Lenora Worth - Cowboy Who Came For Christmas

“What are you doing?” Sophia asked with a frown.

“Looking for frying pans and shotguns,” he replied.

Bettye let out a hoot of laughter. “It’s gonna be a good Christmas this year. I just know it.”

CHAPTER THREE

SOPHIA HUGGED BETTYE and petted her big hound dog. “Bandit, take good care of Bettye for me, okay?”

The chocolate-colored hunting dog whimpered a reply and then pushed his nose against Bettye’s worn overcoat.

Bettye nodded and kissed Sophia on the cheek. “You’ll be all right, sugar pie.” She sent Adan a stern glance. “I don’t know a thing about a criminal on the loose around here, Mr. Ranger-Man. But this girl means the world to me and she’s been a friend to me since she moved up here a few years ago. Be kind to her.”

“We’d better get back inside,” Sophia said before Adan could form a reply.

Bettye meant well, but she could take care of herself. This man showing up had confused and surprised Sophia even though she should have known someone would find her sooner or later.

“I’ll check on you in the morning,” she told Bettye.

The older woman stood silent and waved, a knowing smile beaming on her withered face. “I’ll be right here, honey.”

Adan said good-night to Bettye, then followed Sophia, his hand on her elbow making her too aware of the fact that he would be in her tiny cabin all night. And making her all too aware that his presence did make her feel safe in spite of her fears.

She didn’t need him or anyone else taking care of her, though. She’d been on her own for so long she wouldn’t know what being taken care of might mean...and she wasn’t even sure she deserved anyone’s attention or concern. She turned and hurried off the porch before Bettye could add any more information.

“Keep your porch light on,” Adan called to Bettye. “Just in case.”

Bettye chuckled and nodded. “I’ll do that, Mr. Ranger-Man.”

Then she shut the door and turned off the light.

As they shuffled through the ankle-deep snow, he turned to Sophia. “So who else lives on this mountain besides two stubborn women?”

Sophia didn’t want to trust this man, but even though he hadn’t charged in on a white horse, she could tell he was one of the good guys. She wished she could ask him who he was looking for, but if she showed too much interest he’d see the truth in her eyes. But she could be honest with him about Crescent Mountain.

“This spot was named by a trapper who traveled the summit of the hills and decided he’d walked in a curve that made him think of a crescent moon. That somehow stuck and so this curved hillside became Crescent Mountain.”

Adan had studied several maps of the area. “It circles west of the lower White River. I can see how it got that name.”

“Yes, and it also has a reputation for being a kind of retreat since it’s so near a big national forest. Few people know about our little community. We’re pretty self-sufficient. We take turns going down the mountain to town for supplies and groceries and if someone is in need, we either take care of them or get them help at the regional medical center about forty miles from here.”

Adan didn’t respond. Maybe he thought she was issuing him a warning. Good. He needed to back off and leave her alone. She’d only give him as much information as she thought he needed.

They followed the beam of his flashlight and stayed on the path, retracing their earlier footsteps. When they reached Sophia’s yard, he moved the light over the path and out into the nearby woods. The eerie yellow glow shined brightly against the stark ghostly white curling around the trees, making Sophia feel as if shrouded fingers were reaching for her.

Sophia shuddered, the cold wet wind piercing her skin. How could anyone survive out here tonight? The temperatures had dipped well below freezing.

“We don’t normally get snow this heavy,” she said, glad to have a warm place to stay. “A rare winter storm right here before Christmas.”

She was about to go inside when she thought she saw a moving shadow just past Adan’s beaming light. He must have seen it, too. He stopped, held up the light again. Then he walked toward the encroaching woods and held the light up and out.

Nothing but trees and snow. The blanketed woods held no sounds except that of the occasional dripping of snow off drooping branches.

Sophia didn’t want to think about who might be out in those dark woods. She’d escaped death once and this isolated mountain community had taken her in, no questions asked. The Crescent, as the locals called the mountain, was known for accepting quirky characters who wanted to get away from the world. She wasn’t all that quirky, but she did want to stay hidden. She had no other choice.

Now a mountain of a man had come pushing into her quiet, safe world. And he was a man of the law. Which could only mean trouble was sure to follow. If Adan Harrison found out the real story about her, he’d haul her off in handcuffs without another word.

“What did you see out there?” she asked, trying to sound brave. But her teeth chattered from the cold. And from that deep fear she’d tried to hide for so long.

“I don’t know. Probably nothing.” Adan stomped the snow and mud off his boots. “Just the wind pushing at a tree.”

Sophia cast one last look out into the darkness. The hills and valleys beyond the level lane glistened in an eerie shimmer against the dark night. The woods were hushed and still and the snow fell in soft lacy threads that covered the ground like an icy white blanket.

How could anything evil be in such a beautiful setting?

“Let’s get inside,” Adan said, his hand on her arm.

Sophia normally didn’t allow strangers to touch her, but she didn’t push his hand away. They’d reached a tentative unspoken truce and she intended to keep it that way until this storm was over and she could decide what to do with this cowboy who’d invaded her space.

They shook off the snow then went inside to take off their coats and scarves. Sophia took Adan’s big still-warm coat and hung it on a peg by the door, her actions making her think of the kind of life she might not ever have. A life that included a husband and a family. A real Christmas.

“Want some more coffee?” she asked, tongue-tied now that she was alone with Adan Harrison.

“Yes.”

He did a quick visual of her cabin, his gaze sweeping and serious. Whoever he was after, he seemed intent on getting the job done. And intent on finding out her secrets, too.

“Can you talk about this man, the one you’re tracking?” she asked after she brought over two cups of fresh coffee.

They settled by the fire, him on the sofa and Sophia in her favorite old leather chair between the Christmas tree and the fireplace.

“That depends,” he responded. “Can you tell me if you’ve seen anyone suspicious around here?”

She shook her head, her fears about her past at bay now that things had quieted down. “Like Bettye said earlier, you’re the first stranger we’ve had all winter. We usually get lost hikers or vacationers thinking they can rent a cabin for the night, but most of us live here year-round except for one or two couples. The Burtons—one of those couples—are here now, at least through Christmas.”

“How many people?” he asked, his expression serious now.

“Bettye and me,” she said. “Jacob Miller—he’s got a bad crush on Bettye and she doesn’t even realize it. David and Karen Harper. Mostly retired people or...people who’re single. It’s a mixed bag. I’m an artist and Bettye is a collector—mostly junk, as you saw if you looked in her cabin—and Jacob builds stuff and helps us keep up the cabins. The Harpers fish and go for long walks, and the Burtons—Maggie and Arnie—they go on more rigorous hikes all over the mountain. We have a few more who rent part of the year, but they usually only show up in the summer. We come together for meals and picnics and holidays and we leave each other alone other times.”