Christmas Cowboy

by Claire Adams

  "She can't go back," I muttered to myself. "Kiara can't leave this mess just sitting like this."

  "Oh, your little bonfire?" Madison asked with an unsentimental look at the remains of her family's property. "Kiara left Ivy and me in charge of the cleanup. We're totally going to hit you up for that crew you offered her. She's so stupid when it comes to stuff like that."

  I gritted my teeth to stop from yelling at the vapid young woman. "Where was Kiara going? You said she was heading back."

  "I don't know," she shrugged. "We don't really run in the same circles. You know how it is."

  I marched Madison back to the mansion and hauled her around, searching for her twin. We found Ivy sitting on the floor of the ballroom with the D.J. next to her.

  "Do you know where Kiara lives?" I asked, my echoing voice interrupting them across the room before we reached them.

  "Who?" Ivy asked.

  "Your stepsister. Kiara Davies. Where does she live? Did she tell you where she was going?" I asked again through gritted teeth.

  "Why?" Ivy asked. "You can always find another chef. I'm sure your fiancée can help with that."

  My voice rattled the chandelier above us. "I am not engaged to Whitney Barnes! Do you know where your stepsister lives or not?"

  "Whoa. Calm down. You'll wake up your guests," Ivy said, struggling to her feet. "I think Kiara lives somewhere in Brooklyn. Not that I've ever been there. She’s not really in our social circle."

  I swore and marched out of the ballroom. Kiara might be in Brooklyn, along with the other two and a half million people that called that neighborhood home. I had no idea how I was going to find her; all I knew was that I had to see her again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kiara

  My hands were shaking as I sat down at the small pizzeria counter and opened my laptop. I had prized my laptop for years; it was the only indulgence I had allowed myself at law school, and now it was sitting next to shakers of red chili pepper flakes and parmesan cheese. I glanced around and saw that two other people from the lunchtime crowd were working on computers, as well. The only difference was they were most likely checking their work emails, and I was searching for a job.

  I stared at the screen and didn't know where to start. I had no culinary school education, no restaurant experience, and no references.

  My stomach burned as I thought of Teddy. Why hadn't he told me he was getting engaged? He’d never once called Whitney his fiancée. Yes, she had been in charge of the party-planning, but he made that seem like a hostile take-over and not the duty of his soon-to-be wife.

  I ground my teeth and started to search for waitress jobs. It was either that or run back to law school and beg my advisors to help me find a better-fitting internship. All I had to do was buckle down and learn to love the long hours and mounds of paperwork.

  "Please tell me that face doesn't mean you're still thinking about taking the bar," Tanya’s voice interrupted my thoughts. She tossed her purse onto the counter next to my laptop and sat down.

  "Why would you think that?" I asked, rubbing my chin.

  Tanya smirked. "Your face gets all puckered up any time we talk about our law careers. It's like your body is grossed out by the idea, but your brain keeps pushing it as the most practical."

  "Well, it is," I grumbled. "It's the only practical thing to do."

  "That's why what you’re doing is so inspiring," she said. "We all know that taking the bar and pursuing a law career is the most practical thing you could do right now, but you've finally admitted it isn't what you want."

  I sighed, dropping my hands in my lap. "So, it's what I want versus what is practical. Seems like a no-brainer to me."

  She smacked me lightly on the shoulder. "No, you can't go back now. Daring to try for something you actually want is what is so inspiring. And I think, in the long run, it's what is going to make you happy."

  I dismissed the brief daydream of Teddy leaning against the kitchen island as I worked and shook my head. "I can't do it. How can I be happy when I'm riddled with debt and have no prospects?"

  Tanya gave me an impish smile as she shrugged. "Be brave?"

  I turned back to my laptop and brushed my hair back. "No. Now is the time to be very practical. Practical as in I have to find a position in cooking and work my way up from the bottom."

  "What are we talking here? Waitressing?"

  "It's something I can start doing with little experience. I know waitressing is hard and it's far from the kitchen, but at least it will put me in the right vicinity," I said.

  "All right," she said. "Let's figure this out. It needs to be near your apartment or the subway because you don't have a car. How about the type of restaurant? What kind of food do you like making most of all?"

  I glanced up at the pizzeria's menu and chewed my bottom lip. "I don't know. Italian, I guess. Donna Martin taught me how to cook classic Italian dishes first."

  Tanya laughed. "Good, then you can order lunch. I'm starving and can't decide between fettuccine or pizza."

  I rolled my eyes at my study partner. Tanya was more than just a law school buddy, I realized; she was a real friend. I ordered us two slices of pizza and a basket of calamari. The young man behind the counter tossed it all onto a tray and handed it to me with a wink.

  "Glad to see you've got your laptop out," he said.

  "Why's that?"

  He smiled and a dimple flashed in his cheek. "Means you might be sticking around a while."

  I laughed at his outrageous flirting and went back to join Tanya at the counter.

  "He's cute," she said. "And, he was definitely checking you out as you walked over here."

  "You can have him," I said, sitting down without a second look.

  "Actually," she said, "I'll take this whole place. How great to have this right around the corner from your apartment?"

  I nodded and chewed as I thought about the little pizzeria. It was a tiny corner shop with big windows and limited seating. The counter barely divided the wide kitchen with its hot ovens from the customers. Still, the food was delicious and comforting. The place was always full. And, every type of person walked through the doors and felt like they belonged.

  "Not what you're used to anymore?" Tanya asked.

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  She shrugged again, watching me from the corner of her eye. "Just thought that maybe now you got the taste of the billionaire life, you wouldn't think twice about places like this."

  I snorted. "And how, exactly, did I get a taste of the billionaire life?"

  "Well, maybe it was just a taste of Teddy Brickman," she said with a wicked grin.

  "Shh!" I gripped her arm and almost made her drop her slice of pizza. "People will think you're serious."

  "I am serious," she said. "It's written all over your face. You fell for him."

  I swallowed hard. "I did not fall for Teddy Brickman. Besides, he's engaged. Not only that, but he never even told me he was dating someone. He flirted with me, and the whole time, he was engaged to Whitney Barnes. Can you believe it? What scum."

  Tanya shook her head. "I think it sounds like either he's not actually engaged, or he's having second thoughts now that you've been back to Long Island."

  "Doesn't matter. I'm not going back anymore," I grumbled.

  "You should have kept that truck."

  I let go of her arm with an annoyed laugh. "I never should have told you that."

  "You tell me everything," she said, finishing her pizza. "That's why we're such good friends."

  "If you're such a good friend of mine, how about you walk me back to my apartment?" I asked. I needed to get out of the little pizzeria.

  "At least tell me about it," she begged when we were on the street. "What was it like being with someone like Teddy Brickman?"

  "First of all, I wasn't 'with' him. Secondly, I have no idea. He put on this whole Prince Charming act and, at first, I was too smart for it. I don't know…he must have worn me
down or something. Thank goodness I found out what a liar he was."

  "So, he's like Prince Charming?" she asked, purposefully ignoring my other comments. "I guess he'd have to be. I've never heard you talk about any man like you do about him."

  "How do I talk about Teddy?" I asked, stopping at my apartment building and crossing my arms over my chest.

  "Like you've known him forever and possibly always loved him." She then spun away, knowing to avoid my friendly whack on the shoulder.

  "He's all right, himself," I admitted, "it's just his whole world that I can't stand."

  "The lifestyle of the obscenely rich and tabloid famous?"

  "Right," I laughed as I shook my head. "His whole world is littered with badly disguised lies. Everyone was trying so hard to be perfect that I don't think one honest word was said."

  "That can't be all true," she said. "You said there were a few nice people."

  "Of course, there were, but overall, Teddy Brickman's world is all show and no substance." I glanced up at my little attic windows. "I will miss that kitchen, though."

  "And the staff," Tanya added. "I can't wait to meet this Vincent Jeffry. Oh, please tell me we can convince him to go out dancing. That would be so great."

  I laughed. "The staff was great, especially Vincent Jeffry. I could have fit in there, but, who knows, maybe I just don't fit in anywhere."

  "Speaking of not fitting in," she nodded as two, young women got out of a black town car. Their flashy couture, expensive handbags, and loud, privileged complaints were out of place in Brooklyn. The casual artisans and understatedly hip neighbors all looked on as the girls further alienated themselves.

  My stomach knotted up tight as I watched my stepsisters make a scene in the street.

  "You swooped in to save us and now you want us to pay?" Ivy whined.

  Madison tossed her hair. "That's entrapment. You're just trying to take advantage of us because we're girls. We thought you were offering us a free ride."

  Tanya snorted and said to me, "No one ever told them there are no free rides in life?"

  "We don't even know where we are," Ivy complained. "The only time I remember coming to Brooklyn was that boring dinner at the fancy place. Remember, Maddy? The Argentinian steakhouse?"

  "Yeah, I remember. Can you at least take us there? This doesn't even look like a safe neighborhood," Madison said.

  "Oh, no," the driver said, locking his car doors. "You're not getting back in here. And you're going to pay for that ripped seat."

  "My heel got caught. It wasn't my fault," Ivy protested.

  Tanya sighed. "I've gotta go before they start crying for legal counsel. Be glad you got out of law school before you ended up working for people like that."

  I gave Tanya a hug, but was glad when she rounded the corner and disappeared. No one at law school knew my connection to the infamous Hooper twins, and I wanted to make sure it stayed that way. I was prepared to lie, rather than get sucked into their multiple dramas, and even considered running back to hide in the pizzeria until they left.

  The knots in my stomach twisted tighter. So, it wasn't just people in Teddy's world who lied to keep up appearances, I thought.

  I didn't know which was worse: lying about the person you'd chosen to spend the rest of your life with or lying about your own family. Technically, the twins were not my family. We were only tied together by a short-term marriage. Still, they were the only family I had stateside, and I couldn't just leave them there on the street, haggling over the price of their cab ride.

  "Just be the bigger person and pay the man," I said, stepping in.

  Ivy grinned and jabbed Madison in the ribs. "Yeah, Maddy, be the bigger person."

  "Shut up," Madison cried and jabbed her sister back.

  I plucked the designer purse from Madison's shoulder as they continued to poke at each other and handed the driver her credit card. He ran it and gave it back to me with a thankful nod. There was not a lot of traffic mid-day, but the driver still squealed the tires because he pulled into the flow of cars so fast.

  "Can we go upstairs now?" I asked, opening the door to my apartment building.

  Ivy pushed past me and into my tiny attic apartment first. I cringed, thinking of what disdainful things the twins would have to say about my cramped abode.

  "Wow, this is great. It's just like you," Ivy said.

  I eyed her expression with suspicion until I realized the reason I did not recognize her look was that it was sincere. "Thanks. Wait, how is it like me?"

  Madison walked the full 300 square feet from the front door to the back wall where my bed was pressed and smiled. "Simple, straightforward, and full of surprising style," she said.

  "Yeah," Ivy agreed. "Who knew you had style?"

  I put my laptop down on the small kitchen table and tried not to smile. I loved my little apartment and couldn't help but be pleased that my fashionable stepsisters saw a sense of style in it. It was the only bit of space I had ever made my own. Except my room at the cottage.

  My stomach sank. "If you're here, that means no one is taking care of the Long Island property, doesn't it?"

  "Oh, that's all fine," Ivy said with a flip of her hair. "The crew cleaned up the site, and the contractor is drawing up plans as we speak."

  I curled my fingers into fists. "Please tell me you did not take Teddy Brickman's help. Did you?"

  "Of course we did," Madison said with a confused frown. "He offered to pay for the clean-up and suggested a reliable contractor. What's wrong with that? You expected us to do it ourselves?"

  "Yeah," Ivy snorted, "the crew is still talking about the crazy woman in the ashes."

  I raked my hands through my hair and fought hard not to pull it out. "So, now Teddy can point out how much money he's already sunk into the property and try to short us when he makes an offer. Don't you see what you've done? You've made it easy for him to steal our home right out from under us."

  "The cottage?" Madison asked. "Ew. You're much better off here in Brooklyn. Now, I kind of get why people like this whole bohemian vibe."

  "I grew up in that house," I said.

  "Isn't the point of growing up? To leave home? We did it when we were like, what? Thirteen?" Ivy asked her twin.

  "Boarding school doesn't count," I snapped. "You just don't get it."

  "No, I don't," Madison snapped back. "Why would you want to live in a tiny shack next to all those mansions? And with all those fake people? They seem so nice, but then you wake up and realize everything they said was just a lie. That's what they call fun."

  Ivy slipped an arm through Madison's and squeezed, but ignored her out-of-character comments. "We're doing you a favor, getting that property sold. You can't say you don't need the money."

  "I'm not going to sacrifice my family home for it," I said. "And I'm certainly not going to let Teddy Brickman be the one to take it."

  "See?" Madison asked Ivy. "Kiara doesn't trust him or his friends, either. She gets it."

  "I get it, too," Ivy whined, "I just don't see why you're worrying so far ahead of the fact. Just relax."

  "What are you worrying about?" I asked Madison.

  The twins froze and squeezed tighter together. "Nothing. I'm fine."

  "Then why did we come here?" Ivy asked.

  "I'm fine. It's no big deal. Like you said, there's nothing to worry about," Madison said.

  Ivy frowned. "Yet."

  They argued back and forth as if I wasn't even home in my own apartment. Then, I realized the important fact was that Ivy and Madison were in my apartment. Something had happened to Madison, and she wanted to trust me, she wanted to tell me. I knew their mother was overseas looking for her next husband somewhere in Europe. My stepsisters had no one else.

  "It doesn't have anything to do with our family property, does it?" I said. "You can still tell me. You can tell me anything."

  Ivy drifted away to peek inside the dry-cleaning I had left hanging on the bathroom door. Madison looked at me
, a sheen of sweat making her wide eyes brighter, but she finally shook her head and changed the subject.

  "What's with the little black dress? Got a date tonight?" Madison asked.

  I snorted. "No. I'm hoping for a job interview."

  "In all black? Where is this place? The morgue?" Ivy asked. She dashed across the tiny apartment and whipped open my wardrobe. "We don't have much to work with, but we can do better than that."

  "It's not that big of a deal. I don't even really have the interview set up." I flapped my hands as the twins tore into my limited wardrobe. "It's probably nothing at all. A long shot."

  "Oooh," Ivy grinned, "then it's even more important that you stand out. How do you feel about feathers?"

  "No. No feathers, no layered jewelry, no new hip trends," I said, trying to grab back my small selection of silk scarves.

  "At least let us do your hair. We can tie it with this scarf and give that black dress a little boost of color." Madison said. Her smile finally returned. "It'll make sure they remember you when you're walking away."

  I eyed the bright splashes of color on the silk scarf, but knew it was fruitless to argue with the twins. They always got their way. For a brief moment, my concern over Madison flared again. Why was she so worried when, so far, everything had always gone her way?

  "You know, I'll only be gone an hour or two. You're free to stay here tonight, if you want. I know a great place to grab a pizza," I said.

  Ivy shut me up by dumping out her purse and getting to work on my make-up. "That's cute, but we are not staying in this little attic."

  "Thanks," Madison said, twisting my wild hair into a neat chignon. "Maybe some other time."

  I had to admit the reflection I saw in my smudged mirror was a pleasant surprise. The make-up was understated, but alluring, and the scarf added some admittedly much needed flair to my black dress. I slipped on a pair of patent-leather heels and spun in a small circle in my few square feet of living room.

  "Come on," Ivy giggled. "We'll walk you out so you don't break an ankle."

  The twins flagged down another unfortunate cab driver and offered to drop me at my destination. I didn't want them to know I was heading to the same fancy restaurant they had mentioned earlier. It was more than a long shot, but I had decided to go there and inquire about a job. If I looked like an upper-class diner, I figured they would at least be nice when they said no.