Angel Smits - A Cowboy At Heart

Trudy squared her shoulders and shoved the gigantic purse up more firmly on her shoulder. “I don’t know about you,” she looked sideways at Lisa, “but I’m going to just pretend this is my lunch break.”

“Denial sounds like a lovely plan.” Lisa nodded and followed Trudy to one of the back booths. It might be a long lunch break today.

“Hey, ladies.” Mindy, the young waitress who worked here most days, carried the coffee carafe to the table with a smile. “The usual?” she asked Trudy.

“I—I’m not sure yet.”

Mindy’s smile faded. “Are you okay?”

Trudy’s eyes filled with tears, and Lisa put her hand over Trudy’s. She looked up at Mindy. “Yes, the usual for Trudy. And I’ll take...” She glanced at the menu in front of her. “I’ll take a number three.” It was a big meal but why not? She had to eat today. They both did.

“Sure.” Mindy nodded. “I’ll get those started.” She left and headed to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry,” Trudy whispered. “I’m being silly. It’s not as if I can’t afford to retire or take some time off.”

That didn’t surprise Lisa. Trudy worked constantly. When did she have time to spend any of the money Marco had paid her? And he’d paid her well.

“But?” she prompted.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself.” She shrugged. “Work is all I have. My kids have scattered around the country. My husband is gone. I’m—” Trudy picked up her napkin and wiped her eyes. “I’m all alone.”

That explained why Trudy was always at work. “No, you’re not. You’ve got me.”

“Thank you, dear, you’re sweet, but you have your own life. You have things to do. I’m sure you’ll get another job soon.”

Mindy appeared just then, setting tall ice waters in front of them. Once she left again, Trudy tried to smile at Lisa.

“You’ll be busy job hunting yourself,” Lisa pointed out.

“I doubt I’ll have much luck. Few companies want to hire someone over fifty, much less over sixty.”

“There’s a lot to be said for experience.”

“I agree. But they don’t always think like we do.”

Trudy’s sadness gave Lisa something to focus on, to work on. So, for the next hour as they ate, she tried to cheer the other woman up.

Finally, when Mindy had brought their checks and cleared away most of the dishes, they couldn’t stall any longer. Trudy sighed and glanced out the window. “I guess I should be getting home to Fred and Ethel.”

Lisa nearly gave herself whiplash staring at the woman. “Who?” Trudy didn’t have any family at home—hadn’t she just said as much?

Trudy hesitated only an instant before the words spilled from her lips. “My prize-winning cockatoos.” For the first time all day, a genuine smile formed on Trudy’s face. She reached for her phone. “Here.” She turned the screen toward Lisa.

Two big white birds, with bright blue rims around their eyes and a plume of feathers on each of their heads, posed for the camera. “I—” Lisa was stunned. “You never even mentioned them before.”

“Oh, dear, of course not.” Trudy’s smile faded, and she leaned closer to Lisa, lowering her voice. “The competition is fierce, and my pair are now quite valuable. I couldn’t risk anything happening to them.”

“Oh.” Lisa frowned, too. “Why are you telling me now?”

Trudy shrugged. “I’m so proud of them. And it is hard to stay quiet about something this exciting. I trust you. You’ve really helped me today. Thank you.”

Trudy slid her finger over the screen. “Here we are when I won Grand Champion with them last year.”

“That’s stunning.” And they were. But so was the fact that Trudy had never said a word about them.

Lisa smiled. “You asked me what you should do now?” She pointed at the phone. “Focus on that.” She reached out and squeezed the woman’s hand. “Do what you enjoy. You’ve earned it.”

Trudy nodded, and this time her smile didn’t fade. “Thank you, dear. I’m going to miss you.”

“Oh, you’re not rid of me yet. But I need to get going, as well. My mom asked me to help her with something.”

“What’s that, dear?”

“My grandfather lives up in Telluride. This is a good excuse to go see what he’s up to. She hasn’t heard from him for a while and she’s a bit concerned.” That was putting it mildly.

“Oh, my dear, I hope he’s okay.”

Lisa smiled. “I’m sure he is. My mother worries about him, but he loves those mountains. Me, too.”

Trudy gathered up her purse. “That sounds like a great idea.” She stood, and Lisa followed. “I’m so glad we did this.”

After a heartfelt hug, they settled their bills and headed to their cars. Lisa watched until Trudy had left the parking lot before she started her car.

Looking in her rearview mirror to back out of the parking spot, Lisa met her own gaze. “At least I know you,” she said aloud. Maybe she should be more like Trudy. Less open.

She frowned. She wasn’t a liar, and wasn’t a lie of omission just as bad? Confused, she put the car into gear and got moving. Maybe a trip up to the mountains would do her good. It would help her clear her mind, and, once Grandpa came down from the hills, he’d help her focus on where to go next. He’d always been a good sounding board for her.

Four hours later, when Lisa finally reached Telluride, she walked between the piles of snow on either side of her grandfather’s sidewalk. Someone with their trusty snowblower had come through here, clearing a path from house to house. Nice of them, since she knew her grandfather didn’t have a snowblower. The mystery scooper had even cleared the walk going up to Grandpa’s front step. Only the last dusting of snow covered the stone.

But where the neighbors’ walks were packed down from footsteps, the walk to Granddad’s was still somewhat pristine. Her footsteps were the first ones there. Halfway up the sidewalk, she reached into her purse and pulled out the single key she kept in the inside pocket. A cowboy-boot-shaped key ring saved it from disappearing into the depths.

She pulled the screen door open and put the key into the lock. The little pressure she used was just enough to nudge the door to creak open slowly. She stared. What the—

Darkness was all that lay beyond.

Stale, closed-up air wafted out, bringing warmth out against the cold afternoon. But it wasn’t the usual warm, welcoming scent of her grandparents’ house. This scent held time in it.

“Grandpa?” she called, almost hoping she wouldn’t hear his voice. If he was in there, with the house shut up like this, so dark and sad, that would not be a good thing.

Slowly, she angled the door just a bit more and called for him again. Still no answer. Then she heard something. Footsteps? Heavy. Quick. Distant. “Grandpa?” She took a couple of steps through the door.

Glass crashed somewhere in the other room. Had he fallen? She rushed inside toward the sound. Please let him be okay. Him falling—even though he was a healthy, agile man for his age—could be disastrous.

She reached the doorway to the living room and stared at the empty room. No one was there. But cold, snowy air was blowing in from the window, making the old-fashioned sheer curtains dance. She hurried over to find the window broken. A movement at the corner of the yard startled her. Someone, certainly not her grandfather, leaped over the back fence. Footprints showed dark across the snow-covered yard.

“Hey,” she yelled, wasting her breath as it fogged in the cold air.

She shivered as much from the cold as the realization that someone had broken into—and apparently out of—Grandpa’s house. Was he okay? Was he here? She ran through the few rooms on the lower level, finding nothing. She hurried up the stairs, checking rooms until she finally reached her grandparents’ bedroom.