s going on?”
Keegan fidgeted in his chair. At last, he sighed like a martyr and hung his head. “Those are for kids at school. They aren’t getting much this year, and I just asked what they would want if a miracle happened.”
Krystal’s eyes filled with tears of joy. She struggled to keep her voice even. “These are very generous gifts, dear. But these are all living things. That means their parents have to approve. They may not be able to afford a barn for the donkey or a coop for the chickens. And they might be allergic to kittens. Your desire to help your friends is a noble one, but these gifts may cause more problems than joy.”
The kitchen door opened and Megan entered, bringing a rush of cold air with her. “Cookie, quick! I need two big mugs of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies for Zach and Checo. If I go back to the barn empty-handed, I’ll have to muck stables.”
Keegan jumped up. “I’ll go help.”
“Put on your coat and your ear muffs,” said Krystal. “No more ear aches this winter, remember?”
“I remember.” Keegan was already stuffing his arms in his coat. At the door, he jammed his ear muffs on his head. “See ya!”
Megan looked impressed. “Wow. Helpful, isn’t he? Gee, I wonder what could be bringing out this streak of humanitarianism?” She grinned at Krystal. “Don’t you love Christmas?”
Krystal smiled back at her. “Did he say anything to you about his amended Christmas list?”
Megan bent to plant a kiss on her daughter’s head. She peered at the list Krystal held. “Interesting.” She dropped her voice to a stage whisper. “Does that mean I have to return his new PlayStation?”
Krystal laughed. “I hardly think so. He wanted us to get these animals so he could give them to his school friends.”
“Really? Kittens are a fairly common wish. A miniature donkey? Maybe. But chickens? What kid asks for chickens for Christmas?”
“Some young and very practical 4-H member, I suppose.” Krystal held up a separate paper. “Excuse me, I have to go make some phone calls.”
Cookie’s rotund form shook with laughter. “Mrs. Krystal is playing Santa Claus, and she wonders where Keegan gets it from.” She poured a panful of hot cocoa into a large thermos. “Here you go, Megan. I put two mugs in the paper bag with a dozen cookies. The thermos will keep the cocoa warm out there.”
Megan clapped her hands together. “Thank you. As soon as I deliver these, Kis
sie and I can go upstairs and take a hot shower.”
Cookie opened the door for her. Megan paused. “Krystal playing Santa Claus must be the reason Checo and Rosalinda started chattering in Spanish and their kids were jumping up and down. Santa had better watch out. Someone is after his job.” She winked at Cookie, then left with her goodies.
CHAPTER FIVE
BY THE TIME KRYSTAL FINISHED ARRANGING for Maria’s sister and six kids to be picked up by Brady Felton’s special Christmas Express bus, it was nearly suppertime. She still hadn’t had a private moment with Zach. She wandered into the kitchen, feeling lonely in her own house. Cookie was seated at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate and reading a magazine.
“Oh, Mrs. Krystal, you startled me. Can I get you something?”
“No, thank you, I’m fine. Just at loose ends.” Krystal sighed heavily and glanced at the rooster clock on the wall. “Kevin is still in Eagle’s Toe?”
“As far as I know, ma’am.”
Krystal tilted her head to one side. “The house is suspiciously quiet. Where are the children?”
Cookie smiled. “Megan took Kissie upstairs. Keegan is playing with the Garcia boys. And I haven’t heard a peep out of Karla since she came down for supplies.”
Krystal longed to head for the barn. After encouraging Kevin to spend $300,000 on an indoor arena large enough to use for official equestrian events, she’d had little opportunity to use it herself. And besides, chances were very good that Zachary King would be there.
But her mother’s heart insisted she check on Karla. After all, losing her best friend to an unexpected relocation was more than enough to set Karla back months in her social progress.
“I think I’ll go see if Karla is all right,” said Krystal. “With all the cookie consumption today, let’s just do soup for dinner, shall we? Say, seven?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Then Krystal thought better of it. “You’ve already put in a full day, Cookie. If you’ll leave the soup on the warmer, Megan and I will handle dinner and the cleanup.”
“Oh, Mrs. Krystal, that is so sweet of you. Thank you. I was hoping to run into town before that snow moves our way.”
Krystal smiled at Cookie. What good did it do to give someone a Christmas bonus if they didn’t have a chance to enjoy it?
With that, she headed for the front staircase. Before she reached it, someone knocked on the front door. Maria was nowhere in sight, so Krystal opened it.
“Yes?”
The man at the door was wearing a down jacket, but he was hatless and gloveless. His nose and cheeks were red with cold, and his bony hands were curled into fists. His breath hung in the air.
“I’m Mindy’s father.” As he spoke, a tall skinny woman rushed to his side. She was not dressed for the cold, wearing only a sweater.
Krystal recognized Mindy’s mother at once. They’d met many times at school events. She was an older version of her daughter. “Vivian, so good to see you. Won’t you come in?”
“Thank you, Krystal.” Without waiting for her husband, Vivian stepped inside. “We can’t find Mindy. We’re hoping she’s here. This is my husband, Walter.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Krystal, closing the door behind them. “Please, come in. May I offer you something warm to drink?”
“No,” barked Walter. “Just my daughter.”
Krystal was taken aback. Walter’s mood was in stark contrast to the Christmas cheer of the front room. The floor-to-ceiling tree was lit, and Maria had outdone herself on the decorations. Krystal didn’t have the heart to tell her that she didn’t need to use every decoration in every box. But none of the charm seemed to affect Walter. Krystal responded calmly, “I haven’t seen her, but I’ll check with Karla.”
As she headed for the stairs, Megan was coming down with Kissie on her hip. “Is everything all right?”
“Megan, dear,” said Krystal softly, “would you mind taking a carafe of tea to the sitting room? Mindy’s parents are here, and her poor mother looks half frozen.”
“Of course. I’ll put Kissie in her playpen.”
“Thank you. I’ll go check on Karla.” And up she went.
She knocked softly on her daughter’s door. “Karla? It’s Mom. May I come in?”
No answer.
Krystal knocked again. “Karla? Are you in there?” She tried the knob. It turned and she entered. The room was dark. She brushed the wall switch and three small lamps glowed from different corners. No Karla. Krystal frowned. Something was different from earlier in the afternoon. Then she realized what it was. The lime green backpack was gone. In its place was the stack of books and notebooks that had been inside it. And there was no sign of a cluttered snack tray or any hint that a teenager had consumed food in the room.
Dreading what she would find, Krystal opened a closet door. Relief flooded her when everything looked in order. She checked the calendar on the back of the door, hoping against hope she’d see a school event or some note about a Christmas party at a friend’s house. Nothing.
Krystal left, pulling the bedroom door closed. She already had her cell phone in her hand to dial Karla’s number. A moment later, she heard a musical tone inside Karla’s room. Her daughter was either on the property or she didn’t want to be found. An ice cube of worry chilled the space near her heart, but she forced herself to look calm and collected as she headed back downstairs.
Megan was being the perfect hostess, although Walter was still standing and working hard at remaining gruff. Vivian was a bundle of nerves, but she cupped her warm mug gratefully and leaned close to the wood stove, where embers still glowed. Three faces looked expectantly toward Krystal as she entered the sitting room.
“Karla is not in her room,” she said calmly. “But she must be close by. She didn’t take her phone.” As she spoke, it occurred to her that both girls might be in the arena. When they weren’t doing homework, they were always in the arena. Krystal held up a finger, then pressed a speed dial number on her phone. “Hello, Zach? Are Karla and Mindy in the arena or in the barn? … I see. Well, thank you for checking.” She hung up and frowned. “They aren’t out back.”
Megan went to the window and peered toward the side of the yard where Karla liked to park her Jeep. The look she gave Krystal betrayed her findings before she spoke. “Her car is gone.”
Walter made a rude noise. “That’s just dandy.” He turned to his wife. “I told you it was time to get her out of Eagle’s Toe and away from all these—” As if realizing for the first time where he was, he cut off the rest of it.
Krystal smiled wanly. “All these what, sir? Bad influences? What do you think the girls do when they’re together?”
Walter sputtered, then looked to Vivian. She looked mortified. “Oh Krystal, he’s just afraid Mindy will be disappointed with life after spending so much quality time with Karla. No one in our family can afford to keep horses or dream about going to a major university. Until Walter got this new job in Las Vegas, we didn’t think she could go to college at all. But with this move, she’ll be there in plenty of time to qualify as a resident and go to the University there for in-state tuition.”
Megan’s face darkened as she readied a response, but when Krystal raised a hand, Megan bit back her comments.
Krystal looked straight at Walter and said, “Please sit down. I promise the quality of the furniture will not rub off.”
Walter had the good grace to look embarrassed. He couldn’t maintain his indignant posture in the face of Krystal’s serene manners. He sat down next to his wife. “Sorry. I’m just worried. Mindy was practically hysterical when we told her we were moving.”
Krystal moved to her favorite wingback chair and sat demurely. Megan poured her a cup of tea. Their eyes met, and since Walter and Vivian couldn’t see Megan’s face as she poured, Megan mouthed, “Kevin.”
Krystal nodded and smiled. Then she said, “Thank you, dear,” as if it were all about the tea.
Megan moved
away and quietly left the sitting room.
Krystal sipped her tea before she spoke. “Now where were we? Vivian, did you receive a call from Principal Ball this afternoon?”
Vivian shook her head, then added, “I didn’t have time to check my messages. She may have called. Why?”
“Did you know that Mindy’s equestrian skills are earning her scholarship offers?”
Vivian’s expression grew hopeful. “Really? I didn’t know the University of Colorado had a competitive equestrian program.”
“Colorado State does as well, and they also have an excellent Equine Science program. Mindy has been talking lately about studying veterinary science. The equestrian teams compete all across the country, in Western and in English. The University of Colorado in Boulder has a team, too.” Krystal sipped her tea, then added, “Scholarships are available for students with these skills, and Mindy has them in spades. She’s quite talented.” She pinned Walter with a glare. “Just more of the bad influence she has encountered here with my family.” She switched to Vivian. “Will she be able to continue her equestrian training in Las Vegas?”
Vivian looked miserable. “Probably not. We don’t have a horse.”
Krystal nodded. “I know. But Mindy does. By the time she goes to college, she will have paid for it completely by helping my ranch hands with the barn chores.”
Vivian brightened. “That’s wonderful!”
Walter frowned. “Look, I said I was sorry. But you’re bringing up things that actually support my point of view. We have to move because I finally got a good job offer in Las Vegas. And Mindy is going to be horribly disappointed because she won’t have the fine things there that you’ve taught her to expect here.”
Krystal bridled at his words, but kept her tone even. “Do we not spend our lives as parents encouraging our children to aim high? Don’t we want them to do better than we have done? Isn’t that what being a parent is all about? Besides, there are other issues at stake here.”
Vivian reached out as if to touch Krystal, but she was too far away and her hand stopped in mid-air. “Karla must be devastated.”
