A Texas Kind of Christmas

by Jodi Thomas

  “I’m no one,” a male voice answered. “Just another soul hiding out from the crowd. Don’t be afraid. I won’t bother you, lady. I just need to be invisible for a while too.”

  She could barely make out the outline of a man sitting on the floor five feet away. He didn’t look all that threatening and he wasn’t moving toward her. A book lay beside him and by the way he held it, she knew his fingers were used to bending the spine.

  “You have to leave. This isn’t a library.”

  “I know. I went to the trouble of stealing this book from the parlor shelf only to discover it’s too dark in my hideout to enjoy it.”

  She straightened and frowned at him. “My hideout. I came in here to be alone. So, go.”

  His laugh held no humor. “I was thinking you should leave. After all, I was here first.”

  “But, you should be the gentleman and disappear.”

  He shook his head. “You are right, dear lady, but I fear my need to vanish is far greater than yours. So, like it or not, I stake my claim on this cave.”

  Jacqueline twisted on the trunk to face him and was suddenly proud of herself for being so brave. “You tell me your story and I’ll tell you mine, and we’ll see who has the greatest need.”

  He leaned forward and set one elbow atop his knee. “All right. Why not? If I leave this room, there is a good chance I’ll be arrested. I might as well plead my case to you as some judge.

  “Want to tell me your name, lady, before I begin? By the time I confess all my sins, there’s a good chance we’ll be enemies.”

  She thought about the tall cowboy who had talked to her in the ballroom. He’d had a hard frown on a rugged face, but his eyes had surprised her. Intelligent brown eyes that missed little. She’d called him Mr. Nobody. He hadn’t guessed who she was. The big cowboy had even told her he’d come to propose to Harry’s daughter. He’d never thought that he was talking to Harry’s only child. If she could fool the cowboy, maybe she could easily fool this younger man as well.

  This stranger couldn’t know anything about her. She’d have to drip lies atop the bones of truth. “I’m Jacqueline, but my mom called me Littlebird. She died before I turned seven. She’d read to me every night since I was born, and when she passed no one comforted me, not even my father. I think he was too lost in his own grief. No one read to me again. For a long time I thought my father hated me because he’d had to share her love.”

  “Nice to meet you, Littlebird. Only tonight in that beautiful gown Bluebird seems a more fitting name. Sorry to hear about your mom. I never knew my folks. My name’s Nathaniel Ward and I grew up on the streets of New York.

  “I was an actor first in New York, then Boston until a few months ago. I scraped together all the money I could and bought a theater in Austin. When I got there a few weeks ago, I realized the former owner forget to tell me that the place burned. I was busy drinking my sorrows away when a marshal named Cash Calaber decided I was an outlaw. He was hauling me to Dallas to hang when the stage wrecked and I escaped.”

  “Mr. Ward, you’re dressed very well for a broke, unemployed actor about to be tried as an outlaw.”

  “I stole the clothes, and these fine stovepipe boots as well.” He stood and took a bow.

  “Sure you did.” She didn’t buy a word he said.

  The only bit that made her question his lie was the fact that she’d met a marshal named Calaber once. He’d had dinner with her father. She hadn’t liked him. The man never spoke to her but he patted Margaret on the bottom twice when he thought no one was looking. “If you’re telling the truth, what happened to the marshal?”

  “Last time I saw him his arm was trapped under the coach. I think I might have knocked him unconscious with my elbow when I tumbled on top of him as the coach rolled. Or, maybe I killed him.” The actor examined his elbow as if hoping to find a weapon.

  “I’ll need more details before I believe you, sir.”

  Nate didn’t seem to mind. He was a natural storyteller. By the time he finished with all that had happened, he’d made her laugh at the passengers they’d encountered and she found herself believing every word.

  She liked how he mimicked all the passengers’ voices and how he noticed details.

  “I’m worthless, lady,” Nate finally said. “I stole the clothes I have on. I’ll probably be dead tomorrow but, on the bright side, I didn’t rob a bank and I’ve never killed anyone. Course, I can’t speak for my elbow. My only chance of getting out of this mess is to hide in here until the marshal gives up looking for me and I’ll probably starve before that happens.”

  “I’ll have breakfast delivered. I’ll share.”

  “That’s kind of you, Littlebird. Now it’s time to tell me why you’re here. Your need for a hideout cannot possibly be as great as mine.”

  Jacqueline remembered the maid Katie and the pink dress. “I work here at the hotel.” She looked down at her beautiful low-cut velvet dress. “I stole this dress in hopes of mixing with the rich ranchers and finding me a husband. I’m all alone in this world and scrubbing these rooms every day will age me fast.”

  “Then why did you come up here, lady? Shouldn’t you be downstairs mixing? The pickings will only get worse as the party ages and there are no rich husbands up here hidden in trunks.”

  She tried to remember the plots of the books she read. A damsel in distress. She needed to be poor. Really poor. Penniless. And being chased by an evil villain with a long mustache and a peg leg. No, that might be too much. She was orphaned very young and left on the streets. No, that was his story. She’d say she was kicked out of her home because her parents couldn’t feed all the kids. She’d been forced to work from dawn to dusk. Maybe sold by her drunken father to a madam. She hadn’t been old enough to entertain gamblers and thieves, so she did laundry all day.

  She began to ramble through her story.

  When he raised one dark eyebrow, she added, “Can you imagine how many sheets a day have to be washed in a brothel? And when I finally slept, rats ran over my clothes looking for crumbs from the one slice of bread I got for dinner.”

  By the time she finished, she’d used every plot she’d ever read.

  Nate listened without saying a word. When she finally stopped to breathe, he whispered, “Dear lady, I’ve never been so attracted to a woman’s mind in all my twenty-four. Your imagination enchants me.” He moved closer, lifted her hand, and kissed her palm, then smiled and said, “Littlebird, I think I’m in love with you. You blended every story I’ve ever heard into your life story.”

  “You don’t believe me?” She tried to act insulted.

  “Not a word, but I loved hearing it. Pretty lady, you were born to be a great writer.”

  Jacqueline didn’t know whether to be offended or flattered. She held back a cry and decided to be honest about one thing. “If you could see me better, you wouldn’t say that I’m pretty. I’m plain. Ask anyone. I couldn’t stay at the ball downstairs. I’m too shy. I fall over words. People would pity me. I can’t dance. I don’t—”

  “You don’t see the person I see. No one must,” he answered.

  She laughed. “You can’t see me at all. We’re huddled in a dark room where shadows cross.”

  “I see you better here in the twilight than anyone will see you downstairs and believe me, you are beautiful. You’re a wonder to behold.”

  He stood and shoved a few empty trunks aside. “Shall we dance, Littlebird? If I’m to be jailed and you will be forced into a loveless marriage, we might as well have one last dance.”

  He hadn’t believed her story. She’d believed every word of his, but somehow it didn’t matter. In the darkness they saw each other. Maybe he was a man trying to be kind? Maybe he was mad? She only knew one thing for sure. He would be the first man she danced with.

  “I don’t know how,” she whispered.

  “I’ll teach you.”

  Pulling her near he closed his eyes as he hummed a tune. They moved around the room,
bumping into trunks, stepping on each other’s toes, laughing, dancing.

  When they heard the doorknob rattle, they ducked like children behind a trunk.

  A woman stepped in quickly and dropped two hatboxes, then was gone with only the melody of “Sweet Lorena” left in her wake.

  He laughed and took her hand. “Shall we continue?”

  She giggled.

  Light from the floor below blinked through the cracks and tiny slits in the boards as they swayed. He leaned close to her ear. “Littlebird, we’re dancing on stars.”

  She looked down and smiled. “We are indeed.”

  Chapter 6

  Cody stood in the shadows of the back door off the hotel kitchen and watched the woman in pink dance. Her hair flowed around her shoulders as she hummed a tune he’d never heard.

  He found himself wishing that she wasn’t the rich girl he’d come to propose to. But she wore pink with ribbons. She had to be Jacqueline Hartman.

  Now and then he’d let himself believe that he’d somehow find a woman just right for him. It’d be luck though, not some planned plot just to make him richer.

  Even if the vision before him said yes to his proposal and he loved her every day for the rest of his life, he’d always wonder if a part of the attraction hadn’t been the land. Or maybe she’d be the one to wonder. She’d never trust his love and that would eat at him.

  Finally, she waltzed close to the doorway and glanced in his direction. Fear flashed brighter than the candlelight shining in the windows.

  He raised his hand as she backed away searching for an escape.

  “Wait,” he said harsher than he’d meant. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I was just watching you dance, Miss Hartman. I swear, I mean you no harm.”

  She shook her head and backed away into the shadows. Green eyes filled with fear.

  “You know me. I’m Cody Lamar, your neighbor to the north.”

  She shook her head again and held her hand up as if she could stop him.

  “I should have let you know I was here but I’ve never seen someone dance like that. So free. So lost. It was a wonder.” Cody knew he was making a fool of himself but he had no idea how to talk to her.

  He calmed his voice. “How about we start over. I came here hoping to meet you. Then I changed my mind and was leaving out the back door before I embarrassed us both.”

  “I’m not Miss Hartman,” she said as she lowered her hand. “You have me mixed up with another.”

  She was young, but not twenty-one, he guessed as he tried to see her face more clearly in the shadows.

  “All right.” He didn’t know if she simply didn’t want him to know who she was or she thought the lie would turn him away. For all she knew he was some outlaw come to kidnap her. If her dad would offer land to any man who’d marry her, he might offer money for ransom. “I don’t care who you are, just don’t be afraid of me. I’ve been a hard man all my life, but I swear I mean you no harm.”

  She watched him as if she thought he might strike at any moment. “I’ve heard of you, but I’m no one you know, Mr. Lamar. You shouldn’t talk to me.”

  He decided to play along. “I can’t very well call you no one. What’s your name?” He frowned. Could have said that a bit nicer. Was it possible he’d hardened to an old man at thirty-four?

  “Katie,” she answered. “I’m Katie McCord.”

  “Well, Katie, would you like to go back inside? I think they about have supper ready in this fancy hotel.”

  “No. I don’t belong at the party.”

  He could see that she was starting to shiver. “All right. I understand that. I don’t feel like I belong either.” He leaned inside the back door and pulled a red tablecloth from a stack on the counter. “May I offer you a cape, Katie?”

  She nodded slightly and stepped closer. “Thank you, Mr. Lamar.”

  “Call me Cody, Katie, and what is it you’ve heard about me?”

  “I’ve heard it said that you’re a fair man and a war hero.” She hesitated.

  “And what?”

  “That you have no family but you still work hard as if you had someone to leave your land to.”

  “That’s true. I have no one. My parents died when I was fourteen. There was no one to claim as kin after that. I left to make my fortune. Told the neighbor girl I’d come back and marry her. By the time I made it back, she’d had two husbands and six kids.” He smiled. “I guess she wasn’t one to wait.

  “In the early years this part of the country was too wild to even think of bringing a wife out and now I’m too set in my ways to look.” The fear was leaving her eyes so he kept talking.

  “Strange how I’m rattling on to you. I don’t usually do that.”

  “I’m alone too. It’s easy to recognize another.” She hugged herself and took one more step toward him.

  “It’s going to snow soon.” He didn’t step away, but didn’t dare move an inch closer to her. “Wrap up in this, Katie.”

  She finally moved into the folds of the tablecloth and he was careful not to touch her as he wrapped her in linen.

  “It’s warmer inside.”

  “No. I won’t go in.”

  He heard a bit of steel in her tone and respected her for it. Now close he saw that she was nearer his age. Maybe she wasn’t the Hartman girl.

  “There’s a fire in the shed next to the livery.” He pointed across the street. “If you don’t want to go inside, we could sit over there by the fire. I’ve got biscuits in my pocket. Not a proper dinner but it’s the best I can offer you.”

  “You’d be a gentleman?” Suddenly she looked very young. She didn’t trust easy.

  “Of course. You have my word. I’m headed that way anyway to check on my horse. We’ll just be two people sharing a fire.”

  “And biscuits,” she added.

  He moved to the garden gate and pulled the bolt. “You can see the fire burning from here. When you get ready to come back, I’ll see you get home safely. I’d just like to talk to someone besides myself for a change. I rode all the way into town, might as well stay a bit longer.”

  She didn’t look like she believed him, but she obviously didn’t want to go back inside the hotel.

  “You hungry?” he asked.

  “I’ve been busy. No time to eat today. I am hungry.”

  “Me too. I made up my mind to ride in after I’d worked until noon. Never been to a fancy party like this before.” He wanted to put his arm around her to keep her warm, but Cody doubted that would be a good idea. “You don’t like balls?”

  A hint of a smile lifted the corner of her mouth. “I’ve never been to one either.”

  He laughed. “Then let’s take a break from this party we don’t seem to be a part of and visit.”

  When they reached the shed, he saw her hesitate. “We can leave the door open and sit behind the fire. We should be plenty warm enough and can watch the people coming and going without them even noticing us.”

  She lifted her dress as she tiptoed to the sidewalk. “Will you tell me about your ranch? All I’ve seen of this country was from the window of the coach when I arrived.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “More than six months. I’ve been busy helping get the hotel up and running.”

  “I will tell you all about my place, if you’ll tell me how you learned to dance so beautifully.”

  She looked up at him. “No one has ever seen me dance.”

  “I’m honored to have been the first.”

  She laughed as she stopped at the edge of the walk and looked out over the muddy street.

  “If you wouldn’t be offended, Miss, I could carry you. I’d hate to see that dress stained.”

  When she didn’t answer he lifted her up slowly. It took several steps, but she finally relaxed a bit and put her arm around his shoulders.

  “Where are the livery boys? I’ve seen them sitting in the shed when people are coming and going after dark.” Her breath brushed aga
inst his throat and he thought of asking if he could carry her like this forever.

  Cody spotted the boys across the street watching the ball from a side window. When he pointed out his find, she smiled. “They’re part of the unseen tonight.”

  “Like us,” he added as he carefully lowered her near the fire. “You’re the second lady I’ve met tonight who doesn’t want to be seen. I’m beginning to believe we’re the lucky ones. All those folks inside dancing are pretending to be happy.”

  He pulled up two stools and then waited for her to sit down. Then he offered her one of the napkins the cook had bundled for him.

  For a while they ate in silence, watching the fire, listening to the music and growing used to each other’s presence. A stray dog wandered from the barn and stood next to her as if knowing she’d share. She did.

  “Your dog?” he asked.

  “No. We’re just friends.”

  “Does the pup have a name?”

  She shook her head. “Tell me what it’s like to be out all alone at night with only the stars to keep you company?”

  He thought he heard a hint of the Irish in her words. Maybe she was just a woman named Katie, or maybe she was trying to fool him. Cody decided he didn’t care as long as she was talking to him. “I’m north of the Double H. Doubt you could see my place from there even if you tried. I got good water. Lots of grazing land. But if I try to run more cattle, I’ll overgraze the land.”

  She looked at him. “I used to love running across an open field in spring. I’d imagine I was a deer. The land we lived on in Ireland wasn’t ours, but my father worked it. When we were pushed off we came to America on ships they called coffin ships because so many died. I thought, once we landed, I’d be in sunshine again, but I worked at a factory and rarely saw the sun. Even now, I long to get out in the sunshine.”

  He studied her for a moment before she laughed. “If we’re going to have a conversation, Mr. Lamar, you have to talk after I talk. That’s the way it works.”

  “Right,” he managed to say, then admitted, “I’m sorry, but I can’t stop looking at you. You really are lovely. You’ve bewitched me, Katie.”