Mistletoe Mayhem: Clean Historical Western Cowboy Romance Novel (Dawson Chronicles Book 1)

by Linda Bridey

  Standing up, she asked Sawyer what he wanted to drink.

  “Just a beer. I’d better not get soused with having a bum leg,” Sawyer said.

  “Good idea,” she said. “I’ll be right back. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, thanks,” he said, looking around.

  She patted his shoulder and moved away, leaving him alone. He felt a jolt of surprise when Jared suddenly appeared in front of his table with Devon.

  “Hi, Sawyer,” Jared said. “It’s good to see you. I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you since you’ve been back.”

  “Good to see you, too,” Sawyer lied. Here we are at odds over a girl again and I’d like to throw you right through that wall. “Having a nice time?”

  Jared saw the angry light in Sawyer’s eyes and barely kept from smiling. It’s just like Willa all over again. “Oh, yeah. A great time. Right, honey?”

  Devon blinked a little. Honey? “We sure are. It’s a shame you can’t dance, Sawyer. I hope you won’t be bored.”

  Sawyer’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, no. I won’t be bored. My lady is very, very entertaining. Oh, here she comes now.”

  Renee returned with their drinks, smiling at the other couple. “Well, hello there. Ready for some dancing? Looks like the band is getting ready. You’ll probably want to go get a table before they’re all taken. See you later.”

  Sawyer looked from Renee, who made a little shooing motion to Jared and Devon, to the other couple. He hid his smile over Devon’s angry look behind his beer mug. Renee sat down, looping an arm around Sawyer’s.

  “Did you make any progress on your project today?” she asked as though the other couple wasn’t there.

  Jared moved off with Devon, but Sawyer could tell that Devon seemed reluctant. It seemed as though Renee’s plot was succeeding so far.

  Joe finished rounding up all of his musicians, who always seemed to stray off at the last minute, and the band got started. Seth Samuels, his son, J.R., and his cousin, Luke, all played fiddle, spelling each other so they could take turns dancing. Zoe, who played banjo, did the same thing with one of Seth’s other sons, Nate. Luke’s wife, Jamie, sang with Joe, and Ben played piano.

  Joe was known for collecting musicians for the band, and when he’d discovered that one of their new bouncers, Patch Salazar, played guitar, he’d immediately pressed him into service. Joe and the Gang, as they were called, was a versatile group and played a wide variety of songs and styles. They performed everything from hillbilly and ragtime and some of the older Victorian songs that people still liked.

  Once the music started, Switch came to collect his daughter, who was very fleet of foot. They’d danced together since she’d been little and their steps were practiced and effortless. Although he was clumsy in other ways, Switch had good rhythm and footwork. Renee adored her father and always loved dancing with him.

  Since the war had started, cloth for dresses and skirts was harder to come by and more expensive, so women’s garments were made shorter to save on material and money. Therefore, a good portion of the lower calves were now visible and Renee took full advantage of this, turning a little more quickly than necessary so that her skirt lifted a little higher, showing off her long, shapely legs almost up to her knees. Every so often, she threw a glance at Brody and saw that he was watching intently.

  Sawyer tapped his good foot along to the beat, wishing he could dance, but he was glad that Renee was having a good time. She and Switch laughed together and acted silly from time to time, purposely bumping into one of their friends to make them miss a step. Sawyer smiled. Switch just couldn’t resist clowning around.

  He started pretending to step on Renee’s feet and she played along, making Joe laugh at their impersonation of the way Rick danced. The bouncer had no rhythm and no one liked dancing with him because he invariably stepped on his partner’s toes at some point. Rick saw them and laughed while they both grinned at him.

  Devon watched Sawyer laugh at Renee and tried to squelch the jealousy inside. Renee was pretty and funny, but she just couldn’t see her and Sawyer together romantically. You just don’t want to see it. Mama was right. If I want Sawyer, I have to fight for him. I’ll be damned if she’s going to win!

  As Switch and Renee danced, she accidently bumped into a man who was near the edge of the dance floor. His whisky sloshed out of his glass.

  “Hey! Watch it, girl!” he said.

  “Oh, my gosh! I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’ll buy you another one.”

  “Why don’t you just go home where you belong and then you won’t be underfoot?” he said with a sneer.

  “Excuse me? I just apologized to you. There’s no need to be rude,” she said.

  He advanced on her. “Oh, yeah? I’ll be rude all I want, you little twit.”

  He made the mistake of shoving her. He never saw Switch’s right hook coming. It connected with his jaw, which clicked together loudly from the force Switch put behind the blow, and he went down in an unconscious heap. The band stopped playing. Switch started jumping up and down a little while he held his hand. It was the first time that anyone had seen him hit someone on purpose.

  “I think it’s broken!” he shouted and then aimed a hard kick at the unconscious man’s side. “You put your hands on my little girl and you broke my hand, you jackass! You’re just lucky I’m not good with knives or I’d skin you alive!”

  He kicked the guy again before Rick pulled him away. It had taken him a couple of moments to get there because he’d been laughing so hard. A lot of people were because Switch was the most nonviolent person around, so seeing him knock out a guy who outweighed him by forty pounds with one punch was something they’d never thought would happen. No one who’d witnessed it would ever forget it, either.

  Joe laughed so hard that he couldn’t breathe, let alone sing. Finally, he sucked in enough wind to shout, “Hey, Switch! I’d say that was the best show you ever put on, son!” which made everyone laugh even harder.

  Even Switch laughed as Ben tried to examine his hand. It was hard when both of them shook so hard with laughter. Renee stayed right with Switch, very concerned over his hand.

  “I can’t believe you did that, Pa,” she said, smiling.

  Switch said, “No one picks on my kids or my wife. I don’t care who they are. People can say anything they want to about me, but they’d better not mess with my family.”

  Ben grinned. “Amen. I’d say that everyone knows that now, Switch. It’s not broken, but it’s sprained badly. I’ll go get some ice for you. Just sit here.”

  “Ok,” Switch said. “Are you ok, honey? Did he hurt you?”

  “No. I’m fine.” She hugged him. “My hero.”

  He returned her embrace with his good arm. Ben came back with a wine bucket filled with ice and had Switch put his hand in it. He also gave him a couple of aspirins. Sawyer beckoned for Switch, who carried his bucket of ice with him over to Sawyer’s table.

  “That was one sweet punch, Switch. That guy deserved it,” he said.

  “Thanks. That’s the first time I ever hit anyone. Well, I hit Bobby Whitcomb when I was in fourth grade, but I wasn’t aiming for him, so it really doesn’t count,” Switch said, smiling.

  Renee said, “Pa, why don’t I take you home? I don’t think you should do a show tonight.”

  His hand was killing him. “You’re right.”

  “I’ll go get our coats,” Renee said.

  Sawyer stood up and suddenly found Devon by his side.

  “Are you all right, Mr. Keller?” she asked.

  “I will be. Ben said it’s just sprained.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Devon said.

  Renee returned with their coats. “Oh, Devon. I’m glad you’re here. Would you mind taking Sawyer home? I’m taking Pa home so he can elevate his hand and keep ice on it. I can get him there quicker if I don’t have to swing out by their ranch. Would that be all right with you, Sawyer?”

  “Sure,” Sawyer
said. “Whatever helps.”

  Switch said, “I’d be all right just that long. No need to trouble Devon.”

  Devon said, “I don’t mind at all.”

  “What about Jared?” Sawyer asked.

  “Actually I brought a separate car since he lives all the way out past town and I live in the other direction,” she said.

  “Oh, ok,” Sawyer said.

  Renee kissed Sawyer’s cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Careful going home.”

  Sawyer nodded. “You, too. Take care, Switch.”

  The Kellers went on their way and Sawyer looked at Devon. “I’ll just sit here until you guys are ready to go home.”

  “That’s all right. I already said goodnight to Jared. I thought you might be a little tired. Your ankle, I mean,” she said, suddenly nervous.

  “Yeah, I guess it might be a good idea to go home,” he said.

  She helped him maneuver through the crowd to the door and then down the stairs. “I’m right over here.”

  She helped him in and put his crutches in the back of the Cadillac Brougham, five-passenger vehicle that Joe had just bought the previous year. The man loved cars—or any sort of new technology—and every time something new rolled off the assembly line, he snapped it up. Therefore, they had quite a few cars.

  Sawyer looked the car over. “Wow. This is beautiful,” he said, running his hand over the door and dashboard. “Plenty of room, too, and all enclosed.”

  Devon slid behind the steering wheel. “Electric start, too.” She fired it up and, for that era, the engine ran smoothly.

  Sawyer let out a whistle. “I can imagine what this set Mr. Dwyer back.”

  “Well, you know Daddy: only the best and newest,” she said. “He’s the same way with cars as he is horses.” She backed up and pulled out of the parking lot.

  Sawyer said, “He’s interested in any invention. He put up windmills and you guys have a flush commode. Electric and a telephone, too.”

  She smiled. “I know. Building that bathhouse is one of the best things he ever did. No more going to the outhouse unless the bathhouse is in use. It’s so much better in the winter.”

  “I can imagine. My parents are talking about doing that, too, but they’re being careful with their money right now because of the war. They’ve been buying more liberty bonds since the government’s been hounding people so much about it. And we’ve cut back on our eating like they want, too,” he said.

  This seemed to be a safe subject and Devon was relieved that the conversation was flowing well and that they weren’t fighting. This was how it used to be between them.

  “We’ve cut back on eating a lot of meat and things like that. More cottage cheese, which Daddy hates. But he eats it and doesn’t complain. The look on his face is funny when he eats it, though,” she said.

  Sawyer chuckled. “I can imagine. We’ve cut back on eating stuff like that, too, and our victory garden did really well this year, so that helps. They were able to do a lot of canning.”

  As they rode along conversing, Sawyer looked her over and found her incredibly beautiful. His desire for her hadn’t diminished at all. Just the opposite. He wanted to kiss her sweet lips and feel her in his arms again. Looking at her pretty hands on the steering wheel, he thought about the way she used to touch him and a shiver of awareness ran through him.

  Much too soon, they arrived at his place. He could have ridden around with her all night, but that wasn’t possible. She stopped the car and put the brake on.

  “Thanks for the ride,” Sawyer said. “It was a crazy night, huh?”

  She laughed. “Yes. I never thought I’d see Mr. Keller hit anyone.”

  “I don’t blame him, though. I’m not sure what that guy would have done; I was about ready to get up when Switch clocked him,” Sawyer said. “Well, I’ll let you get going home. Thanks again.”

  Devon put her hand on his arm. “Sawyer, I need to say something to you before I lose my nerve.”

  “Ok.”

  Forcing herself to look him in the eyes, she said, “I’m so sorry for everything that happened between us. I’m sorry for not supporting you the way I should’ve. You were right when you said I was selfish; I just loved you so much and I was scared of losing you. I was stupid and I lost you anyway. I’m so sorry.”

  Sawyer was surprised by her apology. “I’m sorry, too. I loved you, too. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. That’s what I kept trying to tell you. It was something I felt called to do, like how some people feel called to be ministers or doctors. I know it’s not quite the same thing, but that’s how it was for me.”

  “I understand that now. Sawyer, you don’t have to answer me now, but I …” She had to swallow around the lump in her throat. “I still have feelings for you and I was wondering if we could sort of start over.”

  Sawyer’s heartbeat picked up. Was he hearing correctly? He proceeded cautiously even though he wanted to jump in with both feet. “I don’t know, Devon. I’m seeing Renee now.” He enjoyed the irritated look on her face and then felt guilty.

  “I know, but it’s not serious between you, is it?”

  “We haven’t been seeing each other all that long, so I don’t know yet,” Sawyer said.

  Devon said, “She’s not right for you, Sawyer. I know you backwards and forwards and she doesn’t. Please just say you’ll think about it.”

  The hope in her eyes got to him. “Ok. I’ll think about it.”

  Her smile was radiant and his breath caught in his chest. “Thank you.”

  He nodded and opened the car door.

  “Oh, here. I’ll get your crutches,” she said, getting out.

  She ran around to his side and retrieved them from the back seat. He got them under his arms. “Thanks. Goodnight. Be careful going home.”

  “I will.” Quickly, she rose up on her tiptoes, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. “Goodnight.”

  Sawyer wanted to grab her and kiss her silly, but he held the urge in check, not wanting her to know how much she affected him. Not yet. Instead, he smiled and made his way towards the house. He watched her maneuver the car around and head down their lane, driving out of sight. Then he took in a big breath of the cold night air and headed inside.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Already?” Renee asked when she came to see Sawyer the next day. “I’m an even better actress than I thought.”

  Sawyer smiled. “You’re a great actress. Obviously you got under her skin.”

  “I’m glad it’s working out for you,” she said. “I want to kill that guy from last night. He messed up my plans.” Her dark eyes flashed with anger.

  “What happened?” Sawyer asked.

  “Because of what happened last night, Ma won’t let me go back to the bar. She didn’t want me to go to begin with and that only made it worse. So now I have no way to see Brody. I could tell he was interested, too,” Renee said, clenching her hands in her lap. “It’s not fair.”

  “Renee, close the door,” Sawyer said. They sat in the office in his house where he’d been working on his project.

  She did and sat back down. “What’s on your mind?”

  “I’m concerned about you.”

  “Why? I’m fine.”

  “Remember what happened between us a few nights ago?” he asked.

  She grinned. “You mean when I climbed all over you? Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it.”

  Sawyer blushed. “Yeah, I did, but that’s the problem. It’s a natural reaction for a guy, but I don’t love you and I’ll never sleep with you.”

  Renee rolled her eyes. “I know that. I only did it to force you to admit your feelings for Devon. Aren’t you glad I did? She wants you back. Our plan worked.”

  “So you were just playing a role?”

  Renee laughed. “Yes and no. You’re a good-looking guy and I like you. So I enjoyed it, too, but I wouldn’t have let it go much further because I know you’d have regretted it if it had. Like you said, you have morals.”<
br />
  His brow furrowed. His concern grew. “You seemed to know what you’re doing. Are you, uh, promiscuous?”

  Renee said, “I suppose you would say so. I don’t look at it like that. I like having fun and feeling good.”

  “You need to be careful. You know that I’m illegitimate. Don’t wind up having a baby out of wedlock, Renee. It was hard for Pa to meet anyone around here because none of the families of the girls wanted their daughters to associate with him because of what had happened with him and Jackie. I don’t want to see something like that happen to you,” he said.

  She was touched by his concern, but also annoyed. “Did you give this same sort of advice to Joey or Skip? Any of your male friends? Dino?”

  “Well, no—”

  “Mmm hmm. How typical of a man. It’s all right for Joey to go out with a bunch of different girls and kiss them, whether or not it was an act, but it’s not all right for me to have some fun because I’m a girl. Tell me something, Sawyer: If men aren’t virgins when they get married, who do you think they’re sleeping with? Mythical creatures of some sort? No. Flesh and blood women, just like me.”

  Sawyer said, “Please don’t be angry. I don’t care what other girls are doing. That’s their business, but you’re my friend and I don’t want to see you get hurt. And if you keep climbing on guys’ laps, sooner or later you’re gonna come up against the wrong one.”

  Renee smiled. “Now you’re trying to make me feel ashamed. I don’t. But here’s something that’ll make you feel better: since I started noticing Brody a few months ago, I haven’t climbed on anyone’s lap except yours.”

  He stared at her. “You haven’t?”

  “No. Now, about the Halloween party—I’ve decided to be a damsel in distress.”

  Sawyer wasn’t willing to let the subject go. He couldn’t put a finger on just why, though. “Renee, Brody is a full-grown man. You’re barely nineteen. I don’t know what kind of history he has with women. Your parents aren’t gonna approve.”