Page 35 of Christmas at the Ranch
At first, she couldn’t believe Roger was standing in line at Joe’s Pizza in front of her. When she saw him, she almost walked out. But she was craving pizza, and she wasn’t going to let some guy stop her from eating it twice in one night.
Then Roger noticed her. He quickly explained what happened. He’d lost Samantha’s cell phone number. He called the receptionist at the PR firm to say that Adrienne’s messed up his reservation andcould they eat at PizzArte instead. He waited at PizzArte for an hour and finally gave up. Now he was grabbing a pizza to go.
They marveled at how of all the take-out pizza places in Manhattan, they’d ended up in the same one. Then they took the pizza to her apartment and had a feast with Socks in front of the fireplace.
Or there were the years after Roger left. When she’d see a cute guy buying a John Grisham book at the bookstore or reaching for her favorite maple-syrup-flavored oatmeal at Trader Joe’s and was positive they’d form an instant connection. There was always something wrong: the Grisham was a present for the guy’s father, the oatmeal was on his girlfriend’s shopping list. Samantha would continue her shopping and try not to feel disappointed. She didn’t need love anyway, she had Socks and her writing.
Now Samantha brought her mind back to the present. The story she had built up in her head—that Arthur’s ranch had been the Grand Teton Dude Ranch and the diary had sat here for thirty years—melted away. But who was Diana and why was her diary on Arthur’s bookshelf?
“I wish that was true,” Samantha said to Bruno.
Bruno opened the door of the next stall.
“It took me turning sixty to realize how little I knew when I was in my twenties,” Bruno counseled with a smile. “The cowboys had it right. Life is an adventure, the best we can do is hang on and enjoy the ride.”
Samantha stepped outside the barn as an SUV was pulling up in front of the ranch. Skiers piled out and she recognized Drew’s green ski parka.
There wasn’t time to mull over the diary. She had to keep her promise to Beatrix and talk to Drew. The snow was coming down harder, and the wind sliced through her jacket. She instinctively touched the arrowhead pendant and crossed the courtyard to join him.
Chapter Nine
The ranch felt even warmer and more inviting now that the skiers had returned. The living room was full of guests. They sat around the fireplace in their snowflake sweaters, drinking mulled apple cider and recounting their adventures on the slopes.
Samantha was tempted to join them. Then she noticed Gladys, who at Christmas dinner wanted her to read her daughter Audrey’s short story, and decided against it. She’d spend the afternoon hearing how Audrey’s teacher said her writing was reminiscent of Louisa May Alcott, but with cell phones and social media.
Drew appeared from the kitchen. He was holding a mug and his eyes lit up when he noticed her.
“Samantha, I was hoping to find you,” he said, and joined her. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”
“Somewhere to talk?” Samantha repeated.
She assumed Drew was going to tell her that he and Beatrix reached a compromise and already made up. Samantha felt an odd mixture of relief and disappointment. She told herself again that she was being silly. There was nothing between her and Drew. He considered her a friend.
She followed him into the game room. There was a Ping-Pong table, a billiard table, and a table for chess and backgammon.
“My parents would love this room,” she said, smiling. “My mother has to get out the folding table every week for their bridge games. Half the time, the legs don’t open properly and she spends the next hour fixing it. Then she rolls her eyes and says she has to do everything: set up the table and prepare the snacks.”
“Your mother sounds very capable,” Drew said, and she could hear the envy in his voice.
“She always said girls can learn to do anything,” Samantha said, nodding. “When I was twelve, she signed me up for a summer robotics camp because the boys in the robotics class at school were getting all the attention.” Samantha laughed at the memory. “The teacher was surprised when I built a NAO humanoid robot before she explained it to the class.”
“I don’t even know what that is.” Drew grinned. He looked at her appreciatively. “I wanted to thank you for giving Beatrix your jacket yesterday. If it weren’t for you, she would have been in a lot worse shape.”
“It was nothing.” Samantha shrugged. “How is she?”
“I checked on her before I went skiing, she was asleep.” Drew ran his fingers over the mug. “I haven’t been upstairs yet.” He looked at Samantha. “I just received an e-mail; I don’t know what to do about it.”
“What kind of e-mail?” Samantha wondered.
“From Kaman in the village near Chiang Mai.” Drew took out his phone. He read out loud.
Dear Mr. Drew,
I apologize for interrupting your Christmas holiday with this e-mail. But before you left, you said to reach out to you if I needed anything. At first, I didn’t know how because there was a storm, and the village is without internet. So, I hitchhiked to Chiang Mai and walked into the Four Seasons Hotel. The general manager was about to throw me out, even though I wore the slacks and sweater you gave me. I even washed my face with soap so I smelled good enough for a fancy hotel.
I told him that Mr. Drew and I had afternoon tea at the Four Seasons, and I needed to send you an urgent message. He must have taken pity on me because he let me use the computer. I have to write quickly, in case he changes his mind.
The plans for the school are not going forward. I heard my mother talking about it, and then the next day, all the workers were gone. Now the foundation sits there. By next year’s monsoon season, all your hard work will be washed away.
