"You don't have to thank me, it's what I do, and I was glad I was able to help. Your mom is one tough fighter, that's for sure. She gave that mountain lion a heck of a time and probably a major headache judging by the size of the rock she belted him with."
"That sounds like Mom," Cali said.
Jake groaned.
"Okay buddy, you can say "˜hello' now, but be gentle," Sam said.
After Jake made his rounds, they walked into the living room where they were met by Halie. Halie's eyes widened. "Hey April, Corrine, and...Cali? Cali Brooks is your tenant?" Halie said.
"She is. You two know each other?" April said.
Cali and Halie exchanged glances and partial grins. Halie answered. "As a matter of fact, we do. We met at the Jackson Hole Arts Festival. Cali's a teacher. She bought--is in the process of buying--one of my photographs, and we're working together on a project to help preserve the art program in the school where she teaches. I thought you said the person you were bringing with you today worked with you at the ranch, April."
"I did, and she does," April said. "She also works one day a week at the school, among other jobs. I can't believe you know each other, and Sam knows Cali's moms."
Halie addressed Sam. "How do you know her moms?"
"Hillary Coleman is Cali's mom."
"Coleman's her maiden name," Cali said.
"She and her partner Melanie are the women I rescued on Rendevous Mountain."
"Oh, my god. Yes, the mountain lion attack. That was awful," Halie said.
"I forgot to mention to you that Cali is April and Corrine's tenant, though I only found out by accident who Cali was when I talked with April the other day," Sam said.
"Wow, it is a small world, isn't it? I'm glad your mom's okay now," Halie said.
"Thank you. She's still got some reconstructive surgery ahead of her, but things are pretty much back to normal."
"Thank goodness. That couldn't have been easy for you. Have a seat everyone. I'll be back in a minute." Halie retreated into the kitchen, then returned a short while later holding a platter filled with appetizers. She set platter on the coffee table in front of the sofa. The wood in the fireplace crackled and warmed the room, giving it a festive glow. Sam turned the football game on, toned low, and although she didn't watch constantly, she checked the scores on occasion.
"We're expecting one more person," Halie said as she poured wine into her guest's glasses. "My friend Ronni. She called a few minutes ago to let me know she'd be a little late. She said we should start without her and that she'd get here as soon as she could."
April glanced at Cali. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."
"Who, me?" Cali said. "No, I'm fine. I--well I--I think I might know Halie's friend Ronni, but then how strange would that be, right? Yeah, I mean, now that I think about it, it would be too much of a coincidence I'm sure we're not talking about the same person, forget it," Cali said.
"Not so fast, you never know. Are we both talking about the five-foot-seven, one hundred and sixty pound, give or take a few, biker chick with a huge heart Ronni Summers?" Halie asked.
"I don't believe it. That's her, though I don't really know her. I mean, she helped me out one night--my car--it broke down--she helped--but that was it. I mean, I don't have her number or anything. Right, well, why would I have her number? It's not like--"
"Aha," Halie responded. "This is very interesting. Am I right to assume you have a butterfly sticker of some sort stuck to the bumper of your car?"
"I do. How'd you know that?"
"Oh, let's just say a little birdie told me."
"WE HAD A great time guys, thanks," April said. "Dinner was fabulous. Oddly enough, I didn't even miss not eating turkey, the food was so good. I'm sorry we're cutting out early, but since Cali's car only has front wheel drive, and the roads look pretty bad, I'd rather not risk it."
"I feel better too that you guys get home safe. Oh, and don't forget your dessert," Halie said. She handed April a doggie bag with a piece of pumpkin pie and coconut cream pie in it for each of them. "At least I know I won't get fat on my own."
"Thanks," April said, "though you've got a long way to go before you have to worry about your weight. I hope we get to meet your friend Ronni soon. I'm sorry we missed her, but she did a nice thing helping that guy out. Guess he's got one more thing to be thankful for this year."
"Yup, that's Ronni for ya," Halie said. "Sam would have done the same thing though, so I can't fault her."
Then Corrine added, "April too, but that's why we love them. Sam, I'll call you Saturday morning and we'll decide then what time to get together, okay?"
"Sounds good," Sam said.
"Thanks again for everything," Cali said to her hosts, and then to Halie alone she added, "We'll talk at the end of the month to see who your first artistic winner is, and in the meantime, would you please say "˜hello' to Ronni for me, in the slim chance she remembers me."
Halie smiled. "Oh, somehow I'm pretty sure she remembers you."
RONNI PULLED INTO the driveway over tire marks freshly imprinted in the snow. She realized she must have just missed Sam and Halie's friends. She felt a twinge of disappointment and hoped she was still welcome now that everyone else had gone. She hadn't seen Halie in almost a month, and Sam longer than that. As she shut the engine off, her stomach growled. She hoped Halie saved her some food since she hadn't eaten all day.
After Jake almost knocked Ronni down and got his share of affection from her, Sam and Halie greeted Ronni with open arms and hugs. Ronni was dressed in black khakis, a white turtleneck under a dark green cable sweater and black boots. She brought two bottles of wine, which Halie cradled in one arm.
"So what happened?" Halie asked. "I know you woke up late and then got tied up on the phone talking to your dad and then your mom, but what happened with that guy on the way over?"
"I passed a Nissan Sentra that veered off the road into a snow bank. I knew if I stopped I'd be even later. I almost left him there, but I couldn't do it. I knew he couldn't get out on his own, so I hooked him up to the Jeep and pulled him out. He must have run over something in the road though, because his front tire was flat too."
"Poor guy. Lucky for him you came along," Sam said, then she excused herself to go outside to clear snow. Ronni offered to help, but Sam rejected her offer, suggesting instead she eat and relax, two words Ronni was more than thankful to hear.
Once Sam was out the door, Halie grabbed Ronni's arm and pulled her part way through the living room until she followed her into the kitchen. "Have I got news for you," she said.
"Oh, yeah?" Ronni inhaled what she thought was the smell of baked mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. "God it smells good in here. I think I could eat a horse."
"No horse at this establishment, but I think you'll like what's on the menu. Why don't you sit and relax so I can feed you."
"Yes, Mom," Ronni replied in a voice of amusement.
Halie reheated a bowl of butternut squash soup and placed in front of Ronni, and before her friend downed half of it, she brought out a plate piled high with a sampling of all the food she'd prepared, including a few stuffed mushrooms and a couple slices of the quesadillas. Then she placed a side bowl of the winter salad with mixed greens next to Ronni's plate.
"Holy cow! You expect me to eat all that?"
"Oh, I don't think you'll have a problem. Leave room for dessert." Halie opened one of the bottles of wine Ronni brought and poured each of them a glass before sitting at the kitchen table next to her. "Now, for the important stuff I've been dying to tell you. You're going to kick yourself hard when you hear this."
Ronni shoveled a large piece of lasagna into her mouth before Halie finished speaking, so she gestured with a twirl of her hand to indicate Halie should go on.
"The woman you've been dying to find, the one with the butterfly sticker on the bumper of her car--she came here with April and Corrine today. She was their guest--their new tenant--A
pril's co-worker. I had no idea."
Ronni nearly choked as she attempted to swallow the food remaining in her mouth in one gulp. "What? Are you kidding me?"
Halie didn't comment, but her expression told Ronni she was not joking.
"I don't believe it. How could I be so lucky and unlucky in the same day? I guess I'll have to chalk one up for no good deed goes unpunished," Ronni said.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Halie countered. "She appeared quite taken by your valor, and knowing you, even if you knew she was here ahead of time, I'd bet money on it that you'd have helped that guy anyway. It's how you're wired."
Ronni pouted. She didn't want to admit Halie was right. "Maybe." The thought of only minutes having separated her from finally meeting Cali again was difficult for Ronni to process. If she hadn't worked late, or got up out of bed sooner, or hurried getting ready a little more, she might not have run into the guy who ran off the road and she'd have had the pleasure of looking into those warm, trusting, brown eyes she'd lost herself in on that rainy night in August. As Ronni drifted to that moment, she envisioned Cali Brooks' inviting smile. "I have to see her. I can't stand it anymore. The thought of her drives me crazy."
"You may have to wait a while. In addition to working at the ranch with April and part time teaching at the elementary school, she's taken on another part time job as a ski lift attendant over at Alpine Crest Ski Resort." Halie filled her friend in on Cali's teaching job and how they'd met at the Art Festival, never having a clue this was the person Ronni was after. She finished with, "and she'll be working at the resort this weekend, including tomorrow. When's the last time you went skiing?"
"I'm supposed to work tomorrow too, but maybe I can convince my boss to let me work a half day--start early, help clear the snow--and then go. I'm off Saturday, but I don't know if I'll be able to last another day, especially knowing what I know now."
"I wouldn't last, if I were you," Halie said.
"Unfortunately, it's been so long since I've stepped into a pair of skis, I'm not so sure I'd make it down the hill in one piece, but you read my mind. At this point, I'll do anything to get to see her. I need to know if we have chemistry and a chance at something that might be great, or if I misread my feelings, or have blown them out of proportion over all these months."
"I doubt you blew things out of proportion. She's quite charming, smart, funny, entertaining--"
"Okay, okay, stop rubbing it in. I'll do it. If I can't get off tomorrow, then I'll go Saturday. Besides, how hard could learning to ski again be? They say it's like riding a bike. Once you learn, you never forget."
"Do they now? I never heard that, but if that's so, then it appears you have your day laid out for you."
A moment of silence followed as Ronni finished the remainder of her food. She watched Halie, who appeared deep in thought, as her own thoughts shifted from Cali to her best friend. "Dinner was better than fantastic. Thanks so much for saving me some. I'm stuffed."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, but you haven't had dessert yet. I haven't either, so if you're up to a piece of pie, I'll join you."
"Well, since you put it that way, I suppose I could squeeze in dessert," Ronni said. She leaned back and slapped her round belly.
Halie stood and meandered toward the refrigerator. "Good, because watching you eat made me hungry again." She placed the pies on the counter and took two cake plates from the cabinet. "Pumpkin or coconut?"
"How about a thin sliver of each?"
"That's what I like to hear, but I'll ignore the words "˜thin' and "˜sliver.' Coffee?"
"That'd be great." Ronni watched as Halie prepared the coffee. "Hey, I wanted to ask you a question, but you don't have to answer it if you don't want, because it's probably none of my business, but I worry about you."
"What? Why so? There's nothing to worry about. Ask away, I don't have any secrets."
Ronni fidgeted with her desert fork. "Is everything okay with you and Sam?"
Halie was quiet for a moment. "We're okay, why?"
"I don't know. I picked up on something in the sullen stare Sam tossed your way tonight before she walked out the door to shovel. I thought it might have to do with the trouble you guys have been having with the vandals. I can't figure why Sam would hold that against you though, but her expression in the foyer indicates she does."
"It's not like that. I think my actions, or inaction as the case may be, frustrates her sometimes and she doesn't know what to do about it, and I don't know how to make things better. It's not something I do on a conscious level, at least I don't think so. I love Sam. I don't mean to hurt her." Halie poured the coffee and brought the plates of pie to the table. She sat and broke off a piece of pumpkin pie.
Ronni remained silent as they ate. She only commented on how good the pie was, waiting for Halie to elaborate on her own.
"I haven't exactly been very loving and attentive to her lately, which she hasn't been used to and probably can't understand, and I haven't exactly come clean as to the reason why," Halie said.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not entirely sure I know why I'm reacting the way I am either. Everything sort of hit me at once. Recovering from my accident, the move, starting my career over, losing my friends, the reality of the danger of Sam's job and the fact that every day she walks out the door there's a chance I can lose her. We had a good chat a few months ago, before our trip to visit her mom. I thought after that talk I was back on track, and I felt wonderful, but then the hammer fell with Coco and the house being vandalized. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel violated. And I don't know if they're after me or Sam or both of us, but it's unnerving. I can't relax. I feel like someone's always watching us, even though I'm sure they're not. Sam doesn't appear that bothered. She's used to dealing with this sort of thing, but I'm not. And I know she wishes she could make the unease go away for me, but she can't and I can't pretend everything's okay just to make her feel better. It's strange, but the closer I attach to Sam emotionally, the more distant I've become physically, especially now." Halie paused again before continuing. "I think I'm afraid of losing her, and it scares me to death. I can't picture my life without her in it anymore. She's everything to me."
Ronni polished off her last piece of pie and quietly set the fork on top of her plate. "Have you told her how you feel?"
"Some of it I have, but not the "˜afraid of losing her' part. Her job's in law enforcement. That's not going to change and I don't want her contemplating changing her job to ease my worries. And if I told her, that's exactly what she'd do. I know her and I don't want her to change for me. She loves her work. It's a huge part of who she is. It's funny how that part of her work never bothered me when we first met."
"I hear what you're saying, but any one of us could die any day or at any time for the stupidest of reasons, completely unrelated to their job. There's a million ways something can happen, but I think the worst thing you can do is withhold love when it's so precious to begin with and our time on this earth is so short. If you love Sam that much, and it's clear she loves you, you shouldn't shut her out. If you do, you risk the chance of bringing to reality what you fear most. I'm sure Sam has her own fears related to the possibility of losing you. Has she been distant with you?"
"No."
Seeing the tears welling in Halie's eyes, Ronni shifted to a lighter tone. "See, that's why I'll be strapping on the skis this weekend and slogging it up the mountains in search of my love. It's worth the risk."
Halie grinned. "Thanks for listening. I think talking about it helped. You're right, of course, everything you said."
Ronni puffed out her chest. "Yup, when I'm right, I'm right."
Chapter Fourteen
BY MORNING THE main roads were clear and the side roads were passable, even without four wheel drive. The road crews did an honorable job keeping up with the snow overnight. This time of year tourism centered on the skiers, and the state and county crews knew the importance of keeping the roads a
ccessible. The ski resorts would be lapping up Mother Nature's present to their cause today.
As Sam headed down the stairs from the bedroom, Jake in tow, she smelled coffee brewing. She gave Halie a peck on the cheek. "Morning."
"Morning."
"Mmm, that smells good. You made breakfast already?"
"I did. I heard you moving around up there so I figured I'd whip us up some French toast and eggs. We're both going to have a busy day, so we may as well be prepared for it," Halie said.
"True, thanks." Sam planned on meeting Corrine for Christmas shopping and to help her pick out a saddle for April, while she hoped to get fashion shopping help for Halie's presents in return. Halie, on the other hand, agreed to meet Colin Mitchell at Alpine Crest Ski Resort and photograph him in action on the slopes.
Sam let Jake outside onto the snow-covered deck. The tree branches hung white with the new powder. The morning was pleasantly quiet. Sam closed the door behind Jake and stood behind it watching him as he bounded through the snow like an antelope. When Halie finished by the stove and sat, Sam sat next to her and sipped her coffee. "That tastes great," she said. She held the mug in one hand and cradled it with the other. "What time are you meeting Colin?"
"Nine o'clock by the main ticket booth."
"You know I'd rather you didn't go, right?" Sam said.
"I do, but it's a good opportunity. He's not only paying for my day of skiing and my time, he'll pay for any shots he likes too. I'd be a fool to let this opportunity slip by."
"I know, but I still don't like it."
"Besides, aren't you meeting Corrine today anyway?" Halie asked.
"I am. It's not about not wanting you to go because I want you here with me instead, it's about the danger and the possibility you'll like taking these action shots, expand your business base, and then I'll never see you."
"That won't happen. What are you getting at the store?"
"I'm not saying, but if we have time I think I'll see if I can get Jessie and Katelynn metal detectors as one of their presents. What do you think?"
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