Merry Christmas, Cowboy Read online

  Let’s get it over with, she thought as she looked at him.

  “I was the only one. My parents died in a car crash when I was little. My Grandma Hildy raised me. Born and raised in Denver, and never been much of anywhere else.”

  “Me neither, except around the West Coast. I do seasonal installations all over around the holidays. Jake happened to call me to help him make that sign. Otherwise I don’t see him too much this time of year.”

  “So I can count myself lucky that I pulled you over that night.”

  He raised his dark head and looked at her. “Think so?”

  The blunt question stopped her. “I was just making conversation. I didn’t mean anything particular by that.”

  “Just asking.” He returned to the tedious work of sanding, caressing the wood absently with his palm.

  “Any splinters?”

  “Not yet. This is good wood.”

  Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to watch him work. His attention to detail made Paula feel almost ignored, although he was talking to her. It was the coordinated rhythm of man and muscle that was getting to her. Easy strokes. Nice and steady.

  Without knowing it, she sighed. Zach looked up. “You tired?”

  “A little. But I want to stay late and talk to Edith. There are a lot of things to figure out. As you can see, security is my department.”

  Zach nodded. “Tell me about that Brandon kid.”

  She sat up and looked around, listening. “I think he’s still here. Anyway, there’s not much to tell. He is Edith’s grandson—”

  Paula stopped. She’d given herself away by saying he was probably still here.

  “I saw you at the upstairs window,” Zach said. “I guess you must have heard some of the conversation, if you could call it that.”

  Busted. Paula looked straight at him without apologizing. “Yes, I did. I was working up there.”

  “What? Doing surveillance? This neighborhood isn’t that bad.”

  “I was going over plans and looking at the volunteer list,” Paula replied coolly. “Someone has to make sure all the little pieces fit.”

  “You could have filled me in. The mood I was in, I might have said something stupid and insulted Edith. She’s a nice lady.”

  “Zach—look, I’m sorry. I did think of looking for you, but there were people around and I had to help Norville. Besides, I figured you were smart enough to understand once Brandon explained himself.”

  “He seemed all right,” Zach admitted. “The other two got my back up.”

  “I never saw them before, but I do know Brandon.”

  That reply left a lot unsaid. He could read between the lines if he wanted to.

  “The way he acted, I thought he was looking to steal something. Then I changed my mind. But even so—”

  “Just so you know, his parents haven’t been part of his life for years, and Edith is doing her damnedest to raise him right. Sometimes he slips up.” Paula held up a hand. The quiet sound of sneakers on wood floors reached her. “Brandon?” she called.

  The slight boy stepped into view but didn’t come into the hall. “I didn’t lie to you, dude,” he said to Zach.

  Zach considered his words before replying. “I got the wrong idea. That’s all I can say.”

  Brandon stayed silent. He didn’t look to Paula for support.

  “For the record, I’m sorry,” Zach continued. “But you were hanging around the only truck I have and it’s how I get to work.”

  “You asked me what I was doing and I told you. Nothing.”

  Zach cleared his throat. “I never got away with that for an answer at your age.” He paused for a beat. “Look, let’s just drop it.”

  “Okay.”

  Paula could hear the hurt in the boy’s voice. But she had to be a little tough with him.

  “Brandon, your friends didn’t help the situation. I don’t want to see them around the Christmas House again.” It was the truth.

  “They’re not my friends,” he said. The answer came a little too fast. “Just kids I know. Did he tell you about them or were you watching from somewhere?”

  “I saw them for myself,” she said. “By chance, but I am supposed to be in charge of security around here. Are they in your school? They looked older than you,” she said.

  “I don’t know how old they are.”

  Paula exchanged a look with Zach when the boy heard his grandmother’s cheerful voice calling him.

  “Can I go?” he asked her.

  Paula nodded. “Are you coming back tomorrow?”

  “Maybe.”

  Paula was online, part of her early morning ritual with coffee. She looked up Denver Dave. It seemed too soon for him to have posted anything, but he’d said he would.

  The Web page loaded. There was his review, front and center.

  Denver’s latest and greatest attraction is about to open! Be sure to treat yourself to a visit to the Christmas House near Larimer Square—and keep in mind that you have to go more than once to see it all. I took my four kids plus two pint-size pals for a sneak peek at how the magic gets made last night, and we’re going back. Friendly staffers and unique displays make this first-ever seasonal delight a must for families, couples, and anyone who loves the holidays. Every room features a different theme and imagination rules. Admission? More than reasonable. Ten bucks for the whole family and five singles for the single. You can’t go wrong. Just go. The Christmas House gets our coveted Five Mittens Award for December fun. Don’t miss it!

  Paula let out a whoop of joy and sat back. That was a rave—and there were driving directions and a map in a sidebar. Everyone read Denver Dave. She blew a kiss at the little photo, which didn’t look anything like him. Paula downed the last of her lukewarm coffee and got ready to go to work.

  This Christmas House thing could turn out to be just what she needed. She’d been wanting to meet new people, and half of Denver would be coming through the doors after that review. Paula knew how easy it was to eat, sleep, and breathe the job—and never interact with anyone but other cops.

  She’d found herself doing just that. The best officers could get too tough and hopelessly cynical. She didn’t want it to happen to her.

  The sergeant assigned her to foot patrol downtown. She tipped her hat to him. It was a beautiful day, even if it was cold. Paula started out at the far end of 16th Street and fell into a steady pace. The shop windows—upscale chains and boutiques alike—were dressed in their holiday best. None had anything on the Christmas House. She couldn’t wait to get back there.

  By the time she did, it was early in the evening. There was a line of people on the stairs, going up slowly. Kids clung to their parents’ hands, and Paula noted several young couples who’d chosen the House for a date.

  “I’m not cutting in,” she assured the woman waiting with her daughter just outside the mansion’s doors. “I work here.”

  The woman smiled. “Lucky you.”

  Paula ducked in, hurrying to Norville. He sat behind the new table, which had been draped with holiday fabric almost to the floor and lavishly trimmed. Someone had covered the box with the same fabric and added a wooden candy-cane handle.

  “Wow. This looks a lot better than that old card table.” She slid out of her coat and settled it on the folding chair beside Norville.

  “Edith did the decorating,” Norville replied. “Give that woman a glue gun and she’ll take over the world.”

  “Are we admitting people in groups?” she asked.

  “Have to. That blogger fella got folks interested. Quite a turnout.”

  “Maybe we should send Brandon out there with free cups of cocoa.”

  “What is it with you and giving things away?” the old man asked. But his voice was kind.

  “If people get cold, they won’t stay,” she replied. “A few packages of instant cocoa aren’t going to break the bank. Where is Brandon?”

  Then she remembered that he hadn’t promised to come back.


  “Haven’t seen him. Line’s starting to move.”

  There was a squeeze of puffy jackets blocking the door. A young volunteer went over to help, getting the eager kids into some kind of line.

  Norville flipped up the lid of the new cashbox. “Let me show you real quick how this works. The top part lifts out.” He demonstrated. “And there’s the drop slot under that. Zach said he got Brandon to help him make a locking drawer for the bottom part. Makes it easier to get at the money and still keeps it safe.”

  “Oh.” Paula looked at Norville, a little surprised. “Who has the key?”

  “Girl, don’t you ever stop being suspicious? I have one and Edith has the other.”

  “Excellent. And very clever,” she said to him. “How many?” she asked the woman she’d seen on her way in.

  “Just me and my daughter.”

  “Family admission is ten.” Paula lowered her voice. “But let’s make it five, since there’s only two of you.”

  Norville kicked her under the table, then stamped the little girl’s hand with a star and did the same for her mother. Paula kept a straight face. Before the next visitors stepped up, she explained, “For luck. We have to keep it going.”

  “That was nice of you to teach Brandon a little carpentry.”

  Zach shrugged but he didn’t seem to mind Paula’s praise. “He wanted to help and I needed a hand with the locking drawer. How is the drop box working out?”

  Paula waved good-bye to their last young visitor before she answered. “Thanks for coming.” The little boy smiled shyly, then slipped his small mittened hand into his dad’s big gloved one to go out.

  “Just fine. It’s easy to use,” she said to Zach. She looked over at Norville, counting out cash and separating the bills into piles. “I know we did well tonight. I don’t want to interrupt him right now, but he said something about taking in close to a thousand.”

  “That’s great. Denver Dave did right by us.”

  “He really did. Which reminds me. I have to send him a thank-you note and a basket of treats.”

  “You never stop, do you?” Zach asked jokingly.

  “The work doesn’t, so I don’t.”

  He nodded. “I think Edith has another project for me.”

  Paula laughed. “Be careful about saying yes to her. Unless you want to be working here until Christmas Eve.”

  “I honestly wouldn’t mind.” His deep blue eyes crinkled with a smile.

  “Seriously? Didn’t you say you did seasonal installations?”

  “Finished ’em all by the end of November,” Zach said. “Better yet, the checks are in the bank. So December is open for me. I could stick around.”

  That was the best news Paula had heard all week. But she kept her professional face on. Composed. In charge.

  “What about your family and the ranch?” she asked.

  “My older brother drove out last night,” Zach said. “The way we work it out, it’s officially his turn to oversee the place and help my parents, so I could stay in Denver, hang out at Jake’s.”

  “Beats paying for a hotel around the holidays,” Paula said.

  “More or less what I was thinking.”

  Paula’s head turned at the noisy clattering coming from the kitchen.

  “Here we go again,” Norville muttered.

  He had the bills counted out and bundled and was stuffing them into a bank bag. Someone on the board had donated a small but sturdy safe to hold cash. The bag would go into it until tomorrow when the money could be deposited. He’d told Paula that a credit card reader had been ordered to process other transactions.

  “Time to close down! Everyone go home!” Edith’s trilling voice ended the conversation. She came through the swinging door, banging a large metal mixing bowl with a spoon. “Volunteers! Elves! Wrap it up and let’s get out of here!”

  “I think they can hear you,” Paula said with a smile.

  Edith took in the sight of Zach and Paula standing together and gave a pleased nod. But she was on a mission. “You too! Out!”

  “Want me to get your coat?” Zach asked, moving toward the front closet.

  “Not yet. I’m supposed to leave last,” Paula said.

  “Insurance reasons. I’m in charge of security, at least for now. You can go if you want to.”

  He hesitated. “Mind if I leave with you?”

  “Uh . . . no.” She didn’t want to look at him, didn’t want to seem hopeful. But she felt Zach’s intense gaze on her.

  “We could go somewhere, get something to eat,” he said.

  “Sounds good. But no gingerbread.”

  “I’ll call Jake. He knows every restaurant and bar in Denver.”

  With her coat and his jacket hung up on the diner’s rack, they slid into the window booth, where place mats and cutlery were already set out. Outside of the red vinyl upholstery, which was permanent, nothing about the interior reminded Paula of the holidays.

  “Good pick. Quiet place,” she said. “And they don’t seem to know it’s Christmas.”

  The faint rattle of a spray can outside got her attention. Working fast, a bundled-up person on the other side of the window began to squiggle white foam letters onto the glass.

  !SGNITEERG S’NOSAES & SYADILOH YPPAH

  The background was filled in with foam dots for falling snow. The hand holding the spray can made wide sweeps over the bottom of the window to quickly create drifts, finishing the job.

  Zach laughed as Paula put her head in her hands. “I take that back,” she muttered.

  The waitress came over with pad in hand. “Hello. Can I get you something to start?” she asked.

  “Yes. Buffalo wings, please,” Zach said.

  “Coming up. That’s our most popular appetizer. I think a fresh batch just came out of the fryer.”

  The waitress set down two glasses and two menus and left.

  Zach perused his for all of three seconds. “I want the burger platter with everything.”

  “Starved, huh? You’re working hard.”

  “It’s fun. But I’m not pulling a double shift like you.”

  Paula acknowledged that fact with a weary nod. “Even so. If I eat too much, I won’t be able to get up early. I’ll just have a plain burger.”

  The buffalo wings arrived. “Here you go,” the waitress said. “These are really hot.”

  They ordered their entrées and waited for the wings to cool. Zach leaned back against the red vinyl. “So here we are. It’s nice to get you alone.”

  “We were hoping to be that busy,” she said. “Careful what you wish for, right?”

  “I noticed you’re pretty good at crowd control.”

  “They covered that at the police academy,” she said wryly.

  “Mind if I ask why you became a cop?”

  “Long story. I’ll make it short. Have a wing.” She nudged the appetizer platter toward him.

  Zach took one and started in on it.

  “I got in trouble in high school now and then. Never anything major but I got parked on a bench in the neighborhood police station more than once, waiting for my grandmother to pick me up after some idiotic stunt.”

  Zach looked at her quizzically.

  “Like climbing the fence at the fair instead of paying, that kind of thing,” she clarified. “I got assigned to a nice cop who took the time to talk with me. And she really listened. It helped. A lot.”

  “Got it. Interesting,” Zach said.

  “Anyway, I decided against a life of crime,” Paula said lightly.

  He nodded. “So is that why you keep an eye on Brandon?”

  “Yes,” she said after a pause. There was something a little less friendly in Zach’s tone when he asked the question. “I appreciate you taking time with him.”

  “Seemed like the thing to do. He was just standing there watching me.”

  Paula looked at him levelly. “Do you have something you want to tell me about him? Just say it.”

  “Brand
on seems like an okay kid. Those other two—”

  “They ran away, whoever they are,” she interrupted with a touch of impatience. “I haven’t seen them since, have you?”

  “No. But what I was about to say is that boys get into trouble differently than girls do.”

  “That’s your opinion. Not mine. Nowadays they’re about par.”

  “Okay. Maybe you know more than I do,” he said calmly. “I can live with that.”

  She didn’t smile.

  Zach changed the subject. “By the way, I went up to the attic to see if I could find that window you were looking out of. The door was locked. Is that the one?”

  Paula nodded, nibbling on a wing. “Edith turned it into a break room for the volunteers. I’ll show it to you.”

  “I don’t have to see it. I was just curious.”

  He polished off most of the platter and then their burgers came. Paula wasn’t hungry, but she ate hers anyway.

  Paula declined the waitress’s offer of coffee. “None for me, thanks.”

  Zach said the same and asked for the check.

  “On me,” he said to Paula.

  She didn’t argue, getting up when the bill had been settled to leave with him. They’d come in separate vehicles but parked close together behind the diner.

  She clicked open her car door with the remote tag on her keychain and got in, looking up at him as she slid behind the wheel. She said good-bye and was about to shut her door when he put a hand on it.

  “Okay with you if I follow you home?” he asked. “It’s late. Just want to make sure you get in safely.”

  For a moment Paula was taken aback. “That’s not necessary,” she said. “But thanks.”

  Zach gave a slight nod. “I’ll head out to Jake’s, then.”

  “Tell him I said hi.”

  He waited until her car had rolled out of the lot to start his pickup, then turned in the opposite direction, glancing once as she went around the corner.

  He drove back to the Christmas House. The mansion loomed darkly over the sidewalk, shuttered and silent. The light at the top of the stairs illuminated the new sign.