Jayleen chuckled, crossing one booted foot over the other. “That’s what happens when we volunteer to organize something, Mimi. It keeps growing and growing. I’ll be glad to knit some hats and gloves for you.”
Megan approached with coffeepot in hand. “I figured everyone needed a refill.”
Mimi settled into a chair beside Burt. “Kelly, I wanted to ask you something. There’s an antique booth at the bazaar and the woman running it is taking furniture on consignment. Would you like to sell any of your cousin Martha’s things? I mean, you took everything out of the house when you sold it last summer, didn’t you?”
“Actually I gave a lot of the everyday furniture to the Wyoming agency that bought the house. But I kept all of Cousin Martha’s antiques.” Kelly held out her mug for a refill, nodding her thanks to Megan.
“Why don’t you sell some of the furniture, Kelly?” Lisa said as she stacked empty ornament boxes on the table. “Isn’t it just sitting in a storage locker in Wyoming?”
Kelly took a drink of coffee. Deep, dark, and delicious, just the way she liked it. “Yes, it is, and that’s where it’s going to stay until I decide what I want to keep and what I don’t. I won’t know that until I buy a bigger place, and who knows when that will be.”
“Are you sure you don’t need the money, Kelly?” Mimi asked, looking concerned. “I know you were short earlier this year.”
“I’m fine, Mimi. Thanks to Jayleen’s help selling my herd of alpacas in the canyon, I had enough money to pay off that investor loan in June. And thanks to Curt, I’ve got money in the bank.” She winked at her mentor and ranch adviser, Curt Stackhouse.
“Now that those Wyoming gas wells are producing, you should be all right,” Curt said, tipping his bottle of beer. “Royalty checks will be coming regularly.”
“Boy, I could use some royalty checks right now,” Jennifer said as she sank into the love seat beside Kelly. “Actually, some new real estate clients would be better. I may be plundering my stash bag for Christmas presents. I hope you all like pot holders.”
“Weren’t you looking at canyon properties this summer, Kelly? Did you see any that caught your eye?” Burt asked as he stuffed unused lights into another box.
“Nope. Jennifer showed me what was available, but nothing gave me a buzz.”
“Don’t worry, Kelly,” Jayleen said, leaning back into her chair. “There are plenty of pretty places in that canyon, and every year some of them come on the market. You just have to wait and see what shows up.”
Lisa perched on a chair arm. “Why don’t you buy one of those gorgeous lots that are available up there? Then Steve can build a house. You two must be tripping over each other in that cottage. Greg and I daydream about building a house up there one of these days.”
“Yeah, Kelly. You know Steve is itching to build a house for you. He’s an architect, for heaven’s sake,” Megan added.
Her friends weren’t telling Kelly anything she didn’t already know. “You’re right. He’d love to build a house. Problem is, where? I don’t know if I want to build in the canyon. Last year, I was certain I wanted to live up there, but now I’m not so sure. I’ve gotten used to living in town. Plus, I’m spoiled—I like to walk across the driveway to Lambspun every day for a knitting and coffee break.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re addicted to us and to Pete’s coffee,” Mimi teased.
“Speaking of coffee, I think I’d better make another pot,” Jennifer said, rising from the love seat. “I hear the sounds of Big Guy feet outside on the porch.”
Sure enough, two big guys and one tall, skinny redhead came stomping into the house, still exchanging insults as they shed their coats. A frigid breeze followed them in as well.
“Whoa, close that door. You’re letting in the cold,” Kelly called out.
“What was that you said about slacking off, Lisa? I don’t see any pie, and I don’t smell any coffee,” Greg said, running his hand through his short blond hair.
“You can’t possibly be hungry again.” Lisa looked askance.
“Yeah, we are,” Steve said, tossing Kelly’s scarf over her coat. “We’ve been climbing up ladders and hauling around lights. Builds up an appetite.”
“Did you catch that goat?” Kelly joked as Steve plopped his muscular frame onto the sofa beside her.
“Naw, we caught Marty instead.”
Marty bleated on cue.
Megan sank her forehead into her hand, jet black hair falling about her face. “Please don’t encourage him with animal sounds.”
“Why-y-y-y-y nah-ah-ah-ah-ahttt?”
“That’s it. I’m going to warm up the pie,” Megan said, heading for the kitchen. “No barnyard animals allowed.”
Kelly laughed. “Was that a sheep or a goat? I couldn’t tell.” Her laughter was cut short when Steve suddenly pulled her close.
“My nose is cold, and you’re nice and warm,” he said, burying his cold face into her neck.
Kelly shrieked at the shock of icy nose against warm skin. Her warm skin. “Yeow!” she yelled, laughing and pushing Steve away at the same time as she leaped off the sofa.
“Wait, it’s not warm yet,” Steve protested, playfully reaching for her.
“No, you’re freezing. I’m going to start cleaning the kitchen. Who’s up for a run after we’ve stuffed ourselves with pie?”
“Good idea, Kelly,” Lisa said. “We’ll need it after this feast.”
Marty raised his hand. “I’m in. Megan, too, if we can talk her into it.”
Jayleen chuckled. “How on earth can you run after everything you’ve eaten?”
Curt gave a snort. “I told you. That boy has a hollow leg.”
“Hey, the pie helps everything settle.”
“We can use the river trails. It won’t be dark for a couple of hours,” Steve said, glancing toward the window.
“You’re coming, too, aren’t you?” Lisa asked Greg as she followed after Kelly.
“You guys go ahead. I’m still cold,” Greg said.
Lisa stared incredulously at her boyfriend, who had claimed her cup of coffee as well as her chair. “What? You ride your bike when it’s below zero. It’s only twenty today. That’s positively balmy. What’s up?”
Greg smiled from behind the mug. “Nothing. I’m just going to stay here and get warm. And see if Curt and Jayleen need any help.”
Marty grinned. “He’s up to something. He’s got that look.”
“Well, if you really want to help, you can start rinsing dishes,” Lisa said, beckoning.
“Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of helping wrap the leftovers.”
Kelly and Lisa headed for the kitchen, the sound of laughter following after them.
Two
Steve pulled Kelly closer to him, her body curving into his beneath the covers. Bare skin warming bare skin. Warm. Getting warmer.
“Ummmm, what time is it?” she asked in a sleepy voice.
“Time to get up, unfortunately.”
Kelly squinted at the bedside clock. Six ten. “Oh, it’s early yet. You don’t have to be at the Old Town site till seven thirty.”
“Today I’ve gotta be there by seven.”
Kelly made a soft noise as she wiggled against him. “Ummmm, let your new supervisor handle it.”
Steve’s body responded against hers. “That’s who I’m meeting at seven. Dutch and I have to check some plans.” He ran his hand down her hip. “Why don’t we continue this in the shower?”
“But then I’d have to get out of bed, and it’s soooooooo warm here.” She wiggled against him again.
“You are dangerous, woman,” Steve said before kissing her neck.
Kelly thought there would be more, but instead Steve threw back the covers and climbed out of bed.
“I’ll turn on the hot water and let it steam the room,” he suggested as he strode toward the bathroom.
Kelly drew the covers up to her chin, snuggling into their warmth. She heard the sound of the show
er, and Steve appeared in the bathroom doorway. His interest was still evident.
“Hot water, steam, c’mon . . . join me.” His eyebrows wiggled suggestively.
Kelly snickered beneath the covers. “But I’d have to walk across the cold room. Why don’t you warm me up first,” she tempted as she pulled back the covers and patted her side of the bed.
“C’mon . . . the water’s hot.”
Kelly just smiled in reply and continued to pat the bed beside her. The empty bed.
Steve grinned. “You sure you don’t want a shower?”
“Afterward.” She wiggled her brows in imitation of him.
“Let’s see if someone else can change your mind,” he said, striding to the bedroom doorway.
Kelly sat up. He wouldn’t.
He would, and he did. Steve flung open the bedroom door and called out, “Carl! Come here, boy. Kelly wants to play.”
“Steve, don’t you dare!” Kelly protested, but it was too late.
Kelly’s Rottweiler, Carl, came bounding into their bedroom and leaped onto the bed—all one hundred pounds of him.
Kelly squealed and dove under the covers as Carl charged forward, long pink tongue ready to slurp.
“Here, boy, let me help you,” Steve offered, lifting the covers for Carl to climb beneath. The better to slurp.
“No! Steve, no! Yieeee!” Kelly’s squeals turned to shrieks as Carl found lots of bare skin to slurp.
Kelly squirmed and squealed while Steve laughed. Finally, Kelly rolled into a ball and fell off the bed to escape. Carl’s nose was a lot colder than Steve’s.
Kelly flipped the electronic door lock for her car as she and Jennifer approached the street corner across from Saint Mark’s Church. The century-old spire towered over them.
It was a brilliantly sunny morning, as bright as a summer’s day. Temperatures had climbed, surprising everyone including forecasters. All the holiday shoppers Kelly had seen walking about Old Town had their coats unbuttoned, their wool scarves dangling uselessly. Capricious Colorado weather at work. Change was the only constant.
“I love your new car, Kelly. I’m glad you went sportier,” Jennifer said as they waited for the traffic light to change. “I’m sure I couldn’t afford it, but it’s nice to ride in.”
“It was an impulse,” Kelly admitted, glancing back at the sleek red car parked along the street. “First time I’ve ever done anything like that. I surprised myself.”
“Impulses can be good, at least in your case. Me, I have to be careful when those impulses strike. They usually have names.”
Kelly laughed, watching the light change. “Now that you mention it, how are things going? Romance-wise, I mean?”
Jennifer snorted. “I gave up on romance a long time ago. I settled for having fun.”
Having fun was Jennifer’s specialty, Kelly knew that. But she heard something else in her friend’s voice. She wasn’t sure what. “Any new guys on the horizon?” she asked as they crossed the street.
“Nope. In fact, the bar scene isn’t what it used to be. A lot of my friends have either moved, gotten married, or gotten sober. It’s depressing, actually.”
Kelly recognized the teasing sound returning to Jennifer’s voice. “Why don’t you join Steve and me some night at the Jazz Bistro?”
“Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer, sometime.” Jennifer stopped at the foot of the steep concrete steps leading to the weather-beaten church doors. “Good Lord. I haven’t been here since last Christmas.”
Kelly looked up at the stone church as she climbed the steps. “That makes two of us. I hope nobody’s keeping track.”
“That’s why I always check the font of holy water. If the walls start shaking, I’ll see the ripples,” Jennifer said, following behind.
A huge Christmas wreath adorning the double doors announced the holiday season as they stepped inside the church vestibule. The scent of evergreen beckoned Kelly forward, and she stopped inside the sanctuary. The decorating committee had been working overtime.
Evergreen boughs and branches were everywhere. Tied with red ribbons, they dangled from the metal chandeliers, draped around the altar rails, and framed the stained-glass windows. The fresh evergreen scent brought back memories—lots of them. They rose in a wave, ready to engulf her in nostalgia—bittersweet and poignant. Christmas always meant Fort Connor to Kelly.
Memories of Christmases Past danced in front of Kelly’s eyes. Her father, Aunt Helen, and Uncle Jim opening presents around the tree, sleigh rides across the snowy pastures, sledding down the foothills, Christmas dinner in the farmhouse. Scenes from her childhood when her father, Jim, and Helen were still alive. They were all gone now. Cancer, heart attack, and murder had taken them away.
Jennifer’s voice broke through Kelly’s thoughts. “Good. Nary a ripple,” she said, staring into the font. “Clearly the Powers-That-Be don’t know I’m here yet. Better not say my name too loud.”
Kelly had to smile, as all twinges of sadness from the past were chased away by the warmth of the present. Friends. Good friends. She’d created a new family when she’d returned to Fort Connor. And she’d never been happier.
Glancing about the sanctuary, Kelly spied another familiar face. Two familiar faces, in fact. “Look, there’s Hilda and Lizzie. They’ll point us in the right direction,” she said, waving to catch the elderly women’s attention as they stood in a side doorway.
The two spinster sisters couldn’t look more different. Hilda, tall and raw-boned and gangly, and Lizzie, short and round and as plump as a dumpling.
“Perfect timing, girls,” Hilda von Steuben said, checking her watch. Still the schoolteacher keeping track. “Come along. The youngsters will be due in a few minutes. This way you’ll have time to meet Juliet and get situated. I believe she wants each of us to instruct a group of ten.” Hilda beckoned them through the doorway.
“Burt brought the box of donated yarns and needles this morning. Juliet was so pleased,” Lizzie added, bringing up the rear.
“Is Juliet the youth group leader?” Kelly asked as Hilda led them down a spiral staircase to a lower level. Classrooms jutted out from a narrow, linoleum-lined hallway. Scuffed linoleum. Many feet had passed through these halls.
“Actually she’s a librarian at the city library, but she volunteers to lead the church youth groups.”
“Volunteer Extraordinaire,” Lizzie said. “She’s so good with the children. I always envied her ability to handle all age groups. It was all I could do to handle rowdy high school students.”
“It was a good thing you two didn’t have me in your classes,” Jennifer said as she peered into an empty classroom. “I was one of those rowdy ones. You probably would have smacked me.”
“Nonsense, my dear, one never needs to resort to corporal punishment,” Hilda said with a hint of a smile. “There are far more effective ways to rein in the rowdier ones.”
“Here we are, Juliet,” Lizzie chirped as she ushered Kelly and Jennifer into a brightly lit classroom. “Juliet, I want you to meet Kelly Flynn and Jennifer Stroud. Two of our finest young knitters from Lambspun. Girls, meet Juliet Renfrow. She is a master knitter and a weaver, too.” Lizzie beamed as she gestured, almost as if she was pointing to exhibits at the state fair.
“Nice to meet you, Juliet, but I’m afraid Lizzie exaggerates my abilities,” Kelly said, extending her hand to the slight woman who approached.
Juliet appeared to be in her sixties or so, judging from the amount of gray streaked through her chin-length brown hair. She had an old-fashioned hairstyle, cut straight at the chin and across the bangs. No makeup, either, as far as Kelly could tell. And no jewelry. She was plain and unadorned.
But it was Juliet’s clothing that really captured Kelly’s attention. Juliet was dressed entirely in brown. A chocolate brown long-sleeved sweater reached to Juliet’s hips. A beautifully knitted sweater, too. Beneath it she wore a café au lait tunic over a long molasses-colored skirt that covered dark brown
leggings. Knitted leggings. Kelly wondered if Juliet had knitted the entire ensemble.
Juliet shook Kelly’s hand in a surprisingly firm handshake. “So nice of you two to help us this afternoon,” she said, her light gray eyes smiling into Kelly’s. “We’ll need lots of help keeping these young ones focused.”
“Well, I hope I’m up to the task, Juliet. I’ve never taught kids before. Except on the ball field. I’ve coached baseball and softball, but this is way different.”
“Not as different as you would think,” Juliet said with a quick laugh as she shook Jennifer’s hand. “I’ll get the kids situated and settled, and start the instruction. They’re used to me telling them what to do, so they won’t give me any grief. And I’ll be watching to make sure they don’t try it on you.” She winked.
“Don’t worry about me,” Jennifer said with a dismissive wave. “I used to teach kids at summer camp. They can’t mess with me.”
Juliet laughed, and the smile transformed her face.
“What can we do?” Kelly asked.
“You can help me put out these yarns and needles.” Juliet lifted a large box from the table beside her and headed toward the long, rectangular tables Hilda was cleaning.
“Ohhhh, wait’ll you see all the yarns Mimi collected from the shops in town. They’re beautiful,” Lizzie enthused.
“Everyone was so generous,” Juliet said, tipping the box over a tabletop. Out scattered colorful balls of yarn.
“This is perfect for beginners,” Jennifer said, examining a ball of yarn. “Not too thin, not too thick. It’ll be easy to work with.”
“Jennifer, could you please fetch those paper towels on top of the cupboard for me?” Hilda called. “I’m afraid my old knees are a bit shaky on a stepladder.”
“Hold on, Hilda, I’ll get them,” Jennifer said, hastening across the room.
“About forty children signed up, so we’ll have our hands full,” Juliet said as she headed to another table.
Kelly helped scatter the yarns this time. Lizzie appeared with a box of circular knitting needles and arranged them in clusters beside the yarns.
Remembering her own experience knitting a hat for the first time last winter, Kelly wondered out loud. “Do you think the kids will be able to finish at home? It gets a little tricky at the end. What with those double-point needles and such.”
Prime Crime Holiday Bundle Page 35
