“This is about more than the hotel now. Vic isn’t giving up. You know that as well as I do. He’s after the bigger prize. Emil is an elderly man. Once he and the children are back in Frozen Oaks, how long before Emil meets with an accident? Those children will be back under the sheriff’s jurisdiction.”
“Then Emil can move here.”
“How do we guarantee that Vic won’t simply follow him? We have to force his hand. That’s our only choice. That’s the only way we’ll know that Emil and those children are safe. We’ll take the children far away.” Jake cradled her face in his hands. “I’ll go there myself and escort Emil back. We’ll control the situation.”
She rested her fingers over his. “I trust you.”
“You can’t go to Beatrice,” Garrett said. “You’ll be recognized. We might gain some time if I go. Besides, you should be here. Close to your family.”
Lily backed away and snatched her coat from the peg. “The children will be home from school soon. I should go home.”
“I’ll walk with you.” JoBeth reached for her coat. “You’re on my way.”
Lily would have preferred being alone, but she couldn’t refuse the offer without appearing rude. She was happy they’d found Emil. Happy he was safe and sound. Why, then, did she feel as though a sinkhole had opened up beneath her feet?
JoBeth walked beside her in silence for a few minutes. Their feet crunched over the snow and their breath formed clouds in the chill winter air.
“Don’t forget about the trees,” JoBeth said at last. “There’s a fine selection.”
“I won’t forget.”
What was the point of a tree? Christmas was two weeks away. Samantha and Peter would most likely spend the holiday with their grandfather.
JoBeth scooted before her and halted. “Garrett is good at his job. He won’t let anything happen to those children. If he thought they were in danger, he’d never agree to the plan. I can promise you that.”
“I’m sure you’re right.”
“Jake adores Samantha and Peter,” JoBeth continued. “He’d give his life for them.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you look as though you dropped your toast butter-side down?”
JoBeth offered a smile to soften her words.
“This is right,” Lily said firmly. “This is what the children need. This is what I wanted to happen. They’ll be reunited with their family. I’m happy for them. I’m truly happy for them.”
“There’s always a place for you here,” JoBeth said. “You know that, don’t you?”
“I’m only here because of the children.”
“There’s no reason you can’t stay.”
They’d reached the front gate, and Lily tugged the latch free. “I suppose we’d best make sure the children are settled before I make any plans.”
“If you need anything, I’m just down the road. I’m sure the men are putting together all sorts of overly complicated plans. We should let them have their fun.”
Lily sketched a wave and made her way into the house. After doffing her coat and winter boots, she stood in the kitchen and gazed out the back window. She’d grown more than fond of the children. Truth be told, she loved them. Staying near them was a good thing. And yet a part of her held back. She’d be the outsider again.
She couldn’t go back to how things were when she was young. She’d always felt as though she had her nose pressed to the window of the candy store.
Was she being selfish for wanting to leave, or selfish for wanting to stay?
The door opened and she didn’t turn around.
Jake cleared his throat. “We have to do something.”
Her pulse thrummed. “I know.”
“This is the best way.”
“I’m not a part of this, remember? I’m just the hired help.”
“Don’t say that.” He stood behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. “You saved those kids. Who knows what might have happened if someone different had been there? They need you. I need you.”
But for how long?
“What happens next?”
“Garrett will fetch Emil. Once he’s here, we’ll send a telegram to the sheriff in Frozen Oaks that the children have been found. Sheriff Koepke will tell Vic straight away. If he’s going to make a move, he’ll move then.”
“Are you certain the children will be safe?”
“Emil and the children will be long gone from here by the time Vic arrives. We won’t drop the bait until we’re certain they’re out of sight. Cimarron Springs is the best place. We know all the local law. We know every way in and every way out of town.”
Everything was working out exactly the way it was supposed to. “Can we keep the wagon another day? Will your uncle mind?”
“The wagon and the horses are ours as long as we need them.”
“Good. I think we should cut down a Christmas tree. Tonight.”
They needed to keep everything normal. Sam and Peter mattered most. They’d be united with their grandfather, and they’d move on. For now, they needed a sense of security, a sense that they were safe and everything was fine.
Decorating for Christmas would both cheer them up and distract them.
Time was slipping away quickly. There was no time to lose.
* * *
Lily glanced up when Jake entered through the back door. He brushed the snow from his shoulders and knocked more flakes from the brim of his hat. “Are you ready?”
“Almost.”
He peered over her shoulder. “What do you have there?”
“Hot cocoa.” She’d filled two jars full of the steaming liquid and wrapped them in towels to insulate them. She tucked the containers into the basket she’d set on the counter. “To keep us warm.”
Samantha and Peter were already sitting in the second row of the buckboard when they stepped outside.
“We haven’t had a Christmas tree in two years,” Peter said. “They celebrate Christmas differently in Africa.”
Jake squeezed Lily’s hand. “You were right. About getting the Christmas tree. Peter talked of nothing else while we were hitching the horses.”
She squinted at the sky. “What about the weather. Are you worried about more snow?”
“We aren’t going far. If the weather worsens, we’ll come home early.”
He yanked the ax from the chopping block and rested the tool in the bed of the wagon.
Lily waited until he paused before her. He reached out and gently flicked her nose. “You’ve got snow on your lashes already.”
“Hurry up, then. I haven’t had a Christmas tree in years either.”
He grasped her waist and swung her into the seat. He took his place beside her, gathered the reins, and released the brakes.
“You strike me as the sort of person who loves Christmas.”
“I do,” she replied. “I simply haven’t had much to celebrate the past few years. Trees always seemed like more work, and I was usually overloaded anyway. With people traveling to visit family, winter was a busy time at the boardinghouse. There was never anyone to share in the decorating either. Mrs. Hollingsworth considered Christmas trees an unnecessary mess. Decorating a tree alone isn’t any fun.”
“Then this year will be three times the fun.”
The road required his attention and they drove in silence. Lily spotted the twin oaks. Wagon wheels marked the trail and they turned off. Sure enough, not far down the lane, a copse of evergreen trees had been planted. Someone had divvied them off in neat rows, with the older trees farther back.
Jake set the brake and helped her down.
Samantha and Peter scrambled from the wagon.
“Can we pick out the tree?” Samantha asked.
&nbs
p; “I want to pick out the tree alone,” Peter grumbled.
“Each of you pick out a tree,” Jake said. “And we’ll let Lily decide which one she likes best.”
The two shouted their agreement and set off in opposite directions. Lily meandered toward a row of small trees, their tips not reaching her waist.
Jake paused beside her. “When I was young, I found a bird’s nest behind the barn. My mom saved the nest and we put it in the tree every year. She said the nest brought happiness to the coming year.”
“I’m sorry. About what happened to your mom. You must miss her very much.”
“When I was younger, I used to dream about her. I’d dream about resting my head on her knee while she stroked my hair. I stopped having the dreams years ago. I miss them. Sometimes I miss those dreams as much as I miss her. They seemed so real. I felt as though she was visiting me in my sleep.”
“My mother died two weeks before Christmas. My brother had died the week before. We didn’t tell her. She was sick. Weak. We worried she might give up if she knew. I used to have dreams, too. I’d dream they couldn’t find each other in heaven.”
“That must have been difficult.”
He lifted his hand and she moved away. “I didn’t say that to make you feel sorry for me. I guess maybe that’s the true reason why I never put up a tree. I didn’t feel I deserved to celebrate.”
“Children carry guilt they shouldn’t. For a long time I felt as though my mom died because of me. When the outlaws entered the bank, there was chaos. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything. I was just frozen in place. If she’d dropped to the ground immediately, she’d be alive. She hesitated. At the trial the outlaw said he didn’t mean to shoot her. He was turning toward the movement, and his gun fired.”
“If that outlaw had gotten a job instead of robbing, she’d be alive. That had nothing to do with you.”
“I became a US marshal to prevent those kinds of tragedies. The gang had robbed other banks. If someone had taken them seriously sooner, if someone had put them in jail, they wouldn’t have been there that day. I can’t go back and change the past, but I can change the future for others.”
“I envy you,” she said. “I thought owning the boardinghouse would fulfill me, but I recognize that I was wrong. I was clinging to the idea because I didn’t have any other dreams.”
“Then pick a new dream. No one is stopping you. Life only moves in one direction. Forward. What happens to you shapes you. You’re in control. You decide.”
Peter called and they followed the sound of his voice. His tree was perfectly shaped, nearly six feet tall, with full branches and thick needles. Lily made a point of circling around the tree and inspecting all the angles.
“This is a beautiful tree.”
Samantha shouted for their attention. They trudged through the snow and discovered her tree, as well. Shorter than the one Peter had claimed, this tree was fatter and more squat.
Jake rubbed his chin and stepped back a few paces. “Let’s test the needles.”
He leaned forward and shook the tree. A bird flew out, startling them all. Lily shrieked and held her hands over her face. Jake stumbled back and they fell into the snow. Peter made his way over to them.
“I found mistletoe,” he said. “Now you have to kiss.”
“That can’t be mistletoe,” Lily scoffed. “I’ve never seen mistletoe grow around here.”
Jake didn’t know what possessed him, but he said, “Let them have their fun.”
He pressed his lips against hers and a shuddering thrill rippled through him. With the children as their audience, the kiss was over all too soon.
Jake stood and reached for her hand. He pulled her up and she braced her fingers against his chest. Rather than disturb the bird’s nest, Jake retrieved his ax and cut down the tree Peter had chosen.
With much laughter and stumbling, the four of them dragged the evergreen back to the wagon.
Lily retrieved her jars of hot cocoa and they huddled together in the shelter of the wagon. Once home, they decorated the tree with ropes of popcorn and berries.
As dusk fell over the horizon, they sat in the parlor, admiring their handiwork.
“I never want this day to end,” Sam said.
“Neither do I,” Jake replied.
The words were authentic. Playing husband was the only part he ever wanted to play again. The marshal needed extra help, and Jake enjoyed working with Garrett. He’d discovered an aptitude for settling disputes. He loved the town and adored the house.
If Sam and Peter weren’t there to tie them together, would Lily stay? Did he even have a right to ask her? He’d made a vow. He’d promised to annul the marriage once Emil and his grandchildren were reunited.
He was a man who honored his promises. Or was he?
* * *
Lily finished her order at the mercantile and stepped outside once more. The evening train had arrived at the depot twenty minutes earlier. Porters hustled the bags and trunks into waiting wagons. Passengers scurried from the cold.
The children had already left for school, and the house was unnaturally quiet. Garrett was leaving for Beatrice to fetch Emil that evening, which meant the children would be reunited with their grandfather in less than a week. Everything was going according to plan.
Her feet dragging, Lily carried her groceries into the kitchen and unpacked them on the counter.
The click of a gun hammer being pulled back sounded, and Lily froze.
“Turn around,” a feminine voice ordered.
Lily obeyed and discovered Regina, a pistol in her outstretched hand. “Where are they?”
“Who?”
“Don’t play stupid. I want those children.”
“Vic isn’t worth this.”
“Vic?” Regina scoffed. “Vic is an idiot.”
Lily scooted away. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s very simple.” Regina leveled her gun at Lily. “Men think they run this world, but they don’t. I manage my own business out of the hotel right under Vic’s nose. No one paid any mind to the women coming through town. Even after Vic lost the railroad depot, I managed to overcome. All he had to do was maintain ownership of the hotel, but he couldn’t even do that. He couldn’t even beat a pair of eights. What kind of idiot folds for a pair of eights?”
“It was you.” Understanding finally dawned on Lily. “It was you all along.”
“I had a good thing going. No one notices a bunch of women. They think we’re stupid. I’ve been running all sorts of scams out of Frozen Oaks, and no one is the wiser. Not Vic, not the sheriff, not anyone. Then Vic had to go and ruin everything by losing the hotel. I needed the cover of the business. I can hide trunks full of contraband in a hotel. I can hide my customers as hotel guests.”
“Then you were the person selling the guns.”
“A man came to Vic last year wanting to sell a shipment of stolen guns. Vic refused the offer because the guns were junk. Relics from the War Between the States. That’s the problem with Vic—he lacks imagination. I bought them for a considerable discount and sold them to the Indians for a tidy profit. They didn’t know the guns were worthless, and I made a lot of money. That’s imagination.”
“The US marshals were looking for those guns. How did you smuggle them out of town?”
“A layer of petticoats. I told you. No one pays any attention to ladies. If your trunk is heavy, they don’t even blink an eye. One of the railroad detectives even offered to help the porter carry the extra weight. I tipped him. He was such a wonderful help.”
“You’re very clever. Vic was the perfect cover. He makes a convincing villain.” Lily frantically searched the countertop for some kind of weapon. “Why did you intercept the messages from Emil?”
“I needed to bu
y some time. After Emil sent the telegram saying that he’d broken his leg, I searched the barbershop. He was too smart, though. He’d taken the deed with him. I guess he figured Vic couldn’t be trusted.” Regina’s lips curled up at the edges. “He was right.”
“Is that when you decided the children were a more lucrative scam?”
“After I read the newspaper story I figured I’d use the children to get the hotel back, and make some money in the process. You certainly weren’t a threat. I hadn’t planned on Jake, though. I hadn’t planned on a gunfighter turned nanny. Locking the sheriff in his own jail cell was inspired. Wish I’d have thought of that. Koepke was hopping mad.”
All along they’d been chasing the wrong villain. “Then Vic and the sheriff were in the dark about all your dealings?”
As long as Regina liked to brag, Lily was willing to stall her. Maybe she’d set down the gun or drop her guard.
“Vic makes a very nice smoke screen. As long as everyone was paying attention to him, no one was paying me any mind.”
“But why did you burn down the boardinghouse if I wasn’t a threat to you? What purpose did that serve?”
“Because you deserved some punishment after forcing me to chase you across the countryside. I don’t like being inconvenienced. You didn’t even have the decency to show up on time for the grand inferno. I snuck in the same window I used all those years ago when Mrs. Hollingsworth locked me out.” Regina tapped her chin with the barrel of the pistol. “When you think about it, I had my revenge on both of you. You should be thanking me instead of glowering and plotting a way to turn this gun on me. Losing the boardinghouse was for your own good. Mrs. Hollingsworth was never going to sell that place.”
“You’ll forgive me if I don’t send a note,” Lily said. “You enjoyed setting that fire, didn’t you?”
“I won’t lie. I enjoyed giving the old biddy a little payback for all the times she looked down her nose at me.”
“Someone might have died.”
“Lots of things might have happened, but they didn’t.” Regina waved the gun. “Everyone got out all right. All’s well that ends well.”
“You took your sweet time in coming to Cimarron Springs. What took you so long?”
A Family for the Holidays Page 23