Christmas at Dove Creek

by Scarlett Dunn

  Her plans took the steam out of his anger. Almost. “Who said I didn’t want you here?”

  “You didn’t say it exactly. It’s more the way you’ve behaved since that day at Chimney Rock.”

  “If I didn’t want you here, I wouldn’t have asked you to come.” Were all women so darn confounding?

  “You asked me if I wanted to go back to the fort. I thought that meant you didn’t want me at your ranch.”

  “You and the captain seemed to be getting pretty darn close and I thought you might want to wait for him there.” He’d only asked her that because he was angry. He didn’t like seeing them kiss, particularly since he’d kissed her just a few days before. And he’d stayed away from her because he didn’t want to chance getting in over his head again.

  “Captain Anderson and I are friends.”

  “Do you kiss all of your friends like that?” Thorpe snapped.

  “He surprised me, but . . .” Why am I explaining anything to him? He was the one that regretted our kiss. I don’t owe him an explanation. “It’s really none of your business.”

  On that point, he agreed. “You’re right, it’s none of my business, and I intend to keep it that way.” He held his arms up to help her from the wagon. “Just come on in the house. I’m getting cold out here.”

  “I told you I’m fine where I am.”

  Thorpe was cold, tired, and angry. He wasn’t going to argue in his present frame of mind for fear of saying something he would regret. He reached up and wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her from the wagon. “You are not staying out here in the cold and that’s final.” He placed her on the ground beside him. “Do you need anything from the wagon?”

  Lily didn’t have the heart to keep Blue from having his dinner. And the longer she bickered with Thorpe, the hungrier Blue was going to be. “Yes, my valise.”

  Thorpe reached inside the wagon and pulled it out. “Now about this harebrained idea you have about finding a job in town . . .”

  “I told you that was my plan when you invited us here. You can’t stop me from doing that,” Lily retorted.

  Thorpe vaguely remembered she mentioned looking for a job. “This isn’t a town like Kansas City. It’s growing since the railroad is coming through, and we are drawing all kinds of people. Some are rough-looking characters. The hotel is no place for a lady and the boardinghouse is no better.”

  “I’m sure somewhere will be suitable. As you remember, I can defend myself,” Lily replied.

  “Not against a couple of drunks. There won’t be any jobs for you either, unless you want to work in the saloon.”

  “I’m not without skills. I can work in a mercantile, I’m adept with numbers,” she told him.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Eads run the mercantile and their son works there.”

  “Perhaps the boardinghouse or the hotel needs a cook,” she said.

  “I doubt it. As I said, neither place is safe for a woman.” There was an older woman who cooked at the boardinghouse, but Thorpe felt sure she was safe from unwanted attentions.

  Lily thought he was being obstinate. Maybe he was worried about Isabelle staying alone on his ranch. “I’m sure women cook at these establishments.”

  “None that look like you. Besides, Isabelle needs someone to stay with her. If you’re so all-fired to work, I need a cook. My man who does the cooking is needed out with the men, and now that more people will be staying on the ranch, you can do the cooking in the house. Stone and Jed cooked dinner tonight. They won’t have the time to do it every night and neither do I.” When she didn’t respond, he decided to pull out his ace. “Besides, we’ve been fortunate that we aren’t already knee-deep in snow. What if you’re stuck in town and can’t get out here when Isabelle has that baby?”

  “Do you really need a cook?”

  “Yes.” He told himself she had no business staying in town alone and that was the only reason he wanted her to stay at the ranch. Was she telling the truth when she said she was just friends with Anderson? He didn’t kiss his friends the way they were kissing. He wasn’t interested in her, so why did he continue to dwell on her kissing Anderson?

  “In lieu of wages, I’ll work for a place to stay until Isabelle’s baby is born.” That would solve her problem short-term. But after the baby came, they would need to find a place to stay and she would need to find a position.

  “You don’t think you and Isabelle will be leaving after the baby is born?” He couldn’t believe she was thinking of taking off with Isabelle and a baby in the dead of winter.

  “Yes, we can’t be a burden to you forever. We will move to town.”

  “You will stay until spring.” It wasn’t a suggestion. He wasn’t about to let two women go traipsing off by themselves with a little baby. “Let’s get to the house so you and Blue can eat.”

  As they walked toward the house, Thorpe said, “In a couple of weeks the wives of my men and their children will be coming around to start decorating the house for Christmas. You and Isabelle will get to have some female company for a change.”

  Lily thought preparing for the holiday sounded fun. She had wonderful memories of helping her mother decorate their home for Christmas and preparing the meal. “It will be good for Isabelle to get her mind off her troubles.” She wouldn’t admit it to Thorpe, but she looked forward to Christmas on Dove Creek Ranch. She started thinking of gifts she could make for Isabelle’s baby now that she wasn’t going to be spending her days driving a wagon. If she could make a trip to town, she could buy some cloth with what little money she had left. She could even make some shirts for the men. Perhaps if Isabelle joined her in making gifts, it would get her out of her melancholy. “Thank you for letting us stay, Thorpe.”

  Thorpe reached for her arm to stop her when they reached the porch. When she turned to face him, he said, “Lily, I never meant that I didn’t want you at the ranch.”

  She stared into his dark eyes. “What did you mean?”

  He thought about dropping her valise and the lantern he was holding and taking her in his arms. He wanted to kiss her again, but that wouldn’t be the smartest idea he ever had. “I meant . . . I didn’t . . .” What did he mean? If she went back to the fort, he wouldn’t be tempted to do what he wanted to do right now. Evelyn had been alone in his home, and what started out as an innocent kiss had ended up with her in his bed. That’s exactly where he wanted Lily at this very moment. It wasn’t going to happen twice. “I don’t know what I meant.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The next morning Thorpe awoke before dawn to the aroma of coffee and something that smelled so delicious, his stomach started growling before he reached the kitchen. When he walked into the kitchen, he came to a halt. Lily was standing at the stove wearing a yellow dress and talking to Blue and Spirit. Blue was nudged up against her thigh as though he thought she might walk away without him. The puppies were playing on the blanket in the corner. He envisioned himself walking up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, and kissing her neck. He shook his head, trying to erase that vision. “Were the pups unhappy in the front room?”

  She turned at the sound of his voice. “Blue pulled the blanket in here and the puppies followed.”

  “He likes to keep an eye on them.” He walked to the cabinet to grab a cup.

  “Blue likes to keep an eye on everything.” She’d noticed Blue wasn’t letting her out of his sight the last few days. Last night Blue had awakened her with his restless pacing and he wouldn’t settle down until she sat beside him on the blanket with Spirit and the puppies. She’d talked to him for what seemed like an eternity before he finally went to sleep with his head on her lap.

  “Something sure smells good.”

  “I found some dried apples so I made a pie this morning.”

  Thorpe glanced at the pie sitting on the counter by the stove. “Can I have some of that?”

  “For breakfast? I’m cooking some bacon now, and biscuits are in the oven.”

 
“I’ll have that too, but that pie smells too good.”

  Lily smiled at him. “I’ll slice you a piece when it’s cooled a bit.”

  He poured some coffee. “Do you want some coffee?”

  “I’ve already had some.”

  He leaned against the counter and watched her cook as he sipped his coffee. He always preferred his quiet time in the kitchen. Until now. Looking at her in the morning beat the heck out of being alone with his thoughts. “I’m going to ride to town to tell the doc about Isabelle and ask him to come meet her when he has time.”

  Lily glanced up at him. “What made you think of that?”

  “The doc is a friend of mine and a reasonable man. I know she is having a difficult time and I thought he might be able to help her in some way.”

  Lily felt herself becoming emotional. The man could be so frustrating at times, and then he would turn around and make the most thoughtful gesture. Isabelle insisted she wasn’t going to keep the baby, so maybe the doctor could reason with her. “I think that is a fine idea.”

  Thorpe leaned over and grabbed a fork and stuck it in the pie. He saw her staring at him and he smiled wide. “I can’t wait.” He stuffed a big bite in his mouth.

  Lily laughed. “I didn’t know you were starving. Let me get a plate.”

  He stuck the fork in the pie again and this time held it to her mouth. “This is great. Try it.”

  Lily didn’t move while he held the fork to her lips. She stared into his eyes and nibbled the pie off the fork.

  Thorpe’s eyes were on her lips and he really wanted to kiss her. Calm down. “Delicious, huh?”

  Lily thought she had never seen a more handsome man. She looked at him and nodded. She forced her eyes from his face, and stood on her tiptoes to grab a plate from the shelf above the stove.

  Thorpe’s hand covered hers. “I got it.” He felt like he was struck by lightning when he touched her hand. “I guess I need to lower those shelves for you.”

  “They are fine. I won’t be here that long.” Trying to ignore the tension between them, Lily pulled a knife from the drawer and focused on the pie. She hoped he didn’t notice her hands shaking. After she made the first cut into the pie, Thorpe placed his hand over hers again and moved the knife to show her he wanted her to cut a big slice.

  “I eat a lot more than you think,” he told her.

  “Did we starve you on the trail?” She always thought she gave him large portions, but now she was beginning to think it wasn’t enough for him.

  He grinned at her.

  “You should have said something,” she told him.

  “I need more food now that’ll I’ll be working a lot harder,” he told her.

  She placed the pie on the plate he held for her. “The biscuits will be done in a few minutes.”

  Thorpe carried his coffee and pie to the table and sat in a chair where he could watch her move around the kitchen. He liked watching her work with the animals at her feet. She looked like she belonged there.

  When she placed another plateful of food in front of him, he said, “Aren’t you going to have breakfast with me?”

  “Of course.” She hadn’t planned on eating with him, but since he was making an effort to be congenial this morning, she would do the same. She filled a plate for herself and sat across from him. “Do you think I could ride to town with you? I want to pick up some cloth.”

  Thorpe didn’t respond immediately. He was asking himself how he could ride in a buckboard with her all the way to town and back and not be tempted to put his hands all over her.

  When he didn’t answer right away, Lily thought he was probably thinking it would take too long. She knew he had ranch business that needed his attention. “I can change my clothes and ride Blaze so we can make better time. I won’t delay you.”

  “We’ll take the buckboard. I need to pick up some supplies while I’m there.” He just hoped he wouldn’t have to fight off every man he encountered since they were all sure to gape at her. He’d bet no man in town had ever seen anyone as beautiful as Lily.

  * * *

  Before they left the ranch, Stone rode up beside them saying he needed to send another telegram, and he wanted to talk to the pastor. Thorpe wrapped two blankets around Lily on the seat of the buckboard and Blue wedged himself between them. When they reached town, Thorpe asked Lily if she would like to go with him to see the doctor before they headed to the mercantile. “You’ll have plenty of time to find what you need at the mercantile since I’ll have to load supplies.”

  Lily was so shocked that he asked her that she readily agreed.

  “I’ll meet you two at the mercantile,” Stone said.

  They reached the doctor’s office and Thorpe held the door for her. The doctor walked from the back room and shook hands with Thorpe.

  “When did you get back? We’ve missed you around here.” There were many things the doc wanted to ask about Evelyn, but he refrained seeing Thorpe was with another woman.

  “Just yesterday. Doc, this is Lily Starr. Lily this is Doc Emerson.”

  Just as Thorpe predicted, the doc couldn’t take his eyes off of Lily. When he finally spoke, he said, “Please call me Michael.”

  “Of course,” Lily replied with a smile.

  Thorpe gaped at him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard the doc use his first name. Everyone called him Doc.

  Michael looked at Thorpe and said, “Where did you find Miss Starr, or is it Mrs. Starr?”

  “It’s Miss, and she found me.” Thorpe told him about the Indians chasing him and Lily coming to his rescue. “I wanted to ask if you could stop by the ranch to see a friend of Lily’s. She’s due to give birth sometime this month. She says it’s going to be Christmas Day. We’re concerned about her because she recently learned the baby’s father is dead, and now she says she doesn’t want to keep the baby.”

  Lily was grateful Thorpe didn’t actually reveal Isabelle wasn’t married to the baby’s father.

  “I’m sorry to hear of her circumstances—it must be a difficult time for her. Of course, I will be happy to visit. Would tomorrow be too soon?”

  “Perfect. Why don’t you come around dinnertime? I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention we told you how she feels about the baby.”

  “Of course.” Michael had so many questions he wanted to ask Thorpe, but he couldn’t with Lily present. He couldn’t wait to get him alone tomorrow night to find out if he was courting Lily. “And who is this?” he asked, pointing to Blue.

  “He belongs to Lily. His name is Blue,” Thorpe replied.

  “Isn’t he a wolf?”

  Thorpe grinned at him. “Yes.”

  The doc shook his head. “I never knew anyone to have a pet wolf other than the Indians.”

  “He’s Lily’s protector,” Thorpe told him.

  “I can see that.” The wolf hadn’t left Lily’s side from the moment they walked through the door.

  * * *

  While Thorpe loaded his supplies, several people stopped to talk to him. When he stopped working to talk, he’d glance through the window of the mercantile and watched Lily as she perused the catalog on the counter. With Blue beside her, he didn’t need to worry, but he liked looking at her.

  Howard Bowles, the banker, stopped to talk to him about the many new arrivals to their town. Thorpe had noticed the town had done some growing since he’d been gone. New buildings were going up and there was a renewed vitality to the small town all due to the railroad.

  “Do we have a new blacksmith?” Thorpe asked.

  “Not yet. You know of anyone interested in taking over that business?”

  “I may. I have to talk to him about it first.”

  “I will give him a fair price on the building. It’s in the best interest of the town to have a blacksmith.”

  “What is the price for the building and equipment?”

  After Thorpe discussed the particulars of the blacksmith business, he finished loading his supplies. Once he was d
one, he walked to the door of the mercantile. He stood silently and watched Lily examine the various materials on the table. She ran her hands over one bolt of fabric, and he heard her say, “How lovely.”

  “What about that pretty white material you were admiring?” Sadie Eads, the proprietor of the mercantile, asked when Lily placed her purchases on the counter.

  “It is lovely, but I’m afraid it won’t work for what I need,” Lily replied.

  “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? It would make a lovely wedding dress.”

  “Yes, it would,” Lily agreed.

  “And that sapphire velvet would make a lovely cloak for you with those beautiful blue eyes of yours. I had ordered that material for another customer but she left town before it arrived,” Sadie said. “It was expensive, more so than any other material I’ve ordered. I don’t know if I will ever sell it, but it’s a real pleasure just to see something so glorious. Not very practical for weather out here in Wyoming.”

  “It is beautiful, and if lined with wool it would make a very warm cloak for this climate. But it is much too costly for my budget,” Lily replied. She knew she’d never be able to afford material so luxurious. Glancing at the shelves, Lily spotted some books and walked away to look at them. One book caught her eye and she pulled it down and placed it on the counter. “I will take this as well.”

  Sadie picked up the used book. “A gentleman came in the store needing to buy some food for his family, but he had no money. He only had a few books and my husband traded him food for the books.”

  “That was very nice of your husband,” Lily said.

  “Are you ready?” Thorpe asked.

  She turned to see him standing inside the door; his large frame seemed to fill the entire room. He looked so tall and handsome standing there with his black Stetson on, that he took her breath away. “I will be a minute. I’m paying for my purchases.”

  Thorpe walked to the counter and stood beside Lily. “Just put this on my bill, Sadie.”

  “Sure will, Thorpe. We’ve missed you.”

  “Oh no, you can’t pay for this,” Lily said.

  “Sadie, this is Lily Starr. She’s staying at the ranch. Anything she needs you just add it to my bill.”