* * *
Travis stood on the front porch, shading his eyes against the glare of sunlight on snow. Ten days had passed since Stanley Featherstone had ticketed him for the flyers and signs. Today was the scheduled court date. Since the tickets had been written to Christmas Tree Ranch and not to Travis personally, Rush had volunteered to go to town and appear before the judge.
Travis had argued against it at first, but Conner had taken Rush’s side. “You’re on edge, Travis,” he’d said. “Featherstone will be expecting that, and he’ll try to get to you. Rush will throw him off his game.”
Travis had finally agreed. Rush tended to play his cards close to his vest. Cool and soft-spoken, he would be their safest bet in court.
Travis glanced at his watch. It was almost noon, past time for Rush to return from town. Had something gone wrong?
They could pay the fine if they had to, he told himself. Business had been good. On weekdays when kids were in school, the flow of customers slowed to a trickle. But in the evenings and on Saturdays, they had plenty of activity. They were selling as many trees as they could cut and haul. And the sleigh rides—which could continue for as long as the snow lasted—were catching on as well. Still, an eleven-hundred-dollar fine was a lot of money when the ranch had so many needs.
Relief washed over him as he spotted the Hummer coming up the road. For better or worse, he would soon know what the judge had ruled.
The Hummer pulled through the gate and into its usual parking spot. Travis came down off the porch, and Conner came around from the back of the house as the door opened. Rush climbed out carrying a pizza box and a six pack of beer. His face wore a broad grin.
Travis took the pizza box out of his hand. “I hope this means good news,” he said.
“Good enough,” Rush said. “The judge dropped the charges for the flyers and fined me twenty-five dollars for the illegal signs. I think she liked me.”
“She?” Conner whooped with laughter. “So what did she look like?”
“About thirty-five, I’d say. Long, blond hair, up in some kind of twist. All business, mind you, but a real looker. No wedding ring. I’m hoping Maggie can get me her phone number.”
“You dirty dog, you!” Conner teased.
“Hey, the pizza’s getting cold,” Travis said. “Come on, let’s go inside and eat.”
With Bucket at their heels, they trooped into the kitchen, opened the pizza, and tore into it with the appetites of hungry men. As they sat around the table laughing, talking, and eating, Travis couldn’t help thinking what a difference these friends had made in his life. Weeks ago, he’d been here alone, lonesome and bitter, living from day to day. Now his life was richer by two horses, two partners, a beautiful woman, and a goofy dog. He felt blessed, or maybe just damned lucky.
Not that he’d ever admit to a word of this out loud.
* * *
A week before the Christmas parade, a desperate Maggie made a call to Francine at the B and B. “We need to talk,” she said. “If you can come to my house, I’ll have fresh coffee and cinnamon rolls for us.”
“I’m still cleaning up after our Saturday buffet,” Francine said. “I can be there in half an hour. But don’t worry about the cinnamon rolls. If I don’t cut down on sweets, I’ll never fit into my costume for the Cowboy Christmas Ball.”
Maggie was tidying up the living room when her phone rang again. Her first thought was that Francine might be calling to say she couldn’t make it over. But the caller wasn’t Francine. It was Connie Parker.
“Is everything all right, Connie?” Maggie asked, bracing for more worries.
“Everything’s fine, so far,” Connie said. “I just wanted to thank you for putting me in touch with that doctor. I spent half an hour with her, and we had a very frank discussion about Katy and Daniel. Some of my questions were hard to ask, but I needed to know the answers. She told me that Down syndrome couples do get married and mostly do just fine. Some of them even live on their own.”
“And what about children? I know you were concerned about that.”
“She said that the chance of a couple with Down syndrome conceiving a child is less than one in a hundred. But just to be safe, if they decide to get married, they should be checked to see whether they’ll need birth control. She offered to counsel them. So at least that’s in place. And at least I know what we’re dealing with.”
“So are you and Silas handling this any better?”
Connie chuckled nervously. “We’re crossing our fingers that they’ll just stay friends. But at least we’ll be prepared for whatever happens. We’ve invited Daniel to supper tonight. Let’s hope it’s a step in the right direction.”
“I’ll be hoping with you,” Maggie said. “The one thing we all want is Katy’s happiness.”
True to her word, Francine showed up a few minutes after Connie ended the call. By then Maggie’s sense of desperation over the Santa search had returned. “Oh, honey!” She enfolded Maggie in a warm hug. “You look like you haven’t slept in days! I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you. It’s just been a busy time, decorating the B and B, and hosting Christmas parties there. I take it you haven’t found your Santa Claus yet.”
“Give me your coat and have a seat.” Maggie indicated a cushy armchair with a footstool, close to the fire. “I’ll bring you some coffee.”
Francine sank into it with a sigh. “Oh, this is heaven. I’ve been on my feet for four solid hours!”