A Home of Her Own

by Brenda Novak

  Lucky lowered her window and attempted a disarming smile. “I’m out looking at the Christmas lights.”

  “Megan said you’ve been sitting here a while.”

  “Megan?”

  “My sister-in-law.”

  “I was watching the children play earlier.” She widened her eyes. “Am I bothering you?”

  His expression cleared. “No, not really. Megan was just worried that you might be a child snatcher.” He rolled his eyes. “Like we’ve ever had one of those in Dundee. She watches too much TV.”

  “I’m no child abductor,” Lucky said, chuckling. “Actually, I used to live here.”

  She could tell he didn’t recognize her.

  “I’m Lucky Caldwell.”

  Based on their earlier encounter years ago, she braced herself for a negative reaction and was surprised when he merely sized her up. “You’ve gotten real pretty, Lucky.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You married?”

  “No, but if memory serves, you are, right?”

  “Not anymore. Leah ran off with the neighbor.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. You have kids, don’t you?”

  “Four of ’em. Custody battle hasn’t been easy.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched against the cold. The temperature was dropping rapidly now that the sun had gone down. “Listen, I know I’m a few years older than you are, but if you’re free sometime, maybe we could take in a movie.”

  Jon could be her half brother—and she had no interest in him, anyway. “Actually, I can’t,” she said. “I’m not married, but I am in a committed relationship.” Committed to avoid a close relationship.

  He shook his head and spit on the sidewalk. “The good ones are always taken.”

  “I’m sure someone will come along.” She shifted into Drive. “I guess I’ll get home. It’s pretty chilly.”

  “Give me a call if you change your mind.”

  She nodded and waved before she drove away. But she knew she’d never call him, and she didn’t go home. She drove past Garth’s house. It still looked empty, so she sat at the diner for almost an hour, nursing a cup of hot cocoa and reading the paper. Christmas was less than a week away, and she hadn’t done any shopping for her nieces and nephews yet. She needed to do it soon; she couldn’t seem to get into the spirit of the season. She generally spent Christmas serving dinner to the homeless, but there weren’t any soup kitchens in Dundee. She’d been crazy to come here, especially now. What had she been thinking?

  She’d been thinking of that Christmas long ago when she’d moved into what felt like a castle, and there’d been so many presents under the tree she thought she’d become a princess.

  Finally, Lucky paid her bill, gathered up her purse and her keys and went home. It wasn’t quite eight o’clock, but she figured she could watch television for a couple of hours before bed. Mr. Sharp was supposed to arrive at six in the morning to finish painting the downstairs, so she planned to turn in early.

  But the minute she stepped inside her dark house, she knew something was different. The air smelled strongly of fresh pine, a scent that definitely hadn’t been there before. What was going on?

  A large, amorphous shape to her right made her jump. “Hello?” she said, struggling to keep her voice steady.

  No one answered. She flipped on the light, then felt her jaw drop. In the middle of her previously empty living room stood a giant Christmas tree, freshly cut from the smell of it. Next to its base sat a cardboard box, which held several brand-new strands of lights and the most unusual assortment of ornaments she’d ever seen. It looked as if someone had gone to Finley’s and bought everything at random—red, green, blue and white balls; dancers, drummers and Santa ornaments; plastic candy cane garland, gold garland, a silver star for the top and a lighted angel, even two colors of tinsel.

  But who had bought all this stuff? And how did they get it into her house?

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  LUCKY SAT on the floor as she piled all the decorations back in the box. It had to be Mr. Sharp, she decided. He’d mentioned her lack of a tree, and he was the only one who had a key to her house. She’d given it to him so he’d have access whether she was home or not. She wanted him to get as much work done as possible before he pulled off on December twentieth.

  But when she called him a few minutes later, he sounded genuinely surprised.

  “Thanks for what Christmas tree?”

  “The one standing in my living room.”

  “I didn’t know you had one in your living room. You told me you weren’t going to bother this year.”

  “I didn’t. Someone else did.”

  “Who?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out,” she said. “I thought it was you. You’re the only one with a key to my house.”

  “I put the key over the door.”

  “You what?”

  A note of defensiveness crept into his voice. “I didn’t want to lose it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t think of it. I hide a key on every job.”

  Over the door was a mite obvious for “hiding.” But this was Dundee. “That means anyone could’ve gotten in.”

  “Were you robbed?” He sounded a bit sheepish.

  “No. At least, not that I’m aware of. I haven’t checked upstairs, but I doubt a thief would take the time to put up a Christmas tree or buy me a bunch of decorations.”

  “You needed a little holiday cheer,” he said. “Must’ve been Santa Claus.”

  Santa Claus, indeed, Lucky thought as she pressed the End button on her cordless phone. If there was a Santa Claus, he was more than a little late getting around to her.

  She stared up at her tree. It was tall and full, perfectly shaped. A tree like that at the lot in town would cost seventy or eighty bucks. And the decorations weren’t cheap. Whoever had delivered this gift seemed indifferent to price. The hodgepodge of ornaments and garlands further suggested that he or she didn’t have a clue about decorating.

  It was a man, Lucky figured. A man who wasn’t worried about money. Someone close enough to know she didn’t have a tree. Someone who wouldn’t think twice about entering her house.

  She rubbed her lip thoughtfully. Mike. He was the only one besides Mr. Sharp who’d even been over, and judging by the way he’d barged in that first night, he had no problem making himself at home.

  Picking up the phone she’d put on the floor beside her, she dialed information for his number and soon had him on the line.

  “Someone put up a Christmas tree in my house,” she stated without preamble.

  Evidently, he recognized her voice because he didn’t ask her to identify herself. “No kidding. Who do you suppose might’ve done that?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’m thinking it was someone close by, someone like…” She glanced at the decorations. “You, for instance.”

  “Why would it have to be me?”

  “No one else lives out this way.”

  “Josh and Rebecca do. I’ve got office staff who come and go each day, a housekeeper who only goes home on the weekends, at least during the cold months, Fernando, my ranch manager, and a few cowboys to help us get through the winter until breeding season starts and things really get busy.”

  “You expect me to believe Josh or Rebecca, or even someone who works for you, did this?”

  “I don’t expect you to believe anything. I’m just saying it could have been them.”

  “And it could have been you.”

  “I thought you said I’d lead a parade through town if something ever happened to you.”

  Was he teasing her? He didn’t sound serious. “You would, because then you’d finally get the house.”

  “So why would I bother to buy you a Christmas tree?”

  That was the one question Lucky couldn’t answer. She hesitated, wondering if she could’ve guessed wrong, after all. “I suppose you wouldn’t,” she said, backing o
ff. “Sorry to bother you.”

  “Lucky?” he said before she could hang up.

  “Yes?”

  “Christmas is only a week away. When were you going to get a tree?”

  “I wasn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  Closing her eyes, she rubbed her temples. Decorating for Christmas smacked too much of belonging. She’d chosen to leave the Victorian as empty as possible to remind herself that she wouldn’t be staying long.

  Don’t get attached. You can’t forget you’re not wanted here….

  “Maybe I didn’t want to scare you and your family,” she said flippantly.

  “Scare us?”

  “Into thinking I might be getting comfortable.”

  “No one would begrudge you a good Christmas, Lucky.”

  She could’ve reminded him that his parents begrudged her everything. But she didn’t want to talk about what had happened in the hardware store. She was too busy realizing how much she liked it when Mike said her name. It told her that he was finally dealing with her as an adult instead of ignoring her as he had when she was younger. That in itself was a victory of sorts, although she wasn’t sure why. Especially when her name on his lips brought back memories she was better off forgetting. He’d said her name a lot that night at the motel. He’d also said other things he couldn’t possibly have meant.

  Jerking her thoughts back to the conversation, she lightened her tone. “I have too much to do to worry about Christmas this year.”

  “Will you be spending the holidays here in town, then?”

  He didn’t add “alone,” but the implication was there, and the humiliation of having no one, not one friend or family member to share the holiday with, wounded Lucky’s pride. Especially when he was so admired and well-liked that she couldn’t imagine him ever facing the same situation. “No, of course not. Why would I stay here? My brothers have invited me to Washington,” she said, even though she hadn’t even called to let them know she was in Dundee. “I’m going to fly up there at the end of the week.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  She heard relief in his response; no doubt he was already planning to pass the good news on to his mother. “It should be fun.” She paused briefly. “You’ll be busy with all your family’s festivities, huh?”

  “My mother insists on cooking a big dinner every Christmas Eve.”

  “Is your extended family invited?”

  “Yeah. That’s when we exchange gifts.”

  Lucky pictured his big, happy family all gathered together to eat and laugh and talk. She could imagine the camaraderie….

  “But Christmas itself should be pretty quiet,” he went on, as if he might be aware of her feelings. “We reserve that day for individual families. I usually work, believe it or not.”

  He’d be home on Christmas Day. She’d have to keep that in mind if she didn’t go to Washington.

  “Have you already done your shopping?” she asked.

  “Most of it.”

  She liked the image of Mike rambling through a department store, trying to find things other people might like. “Where did you buy your gifts? Boise?”

  “So far I got everything online.”

  “That would be easiest.”

  “When you live where we do.”

  “Right. Well, have a good holiday,” she said, and started to hang up.

  “Lucky?”

  She paused again. “What?”

  “That night at the motel was—”

  Disappointment stabbed through her as she anticipated his next words. “Don’t finish. I already know what you’re going to say.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It was a mistake and now you regret it. I regret it, too, of course, but what’s done is done.”

  Silence. Lucky held her breath, waiting. Finally, he said, “That isn’t what I was going to say at all.”

  She nervously smoothed her left eyebrow with two fingers. “What, then?” Her tone challenged him to let her have it, promised that nothing he said could hurt her. That was what she wanted him to believe.

  “I’m sorry you regret it,” he said, “because as far as I’m concerned, it was unforgettable.”

  His response left Lucky speechless for perhaps the first time in her life, but he didn’t wait for her to recover. He hung up, leaving her so dumbfounded she couldn’t move.

  “WHO WAS THAT?”

  Mike glanced up as his brother strode into his office. Mike normally didn’t expect Josh to knock or give him any other kind of notice when he was around. They used to live together, still worked together and owned the ranch as equal partners. But Josh had been working at home more and more since he’d married Rebecca and only now did Mike realize how accustomed he’d become to being alone after hours and on weekends.

  Mike didn’t want to tell Josh he’d just been talking to Lucky, so he deflected his brother’s question by asking one himself. “What are you doing here?”

  “Checking in.”

  “How’d it go at Mom’s after I left?”

  “Good.”

  “Where’s Rebecca?”

  Josh crossed to the window and stared out toward the barn. “She took Brian home. He was getting cranky.”

  “Why didn’t you go with her?”

  “I had to pick up some paperwork. Old man Hackett is driving me nuts. First he wants to buy Hezacharger, then he doesn’t. I’m not sure we’ll ever come to terms, which makes me a little hesitant to go out on a limb and buy Mira’s Love. We’re going to need plenty of operating capital over the next few months.”

  “The breeding season is shaping up nicely. We’re booked solid,” Mike said.

  “Still, if we have to keep Hezacharger, maybe we should hold off on new acquisitions.”

  Mike shrugged. Normally he felt pretty strongly on this subject. He thought Mira’s Love was one of the best stallions he’d ever seen and didn’t think they should pass up the opportunity to buy him, regardless of whether or not they could sell Hezacharger, but his mind wasn’t on business today.

  “Where were you earlier?” Josh asked, leaning a shoulder against the wall.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Where’d you go after you left Mom and Dad’s?”

  Mike scowled. “Does it matter?”

  Josh didn’t answer right away. Finally, he said, “Gabriel Holbrook’s been trying to reach you.”

  “You talked to Gabe?”

  “When no one answered out here, he called Mom and Dad’s.”

  “I must’ve been outside.” Hating how quickly this new lie rolled off his tongue, Mike focused on straightening his desk. He and Josh had always been honest with each other. But he knew his brother wouldn’t understand why he’d spent his afternoon doing what he’d done. He didn’t even understand it.

  “Gabe’s pretty excited about his dad running for Congress, isn’t he?”

  Mike looked up now that the conversation had returned to a neutral topic.

  “He told me he just got a commitment for fifty thousand dollars. From one guy,” Josh went on to say.

  “That’s great.”

  “Poor Gabe. I’m glad he’s focusing on something. If it wasn’t for that damn car accident, he’d have a Super Bowl ring by now.”

  “At least he’s alive,” Mike snapped.

  Josh blinked in surprise.

  “How can we expect him to get past what happened to him if we can’t? Just because he can’t run anymore doesn’t mean his life is over.”

  “Gee, aren’t we sensitive today.”

  “Being sensitive is one thing. Making him feel useless because he isn’t fulfilling our dreams is another.”

  “You don’t think they were his dreams, too, Mike?”

  Mike knew they were, but he also knew that the expectations of others had made the situation worse. “He can set new goals.”

  “Am I right in guessing that you’ve already expressed your ‘suck it up’ opinion to him?”
>
  “Why do you say that?”

  “He was pretty remote today, and that would certainly explain it.”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, he’s been remote, in more ways than one, ever since the accident.”

  “Are you sure you have to be so hard on him?”

  Mike glared at his younger brother. “I want my best friend back.”

  Josh shook his head. “I’m not sure what’s going on with you.”

  Mike didn’t respond. He couldn’t explain it. His life had been moving smoothly along for nearly forty years. And then Lucky had returned, and suddenly he was easily irritated, completely preoccupied and dissatisfied with everything that had once fulfilled him.

  “We have a meeting here, Tuesday at ten,” Josh was saying.

  “I thought it was at one.”

  “Gabe said his father couldn’t make it after lunch, so we changed the time. One of us should let Conner Armstrong know.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Fine.” His brother slid his hands into his pockets and started for the door, then hesitated at the entrance as though he had something else on his mind.

  “See you tomorrow,” Mike said, hoping to encourage his departure.

  Josh turned and hooked his fingers over the door frame. “I ran into Jon Small when I was gassing up.”

  “And?”

  “He had a few questions for me.”

  “About what?”

  “Lucky.”

  Mike narrowed his eyes. “What kind of questions?”

  “When did she get back? Have we seen her? Hasn’t she turned into a beauty? You know.”

  Mike and Josh often thought alike, but Mike couldn’t figure out where his brother was going with this. “What’s your point?”

  “He said something that struck me as odd.”

  “Which was?”

  “He told me she’d spent the afternoon sitting in her car across the street from his father’s house.”

  Mike sat up taller. “What?”

  “She was there so long—”

  “Doing what?”

  “Just watching the house, apparently. Anyway, she was there so long they were afraid she might be some kind of stalker, bent on stealing one of the kids. So Jon crept up from behind and confronted her.”