by Bobbi Smith
Nick was touched by his generosity. They were virtual strangers and yet he was opening his home to them. “We’d like that very much.”
“We’d like it, too,” Dwylah added.
“I’ll have one of the boys follow you into town and bring you back after you get your things from the hotel,” Jack said.
“Would you like to stay here with us while the reverend goes to town, Steve?” Dwylah asked, wanting to spend more time with him.
“Oh no, ma’am. I can’t do that. I’ve got to see Miss Lacey again,” he said seriously.
“Who’s Miss Lacey?” Dwylah asked them both, surprised by his answer.
“She’s my friend,” Steve replied before Nick could say anything. “She’s all alone, so I’ve got to go see her. She doesn’t know anybody in town, and it’s almost Christmas.”
“Lacey came in on the stage with us,” Nick explained.
Dwylah could tell this girl named Lacey meant a lot to the boy. She couldn’t help herself. In her usual way, she put Jack on the spot. “Jack,” she said, “have we got room enough for one more person to stay with us?”
Jack was surprised by her question, but after getting to knowing Dwylah during the time they’d been together, he knew he shouldn’t have been. “I suppose we can arrange something.”
“Good.” She turned to Steve again. “When you get back into town, you ask your friend if she’d like to come and spend Christmas here at the ranch with us. There’s no reason for her to be there in Sagebrush all by herself.” Dwylah would never forget the look of delight on the boy’s face at her invitation.
“Really?”
“Really. As long as that’s all right with the reverend.” Dwylah realized she should have included him in making the decision.
Nick didn’t know how it had happened, but he found he was rather glad that Lacey wouldn’t be alone this year on Christmas. He just hoped Dan got back in time to share the blessed day with them. Thinking of his brother then and knowing the potential danger he and the rancher’s daughter might be in, he offered up a silent prayer for their safety and their return home.
“I’m getting worried,” Lou told Fred as they covered the endless miles looking for Penny and Dan.
“They’re out here somewhere. Dan’s a survivor. You know that, and he’s not about to let anything happen to Penny.”
“But they’re on foot.”
That realization troubled them both deeply, for there weren’t a lot of places to seek shelter here in the canyon.
Lou and Fred reined in to stare out across the snow-covered landscape, hoping to see something, anything, that would give them a clue as to where Dan and Penny were. They’d made it to the closest line shack the day before, after camping out that first night. It had been a harsh night in the cold, but they’d done it. When they reached the shack and found no sign of them, they’d immediately started out again. The traveling was slow, but they were not about to give up.
They couldn’t give up.
This was Dan and Penny.
“Lou, look!” Fred almost shouted as he caught sight of the solitary horse that had just come into view in the distance with what looked like two riders on its back.
“Well, I’ll be . . .” Lou couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Let’s go get ’em!”
They wanted to gallop over to them, but they knew better. Urging their mounts on to the safest, quickest pace, they rode out to meet them.
Dan and Penny had been riding since first light. The going was slow, but they were covering miles back toward the ranch house, and they knew that was good. It was Dan who spotted the two riders coming their way, and his mood lightened considerably.
“We’ve got company,” he told Penny.
“Really?”
“It’s Lou and Fred.” Dan knew if Jack was going to send anyone out to look for them, it would have been these two.
“What are you two doing out here?” Dan asked as the two groups met. “Did you get lost in the storm?”
“I don’t think we’re the ones who are lost,” Fred came back at him. “Are you all right, Penny?”
“I’m fine, Fred. Dan took real good care of me,” she answered. “Is Papa worried?”
“I think that’s safe to say,” Lou said.
“Is he doing all right?” Dan asked.
“Except for worrying about Penny, here, he was fine when we left.”
“Good.” Dan was relieved to hear that the rancher hadn’t worsened.
Just then Fred asked, “How did you end up on John’s horse? Where’s John?”
Dan answered cryptically, “I’ll tell you on the ride back.”
With that kind of answer, Fred and Lou understood that something bad had happened.
“Let’s go home,” Penny said. “If we’re lucky, we can still make it back in time for Christmas Eve.”
“If we’re running too late, maybe Santa will find us and give us a ride in his sleigh,” Fred joked as they started for home.
“It would probably be warmer,” Penny chimed in.
“No doubt about that,” Dan agreed.
As they rode for the ranch house and Dan told them about John’s ambush and attempted robbery, Penny held on to him even more tightly. The memory of how close she’d come to losing him still had the power to frighten her. She wanted to keep him near to her and never let him go.
Lacey had had a feeling things might not go easily in Sagebrush, but she figured she could handle whatever life threw her way. After spending the entire day trying to find decent employment and being turned down repeatedly, she was devastated as she returned to the hotel. She kept her expression pleasant as she passed through the lobby on her way up to her room, but once she’d gone inside, she’d locked the door behind her and thrown herself across the bed to cry her heart out.
In two more days she would be completely out of money, and she couldn’t bear the thought that she would have to go back to working in a saloon just to have a bed to sleep in and food to eat. She had no idea what the future held for her now. With all the praying she’d done lately since she’d been with Reverend Miller and Steve, she wondered why her prayers hadn’t been answered. Didn’t Jesus always go after those who needed his help the most? Didn’t he always search for the lost sheep to save them?
The knock at the door startled her. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she struggled to sit up and called out, “Who is it?”
“It’s Steve! Open up!”
A surge of joy went through her. Steve was truly a sweet and gentle little boy, and she did love him. She was glad that she’d taken the time to buy him several pieces of candy for Christmas. If nothing else, she was going to help him keep his belief in the beauty and the goodness of the season.
“What is it, Steve?” she called out again, wanting to stall as long as she could so he wouldn’t be able to tell she’d been crying. But one quick look in the small mirror over the washstand told her there was no point in trying to hide it. Her face was red and her eyes slightly swollen from the torrent of tears that had consumed her. She went to the door and opened it to find him standing there smiling at her with the reverend right beside him.
“Miss Lacey, what’s the matter?” Steve didn’t like knowing she’d been crying and he wanted to help her in any way he could. He knew if she stayed with them, she wouldn’t be crying anymore. He’d see to it.
“Nothing. Nothing’s the matter. What did you need, Steve?” She tried to ignore Reverend Miller’s presence.
“We have a surprise for you. You get to spend Christmas with us!”
“What?”
“Do you mind if we come in?” Nick asked.
She stepped back and closed the door behind them.
Nick quickly explained how Jack’s daughter, Penny, and Dan were missing and how they were going to stay out at the ranch with Jack to await their return.
“I’m sorry about your brother and Jack’s daughter. Do you think they’re safe?”
> “We hope so.” He went on, “Steve mentioned to Jack that you were here alone, and Jack said there’s plenty of room at the ranch if you’d like to come and stay with us over Christmas.”
“You want me to go with you?”
Nick gazed down at her, knowing Steve had been right. They did need her with them for Christmas. “Yes, I do want you to go with us,” he said. “Pack up your things. The driver’s waiting for us out in front.”
“I don’t have a lot to worry about,” Lacey said as she donned her coat and grabbed up the one bag that contained all her worldly belongings.
As she left the hotel with Steve and the reverend to make the trip out to the ranch, Lacey understood that her prayers truly had been answered. Deeply thankful, her heart filled with joy, she offered up another prayer for the safe return of Nick’s brother and the rancher’s daughter.
Jack went upstairs to rest. He was trying to keep from being consumed by his worries about Penny and Dan, but it seemed he was fighting a losing battle, even with Dwylah around as a distraction.
Dwylah stayed in the parlor eagerly awaiting Nick and Steve’s return from their trip to town. She wasn’t sure who this young woman named “Lacey” was, but she knew she had to be special if the little boy adored her so much. Dwylah found out she was right when she heard the buckboard pull up out in front of the house and she hurried to let them in.
“Miss Dwylah, this is Miss Lacey,” Steve said, the moment she opened the door. “Miss Lacey, this is Miss Dwylah.”
Dwylah found herself staring at a remarkably lovely young woman. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lacey. Come in.”
“Thank you, Miss Dwylah,” Lacey said, entering the house followed by Steve and the reverend.
“There’s no need for you to call me ‘Miss.’ I’m just Dwylah to my friends,” she laughed.
Lacey was completely taken with her from the first and she found herself smiling back at her. “Dwylah, Steve was telling me about you.”
“Good things, I hope.”
“What else could there be?”
“I think I like you a lot already, Lacey. Go ahead and leave your things here in the hall. Make yourselves comfortable in the parlor while I go get Jack.”
She hurried upstairs to find he was just coming out of his room.
“I heard all the commotion, so I take it they’re back?”
“They’re downstairs waiting for you,” she answered.
Together, they went down to the parlor to spend the day with them as they awaited Penny and Dan’s return.
Chapter Twenty-five
It was Christmas Eve—and it was getting late—well after dark. Dwylah had excused herself and gone up to her room for a few moments. She was trying to put up a brave front, but with each passing minute, her hopes for Dan and Penny’s return grew dimmer. Her heart ached as the fear that she’d tried to ignore all this time came back to haunt her.
What if something terrible had happened to them?
What would they do?
Unable to face the possibility, she forced the thoughts away.
Everything was going to be all right.
It had to be.
Penny didn’t think she’d ever seen anything as beautiful as the ranch house lit up as it was in the night, far up ahead of them as they rode back in. They’d considered stopping earlier and riding back in, in the morning, but they’d all decided they would risk covering the final miles to the ranch that night. It was Christmas Eve, and Penny wanted to be with her father on what might be their last Christmas together.
“We’re home,” she said softly, a deep abiding love for the place filling her.
“Yes, we are,” Dan agreed. He put his heels to the horse’s side and they moved more quickly over the final distance to the house.
“Jack’s going to be real glad to see you two tonight,” Fred remarked.
“And we’re going to be real glad to see him,” Penny responded.
Dwylah was just about ready to go back downstairs. She paused to take one last look out at the snow-covered, moonlit night, and she was completely shocked to see three horses charging back up to the house. Excitement filled her and she ran out into the hallway.
“Jack! Jack! Somebody’s riding in!” she shouted as she rushed down the steps.
Jack had been in the parlor with Nick, Lacey, and Steve, and he got up as quickly as he could to hurry from the room. He reached the front hall at the same time Dwylah made it to the bottom of the stairs. She could tell no one was going to get in his way, so she stayed back as Jack all but ran toward the front door.
But he didn’t get the chance to open it, for it flew open and Penny came running into the house.
“Papa! Papa, we’re home!”
Jack grabbed his girl and gave her a huge hug. If he’d been stronger he would have swung her around the hall. “Oh, Penny—we’ve been so worried!”
When he finally stood still, he just hugged her for a moment longer before letting her go.
It was then that Penny looked up to see the three strangers standing in the parlor doorway watching them. She frowned and started to ask who they were, just as Dan came inside carrying Jack’s boxes.
“I’m so sorry, Jack,” he began as he put the boxes on the small table nearby.
Dwylah immediately ran to him and pulled him down to her for a kiss on the cheek.
“All that matters is you’re safe, Danny, and—” she whispered to him, but as soon as she said it she saw the bullet hole in his coat and the bloodstain. “What happened?”
Jack looked over, too, but Dan quickly told them, “It’s just a scratch. I’ll tell you what happened later.”
Jack nodded, understanding now that something had happened to them out there, and he fully intended to find out what it was.
“Well, this will make you feel better,” Dwylah went on. “We’ve got a surprise for you.”
Dan frowned as he glanced down at her, and then he looked up just as the stranger came out into the hall.
Nick couldn’t believe it. Dan was there! He was safe! He was back! Powerful emotions filled him, and he couldn’t stop himself as he came forward to his brother.
It was as he took the first step that their gazes met.
Dan went still as he found himself face-to-face with his brother. He would have recognized him anywhere. “Nick—”
“Danny!”
The two men covered the distance between them in a flash and threw their arms around each other in a desperate, emotional reunion.
“It’s really you?” Nick choked.
“It’s me, Nick. And it’s you?” he countered, clasping his brother to him in a tight man hug.
“You’d better believe it—” Nick answered, still not letting him go.
Penny stood back with her father and Dwylah watching their reunion, with tears burning in her eyes. Dan’s brother had found him! After all this time, they were together again.
From the parlor doorway, Steve stood with Lacey, beaming with happiness. He tugged on her arm and when she glanced down at him, he told her, “I knew we’d find him.”
Lacey bent down and gave the boy a loving hug. “And it’s all because of you, Steve. You’re the reason they’re back together again.”
Steve swelled with heartfelt emotion at her words. “I’m glad.”
Lacey lifted her gaze to the two brothers and said, “So am I.”
Dan and Nick finally moved apart to look at each other in amazement.
“How did you find me?” Dan asked.
“You aren’t going to believe it,” Nick began.
“Try me.”
“Well,” Nick said, holding out a hand to Steve.
Steve ran to take it and looked up at the reverend’s brother. “Hi, Danny! I’m Steve.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Steve,” Dan replied, a little confused.
“If I hadn’t run away from the orphanage, Reverend Miller wouldn’t have seen you getting on the train!” Steve s
miled triumphantly up at him.
Dan had assumed Steve was Nick’s son and the woman standing in the back was his wife, but he knew now he was wrong. “I need to hear this story. I think it’s going to be real interesting.”
Jack spoke up. “Let’s go in the parlor.” His reunion with Penny had been wonderful, but he knew seeing the two brothers reunited again after all this time was just amazing.
“We’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” Dan said.
Nick started to move ahead of him with Steve to join Lacey, while Dan waited for Penny to join him.
Penny was so excited, she went to him and pulled him down for a quick kiss. “I am so happy for you—”
Jack looked over at them just then and was surprised by their embrace. “Is there something going on here I don’t know about?” he growled.
Penny and Dan looked over at him and they both smiled.
Dan decided to set things straight right then. “We were all set to tell you, but then finding Nick here . . . Well, Jack, I’d like your permission to marry your daughter.”
Jack looked between the two of them. “And what does she have to say about this?”
“I already told him yes, Papa, but he insisted on doing this the proper way.”
“I knew he was a good man.” He turned and looked at Dan. “Yes, you may marry my daughter.”
“Thank you, Jack.” Dan was serious as he extended his hand to shake hands with his future father-in-law.
The older man took it, thrilled to know Dan was going to be family. He couldn’t have chosen any better if he’d arranged it himself.
Dwylah spoke up, having watched everything that had transpired with delight. “So you’re getting married?”
“That’s right,” Dan said, “and it’s all thanks to you.”
“Me?”
“You’re the best chaperone ever,” Dan told her, and this time he went to her and kissed her on the cheek.
Dwylah actually blushed. “Oh, Danny, you are a sweet one. She is one lucky girl.”
“Yes, I am,” Penny agreed.
And they all went into the parlor, where Nick and the others were waiting for them.
