Home For a Cowboy Christmas(20)

“You look quite pale,” Victoria said as her frown grew. “I wanted to surprise you. I didn’t want to give you a heart attack. Didn’t Dwight tell you I was coming?”

Emmy shook her head, still unable to find words. With the initial shock over, she started trembling.

Victoria looked helplessly around. “How about some water? Would that help? And where the hell is my brother?” she finished, a note of irritation in her voice.

Emmy watched Victoria get a bottle of water from the fridge and bring it up to her. Emmy wasn’t certain she could trust Victoria, but she didn’t have many other options at the moment. She accepted the bottle and drank deeply.

Victoria sat on the top stair, facing Emmy. “That was real fear in your face when you saw me. Dwight told me you were here. Said he was doing a favor for a friend. I had a feeling that service was hiding you for a bit, but it’s more than that, isn’t it?”

There were so many things going through Emmy’s head. After nearly being killed, she knew not to trust anyone. That meant this woman could, in fact, be an assassin. Emmy studied Victoria. She was trim with shoulder-length brown hair that had blond highlights. Her clothes were designer and fit her to perfection.

Just as Emmy was about to ask for some identification and think of a way to escape, Sam came through the doggie door and rushed up to greet Victoria with kisses, his tail wagging furiously. A heartbeat after, Dwight walked in. He took one look at Emmy and rushed up the stairs to her.

“What is it? Did you fall? Are you hurt?” he asked.

“I scared her,” Victoria said.

Dwight cut his sister a dark look and turned back to Emmy. “I forgot all about her coming.”

“It’s fine.” Emmy tried to hide how her hands still shook, but Dwight saw.

He flattened his lips. “Let’s get you downstairs.”

She wanted to tell him that she could walk, but her legs were like Jell-O. To her shock, Dwight lifted her and walked down the stairs to the sofa, carefully setting her down as if she might break apart at any moment—and perhaps she might.

“Damn,” Victoria said as she followed them. “I feel horrible.”

Emmy shook her head. “It’s all right. Really. I’m just a bit jumpy.”

Victoria ignored her and looked to Dwight. “She’s still pale. Food, maybe?”

“I’ll get it,” he said and strode to the kitchen.

Emmy wasn’t used to anyone fussing over her. It made her uncomfortable, but at the same time, it didn’t feel as if she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders anymore. And that made her eyes sting with tears.

Sam jumped up beside her, resting his head on her lap once more. Emmy stroked the dog’s soft fur, wondering if she could stay here forever. Something about the ranch and the people here made it feel almost like … home.

“Here,” Dwight said as he brought her a sandwich on a plate with a large side of Cheetos.

She smiled at the mound of snacks and looked up at him. “Thank you.”

He cleared his throat and motioned to his sister, who stood beside him. “Emmy, this is my sister, Victoria. Vic, this is Emmy.”

“We’ve already met,” Vic said with a roll of her eyes. Then she frowned. “Well. Kind of. It’s nice to meet you, Emmy.”

“Same,” Emmy replied.

Dwight glanced behind him to move back and sit on the hearth. “I called Vic for help when I went to town to get the clothes for you. She told me to get the basics and said she’d get more.”

“Which I have,” Vic added. She looked pointedly at Dwight. “The bags are in the car.”

It was Dwight’s turn to roll his eyes. “Of course they are.”

Once he had risen and walked from the house, Victoria turned to Emmy with a grin. “I kinda went a little crazy. I love to shop. It doesn’t matter for who. If I didn’t have my current job, I’d probably shop for anyone who would let me. What I’m trying to say is that I got a lot of clothes in all different styles. See what fits and what doesn’t. You won’t hurt my feelings. I can take it all back if I need to.”

“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”

“Dwight said you didn’t have any clothes. Sounds like you needed some.”

Emmy shrugged and ate a Cheeto. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere. I can make do with what I have. Thank you, though. I can’t exactly get out.”

“Like I said, I love to shop. It gave me an excuse.”

“I’ll pay you back for all of it.”

Victoria made a sound and waved her hand. “I couldn’t care less about that. What I really want is for you to go through everything and see what fits. I had to guess based on my brother’s descriptions.”

Emmy found herself smiling. Victoria was friendly and likeable. She went out of her way to make Emmy feel at ease. “I’m glad I got to meet you. Dwight’s told me a little about you.”

“Hmm,” Vic said, frowning. “I’m not sure I’d believe any of what he said.”

“It was all good things.”

The door opened, and Dwight came in loaded down with bags. “What the hell, Vic? Did you buy out every store?”

Victoria gave him an innocent look.