To Santa With Love Page 7

  Once she saw Robbie aimlessly hobbling along the board sidewalk and she darted into a doorway before he saw her. Truthfully she would have welcomed the company of the small boy—they had some things in common. The wild, impetuous streak in Robbie that had prompted him to ride a bull calf was a trait she shared with him—that and the occasional loneliness of being an only child.

  Late in the afternoon the rumblings of her stomach reminded Jacquie that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. The painted sign of a restaurant lured her down Allen Street and she was nearly at the door when she heard the thumping of a pair of crutches behind her.

  “Jacquie!” Robbie’s voice called her name eagerly. “Wait!”

  Biting her lip, she started to ignore him, then realized it was useless. He was too close. Fixing a bland smile on her face, she stopped and turned around.

  “Hello, Robbie,” she greeted him politely, but took care not to sound too warm. “How are you this afternoon?”

  “Fine. I was beginning to think I wouldn’t see you today. Where have you been?”

  “Mostly in my motel room,” Jacquie lied.

  “What were you doing there?” His eyes rounded curiously.

  “Resting. I have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow.” She was keeping to her promise to make it clear to the boy that she was leaving.

  He gave her a wistful look. “Do you have to go?”

  “Of course,” Jacquie laughed, trying to sound nonchalant despite the twinge of guilt she felt at the dullness that clouded his face. “I wouldn’t have been here at all if it wasn’t for the damage to my car. I have to go to Los Angeles.”

  “Why?”

  It was a good question. Jacquie simply shrugged indifferently. “Because I do, that’s all.” The subject needed changing. “Where’s your father?”

  “At a meeting. It’s just for ranchers.” Robbie leaned on his crutches and swung the blue cast back and forth.

  “I didn’t know ranchers had meetings,” she said lightly.

  “He had to be there,” Robbie said importantly. “They’re talking about minerals. And rights. Things like that. And leases,” he added. “Whatever they are.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t really understand what the boy was getting at and she suspected he didn’t either.

  “But he’ll be coming pretty soon, I guess.”

  “Well, you’d better wait here for him,” she said with false brightness, and started to turn away.

  “Where are you going?” The aluminum crutches were quickly shifted to follow her.

  “Into the restaurant to have something to eat.” Her hunger was growing with each minute. She didn’t intend to deny herself food just to avoid Robbie.

  “Can I come with you?” he asked eagerly.

  “Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jacquie said quickly. “How will your dad know where you are?”

  “He’ll find me,” Robbie replied with certainty. Then there was a flash of hesitancy. “Am I bothering you? Dad says I bother people sometimes when they really don’t want me around.”

  Jacquie could see that Robbie was mentally bracing himself for a rejection. He had obviously sensed her attempts to ease away and wasn’t happy with the painful truth. She couldn’t blame him. Damn Choya Barnett, she raged silently. What harm could it possibly do to spend a few minutes with his son?

  “Heavens no, you don’t bother me!” She flashed him a brilliant smile. “I like you, Robbie. I just don’t want to get into any trouble with your dad if he finds you in the restaurant with me. But if you don’t think he’ll mind, come on in and have a milkshake while I eat.” Silently, Jacquie added that his father could get just as angry as he liked at her for breaking her promise. She didn’t have to pay attention.

  “Okay! Can I have a banana milkshake?” Robbie asked with a wide grin.

  “You bet.”

  Chapter 4

  Robbie slurped noisily on his straw, sucking up the last drop of milkshake from his glass. Jacquie smiled inwardly at the sound and sipped at her iced tea. Without thinking, he wiped his sticky hand on his jeans and came up with a stray sticker that had come loose from his cast.

  With a proud smile, he showed her the scaly creature depicted on it. “That’s a Gila monster.”

  “Wow. He looks tough.”

  Robbie nodded. “They live in the desert. My dad says anyone that does has to be tougher than tough.”

  That motto was another tall order for a small boy. But she wasn’t going to say anything that would sound like criticism of his dad. “I’m sure he’s right,” she replied.

  They both leaned back in their chairs and sighed with contentment. The bell above the restaurant door jingled, signaling the entrance of a customer. She didn’t turn around and Robbie didn’t seem to hear it. His eyes were fixed on her face.

  “What’s your favorite animal?” he asked unexpectedly.

  Jacquie thought for a second. “Hm. I really don’t have one. But I do have a favorite zoo. It’s in Dallas. That’s where I come from.”

  “That’s in Texas, right?”

  “Yes. It’s a big city. And the zoo is in a big building. It has birds that fly through a jungle that grows inside and monkeys and other animals and a beautiful aquarium. There’s even a river on the first floor with otters in it.”

  His eyes were wide with interest. “A river in a building? Awesome. How did they do that?”

  Jacquie laughed. “I really don’t know. But it’s a wonderful place. You would enjoy it.”

  “I bet I would,” he said eagerly. “It sounds really cool.”

  Robbie played with the straw, then looked up. He put it back in his mouth, his hands around the glass, looking straight down into it. Spiky lashes quickly veiled his guarded eyes.

  Jacquie straightened in her chair, her chin jerking slightly upward an instant before footsteps stopped at their table. There was a blaze of gold over her features, the eyes of a mountain cat that had found its prey.

  “Hello, Choya.” She gave him a dazzling smile of feigned surprise.

  “Hello.” He returned the greeting without enthusiasm.

  “Hi, Dad,” Robbie piped up. “I was just keeping Jacquie company while she ate her dinner.”

  “So I see.” He remained standing, towering above them both as if contemplating which of them to pounce on first. Robbie squirmed uncomfortably and it took all of Jacquie’s willpower not to do the same. Choya picked up the crutches leaning against a chair and pointedly handed them to Robbie. “You can go out to the jeep. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “Yessir.” Robbie didn’t even glance at Jacquie as he balanced himself on the crutches and proceeded from the restaurant.

  Resentment flashed in her eyes, but she concealed it by making a show of searching through her bag for her wallet. With the wallet and the check for the meal in her hand, she rose from the table, brushing past Choya as if he wasn’t even there.

  “Do you always break your promises so quickly, Jacquie?” he said accusingly.

  “I thought about it first, believe me. I made that damn promise too fast and I made it on your terms,” she hissed. “You pressured me into it.”

  She waited impatiently at the cash register while the waitress rang up the amount and gave her the correct change. When they stepped outside, Jacquie finished speaking the heated words she’d held back. Fortunately there was no one else outside to hear them but Choya.

  “I broke my promise for a very good reason—because a little boy felt he had to ask if he’s bothering me because he’s lonely. And for your information, I met him by chance just as I was going into the restaurant. I haven’t been with him all afternoon.”

  Choya nodded, but he didn’t look like he believed her. “Nice of you tell him about that zoo. Now he’s going to badger me to go there.”

  “It’s a big world, Choya. Robbie is curious and he’s smart. You should take him there. I can’t.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do.” His tone was leve
l but the curt remark startled her all the same.

  “My guess is that you tell other people what to do all the time. Especially me. It’s not just your prerogative,” she retorted.

  “Robbie is my child, not yours, and he’s not going to get attached to you. I thought I got that across,” Choya snapped.

  “You did. Ten times over.” She was breathing heavily now, with anger. “Why don’t you just lock him up? He’d be really safe then.”

  Her free hand clenched into a fist and she forced it open, reaching up to clutch the strap of her bag to her shoulder, ready to storm off. His reaction was pure instinct: his hand snaked out to seize her wrist and keep her from slapping him.

  Which happened to be something she dearly wanted to do. But she controlled the impulse. Barely.

  “Let go!” She yanked herself free but the action knocked the large bag from her hand. She hadn’t bothered to fasten the clasp and its contents spilled over the boardwalk and into the street.

  “Look what you’ve done!” she snapped. She rubbed her wrist where he’d held it, uncaring that the accident had broken the tension to some degree.

  As she stooped to begin gathering the scattered things, Robbie came hobbling from the jeep parked in front of the restaurant. “I’ll help, Jacquie.”

  He maneuvered himself into a sitting position on the board sidewalk and began picking up the items that had rolled into the street.

  Picking up a tube of lipstick near the pointed toe of Choya Barnett’s boot, Jacquie glared up. “You could help,” she accused.

  Then she wished she’d said nothing as he bent down beside her, dark brown hair waving thickly beneath the brim of his Stetson. Unceremoniously he began dumping items back in her handbag with no regard for neatness or order. With her heartbeat quickening at the sight of the rippling muscles beneath his shirt, Jacquie soon didn’t care either, anxious only to be out of range of his animal attraction.

  When Robbie had gathered everything he could reach, Jacquie moved swiftly to the edge of the sidewalk, holding the large bag open for his handful. This time she closed it securely and stayed well away from Choya.

  “Would you like a ride back to your motel?” Robbie asked.

  Smiling tightly, Jacquie shook her head, refusing to even glance at his father. “No, thank you. I’m not going back right now.”

  The real truth was she didn’t want to be with Choya, ever again, under any circumstances.

  All the same, at this hour, there were very few places she could go, except to a saloon. She might have a wild streak, but it wasn’t so strong that she would venture into a strange bar alone. She would walk slowly back to the motel but she wouldn’t accept the offer of a ride.

  “Good-bye, Robbie.” She bent down and offered her hand to the boy. “You take care of yourself.”

  He shook it solemnly, a glimmer of apprehension in his eyes but no tears. “Good-bye, Jacquie.”

  She straightened, meeting the impenetrable expression of his father. “Good-bye, Choya.” She didn’t offer him her hand, letting her fingers curl around the strap of her handbag. “It’s been quite an experience running into you. From first to last.”

  His alert gaze ran over the taunting smile on her face, his mouth quirking at one corner. But he didn’t respond to her play on words. “Good-bye,” he said with finality.

  As Choya moved away to help Robbie into the jeep, Jacquie turned away and began walking down the street in the opposite direction from her motel. She pretended an interest in the contents of a shop window until she heard the jeep start and pull away from the curb. She glanced over her shoulder and waved once more to Robbie.

  When they were out of sight, she felt crazily alone. The sun was touching the roofs on its downward slide. Sighing unconsciously, she turned and started walking toward her motel. Tomorrow she would be gone and all that had happened to her here would become a tale she would relate at some party or other. In a way, it hardly seemed right.

  That night Jacquie slept soundly, not waking until well after eight in the morning. She showered quickly and packed what she’d brought to the motel, setting the overnight case beside the door so she could pick it up when she came back with her car.

  With the strap of her handbag slung over one shoulder, she tucked one side of her blond hair behind an ear and started for the garage. Snug jeans in a faded blue molded the long length of her legs. The navy blue top with the stitched-on star in the center left little to the imagination.

  As she was crossing the nearly empty highway to the garage, she saw the mechanic standing beside the gas pumps.

  “Hi there. Is my car fixed?” she called to him.

  He nodded and waited until she was closer to answer. “I didn’t think the parts would get here so soon, but they did. I got started on it first thing. It’s all ready for you, just like new.”

  “I don’t think that car ever was new,” Jacquie laughed as she followed him into the small office. “What did it come to? I hope I can afford it.”

  The man laughed briefly in return and picked up an itemized bill from a cluttered desktop. “I tried to be as fair as I could,” he replied, handing it to her.

  The curved brim of the man’s cap was pulled low over his receding hairline, hiding his eyes. Yet Jacquie could feel the slow appraisal of his gaze moving over her while she studied the bill. She was too accustomed to such looks to be insulted. She really did believe there was no harm in looking or thinking. And Choya had been right when he’d said she knew how to handle those who weren’t satisfied with that.

  “It all seems to be in order.” She breathed in deeply, glancing from the paper to give the mechanic a bright smile. The total was lower than his estimate.

  “I overestimated the labor cost a bit,” the mechanic explained, returning her smile. “I never worked on that model of car before and I wasn’t sure how long it would take.”

  “I appreciate your honesty.”

  Sliding the strap from her shoulder, she set her bag on a relatively empty corner of the desk and unfastened the clasp. She hadn’t bothered to put the contents in order after they’d spilled in the street the afternoon before. She began sifting through the oversized bag, searching for her wallet.

  “That’s the trouble with big bags.” She smiled ruefully. “They hold so much that you never can find anything when you want it.”

  There was an understanding gleam in the man’s eyes that said he could patiently wait all day. A twinge of fear raced through her when her rummaging search didn’t turn up the wallet. Smiling nervously, she began taking the larger items out and placing them on the desk beside her bag. Soon the bottom of the bag was in sight and still no wallet.

  “It can’t be gone!” she breathed with a touch of panic, and began going through the articles she’d laid on the desk. The wallet wasn’t among them. Raking her fingernails through the waving thickness of her white-gold hair, she paused in her search, troubled eyes meeting the questioning glance of the mechanic. “My wallet’s gone. It has all my money and my debit cards and my identification . . . everything was in it.”

  “Are you sure you didn’t leave it somewhere?” he suggested.

  “No, I didn’t.” She shook her head, then hesitated. “At least—may I use your phone? And do you have a list of local businesses?”

  “Of course.” He turned the black phone on his desk toward her and pointed to a printout of phone numbers under the glass top. He had a computer to order parts, but the garage phone was an old, heavy model that looked like it had been used every day for the last fifty years. He picked up a clean rag and swiped a streak of lube from its side. “Be my guest.”

  Jacquie didn’t care if it was covered in axle grease. She scooped up the receiver and looked for the right number on the list. The rotating dial was agonizingly slow. The line she wanted rang twice and someone at the restaurant where she had eaten the previous afternoon answered with a drawled but cheerful hello. Quickly she asked if her wallet had been found or turn
ed in. At the negative answer, she explained that she’d dropped her handbag outside the door and everything had spilled out of it. She asked if someone would check to see if her wallet had landed under the board sidewalk.

  After waiting for heart-pounding seconds, the answer was still no. A phone call to the police got the same answer: it hadn’t been turned in. Whoever found it had obviously kept it or emptied it and thrown it away where no one else would find it.

  When she hung up, her mind was frantically searching for a solution. What was she going to do without money or a debit card? It would take several more calls to obtain the number to cancel it. And the bank wouldn’t send a new one right away. Especially not to an address in the middle of nowhere for a customer with no ID.

  “Maybe you left it at the motel,” the mechanic said.

  “I don’t think so.” She nibbled thoughtfully at her lower lip. “I packed everything before I came here. If it was there, I would have found it.”

  “I wish there was something I could do,” the man murmured sympathetically.

  Hope glimmered. “Well, maybe there is.” It was one thing to be flat broke, another to be broke and on foot. “I need my car.”

  “Yeah. But . . .” the mechanic faltered, glancing at the itemized bill lying on his desk.

  “I’ll pay you back, I promise,” Jacquie rushed, “every dime of it—just as soon as I find a job.”

  The man readjusted the cap on his head, plainly reluctant to agree. Jacquie’s father had once accused her of depending more on her feminine allure than her intelligence. He wasn’t entirely wrong. It had often proved the easiest means of getting her way.

  “Honestly!” Her brilliantly expressive eyes darted to the name stitched above the pocket of his coveralls. “Brad, I absolutely have to have my car and you really can trust me to pay up.”