Wild West Christmas: A Family for the Rancher / Dance with a Cowboy / Christmas in Smoke River

He glanced, with his mouth still on Alice’s, to judge the distance to the sofa and met the stares of both Colin and Cody. Their mouths gaped and they stood as if witnessing a murder instead of a kiss. Dillen drew back.

“Yuck,” said Cody, wiping his own mouth as if he’d been kissed.

Colin repeated his brother’s words, “Yeah, yuck.”

Alice blinked up at Dillen, a lazy, satisfied smile curling her full lips. She still had one hand looped around his neck and used it to pull him closer. He set her aside and steadied her with a hand at the small of her back, feeling the soft fur of the mink. She swayed as if drunk.

She grinned at him and then turned to glance at the boys. Her eyes popped wide-open and her face flushed bright pink.

“Oh, my,” she stammered. “I...” She glanced at him and then back to the children. “I... We had better be getting back. Say goodbye to your uncle, children.”

Colin skipped forward and lifted his arms. Dillen glanced to Alice.

“He wants you to pick him up.”

“Yeah?” he said and then slid one hand under each armpit and hoisted the child up to eye level. Why, he weighed less than a sack of grain. “What’s on your mind, big man?”

Colin leaned forward and planted a kiss on Dillen’s cheek, making a popping sound on contact.

“That’s the way you’re supposta kiss.”

Dillen felt an unfamiliar squeezing sensation in his chest, as if someone had hold of his heart.

“That right?”

Dillen nodded. He set Colin’s feet on the floor and the boy skipped back to Alice’s side. Cody sidled forward with more caution, reminding Dillen of a curious but skittish horse.

Dillen dropped to one knee. “Sorry about the kissing.”

Cody made a face.

“You take care of Miss Truett until I come to fetch you.”

Cody accepted this responsibility with a nod. “Do I have to kiss you?”

“Naw. Handshake.” Dillen extended his hand and Cody seemed relieved to take it.

He watched Cody walk to Alice’s side and felt that same ache only this time his gut twisted with his heart. He stared at the threesome, wanting something but uncertain what it was.

“Will you send the telegram to Harvey if I write it out?” he asked.

She agreed and waited while he found paper and wrote to his employer. The man seemed a reasonable sort, but letting his new hand move his family into the boss’s house seemed an unlikely outcome.

His family? He stilled and glanced back to Alice. Dillen’s chest tightened. He wanted her to stay. He knew his desires didn’t mean staying was best for the boys. Lingering at the ranch would just postpone the inevitable day when she reached the conclusion that he was not father material and that she couldn’t run a household. But if he could put off that moment, keep her here with him a little longer, then he was willing to let her send the damned wire.

Chapter Six

Alice spent the ride home mulling over the meaning of Dillen’s kiss and her wild and unladylike reaction. If he had no feelings for her, why would he kiss her with such abandon? It confused her while simultaneously sparking new hope. Finally both the wintery chill and distance cooled her ardor and she took hold of herself. She wasn’t going to allow him to hurt her again, was she?

Despite her trepidation, she did send the telegram to Dillen’s employer immediately upon return to town and added one of her own, explaining who she was, who her father was and who her maternal grandfather was. Since her grandfather owned a sizable stake in the railroad and his name appeared often in the newspapers, she thought Mr. Harvey might recognize the name and this might help Dillen’s cause.

She did not wait for Mr. Harvey’s reply, as it was already past dark and she and the boys were wilting from hunger.

They went back to the hotel for a hearty meal, but worries dampened her appetite. She sipped her tea as she turned the problem over in her mind. Despite her bravado, Alice had little practical experience cleaning, though she was an excellent cook. To fill the gaps in skill, she had a secret weapon. Before her journey here, she had purchased a copy of Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management and had pored over the tome at every opportunity.

Still, reading was not doing and this troubled her.

Dillen’s words played again in her mind. You don’t know the first thing about raising two boys.

She didn’t.

The next morning, Alice woke with a headache, but managed to get the boys dressed and breakfasted before setting off for services in a drafty unfamiliar church. She missed the Latin, but thought it better that the boys understood what was said and hoped they took some comfort in knowing their parents were safe in God’s hands.

After services, she was approached by Mrs. Louise Pellet, who was the niece of Mr. Harvey’s foreman, Bill Roberts. Louise Pellet was sturdy and curvy with clean clothing of a simple style, and she wore her hair drawn up in a no-nonsense bun. The woman’s demeanor shouted practicality, and her expression showed the clear-eyed gaze of intelligence. She was expecting Dillen and her uncle for Sunday supper and invited Alice and the boys to join them at her boardinghouse. Alice was happy to accept, and they walked together through the town, Mrs. Pellet’s boys quickly befriending Cody and Colin.

Once at her home, Louise ushered them into the parlor, but before Alice even had the boys out of their coats, Mrs. Pellet’s four younger children tumbled in, asking if Colin and Cody would like to see their snow fort behind the house. Alice admired Mrs. Pellet’s natural, no-nonsense style with her children as she sent them off with coats buttoned and mittens on. Her hostess had an innate warmth so absent in Alice’s own mother. Mrs. Pellet turned and caught Alice staring.

“Something wrong?” asked her hostess.

“You seem so confident with them.”

“The children?” She laughed. “I remember when my first was born. Lord have mercy. I was so scared I’d do something wrong. And I did, of course. Live and learn. But she came out all right. Isn’t that right, Lizzy?”

Behind them came the clatter of silverware as a young woman set the table in the adjacent dining room. She stepped into the doorway and introductions were made.

Mrs. Pellet smiled proudly. “Could run the place herself. Her husband will be a lucky man. This one doesn’t want to sit in church with me anymore. Not when she can sit with her intended.”

Lizzy flushed and then returned to her work.

“So, Mrs. Truett, any word from Mr. Harvey?” asked Mrs. Pellet.

Alice took a moment to recover from her shock. She had no idea how Mrs. Pellet knew this, but was impressed, as she had only sent the wire last evening.

“Ah, it’s Miss Truett,” she corrected. “And no, I’m afraid the offices are closed today.”

“Oh, but I have a special connection.” She turned to Lizzy. “Isn’t that right, my girl?” Louise Pellet beamed at Alice. “Tommy is one of the operators. That’s Lizzy’s beau.”

And that explained that.

“Yes, well, I’ll be seeing to the boys’ care in the short term.”

“So you’ll stay through the winter?” asked Mrs. Pellet.

“No, unfortunately, I’ll be returning to my family for the holidays.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. I’m sure the boys will miss you. When will you be back?”

“Well, I’m not certain,” said Alice. “My responsibility was only to bring the boys to their uncle.”

“You’ve gone a sight farther than that. Offering to see them situated. But have you thought what will happen after you make those three a home and then disappear?”

Alice felt her breathing catch. “I have no claim on them, nor has Mr. Roach asked for my assistance past the holidays.”

“Is that so? So you two never...” She let her words trail off. Mrs. Pellet was a very perceptive woman.

Alice felt her face heat. “Well, we did see each other, but that was some time ago.”

“And his sister sent you out here, to him.”

“To bring her boys to him, yes.”

Mrs. Pellet’s smile was knowing. “Might be mistaken. Would explain why he works so hard, though.”

Alice shook her head in bafflement. “I don’t follow.”

“Uncle Bill told me that Dillen seemed real focused on earning money. Won’t say why. He thought Dillen owed a debt, but now I’m thinking that reason is you. Wouldn’t be the first time a man was intimidated by a gal’s fortune.”

“I wouldn’t intimidate anyone.” But his words ricocheted in her mind. You don’t understand me at all.

Mrs. Pellet snorted. “Dillen is a working man. You wear a diamond brooch.” She pointed to the cameo at Alice’s collar. “You’ve got fine clothes, a fine vocabulary and a sort of carriage that might make you a little difficult for some men to approach.”

“Difficult? In what way?”

Mrs. Pellet ignored her question. “Still, you surely love those boys. That’s plain. Plus, you brung them all the way out here. That’s gotta count for something.”

Alice continued to stare at the spotless carpet, thinking of what he’d said before leaving her behind. It would not work between us. No future. Those words collided with the ones he had spoken to her only days ago. Alice twisted the lace that protruded beyond her fawn-colored cashmere bodice.

“He kissed me at the ranch,” she said, touching her fingers to her bottom lip.

Mrs. Pellet’s brow lifted. “That so? Suppose he wants you but just can’t figure how to make that happen. Maybe you can think of something. Those little boys sure need a mother. And likely he can’t picture you keeping house.”

“He already alluded to that. Laughed, actually.”

A smile flickered on the landlady’s lips, but she tamed it and met Alice’s earnest stare. “No, Miss Truett, you sure are not cut from broadcloth. Satin and lace, real French lace, maybe.”

“And why should my attire be of concern?”

“Roach is an ordinary man. A good man, and that’s rare enough, but he’s ordinary in his roots.” Mrs. Pellet lifted one eyebrow at her in speculation. “If you want him to see you as ordinary, you got to act ordinary.”

“How?”

“Start with that hairstyle and your fancy clothes. Stop using words like alluded and attire.”

“I see.”

“You want him to forget you’re a lady? See you as a wife? Then you’ve got to show him you can tend those boys. And that underneath all those petticoats you’re a flesh-and-blood woman.”

* * *

Dillen looked surprised to see Alice seated at Mrs. Pellet’s table. Would he have come to see her and the boys if they were not invited to share Sunday supper?

She felt a new tension between them as they took their places at the table. Dillen seemed distracted. Had he also lost sleep over his decision to ask his employer if she and the boys could stay on his property?

She straightened as something occurred to her. Could Mr. Harvey dismiss Dillen over such a thing?

Mrs. Pellet had seated Alice beside Dillen, something that would never have occurred at her mother’s table. Cody also sat next to Dillen, who helped him carve up his ham. Did Dillen realize he had the same easy confidence with the boys as Mrs. Pellet had with hers? Colin sat to Alice’s right and only spilled his milk once and was not the only child to do so, much to her relief.

The table was so crowded and the exchanges so lively that Alice had trouble following the discussions. She’d never seen such a raucous, happy family. The quiet conversation of her own family’s dinners quite paled by comparison. Alice thought of returning to their table and of all the years and years of sitting in that quiet room. It frightened her more than any challenge she might face at the ranch. She could do this, because the alternative was returning to her parents’ home permanently.

She had to remind herself that Dillen had only agreed to let her stay for the boys’ sake, not for his.

In all the commotion, no one noticed when Dillen’s leg lolled against hers. She straightened, and then remembered Mrs. Pellet’s words. Make him see her as an ordinary woman. But how did she do that? She glanced across the table at Lizzy and Tommy, seeing them holding hands. Alice moved her hand from her napkin and reached until her fingers brushed Dillen’s muscular thigh. This time it was Dillen who straightened. Then he turned to her and smiled, but his eyes blazed with heat. A moment later his hand covered hers.

The boys remembered their manners and thanked their hostess before their departure. Dillen helped Alice on with her fur coat and walked them to the hotel. There he hesitated outside the entrance. Was he thinking of kissing her good-night?

Oh, she hoped so.

Alice glanced nervously about and then saw the boys shifting from side to side, anxious no doubt to be out of the cold.

“I hope we hear one way or the other real soon,” he said. Then he touched the brim of his hat and turned to go. Alice had to resist the urge to call after him.

Instead she took the boys inside and retreated to their hotel room. That night, when she lay in bed, her head filled with possible ways to get Dillen to recognize her as capable and also approachable. Mrs. Pellet said to show Dillen that beneath her petticoats she was a flesh-and-blood woman. Did Mrs. Pellet mean what Alice thought she meant? She flushed at the possibility and felt a nervous, gnawing worry that if she made some advance, Dillen might rebuff her soundly. But then she recalled his hand covering hers. It gave her hope.

If she could show him that she could see to the boys and live a simpler life, would that make him want her again?

On Monday, Lizzy found Alice and the boys at breakfast and told her that her Tommy had set off for the ranch to deliver Mr. Harvey’s answer to Dillen’s wire.

“He said yes.” She beamed and clapped her hands.

Alice now had the experience of getting what she wanted and being frightened half to death. Could she do it? Could she care for them all on her own out there in the wilderness?

What if they got hurt or sick?

She glanced at the boys, who looked to her with anxious expressions. She plastered a confident smile on her lips and nodded.

“Well, that is very good news, Lizzy. Thank you for the information.”

After breakfast, Alice went to Mrs. Pellet to seek advice on supplies and spent the following two days obtaining what she lacked in the way of foodstuffs and made several adjustments in her wardrobe, leaving much behind at Mrs. Pellet’s and supplementing her existing attire with several necessities that were lacking.

She planned to set out on Wednesday, but the sleigh was too small, so Alice had to hire a wagon, which then had to be set on runners to carry her, the boys and her supplies out to the ranch house. She suffered the delay by making some arrangements with the bank to hold her valuables. Just after lunch on Thursday, they were finally on their way.

They set out under crystal-blue skies. Several inches of new white powder had fallen overnight and the world looked brilliant and the air snapped with freshness as they left town. The boys began the journey tucked beneath a blanket in the back, but were too excited to stay put, and to keep them from mischief she entertained them with Christmas carols, singing the ones they knew and teaching them some they did not. Even Mr. Gulliver, their driver, joined along, his voice a wobbly baritone that occasionally strayed from the tune.

The horses trotted along, adding the jingle of sleigh bells to the music, and it was no wonder that both Dillen and Mr. Roberts were waiting for them as they drew into the yard.

The boys tumbled out first, and Dillen came forward to offer her a hand.

“No furs?” he asked.

She bounced down before him. Alice had exchanged her furs for a woolen shawl and wore a simple woolen bodice and skirts with no hoops or bustle whatsoever. Her jewelry remained behind in a bank safe. She felt lighter, freer, and she beamed her happiness at seeing Dillen again.

“We heard that you received a wire,” she said.

Dillen glanced in the wagon and then back to her. “That Tommy is going to get himself fired, yakking like a woman.”

“Perhaps so.”

Roberts limped forward, putting a hand on each of the children’s heads. “Boys, let’s get your gear unloaded.”

By midafternoon all her supplies and necessary possessions were stacked in the living room and Mr. Gulliver had left them. Dillen seemed glad to see her but somewhat reserved, rubbing his neck as he looked at the pile of gear. She feared she’d overwhelmed him again and shifted uncomfortably as she considered this latest misstep.

“I’ve got chores in the barn, getting those two horses trained, but I’ll be back in a bit to make you dinner.”

Make her dinner?

Mrs. Pellet was correct, Alice realized. He did not even think her capable of fixing a meal.

“What time will you be in?” she asked.

He glanced at the mantel clock, which read three in the afternoon.

“Around six, I think.”

“Would you like the boys’ help or would they be underfoot?”

Both Colin and Cody went totally still, and she could see them fairly vibrating with excitement and anticipation at the possibility of seeing the horses. They all knew Dillen’s reputation in town for being a fine horseman and were mad with desire to learn to ride.

Dillen hesitated and then glanced to Roberts, who nodded.

“They can come with me,” said Dillen. “Give you time to rest after the ride out here.”

Did he really think she would be going to her room for a nap? If he did, then he’d be wildly disappointed. Alice had used her time with Mrs. Pellet to good effect, recording some simpler recipes. But she still wasn’t sure how to prove she had desires like any other woman.

Alice threw back the shawl that had covered her head.

Dillen frowned as he studied her. “You look different.”

She smiled, wondering if it was the simpler chignon that he noticed, or her lack of jewelry. “Do I? I feel different. Perhaps it is the mountain air. It seems to agree with me.”

Dillen’s brow remained wrinkled as he nodded, and then shepherded the boys toward the front door.

“You rest now,” Dillen said.

She smiled as they headed out in the direction of the barn. The moment the latch clicked shut, she broke into a frenzy of motion, unpacking the boxes and setting up her kitchen before launching into meal preparation. Something quick, delicious and memorable. Something that would make Dillen Roach reconsider his opinion of Miss Alice Pinter Truett.

Chapter Seven

Dillen took the boys to the barn, wondering with each step if he’d just made the worst mistake of his life. He’d asked Mr. Harvey if his nephews could stay until after he got these horses trained and delivered. Even mentioned Alice and her willingness to help out until the holiday. He’d never expected his boss to say, Sure! Move the woman and kids into my personal residence. But Harvey had said yes and now Dillen was just stuck.

He had horses to train, a ranch to run, two boys underfoot and the temptation of Alice so close that he swore he could smell her perfume clear out here in the open. Dillen leaned forward and sniffed Colin’s collar, finding Alice’s scent. Had the boy spent some of the ride nestled up against Alice’s body? Dillen scowled.

“What?” asked Colin.

“Nothin’,” said Dillen.

At least he had one other option. Mr. Gulliver had delivered more than the boys, Alice and her gear today. He’d also delivered a reply to his wire.

Great-aunt Ethel had agreed to take his boys. But with Alice staying until Christmas, he could put off that decision until the holiday. He shoved the folded paper deep into his coat pocket. This was what he wanted, wasn’t it? What was best for the boys. They why did he feel so blue?

“Uncle Dillen?” said Cody.

Dillen forced a smile and rubbed his gloved hands together in anticipation.

“You two know anything about horses?”

His question met with silence.

“Riding?”

Cody’s eyes shifted and he looked uncomfortable. “I want to learn to ride.”

“That so?” Dillen scratched his head. He’d have to get in a training session with the twin ponies and then saddle up Dasher. If he didn’t have to cook dinner, too, he might manage. Steak and eggs, he decided. Fast and filling. “Follow me, boys.”

Once inside the barn, his nephews were surprisingly quiet and stayed out of the way as he led the two ponies from their stalls.

Dillen talked as he worked, showing the boys how to brush them and saddle them, pointing out the parts of the horse, describing the care of the horses’ hooves as he cleaned and inspected each leg.

The boys sat on the fence rail as he worked the two ponies round and round in the ring on lunge lines. Though the ring was snow covered, Dillen had added sand to the outer perimeter, and the ponies trotted, walked and turned on command. They did so well that he tried them with no line for the first time, using only the long whip to tap them when needed. As it happened, he didn’t need it as the pair already knew the verbal signals and could walk, stop, trot and turn on command.

When they returned to the barn, Dillen only had to remind the boys once to stay clear of the ponies’ hindquarters. He didn’t let them curry or brush the ponies. Just didn’t trust the green horses around his nephews. But when he brought out Dasher, he let the boys pet him and showed them how to feed a horse a sugar cube without losing a digit. Both Colin and Cody were brave, taking to Dasher like trout to a brook. Cody even managed to lift Dasher’s saddle, though Dillen couldn’t believe his eyes. The two boys seemed eager to please. It twisted Dillen’s heart.

There was so much of his sister in them. They had manners, smarts, and Colin seemed to have a sense of humor judging from his attempts to comb his hair with the currycomb and making his brother burst out laughing.

He took them each before him in turn as he walked and trotted with Dasher around the ring. At first they clung to the saddle horn, but soon they were moving with the saddle and holding on with their strong, short legs. He dismounted and set Cody behind Colin, then led Dasher around the circle.

“Did you know that this horse was in the circus?” He didn’t say that he had been, as he wasn’t especially proud of that nine months of his life. The promised fame and fortune had not materialized—or the fortune part had not, but that job had gotten him this position when Harvey had seen what he and Dasher could do.

“Really?” piped Colin. “Does he do tricks? Can he walk on his hind legs?”

“Sure. Want to see?”

Cody looked concerned, and Dillen realized he thought his uncle meant with the two of them mounted up. Cody did not object. But he did wrap his arms about his little brother and grip the saddle horn with both hands.

“Yes!” shouted Colin.

Dasher’s ears twitched and he turned one to listen to the new, tiny riders. Still, his mount was calm and acted the perfect gentleman.

Dillen pulled the boys down and set them on the fence rail. Then he began some of his act. Dasher should have been out of practice, but he picked up the routine in midperformance as if they had never stopped entertaining. Dasher stole Dillen’s hat and tossed it on the ground, stealing it again as Dillen reached to retrieve it. Then he placed it roughly on his master’s head. The boys roared with laughter. His foreman, Bill Roberts, limped over and leaned against the rails, talking to the boys as Dasher trotted away with Dillen seeming to be chasing his errant horse. When the horse made an abrupt rehearsed stop, Dillen ran into Dasher’s hindquarters. Then he put a foot in the stirrup the wrong way and mounted up backward on his horse’s withers just before the saddle. Dillen turned toward the front and Dasher took him around at a trot, then stopped and lowered his head so Dillen slid down his neck to the ground. From there they changed from opponents to a well-oiled machine, with Dasher keeping up a steady trot as Dillen mounted and dismounted using the frozen ground to vault back up from each side of the saddle. The light was fading when he dismounted and had the horse walk a few steps on his hind legs. Finally, he motioned for Dasher to drop down on one foreleg to take a bow. The boys clapped and Roberts whistled.