Leona Karr - Innocent Witness

“Steve,” he corrected her. “I’m on vacation, remember? And may I call you Deanna? It’s a lovely name, by the way. Suits you.”

She didn’t know quite what he meant by the compliment, but she found her face getting slightly warm under his appreciative gaze. She hoped her voice sounded normal when she suggested, “Why don’t you and Travis join us for dinner, Steve? You know Penny, and her nanny, Susan Whitcomb, is with her in the dining room. I don’t know what’s on the dinner menu, but mountain air usually makes everything taste good.”

“Sounds great,” Steve responded readily. “Let us freshen up a bit and we’ll meet you in the dining room, say, fifteen minutes?”

They made it back downstairs in only ten minutes. Steve had changed into fresh brown slacks and a tan pullover sweater. Travis’s face was freshly scrubbed, his hair neatly combed, and he wore a Broncos’ sweatshirt that looked brand-new.

Deanna was pleased when Steve looked around the dining room and gave a nod of approval. She had chosen a pastel floral wallpaper and tablecloths in pale green and pink. A series of windows overlooked the lake and mountain valley. A flagstone terrace with potted greenery just outside added to the spacious feeling of the room and made a wonderful setting for early-morning breakfast, midday lunch and evening dinner.

“Very nice,” he said. “Warm and inviting.”

He smiled at Susan as he took a chair beside her, and Deanna enjoyed a secret smile at the young girl’s flustered expression. Travis took a seat on the other side of Susan, and following thoughts of his own, asked, “What’s the dog’s name?”

“Hobo,” answered Deanna.

“That’s a funny name,” Travis said, frowning.

“It’s another word for tramp,” Steve explained, and Travis brightened. He’d read a book about a funny tramp who wandered around making people laugh.

“We took Hobo in as a stray, and haven’t been able to get rid of his straggly, unkempt look despite brushing and baths,” Deanna chuckled. “He seems determined to live up to his name.”

“Maybe he would like to be called Prince better, even if he doesn’t look like one,” Travis offered.

Deanna exchanged an amused look with Steve. She liked his son. Travis was outgoing, smart and full of energy. A wonderful companion for Penny. She said, “I’ve talked to Susan about looking after Travis when you’re busy.”

“Great.” He’d been wondering who he was going to hire to keep an eye on Travis while he was occupied in the mornings with Penny. “What do you say, Travis? Would you like to keep this pretty girl company some of the time?”

“Sure.”

“I can tell we’re going to get along great.” Susan winked at him, and he winked back.

Deanna was a little on edge when it came time to order, but everyone seemed to find what they wanted on the limited menu, and she began to relax. As they waited for their food, she appreciated how easily Steve handled the conversation. He asked Susan questions about her school and work, smiled at Travis’s boyish chatter and addressed remarks to Penny without any apparent notice of her lack of response.

Although Deanna was eager to talk to him about her daughter and show him the playroom, she contained herself until they finished eating dessert, a wonderful deep-dish apple pie that had relieved her worries about the new cook.

When everyone was through eating, she said casually to Susan, “Why don’t you take Travis and Penny to the apartment and let them choose one of the movie videos to watch?”

“What kind do you have?” Travis asked bluntly. “All girls’ stuff?”

“We have Lion King,” Susan said.

He grinned his approval. “My favorite. Come on, Penny. I know all the songs. I’ll sing them to you.”

Deanna couldn’t tell what her daughter was thinking. She seemed to regard Travis with the same interest she had for Hobo when he was chasing his tail. Deanna was a little surprised and relieved when Penny slipped off her chair and left happily with the boy and Susan.

She pushed back her coffee cup, trying to find the right words. Getting off to a good start was very important for the success of this unusual arrangement. “Thank you so very much for coming.”

Steve smiled. “No thanks necessary. You have a lovely place here.”

“I’m anxious to show you the playroom. I tried to do everything you wanted. If it isn’t all right, if I’ve missed something, or if you want to change anything, just tell me.”

A slight tremble in her lower lip betrayed taut nerves, and he hastened to put her at ease. “I’m sure it’s fine. Let’s just relax tonight.” He led the conversation away from her daughter’s treatments, and they talked generally about the tourist business.

Deanna began to relax, and when he suggested an after-dinner drink, she nodded. “Yes, I’d like to show you the lounge. I think you’ll like the western decor.”

As they made their way out of the dining room, several people acknowledged her with a smile, and some of the men seemed to enjoy the way her summer dress complemented her trim figure and long legs. Steve admired the way Deanna carried herself as she walked, gracefully feminine with an air of confidence and purpose. He knew that if they’d met under different circumstances, he would have been interested in knowing her a lot better. Even though it was her daughter who was his patient, and not Deanna, he wanted to keep his interest in this lovely, fascinating woman a professional one.

The lounge was located at the back of the hotel. A colorful sign above a pair of swinging doors read, Rattlesnake Tavern.

Steve read it aloud and looked at Deanna with raised eyebrows. “Just a euphemism, I hope.”

She smiled. “Dillon, the bartender, gave the bar that name when my husband was alive. Dillon’s been in these parts forever, and the stories he tells are ten percent truth and ninety percent blarney. At least, I hope they’re not true,” she said with a rather forced laugh.

Uh, oh. Steve’s well-trained perception told him that Deanna Drake did not like Dillon. Very interesting. Why did she keep him on? She was the boss, wasn’t she? He filed away the question for future notice.

He pushed open the swinging door, and Deanna preceded him into the lounge. The hotel tavern had the ambience of an old western movie. The walls were decorated with horseshoes, lariat ropes, branding irons and other cowboy memorabilia. Pseudo–kerosene lamps with candles in them decorated small round tables and large ceiling wagon-wheel chandeliers hung over a bar that stretched along one wall.

Only about a half-dozen customers sat at the tables and a couple of men had their legs wrapped around stools at the bar. One of them turned around as Steve followed Deanna to a corner table. Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw him slide off the bar stool and stride purposefully across the room.

When he reached their table, he said, “I see the good doctor has arrived.” His bold eyes evaluated Steve as if he was ready to take issue with anything that was said.

“This is Bob Henderson, my hotel manager,” Deanna quickly made the introduction. “Dr. Steve Sherman. His son, Travis, is upstairs with Susan and Penny.”

Steve stuck out his hand to force a handshake. The snide way the man had landed on the word good had alerted Steve. Hostility radiated off the hotel manager like bad fumes, and his handshake was perfunctory.

“I hope you’ll find everything to your satisfaction, Doctor. We’re not used to having guests who set up practices in our hotel.”

Ouch! Steve mentally flinched. This guy wasn’t holding back any punches. What gave? Why the icy treatment?

“Bob!” Deanna glared at him. “Dr. Sherman—Steve—is here at my request. He’s generous enough to give up some of his vacation time to treat Penny. We want him to enjoy our hospitality—fully.”