Santa's Sweetheart (The Christmas Tree Ranch #4)(62)
“It’s nice that you help people like Hank,” Maggie said as they drove back uptown to Buckaroo’s. “Is that part of your sheriff’s job?”
“Not really. I just like to help folks who need it. It makes me happy.”
“Does catching bad guys make you happy?”
Sam sighed. “Most of the arrests I make are just good people doing bad things. Like kids who shoplift and get into mischief, or cowboys who get in fights out at Rowdy’s Roost. Real bad guys, like the ones who tried to rob the hardware store, don’t come around here very often—thank goodness for that. You know the state police caught them, don’t you? They’re going to prison for years. They’ll never hurt anybody again.”
“I know, Daddy. But still, sometimes I wish you had a different job. When you have to go out at night, I get scared that something will happen to you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me, sweetheart.”
“Something did happen. You got shot. You almost died.”
“But I didn’t die, did I? Look, here we are at Buckaroo’s. How does a burger and a big chocolate shake sound to you?”
Maggie enjoyed the meal at Buckaroo’s, although the place was too noisy for much talking. After that, they drove home and watched TV together, with the Christmas lights on, until bedtime. It was so nice, she thought, having her dad here and knowing that he wasn’t going to be called away in the night, leaving her to sleep at the McDermotts’.
She was in her bed and almost asleep before she remembered that she hadn’t told Sam about Miss Chapman leaving to be with her father. But that could wait until morning. Tonight it might just make him sad.
*
The nearest major airport, Lubbock International, was a two-hour drive from Branding Iron. Last night, Grace had booked the only available flight to Salt Lake City, leaving at 10:15 A.M. today, with a layover and plane change in Las Vegas. Between driving, flying, and waiting, her trip would take almost nine hours.
She’d done her best to cover the responsibilities she was leaving behind. A volunteer would take charge of her students, getting them on and offstage for the Christmas program. Clara Marsden had graciously agreed to fill in for her at tonight’s committee meeting and take charge of the children’s activities at the ball if Grace didn’t get back in time.
She’d spent a long moment staring at the phone, wondering whether she should call Sam. But given their broken relationship, that could be a bad idea. Maggie would let him know where she’d gone and why.
At the airport, she parked the Cadillac in the long-term lot, checked in with her carry-on bag, and walked down the concourse to her gate. The flight would be on time—one less worry. But there were plenty of other reasons to be anxious.
She’d never been in Salt Lake City and had no idea how to get around. She could only hope that Cooper would be at the airport to meet her and that she would arrive in time to see her father—although she still had mixed feelings about that.
As she waited to board, she tried to remember the good times with him—and there had been good times, when they’d been as close as Sam and Maggie appeared to be. He had called her his little princess, bought her treats and toys, and read her stories at bedtime. He had taken her out to eat and to Cooper’s high school football games, where he’d taught her the rules and plays and how to watch the sport. Sometimes he would take her hiking on easy trails, pointing out the different plants, birds, and animals they saw. Her mother, who’d disliked the outdoors, had hardly ever gone along. Mostly it had just been the two of them, pals in the best sense of the word.
Grace had idolized her dad—all the more reason she had been crushed when he’d cheated and left. In her childish grief, she had vowed to stop loving him. After a time she almost had.
*
The sun was low in the sky when the plane flew over the snow-capped Oquirrh Mountains and descended into the Salt Lake Valley. Beyond the vast flat expanse of the Great Salt Lake, the city spread eastward, all the way to the towering Wasatch Range with its jagged peaks and deep canyons. As the plane taxied to the gate, Grace could see blowing snow. Cooper had warned her about the winter weather, and she was ready with her boots and her warm down parka. But just looking outside was enough to make her shiver.
Pulling her wheeled carry-on, she came out of the jetway and headed for the baggage claim area, where Cooper had said he’d be waiting. She was on her way down the escalator when she spotted him in the crowd below—tall and rugged, looking like James Bond in the Burberry overcoat he’d bought years ago in a London secondhand shop. Seeing her, he waved. Seconds later, Grace was off the escalator, rushing through the crowd toward him.
He gave her an easy hug. The two had never been close, but they got along—although he had yet to forgive her for the botched wedding fiasco last June. “Thanks for coming,” he said, taking her bag. “I knew you would.”
“How is he?” She couldn’t manage to say the word Dad.
“I called the hospital a few minutes ago. He’s stable and sleeping for now, so there’s no rush. The car’s in the short-term garage. If you’re hungry, we can grab a bite on the way to the hospital. Or there’s a twenty-four-hour snack bar at our hotel if you need it. I took the liberty of reserving you a room.”
“I’m fine. I had time for a meal in Vegas.”