“Sorry I didn’t call before, Kelly, but we’ve been out riding the range ever since yesterday. That wind really whipped up, and firefighters told us the wildfire is leaping around like crazy. So we’ve been watching for any sparks that might blow over and ignite the dry grass on the far side of Curt’s land. Some of those flames reached the other side of the valley, but the Hot Shots jumped on them right away. There’re a whole bunch of people who live out there near Buckhorn Creek, and we were worried about them.”
“The national incident commander said the fire had spread farther into the Buckhorn area, so we were all biting our nails, scared it might ignite near the ranch.”
“Well, yesterday afternoon and last night were scary. All of us were out there. Curt and me, Curt’s daughter Cindy, her husband John, Marty’s parents, even Eric was riding with us. Keeping watch on the far edges of Curt’s land and his neighbors closer to the Masonville crossroads. We all had walkie-talkies because our cell phones don’t work well out there sometimes. That way we could stay in touch. We split up and rode the perimeter. Just about all night. Thank the Lord, the wind shifted early this morning. So we could take turns grabbing some shut-eye.”
“Whoa, you guys must be exhausted if you’ve been riding out there most of the night,” Kelly said as she slowly walked back toward the grill counter. Jennifer was unloading dirty dishes into a plastic container in the back area.
“We’re pretty dang tired, you’re right about that,” Jayleen said. “We’ve been staying in touch with the fire crews so we could hear right away if any new breakouts flared up near us. We’d been keeping them updated about what we saw, too.”
Kelly pictured Curt and Jayleen, out there in the devastating heat and smoke, riding the range and scouting for fire flaring up on the mountainsides. “Have you heard anything more about what’s happening with the fire in Bellevue Canyon? Have they contained most of it? Is it still burning?”
Jayleen’s long sigh came over the phone. “It’s still burning, they say. As soon as they put out one area and build a fire line around it, the wind whips embers and cinders to another spot, and it starts all over again. Lord knows when they’ll finally put it out completely.”
Kelly wished she had something reassuring to say to her dear friend, whose home and ranch were still at risk in Bellevue Canyon. But no words could help Jayleen now. She knew how much all of her friends cared. Kelly decided actions could speak louder than words. Just like last weekend when she and the gang showed up to rescue Jayleen’s alpacas, Kelly figured Curt and Jayleen could use their help now.
“Listen, Jayleen, you and Curt and the family are exhausting yourselves out there in this heat. Why don’t we bring over some food for you guys. That way you can take turns coming in from the range, grab some food, and rest a bit before you go back out.”
“Aww, Kelly-girl, you folks don’t have to do that. We’ve still got some leftovers.”
“Well, they’ll be getting pretty old by now. Let me see what Pete has left over from lunch, and we can come over and set it up for you guys. My workload is pretty light right now, so I’ve got the time.”
“I hate to see you go to the trouble . . .”
“No trouble, Jayleen. We do food runs for each other all the time,” Kelly joked. “Let me get together with Jen and Pete and we’ll drive there. And you don’t have to wait around for us. You guys get back to riding the range, cowgirl.”
“You’re an angel, Kelly, you know that,” Jayleen said, then laughed lightly.
“Hardly, Jayleen. I flunked my angel exams years ago, but I’m a great helper. So are Jen and Pete. Let us do our part, okay? I’ll see you later this afternoon.”
“Kelly, I learned a long time ago that it doesn’t work trying to argue with you. Take care, and I’ll see you later.”
Kelly shoved her phone into her pants pocket as she walked over to the grill counter and beckoned to Jennifer. “Hey, is there any way you and Pete could help me take food over to Curt’s ranch later this afternoon? I just talked to Jayleen and she told me they’d been out riding the perimeter of Curt’s ranch all yesterday, last night, and today so far. I was worried when she hadn’t returned my phone call. Now, I see why. Their whole family is out there. Curt, Jayleen, Curt’s daughter Cindy and her husband John, their son Eric, and Marty’s parents, Curt’s sister and husband.”
“Good Lord!” Jennifer’s eyes popped wide. “They were out there all night, too?”
Kelly nodded. “Yeah, most of it. Jayleen said the wind finally died down early this morning so they could take turns sleeping. And they’re back out there again today. So I figure we could help them out. I was gonna buy some barbecue and buns and drive it over. Do you want to come along?”
“I sure will. And Pete will, too. He’s downstairs now, so let me tell him and start gathering some food together. I know we had extra chicken salad left after lunch. Also, several salads, potato salad.” Jennifer turned toward the section of hallway which led toward the doorway downstairs. “Oh, yeah, Cassie will want to come, too. So let her know and she can help us load the cars.”
“Will do,” Kelly said, and hurried down the hallway toward the knitting shop.
• • •
“Whoa, look at all the trucks,” Cassie said, as Pete pulled his car to a stop in Curt Stackhouse’s large ranch yard.
“Most of those belong to Curt’s relatives,” Kelly said, sitting in the backseat of Pete’s car with Cassie. She was cradling a big container of hot barbecue beef in her lap. The lid didn’t fit tightly, and consequently delicious and tempting sauce kept dribbling down the side of the container onto the bunch of paper towels she’d placed in her lap. Hopefully, the paper towels would hold up under the barbecue’s assault. Otherwise, her new white summer pants would be history.
“Okay, everyone. I’ve popped the trunk so let’s load up. Maybe we can carry everything in one trip,” Pete said as he pushed open his car door.
Jennifer was already out of the car and scanning the fenced pastures surrounding Curt’s sprawling ranch house. “I don’t see anyone, so they must still be out there. Alpacas are all clustered near the corral.”
Cassie jumped out of the car and sped around to open Kelly’s door. “Thanks, Cassie,” Kelly said, carefully balancing the barbecue as she climbed out of the back seat.
Pete held out several plastic containers. “Here, Cassie. These aren’t too heavy.”
Cassie reached for them. “I can carry something else under my arm. How about those plastic cups?”
Kelly looked up at the haze-covered sun above, beating down even through the haze. Sweltering heat. Smoke-caused haze. Kelly could smell that acrid smell from last weekend. She’d never forget that smell. Her eyes smarted from the smoke.
“How in the world can Jayleen and Curt and the others stay out here, breathing all this smoke all day? This can’t be good,” Jennifer said, slowly walking toward the ranch house as she balanced several large plastic containers.
“Well, it sounds like they didn’t have much choice,” Kelly added. “There was only one way to know what was happening out there and that was to ride out and see it.”
“It’s been nearly a year since we were out here at Curt’s summer picnic, but I think I remember how the kitchen is laid out.” Pete carried containers in both arms.
“I can show you where everything is, Pete. I was just here a couple of weeks ago,” Cassie said, scurrying ahead of the adults. “Here, I’ll get the door.” She skipped up the wooden steps to Curt’s welcoming wide front porch. She pulled the screen door open and stood in front of it. “Hello?” she called into the house.
“Nobody home,” Jennifer said as she crossed the porch. “Good. That will give us time to get everything set up in the kitchen and put out paper plates. Then we can put all the food on the counters, so everyone can go through buffet style.”
“Oh, da
rn, I forgot the buns,” Kelly said, turning around as she stepped inside the cheerful inviting Stackhouse kitchen.
“I grabbed them, Kelly,” Pete said, following after her. “We’ve got everything. Any condiments, I figure they already have.”
Jennifer walked over to the counter beside the sink and set down the plastic containers, then turned and looked around the kitchen. “Wow. A lot of memories in this kitchen.”
“Ohh, yeah,” Kelly said, setting the heavy barbecue container on another counter. “Lots of memories. Like meeting Marty for the first time.” She grinned.
Cassie’s eyes lit up. “Really? What happened?”
“What didn’t happen,” Jennifer said with a snort. “Marty was a disaster.”
“You remember, Cassie, I told you Megan didn’t like Marty when she first met him? Well, she met him here at Curt’s in the living room when we were trying to decorate Curt’s Christmas tree.”
“What happened? Tell me!” Cassie begged. “It sounds really funny.”
“Does the name Spot the Wonder Dog ring a bell?” Jennifer said, laughing.
Cassie burst into giggles as Kelly and Jennifer took turns setting up the buffet supper and retelling Marty and Megan stories at the same time.
• • •
Curt leaned back into the cushioned kitchen chair. “I have to admit that was mighty tasty barbecue beef, even if it was store-bought.”
“Well, it’s not exactly store-bought,” Kelly admitted. “I bought it at one of the specialty barbecue places in town. Steve and I really like it.”
“Delicious. Pretty dang close to Texas good,” Jayleen proclaimed, taking a drink of iced tea. “Jennifer, did you make this sweet tea? That’s almost as good as mine.” She winked as she smiled across the kitchen table.
“Dee-lumph-shus,” Eric managed around a big bite of barbecue sandwich.
Cassie’s giggles started everybody laughing as Eric’s ears turned red. He didn’t seem to care; he simply grinned around the bun and kept on eating.
“This boy is starving,” Jennifer said, offering Eric a napkin. “That’s his third barbecue sandwich. How long have you folks been out there riding?”
“Quite a spell,” Curt said, sipping from his cup of hot coffee, even in the midst of a summer heat wave. Kelly had to take her hat off to him. Even she switched to iced coffee these hot afternoons.
“His mom brought along some of those power bar snacks, but that doesn’t do much for a growing boy’s appetite,” Jayleen said.
“Good thing you bought the super size, Kelly,” Pete joked.
“If you’ve still got an empty spot, better switch to the chicken salad,” Curt said to his grandson. “Otherwise your mom and dad and aunt and uncle won’t get any. And I know how much your dad likes barbecue.” Curt gave him a smile.
Eric nodded and managed “Yeth sup” around the barbecue. That only made Cassie giggle again, and the sound of that laughter sparked more adult chuckles.
“Ahh, young ’uns.” Jayleen leaned back in her chair and grinned. “I can’t wait to take all the kids out riding once this wildfire is finally put out. I sure hope we’ll have something to show them back in the canyon.”
“We’re gonna keep thinking there will be,” Curt decreed, giving a “that’s that” kind of nod. “Firemen tell me that fire jumped around in the canyon like a grasshopper on a hot griddle. Burned some places and left other places untouched. So, keep picturing the ranch in your head, Jayleen.”
Kelly was marveling at Curt’s encouraging statement, which bordered on the metaphysical, when Cassie spoke up, eyes wide. “Did you really put a grasshopper on a griddle, Uncle Curt?”
This time everybody laughed out loud, including Eric, who had luckily just swallowed his last bite of sandwich. And this time, it was Cassie’s turn to flush red. Kelly rose from the table and took her plate toward the trash, stopping first to give Cassie a hug.
“Welcome to my world, Cassie. Usually everyone’s laughing at something I say. It’s good to have company,” Kelly said, then dumped the used paper plate into the trash can nearby.
Jayleen beckoned to Cassie. “Come over and give me one of those hugs, Cassie. I can use some of that before I go back out on the range.”
Cassie eagerly complied, settling in on Jayleen’s lap. Kelly leaned against the counter while Jennifer washed up several empty plastic containers. Pete pulled up a chair at the table as well.
Kelly lowered her voice even though conversation around the table had already resumed. “When did Cassie start calling him Uncle Curt?”
“Petty much since she came over here to the ranch the first time a couple of weeks ago. All of Curt’s grandkids and nieces and nephews either called Curt ‘Grandpa’ or ‘Uncle Curt.’ So Cassie picked it up right away. In fact, she was saying it that night when she was telling Pete and me everything she did over here.” Jennifer smiled. “I think it’s great, because Grandpa Ben may never leave his hospital bed again. So it’s good that she has kind of an ‘extra’ grandpa.”
“And a grandmother.” Kelly nodded toward Jayleen and Cassie, laughing at something someone had said. Eric had two of Pete’s chocolate brownies on a paper plate in front of him.
“Yeah, that’s true. You can tell how much she and Curt have taken to Cassie. They started treating her like one of their own.”
“Well, Cassie makes that easy. She’s a great girl. Easy to love.” Glancing toward Jayleen and Cassie again, Kelly added, “And it looks like she’s filling a big hole in Jayleen’s heart. Missing grandchildren.”
“Cassie, why don’t you pull up a chair for Jennifer?” Pete said, pointing toward an extra chair by the door. “C’mon over, Jen. Those plastic tubs aren’t going anywhere.” He beckoned her to the table.
“Here, Jennifer, you can have my chair,” Jayleen said, as Cassie jumped up. “I’ve been sittin’ in the saddle ever since yesterday. I need to stand up.” Jayleen rose from the chair and stretched.
“My butt is sore,” Eric said, then took a big bite of brownie.
Curt patted his grandson on the back. “Aww, it’ll toughen up over time, boy.”
Eric swallowed. “Well, it oughta be tough as leather now. We’ve been riding ever since yesterday.” He rolled his eyes before taking another bite.
“Leather butt,” Cassie teased as she brought over the extra chair. “That’s funny.”
“Don’t laugh. Wait’ll we go for an all-day ride sometime,” Eric said between bites. “You’ll see. You won’t be able to sit for a couple of days.”
“Don’t let him scare you, Cassie,” Curt said. “Your butt will toughen up this summer. Soon as this fire gets behind us and put out, we’ll start riding every weekend.”
“Every weekend?” Cassie squealed. “Awesome!”
“Better start sitting on concrete steps now,” Eric teased.
Cassie looked at him. “Really?”
Curt took his hat and used it to playfully swat his grandson on the back of the head. “Don’t let him pull your leg.”
Eric just laughed, and Cassie jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. Everyone laughed then.
Jennifer settled into the chair beside Cassie. “Well, the last time I took a ride with you and Jayleen, Curt, I wished my butt was made of leather. I was sore for days.”
Everyone laughed again, including Jayleen, who walked near the sink then stretched both arms over her head. “Wooee! It feels good to stand up. No lie.”
Kelly waited for conversation at the table to pick up again, then leaned toward Jayleen. “What have you heard from Dennis? Is he still laying low in Poudre Canyon taking care of the alpacas? Or has he been busted?”
Jayleen leaned against the counter beside Kelly. “He’s still there, thank goodness. He says nobody hassles him because they know him and know the animals would starve without him. But he’s go
nna have to come into town sometime. He’s the only next of kin Andrea had, so Dennis is the only contact the hospital and medical examiner’s office have. He told me yesterday he had to arrange for a funeral home to come and take Andrea’s body from the hospital tomorrow.”
Kelly’s only experience with funeral homes was with her father’s death and Aunt Helen’s death. Neither of those brought good memories. “I remember having to do all that for Aunt Helen years ago. I was working in Washington, DC, then. Boy, it was stressful having to handle all of that long distance. At least for my father, I was there in the same area.”
Jayleen looked over at Kelly and smiled. “Lordy, Lordy, has it been all those years since Helen died? Hard to believe, Kelly-girl. That’s what brought you out here to live with us years ago. You liked it so much, you stayed.”
Kelly nodded. “Yep. I fell in love with those mountains, I guess. Of course, all you good folks kind of helped that decision to stay.”
“Well, we’re all mighty glad you did.”
Remembering her conversation with Burt, Kelly asked, “What’s going to happen when police start questioning people regarding Andrea’s death? Burt told me the cops would probably assign a community service officer to question everyone. There were a whole lot of people who saw Andrea last Saturday. Including Dennis. What’ll he do when they contact him?”
Jayleen stared out into the kitchen. Everyone around the table was indulging in Pete’s brownies, even Curt. “You know, Kelly, I’m glad you told me that. I’m gonna call Dennis tomorrow and leave him a message. He’ll have to plan for that. The local volunteer firemen and sheriff may have cut him some slack, but the police department won’t. He may have to sneak into town at night or something, meet with the officer at the department, then wait for nightfall to sneak back up the canyon.”
Kelly pictured Dennis Holt hiking out of the canyon at night and then back up again. “Boy, that would be one heckuva long hiking day.”
Jayleen shrugged. “Dennis is tough. He’s a mountain man. Rugged. He can probably load up supplies in a backpack while he’s in town. The animals will just graze so they’ll be okay.”
Yarn Over Murder Page 11
