Christmas in Whispering Pines

by Scarlett Dunn

  “I came to apologize to Morgan—to all of you. Why won’t you accept my apology? I didn’t intend to be rude.”

  “Was your apology sincere when you did the same thing today?” Emma countered.

  “My apology was sincere. I did not do the same thing today. I wasn’t ignoring you, and I certainly intended to introduce you if you’d given me the chance.”

  Emma felt like she was on the verge of tears. “I have one question for you. Why didn’t you just invite Mrs. King to dinner instead of me? You seemed to have a keen interest in her.”

  Clay didn’t really answer her question. Instead he told her how he felt responsible for all people in need.

  Several miles before they reached the ranch, Clay finally quit trying to explain his motives. He was as frustrated as Emma. If he thought the weather was frigid, it had nothing on Emma’s attitude. She didn’t seem to believe a word he said, and in all honesty, he knew he wasn’t being totally truthful. He wondered if God considered it a lie if details were omitted.

  Pulling the buckboard to a halt in front of the house, Clay hadn’t even set the break before Emma jumped to the ground and ran into the house without a word of good-bye.

  Morgan was walking out the door at the same time, and she flew past him like a blur. He saw Clay sitting there looking at the door as if he wasn’t quite sure what had just taken place. “Have a nice evening?” Morgan asked.

  “Fine.”

  “Come on in and warm up. There’s fresh coffee on the stove.” Even though Rose thought he was blind to Granny’s matchmaking schemes, Morgan knew something was up. And he recognized a case of frostbite when he saw it, and Clay looked like it would take more than a pot of coffee to unthaw.

  Once they were in the kitchen, Morgan pulled a chair out for Clay. “Want some breakfast?”

  “I sort of had some of my breakfast. Coffee’s fine.” He had managed to eat a few biscuits while he was waiting on Emma for breakfast, before Mrs. King joined him.

  Morgan poured two cups of coffee and sat down at the table with Clay. Clay told him about his encounter with Frank.

  “Wonder how long he’ll be in town,” Morgan said, knowing Rose would be a nervous wreck if Frank was anywhere near the ranch.

  “It’s anyone’s guess, but Leigh seems intent on staying with him.” Clay finally told him about his morning, and what had transpired that caused Emma to be in a huff. “I came by to apologize for my rude behavior yesterday, but she wouldn’t let it go. Then I made the mistake of asking her to dinner.”

  “Was it a mistake?” Morgan asked.

  “Yeah, a big one. We left on good terms last night, but when she saw Leigh at my table this morning, she was ready to take me behind the woodshed. Strangest thing was, when Frank called me out, she actually came to my defense. She acted as though I couldn’t handle myself.”

  “Sounds like a Langtry woman. Why do you think it was a mistake to ask her out?”

  “She was so upset with me over Leigh. No matter what I said, she wouldn’t listen.”

  Morgan took a drink of his coffee and watched his friend. Something was on his mind, but he didn’t know if he was ready to talk about it. But he saw how Clay had watched Leigh King that first night he saw her. “Do you want to tell me what draws you to Leigh King?”

  Clay looked at him, and sighed deeply. “It’s that obvious?”

  “Afraid so.” Morgan wasn’t going to lie to him; everyone noticed he couldn’t keep his eyes off the woman.

  “She looks exactly like Violet. When I first saw her, I almost thought my deceased wife was sitting across the room.”

  Morgan heard the misery in Clay’s voice. “I’m sorry, Clay. I had no idea.”

  Clay had a far-away look in his eyes, and Morgan knew he was thinking about his family. “I still dream about them, you know.”

  “It’s understandable.” Morgan didn’t know what to say to ease his friend’s mind. “Did you tell Emma?”

  “No. I didn’t want to talk about that on a first date. If you can call it a date. It was the first time I had dinner alone with a woman—well, since my wife.”

  “Don’t you think it’s time . . .” Morgan hesitated to finish his sentence. He didn’t want to sound callous, but it had been over four years since the death of Clay’s family. He thought his friend deserved some happiness. “Time to get on with your life and find some peace again.”

  “That’s what I told myself when I was thinking of asking Emma to dinner. But once I was in the restaurant enjoying myself, I almost felt guilty. I’m sitting there having a nice dinner and my family is dead.”

  “Clay, you have nothing to feel guilty about. I know this sounds harsh, but life is for the living. Your wife would want you to be happy. Just as you would want her to be happy if it had been the other way around. It doesn’t mean that you will ever forget them.” Morgan remembered the night when he’d thought Rose was dead. He didn’t know how he would have been able to find a way to go on, but he wanted to think at some point he would have decided to live again and not just exist.

  “I’ve told myself that. That night we went to hear Emma sing, for the first time in four years I thought it was time for me to give it a try. Then Leigh King walked in that restaurant, and it all seemed like a cruel joke. I felt like Violet was telling me I wasn’t allowed to move on.”

  “Does she really look that much like your wife, or do you think it’s possible that you want to see a resemblance?”

  “There’s some differences, but at a distance it was hard to tell.”

  “Clay, I can’t pretend to know what you went through. Maybe it would help if you talked about your wife and son, instead of keeping everything bottled inside. Why don’t you tell Emma?”

  “I doubt she’ll talk to me again. You saw how she ran through that door. She didn’t even speak the last few miles home.” He told Morgan about asking to take her to Denver for her next performance.

  “She didn’t answer one way or the other?”

  “No, not a word. I’d say my chances with her are slim at this point.” Clay was disappointed by the way things had turned out, but he’d told himself he didn’t have much to offer Emma anyway.

  “If you still want to have a chance, there may be a way to work something out,” Morgan said.

  * * *

  Later that day, Emma asked Granny and Rose if they felt like walking to Addie’s for a visit. As they walked through the pine tree range on the boundary of the ranch, Emma said, “Do you remember all of the hours we spent in here when we were young?”

  Rose smiled. “Of course, I cherish all of those memories. We’ll be collecting pine cones soon for our wreaths. Remember when we would make them for Morgan and then make Granny take them to him because we were too afraid of him?”

  “I remember. I also remember Addie and I thought we always heard people laughing when we were in the pines, but you always heard singing. It’s so quiet in here today.” Emma looked up at the trees. “I guess there’s not enough wind today.”

  Granny and Rose looked up at the same time. “That’s unusual,” Granny said. “I’ve never heard it so quiet in here.”

  Rose shivered, thinking of the day she ran through the trees to the farmhouse. It was the day Frank had kidnapped her. “The day of the fire at the farmhouse, I ran through here and I thought I heard someone telling me to turn back.”

  “Was anyone in here?” Emma asked.

  “I didn’t see anyone.” Rose shrugged. “I’m certain it was my imagination, but it was quiet that day, just like now.”

  “You used to say when you came in here with Frank you heard whispers,” Emma said.

  Rose nodded. “It was eerie, and Frank always said he couldn’t hear anything, but I know he did.”

  “It doesn’t seem like Frank ever told us the truth about anything,” Emma said.

  “Enough talk about Frank,” Granny said, thinking Emma was discussing everything this morning except her dinner with Clay. “You ha
ven’t said much about your dinner with Clay. How did that go?”

  “It was fine.” All day Emma had mentally rehashed their dinner, and their disastrous morning. She’d told herself she hadn’t overreacted at seeing Clay with that woman. He tried to make their encounter seem innocent, but Emma had a feeling there was something else going on.

  Granny and Rose exchanged a look. They knew Clay was downstairs this morning with Morgan while Emma was in her room.

  “Clay was in the kitchen talking to Morgan this morning,” Rose said.

  “Yes, I know.” Emma had heard their deep voices carrying through the house, but she wasn’t about to go downstairs to find out why Clay was there.

  “Are you planning on going out with him again?” Rose asked.

  “No. I don’t think we have much in common.” Emma thought it best to face the fact that Clay was only being nice to her because of Granny. He certainly wasn’t as interested in her as he was the beautiful widow.

  “You didn’t happen to see Mrs. King in town, did you?” Granny had a feeling Emma liked Clay more than she was admitting.

  Emma knew she wasn’t going to avoid this conversation with Granny. Granny was like a dog with a bone when she wanted to know something. “As a matter of fact, I did. Clay and I were going to meet for breakfast, but when I came downstairs he was sitting with Mrs. King.”

  Now they were getting at the heart of the matter, Granny thought. “Did you meet her? What is she like?”

  “No, I didn’t meet her.”

  “How did you avoid meeting her if she was sitting with Clay?” Rose asked.

  “I walked away.” Emma didn’t tell them that Clay came after her. “When I came back downstairs with my cloak, Frank was in the dining room, threatening Clay.”

  “What?” Rose exclaimed.

  Emma explained what had taken place between Clay and Frank. “Frank was all bluff. He walked away with Mrs. King, and that was that.”

  “Do you think that young woman is afraid of Frank?” Granny asked.

  “I most certainly do not. I think that woman is looking out for her own best interest. She left the judge for Frank. If she thinks Clay would be a better man to meet her needs, then she will latch on to him.” Emma didn’t care that she wasn’t being very Christian in her thoughts, but it was what she truly felt.

  “What do you girls think about going into town tomorrow to do some Christmas shopping?” Granny asked.

  Emma and Rose glanced at each other, each wondering why Granny changed the subject.

  Thankful to be conversing on any subject other than the good pastor, Emma said, “I think that sounds lovely.”

  “Yes, I’ve been wanting to go into town before the weather gets too bad,” Rose said.

  “Good, and while we are there, we are going to invite Mrs. King to lunch,” Granny said.

  “You can’t be serious, Granny,” Emma said.

  Granny smiled. “Oh, I’m very serious. You think Clay has an interest in this woman that is more than platonic. If that is true, I think we should find out what type of person she is. I see no reason why we shouldn’t meet her.”

  Emma could think of a hundred reasons. “Why should we interfere at all?”

  “I don’t see it as interfering. Perhaps this young woman needs some female guidance. If she’s all alone in the world, she may not have a guiding hand to help her avoid the pitfalls of falling into the wrong hands. Why should we judge someone without knowing her circumstances?”

  Granny always knew how to make one feel small, Emma thought. The truth was, she had prejudged Mrs. King. It always angered her when people judged her by the places she performed. “I guess you’re right, Granny. She probably is all alone in this world and just doing the best she can. But what if Frank is still in town with her? He didn’t want her talking to Clay, and I can’t imagine he would be thrilled to have her talking with his family.”

  “Granny, I don’t think that is a good idea. We don’t want to anger Frank,” Rose said. “All I want him to do is leave town. As long as he’s here, I worry about Morgan.”

  “Morgan can take care of himself. You need to show more faith in your husband. And I, for one, am tired of living my life worrying about what Frank will or will not like. We’ve spent too many hours on Frank as it is. Enough is enough. Why should we stand by and allow him to ruin another woman’s life?”

  “But you know the marshal thinks she was in on the robbery,” Rose said.

  “I guess it’s time we found out one way or the other,” Granny replied.

  Chapter Twelve

  As long as Frank Langtry was around Whispering Pines, Morgan didn’t want him anywhere near Rose. When the women said they planned to go to town to do some Christmas shopping, Morgan told them he would take them.

  “As long as Sweetie is with us, Frank won’t bother us,” Emma said, trying to alleviate Morgan’s concern.

  “I trust Sweetie is a good protector, but he’s no match for a gun.” He glanced at the giant dog. “You know, Emma, you should call him Rufus. It has to be demoralizing for him to be called Sweetie. No one would think he’s fierce with that name.”

  The thought of someone shooting Sweetie made a shiver run down Emma’s spine. She promptly felt for the pistol inside her cape pocket that Carlo insisted she carry. She would never allow anyone to threaten Sweetie, even if that meant she had to shoot a person. “He likes Sweetie. Anyway, he has a way of making his point whether he’s called Sweetie or Rufus.”

  “True enough.” Morgan recalled how Sweetie responded to Frank. The dog seemed to know whom to trust. “Why don’t you ladies tell me again why you want to have lunch with Leigh King? You know we all think she was involved in that robbery.”

  “We’ve discussed that, Morgan, and we want to find out if it’s the truth,” Granny said.

  Morgan chuckled. “Do you think she’s going to admit to playing a role?”

  Granny swatted his arm. “Of course not. But don’t you think I’ve lived enough years to tell when someone is lying to me or not?”

  Morgan figured Granny had a point. “I think you can, Granny.” He glanced at Emma. “What do you think, Emma? You think she was involved?”

  “I was inclined to think that, but Granny told me I wasn’t giving the woman a chance. I will follow Granny’s lead and withhold judgment until we’ve talked to her.”

  * * *

  Morgan pulled in front of the hotel right before noon and helped the ladies from the buckboard. “I’ll walk in with you to see if Frank is here.”

  Once inside the hotel, Granny walked to the doorway of the restaurant and peeked inside. “She’s not in there, Morgan.”

  Morgan walked to the desk and asked the clerk if Mrs. King was still registered. The clerk told him she was in her room, but she usually came downstairs for lunch at noon. The clerk also told Morgan that Frank Langtry left earlier, but he didn’t know if he’d left town. Morgan walked back to the ladies and related the information from the clerk.

  “Perfect. Now that Frank is gone, we will have ample opportunity to dine in peace,” Granny said.

  Morgan leaned over and kissed his wife. “I’ll be in Jack’s office, and I’ll keep an eye out for Frank in case he returns.”

  The ladies walked into the restaurant, chose a seat in the center of the room so they could see Leigh if she came in.

  “Granny, do you want me to go to her room and just ask if she would like to dine with us?” Emma always preferred to take the most expedient route.

  “Be patient. I’m certain she’ll come downstairs. Who wants to stay cooped up in a hotel room all day?”

  Rose looked up and saw Mrs. King in the doorway. “There she is.”

  Granny put her hand on Emma’s arm. “Go ask her to join us before she takes a seat.”

  Emma didn’t argue; she walked over to Leigh and said, “I’m Emma Langtry. My grandmother, sister, and I would like to know if you would care to join us for lunch.”

  Leigh
was definitely taken by surprise. “Frank told me yesterday that you are the famous opera singer.”

  Emma forced a smile. “Would you care to join us?”

  Leigh looked around the room as though she thought Frank might jump out from behind the curtains. “I’m not certain Frank would approve. I don’t mean to be rude, but he doesn’t seem to care much for his family.”

  “I think you can understand why the family has had a falling-out with Frank,” Emma said in her usual forthright manner.

  “I’m learning a lot about Frank,” Leigh said.

  “Where is he now?” Emma asked.

  “He said he didn’t finish his business in Denver, and he was going back there for a few days. He promised he would be back soon so we can go home before Christmas.”

  Emma took that opportunity to find out more information. “And where is home?”

  “Black Hawk—Frank works at the gold mine there.”

  “Since you are here alone, why not dine with us?” Emma turned and led the way to their table without giving Leigh an opportunity to refuse.

  After the introductions to Granny and Rose, Leigh said, “Well, I guess it can’t hurt to have lunch with you since Frank isn’t here.” She started to sit by Emma, but one look at the giant dog by her side made her select a seat with one empty chair between them.

  “When will Frank be back?” Granny asked.

  “He said in a few days,” Leigh replied.

  Once they ordered their meal, Granny made it a point to talk about various topics until their food was delivered to the table. She was determined to find out why this lovely young woman was with Frank in the first place.

  “Tell me, how did you come to know Frank?” Granny asked.

  Leigh explained that she was introduced to Frank by Judge Stevens. “The judge and I were acquainted when I lived in Colorado City.”

  “Do you mind me asking why you don’t go with Frank to Denver?” Emma asked.

  “Frank doesn’t want the judge to know where I am.” Leigh glanced down at her plate, and seemed to hesitate before continuing. “Actually, the judge became quite fond of me. I’m afraid I considered him more of a father figure, but he became obsessed with me.”