Santa In Montana (Calder Saga 11)

Jessy studied the roof that was almost the same brownish color as the earth wall behind it. “It’s one of the rare times Tara showed some restraint.” A sudden smile flashed across her expression. “At least until you get to the inside.”

As they crossed the driveway’s paving stones to approach the house, Jake came running back to meet them. “I rang the bell, Grandma, but nobody came to open the door.”

“That’s because no one lives here.” Continuing toward the front door, Jessy slipped the key from her jacket pocket.

“How come?” Jake persisted.

“To make little boys like you ask questions.” Laredo reached down to give the front brim of Jake’s cowboy hat a downward push over his eyes.

“’Redo, don’t.” Jake frowned in displeasure and tipped it back up, but it served to distract him from that line of questioning. “Are we going inside, Grandma?”

“We sure are.”

The prospect of exploring the unoccupied house clearly appealed to him, as evidenced by the way he sprinted back to the front door. With barely disguised impatience, Jake waited while Jessy unlocked it. He darted through the opening the instant she gave the door an inward push.

Everything inside was just as Tara had left it. But to Jake’s disappointment, there was little to be seen. All the furnishings were shrouded in dust-protecting cloth, even the antlered chandelier that hung from the coffered ceiling. Jessy’s inspection of the house amounted to little more than a cursory walk through of each room to check for any signs of a leaking roof or broken windows.

When they exited the last room and started down the wide hallway, Jake heaved a big, bored sigh and looked hopefully at Jessy.

“Are we done yet, Grandma?”

“All done.” She smiled, as glad as he was that the task was complete.

With an uninhibited shout of “Yippee!” Jake ran ahead of them, the rapid clump of his booted feet echoing through the emptiness. He beat them to the front door, but was still struggling with its oversized handle when they joined him. Laredo opened it for him, then waited outside while Jessy relocked it with the key.

“Chase pegged this place right when he called it a white elephant,” Laredo remarked when Jessy turned, tucking the key back in her pocket. “What are you going to do with it?”

Jessy shook her head. “I wish I knew.”

“Where to now, Grandma?” Jake stood poised at the edge of the weed-invaded stone walk.

“We’re going to check the other buildings,” she told him. “You can run on ahead.”

Immediately he took off and Laredo fell in step with Jessy. “Let me rephrase my question,” he said. “If you could do anything you liked, what would you want to do with it?”

“Anything?”

“Anything,” Laredo confirmed.

“That’s easy. I’d bulldoze it.”

“Then do it. Auction off everything inside, give the proceeds to some charity, and tear the place down.”

“You’re serious.” She eyed him with a mixture of hope and uncertainty.

“You’re damned right I am. What else are you gonna do with a white elephant out in the middle of nowhere that you can’t sell or give away?”

“True,” she agreed, but he could tell she wasn’t convinced.

“You’re letting that practical streak get in the way,” Laredo chided. “White elephants and practicality don’t go together. If they did, someone in this family would have come up with a solution a couple years ago after all the paperwork came through giving the Triple C clear title to this place.”

“You have a point,” she conceded.

“Suggest it to Chase.” Laredo smiled. “I’m betting he’ll think it’s a helluva good idea.”

“I think I will.” The minute the words were out, Jessy felt that nameless tension easing from her. She headed toward the outbuildings with a new interest in assessing their potential use.

Laredo observed the subtle change in her mood, but wisely didn’t voice it. Instead he kept Jake occupied, leaving Jessy free to look things over without any distractions.