A Cold Creek Holiday

by RaeAnne Thayne

  At the end of the long, curving drive, they followed the canyon road along the creek for perhaps a half mile. In that time, they encountered no vehicles.

  "Are we getting closer to Tanner's house?" Emery asked after a few more moments.

  "Not very far. Look, there's the sign for it."

  She followed the direction of the girl's outstretched hand and her heart clutched in her chest.

  A huge log arch spanned the driveway, much bigger than the sign for the Hope Springs Guest Ranch had been. This one declared Cold Creek Land & Cattle Company in black iron letters.

  Oh, dear heavens.

  She wasn't ready. She still hadn't decided if she would ever be ready. She needed more time to figure out if she wanted to face any of the Daltons yet.

  She wanted to whirl Cielo around and ride as fast and as hard as she could back to the relative safety of Hope Springs.

  "What's the matter, Ms. Kendall?" Tallie's mouth puckered into a concerned frown. "You look funny."

  She didn't feel funny. Far from it. She felt panicked and vaguely nauseous, the canned tomato soup suddenly turning to greasy sludge in her stomach.

  She drew in a breath. She could do this. The Daltons knew nothing about the revelations that had completely rocked her world four months ago. As far as they knew, she was only a guest staying at a neighboring ranch.

  "Nothing." She forced a smile and eased her hands on the reins. "Nothing at all."

  Her heart pounded as they rode under the arch and headed up a long driveway that wound around a stand of lodgepole pine and bare-branched aspens.

  The house was a grand, imposing log structure with a long front porch and several gables, surrounded by several outbuildings. Some distance from it, she could see a large, sprawling metal-framed building. She guessed that was the Cold Creek equine training facility she had read about on the Internet.

  Her heart felt as if it would pound right out of her chest and she couldn't seem to catch her breath in the cold air. She hadn't had a panic attack since she graduated from college, not even during the worst of her pain and loss during the past two years, and she really didn't want to start again.

  Breathe, she ordered herself.

  When they neared the house, the girls jumped down from their horses and Emery knew she couldn't go inside.

  "I'll just wait for you out here with the horses," she told them. "You go give your friend his homework."

  The implications of the connection began to sink through. Tanner must be one of the Dalton children. Wade's, probably, since as far as she could determine, he was the only brother with grade-school-age kids, although Seth had older stepchildren. That made Tallie's friend Tanner her…

  She jerked her mind away. "Go ahead. I'll be fine."

  "Okay, but we might be a few minutes. You might get cold. I told Tanner I would explain our math assignment to him and I don't know how long it will take."

  Before she could come up with an answer, a tall, dark-haired man with a definite air of authority walked out of a nearby barn. He stopped short when he spied them, then his handsome features lit up.

  "Well, hello there, Miss Tallie and Miss Claire," he called as he approached them. "What brings you all the way up to the Cold Creek on such a wintry day?"

  Emery drew in a calming breath and then another one. He looked just like the picture she had of his father. Which brother was it? Her guess was Wade. He ran the family's cattle operations, from what she could determine, while the youngest brother, Seth, was in charge of the horse training facility. A third brother, Jake, was a family physician in Pine Gulch.

  She could have hired a private investigator to find all this information, but she hadn't needed to go that far. A few clicks on the computer and she had found all she needed to know and then some.

  "I've got Tanner's homework, Mr. Dalton."

  "That is sure nice of you girls to ride over for that. It will give him something to do besides snipe at his brother and sister. He'll be real glad to see a little company. And who's your friend?"

  "Her name is Ms. Kendall and she's from Virginia," Claire answered.

  Emery didn't feel she had any choice but to dismount. She prayed her shaking legs would hold her up.

  "I'm Emery Kendall. I'm staying at Hope Springs through the holidays."

  He wore a battered leather work glove, but he removed it and reached out his hand. She shook it then quickly dropped her fingers.

  "Nice to meet you, Miz Kendall. You picked a beautiful time of year for a visit. This area of eastern Idaho is pretty year round, but there's something special about the place during the holidays, as long as you can stand the cold."

  She had only seen the one picture, but she knew his father shared that same smile, that same thick, wavy, dark hair.

  "Let's tie your horses so you can come in out of the cold for a minute and I'll let Tanner know you all are here," he said. "And don't worry, he's not contagious anymore. Just grumpy as can be."

  The girls giggled at that and followed him back up the porch steps and into the house.

  The house was huge and warm and welcoming. Here were the Christmas decorations the girls' home lacked. A massive Christmas tree decorated with plaid ribbons and hundreds of ornaments brushed the top of the soaring vaulted ceiling and pine garlands with matching ribbons draped the river rock fireplace and hung from the log staircase.

  Whoever decorated the place had used a pleasing mix of color and texture to create a sense of brightness and warmth.

  She was studying a particularly lovely embroidered sampler on the wall when a woman with blond hair and fine-boned features entered the room.

  "Tallie and Claire Palmer. Two of my favorite people!"

  "We brought Tanner's homework assignment. Mrs. Peterson said he can turn it in when he goes back to class."

  "He'll be so excited to see you," the woman said with a warm smile. "Come on back to the kitchen. I just took a tray of cookies out of the oven. You'd better come grab one before the hungry little mouths around here gobble them all up."

  "And the hungry big mouths."

  The man owning the hungry big mouth in question swooped the woman into his arms and planted it on hers and kissed her soundly, apparently unembarrassed by the presence of a stranger.

  "You'll have to fight Cody for them, I'm afraid," she answered after he released her. "He's already snitched three off the cookie sheet before I could even transfer them to the cooling rack. I'm sure he had to have burned his tongue, but he'll never admit it."

  Wade Dalton chuckled, then apparently remembered his manners. "Sorry. Carrie, this is Emery Kendall. She's staying at Hope Springs and was nice enough to ride with the girls over here to bring Tanner's homework. Emery, this is my wife, Caroline. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go fight off my kids for the cookies. It was nice to meet you."

  "Thank you," she murmured. Only after he left the room did her heart rate seem to settle down.

  "Tanner and Nat are in the family room playing video games," Caroline said to the girls. "I'm sure Tanner would love some company besides family for a few minutes if you've got time to visit."

  The girls looked to Emery as if for permission and she wasn't quite sure how to respond. Right now she didn't feel in charge of anything, not even her own breathing. "A few moments, I suppose. Then we'd better ride back before your uncle begins to worry."

  "I told Tanner I would explain the math assignment," Tallie said. "We're subtracting fractions and stuff and it's really hard."

  "That is so kind of you to help him," Caroline said with a warm smile. "I don't know what we would have done without you."

  Though it was only a first impression and she could be way off-base, for all she knew, Emery thought the other woman seemed completely sincere in her gratitude, the sort of person who could lift even the most defeated spirit just with her smile.

  She would have been very much inclined to like her, even if she hadn't already read and admired Caroline Montgomery Dalton's
self-help books on finding your life's direction before she knew of the connection to the Daltons of Cold Creek Canyon.

  "Emery, where did you say you were from?" Caroline asked when the girls hurried from the room.

  "Virginia. Warrenton, an hour outside Washington, D.C."

  "Lovely country there. Are you in Pine Gulch visiting family?" Caroline asked.

  Under the circumstances, Emery didn't quite know how to respond to that particular question.

  "I guess you could say I needed a change this Christmas. It's been a…difficult year. My mother died of cancer in September."

  "Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. I can only imagine how hard the holidays must be for you."

  Though she didn't physically touch her, the concern in her voice was somehow just as comforting as an embrace.

  "The grief is still very painful, especially as she was my…only family. I wasn't quite ready to face the parties and celebrations of the holidays and was looking for a change this year. I read about Hope Springs Guest Ranch online and it seemed just the place to spend the holidays."

  "It's a very peaceful spot," Caroline said softly. "I've always thought it had healing energy. I know Suzi, the girls' mother, felt the same."

  She didn't expect to find healing. She only wanted to figure out how everything she thought she had known about herself could turn out to be a lie.

  "I'm surprised Nate is taking new guests. I was under the impression he's working toward closing the place, which is really a shame after all the work and heart and soul Suzi and John put into it."

  "I made my reservation back in September. There was some mix-up with it, but Mr. Cavazos agreed to honor it."

  "He has his hands full, that man."

  Before Emery could answer, a timer dinged from somewhere in the house. Caroline glanced behind her.

  "My cookies are just coming out. Listen, do you mind coming back to the kitchen with me? I don't want to leave you out here by yourself, but if I don't take them out, they'll burn. Of course, they'll still get inhaled around here, no matter how crispy they are."

  "I don't mind," she answered. She followed Caroline down a hallway toward the origin of the delicious smells of almond and butter and sugar. The hallway was lined with photographs, old black-and-whites, framed snapshots and some that looked like professionally taken portraits. Emery's head swiveled as she took in the barrage of images and she had to stop so she could absorb them all.

  "This is…your family?"

  "Yes." She noticed the direction of Emery's gaze, a candid shot of three men in Western-cut suits standing at what looked like a wedding. They were laughing and lighthearted, each of them extraordinarily handsome. "Those are my husband's brothers, Jake and Seth. That was taken at Seth's wedding. They both live nearby, which is wonderful for all of them. We're very close with them and their wives."

  She couldn't stand here gaping at someone else's family, not without making Caroline Montgomery Dalton think she was crazy, so she followed her down the hallway into the kitchen, doing her best not to cast longing looks over her shoulder.

  In the kitchen, she found Wade Dalton sitting at a long, scarred pine table with a blonde toddler in pink overalls on his lap and a little boy of about five or six chattering a mile a minute at his side.

  "I got to help make the holes for the jam, Dad. Only even though they're called thumbprint cookies, Mom wouldn't let me use my thumbs to make the dents. I had to use the lid of a marker. Don't you think that's weird?"

  "Extremely," he answered with a grin toward Emery and Caroline. "But probably a little more sanitary."

  "There's a method to my madness," Caroline said. "That way the jam doesn't ooze out the sides as easily. It's all in how much pressure you apply when you make the hole, isn't it, bud?"

  The boy nodded emphatically. "And I'm just right, aren't I?"

  "You're perfect."

  Emery stood aside, observing their interaction while Caroline pulled the cookies from the oven in one smooth motion and replaced that tray with another filled with dough cutouts.

  When she had set them on a cooling rack, she turned back to Emery. "So what do you do in Virginia, Emery?"

  "I design textiles. I've got a shop outside D.C. that sells custom fabrics for interior designers, furniture makers, that sort of thing. We're moving into the retail market in the fall with a new midrange consumer line."

  "How interesting," Caroline exclaimed. "I wish I could sew, but I'm afraid it's not one of my skills. How did you get started in that particular business? It seems rather obscure."

  Emery knew from her research that Caroline Montgomery Dalton was a life coach who probably excelled at convincing people to talk about their hopes and dreams, but she was still flattered by the woman's interested expression. "I waffled between graphic arts and interior design in college, but realized my real love was creating at the sewing machine. After I interned with one of the bigger textile design firms, I decided to branch out in my own direction."

  "I'd love to see some of your fabrics while you're here. Did you bring any swatches?"

  She laughed. "Only about four boxes' worth. This is sort of a working vacation for me. I'm working on a design project for a hotel in Montana that wants custom fabrics from the ground up."

  "I just had a great idea." Caroline said suddenly. "You should come to the party we're having next week."

  Emery blinked, astounded that the woman would invite a perfect stranger who was only in the area temporarily to socialize with them. "What kind of party?"

  "A friend and I are throwing sort of a celebration for the neighbors in Cold Creek Canyon. Everyone in the canyon is invited. Even though you're only here temporarily, that means you."

  "You and a friend are throwing it," Wade said, a little dimple teasing at his cheek. "Except it's at Jenna's house and she's doing all the cooking."

  "I'm helping!" Caroline protested. "I sent out all the invitations and I'm making cookies to take. Anyway, we capitalize on our strengths, right? Can I help it if she has a huge house with an indoor swimming pool and just happens to be a gourmet cook?"

  Wade grinned and picked up one of the warm cookies. His mouth widened in appreciation as he bit into the soft treat. "You can take her down, honey. At least when it comes to your thumbprints."

  "I'll make sure to tell her you said so, especially when you're going to town on those magic bars she makes that you love so much."

  She turned back to Emery. "Seriously, it's going to be a blast. All the neighbors from Cold Creek Canyon are invited. We would love to have you. I hate the idea of anyone spending the holidays alone."

  Oh, sign her up to go to a party where the only reason she had been invited was because everyone felt sorry for her. That was a big part of the reason she had opted to leave Virginia this year, so her friends wouldn't feel obligated to invite her to their own holiday gatherings out of pity.

  On the other hand, Caroline was offering her the perfect opportunity to spend a little time with the Daltons in a social situation. She hadn't specifically said Wade's brothers were attending, but Emery knew from her research that they both lived in the canyon, Seth in his own home here at the ranch and Jake a bit closer to town. Besides that, Caroline said the brothers were close so she would guess they would all attend the party.

  "I'll think about it," she finally said.

  "Wonderful. Nate and the girls are invited, of course, but I haven't heard from him. Maybe you could work on persuading him."

  As if she could convince the man of anything. In the few moments she had spent with him the night before, he hadn't made it a secret that he wasn't exactly thrilled to have her staying at the ranch in the first place. She had a feeling he wouldn't respond favorably if she tried to manage his social life while she was there.

  She was spared from having to come up with a polite answer by the arrival of Tallie and Claire, in company with a blond boy in sweats and a Utah Jazz sweatshirt—and with a definite gleam of mischief in his eyes
.

  "Get the homework situation straightened out?" Wade asked them.

  "I guess," the boy muttered, his expression disgruntled. "I still say it's not fair I have to do homework when I'm sick."

  "If you feel well enough to play video games, you can do homework," Caroline said, her voice firm even as she held out a cookie for the boy.

  The girls chatted for a few more moments with Caroline and Wade and it was obvious to Emery that they were no strangers to the kitchen. She let them visit for a while while she tried not to steal surreptitious glances at Wade. Finally, though, she was afraid her not-so-subtle interest would become too obvious. She glanced at her watch, then interjected into a break in the conversation.

  "We'd better start heading back."

  "Do we have to?" Tallie moaned.

  "Your uncle will be looking for us," she answered, though in truth, she was just as reluctant to leave. She wanted to sit here awhile longer enjoying the warmth of this family and the tensile connection to old secrets.

  Tallie gave a few more put-upon sighs, but Claire only looked disappointed for a moment, then she rose. "Come on, Tal. Let's go."

  "Thanks again for bringing the homework," Wade said to the girls, then turned to Emery. "It was nice to meet you."

  Somehow she managed to smile back over the renewed pounding of her heart. Would he say that if he knew the truth? She had to wonder. As she ushered the girls toward the door, Caroline and Tanner followed them. On the porch, she held out two lunch bags Emery hadn't even noticed she had been carrying.

  "What's this?" Emery asked.

  "Cookies, a bag for you and one for Nate and the girls. And just in case I didn't mention it, they're made with jam from our own raspberry canes in the garden. I don't have very many specialties so I'm pretty proud of this one."

  Caroline hugged both Tallie and Claire goodbye, sympathy in her eyes for the two little girls. To her surprise, she hugged Emery, too.

  "It was great to meet you. I really would love to see some of your fabrics."

  She didn't know what to do with all this warmth, especially when some insane part of her wanted to sit right down on the porch and tell Caroline Dalton everything.