Merry Cowboy Christmas (Lucky Penny Ranch #3)(44)

“Yes, sir.” Jud dipped up a bowl full of oatmeal with raisins, pecans, and brown sugar in it. He set it aside and slipped two cinnamon rolls, two pieces of toast, and half a dozen pieces of bacon on a plate.

Dora June bustled around behind him, filling a cup with coffee for him and topping off everyone else’s cup. “I’ve got a favor to ask, Fiona. You can say no, especially after the way we were with your mother last year when we excommunicated her from the ladies’ group at the church. I always have the ladies of the church, not just the auxiliary group, but any ladies who want to come, to my house for a little Christmas get-together. We don’t have presents, just food and a singing.”

“And you’d like to have it here?” Fiona asked.

“Bunch of folderol if you ask me,” Truman muttered.

“The house is beautiful and so big and I wouldn’t have to take everything to the church to have it in the fellowship hall, but I can if you’d rather I didn’t have it here with what all went on.”

“When?” Jud asked.

“Tonight. That’s why you can say no and I wouldn’t feel bad. Henrietta says we can have it at the church, but we always do it on the first day of December. We got so involved with the fire and all that we plumb forgot until last night.”

“Mama said to treat this like it was your home, Dora June, so of course you can have your party here. I’m going dancing with Jud, Deke, Sharlene, and Mary Jo, so you don’t have to worry about us getting in the way.”

“Thank you.” Dora June smiled. “We were wrong in the way we handled things with your sisters, Fiona. At the time we thought we were helping them see the error in their ways.”

“Water under the bridge. We aren’t even going to think of it anymore, Dora June,” Fiona said.

“Are you afraid of heights?” Jud blurted out, and immediately wondered if he’d said that out loud.

“Me or Truman?” Fiona asked.

“I ain’t afraid of nothing,” Truman said staunchly.

Fiona shivered. “Well, I’m terrified of heights. I don’t even like mountains. Give me flat land. A few rolling hills like we have here is okay, but nothing any taller than this. And I don’t like mice or spiders either, since we’re talking of fears.”

“Tall bridges?” Jud pressed on.

“Why? Are you thinking of taking some route to Wichita that involves a tall bridge? If so, don’t. Just flat out don’t or I’ll get out of the truck and hitchhike back home. I hate big bridges with a passion. We had to cross one on a business trip over in Tennessee once and I almost fainted.”

“Nope, just wondered.” The fear she’d had in his dream was real. Now all he had to do was figure out what in the hell that bridge meant and why she needed a passport to get into whatever country they’d landed in on the other side.

Fiona’s hair floated on her shoulders that morning with an errant curl falling on her cheek. He wished he had the right to reach across the table and push it behind her ear and then briefly touch his lips to hers, promising to do more later on when they were alone. She looked up and caught him staring and he gazed into her mossy green eyes for several seconds before he went back to eating his second cinnamon roll.

He had no doubt that she had the strength to cross that bridge even if it scared her half to death. She’d faced a divorce, losing her job, working for pennies, and living alone for a year. She could cross any bridge in front of her with no problem. But would she trust him enough to go with her?

“You are both awfully quiet this morning,” Dora June said.

“It was a late night getting both Lizzy and Allie’s trees all set up and done,” Fiona said.

“Then Deke and I got into a long-winded conversation and it was midnight before I got home.” Jud picked up the coffeepot and refilled his cup. “Anyone else?”

Fiona held out her cup and his fingertips grazed hers as he poured. Her expression left no doubt she’d felt them, too. Well, hot damn! At least he wasn’t rowing this boat alone.

“Deke thought we should leave at seven tonight. Is that okay with you?” Jud set the pot down.

“I suggest you hurry up and swallow the rest of that coffee and we get busy with what we got to do right now rather than worrying about tonight,” Truman said shortly.

“Sounds good to me.” Fiona’s voice had deepened. “Are we going to pick up Deke and the girls or what?”

Jud shook his head. “Everyone is meeting here so we don’t have to drive folks home.”

Fiona rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “If they’re too drunk to drive, those girls are sleeping in Sharlene’s van.”

“Well, I should say so,” Dora June agreed.

“Hussies, the both of them,” Truman muttered.

“Now, Truman, it’s Christmas and besides the preacher said we have to love our neighbors. Where would we be if Katy hadn’t shown us some love and if these two kids weren’t being nice to us?” Dora June fussed at him.

“I don’t like Christmas and never will.”

Jud winked at Fiona and she gave him a thumbs-up.





Chapter Twelve



Cover charge, ten dollars. Beers for ladies on Friday night, three bucks. Since this was not a date, Fiona was insistent on paying her own way, though thirteen dollars was more money than she had spent on entertainment in more than a year.