Page 37 of Christmas at the Ranch
“Staying for a week at a luxurious ranch in Jackson Hole is different than spending years sleeping in a tent with snakes and spiders,” she responded.
“Say you developed feelings for someone. It was completely unexpected, you thought you’d be single for ages and could live your life any way you pleased,” Drew said slowly. “Then you meet this person who is so bright and lovely, almost overnight her happiness becomes as important to you as your own. Wouldn’t that make a difference?”
“I don’t know,” Samantha said, and gulped. It was as if Drew was talking directly to her, and not discussing Beatrix at all.
He looked so handsome standing in front of the fireplace. Hischeeks glowed from the day’s skiing and his shoulders were broad under his ski sweater.
“That’s how I felt when I met Beatrix,” he continued, breaking the spell. “We met at the airport in Jakarta. She was so beautiful with that blond hair tumbling down her shoulders. She was wearing an orange dress that she bought at an outdoor market. Beatrix is very good at haggling with vendors. I remember thinking she probably wouldn’t want anything to do with me. I hadn’t bathed in days and I was wearing clothes that had been through two rainstorms and a ride in an open jeep.
“Our plane got delayed and the airline put us up at a hotel. We sat in the hotel bar, drinking rice wine called Tuak and talking about our travels. Beatrix had been in Bali. She wanted to introduce me to betutu—it’s a Balinese dish that was the Balinese king’s favorite meal. The hotel didn’t serve it, so we found a rickshaw that would take us to a Balinese restaurant.
“I protested the whole way. We had to wake up early the next morning, we should eat at the hotel and go straight to bed. Beatrix laughed and said exploring the city was half the fun. The cab finally let us off at a diner. I was so hungry by then, I would have eaten the raw pork legs hanging in the window. I’m glad I listened to her. The betutu was the best thing I ever tasted: duck stuffed with peanuts and chili and spices. The duck takes eight hours to bake and it’s served with perkedel, which is fried mash potatoes.”
Drew ran his hands through his hair. His eyes had a faraway look.
“I’d never met a woman like Beatrix. She was spirited and confident and up for anything,” he finished. “Now her thirst for adventure has been replaced by a desire for one of those vacuum cleaners you command and it cleans your whole house.”
Samantha felt a twinge of regret. She’d never drink rice wine with a stranger in a hotel bar, or careen through a foreign city in a rickshaw. Even if she believed the arrowhead pendant protected her, what if it failed and she was in another country, miles from home?
“My mother bought herself a Dyson vacuum cleaner last Christmas,” Samantha said with a smile. “It changed her life.”
Drew’s expression was so anguished, Samantha felt bad for making a joke.
“Perhaps it’s not a vacuum cleaner she wants, or even a house,” Samantha said. “Maybe Beatrix wants a family. When you reach your thirties, you start wanting children more than anything. Sharing all the special moments with the man you love: the baby’s first steps, hearing his first words, his first day of kindergarten.”
Samantha bit her lip, wishing she could take back the words. Drew’s mother left before he was old enough to start school.
“I’m sorry,” she said, flustered. “I didn’t mean—”
“No, you’re right,” Drew said heavily. “I want a family too. But I couldn’t love a child more than I love Kaman and the other children in the village. How can I turn my back on him when he needs me? Isn’t that what having children is about?”
Samantha was about to respond when the door opened.
“Samantha, Drew,” Arthur said, entering the game room. “I was hoping I’d find you.”
“I was telling Samantha about today’s skiing,” Drew improvised. “It was completely white out there, you couldn’t see the tram.”
Arthur walked over to the window.
“It’s magical, isn’t it?” Arthur glanced outside. “In Connecticut during a snowstorm, the snowplows come and by the following daythe sidewalks are neat and orderly. In Jackson Hole, by tomorrow it will resemble a fairy tale. And it’s so quiet, just us and the squirrels in the forest.”
Samantha thought about the buffalo and the bears. But she didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to spoil Arthur’s mood.
“I was going to take a tray up to Beatrix,” Drew said, picking up his mug.
Arthur walked over to Drew.
“Would you mind doing it, Samantha?” he asked, patting Drew on the shoulder. “Drew and I have some business to discuss. I want to tell him about the spring book titles.”
“Of course.” Samantha stood up. She smiled at Drew and Arthur. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
Beatrix was reclining against the pillows when Samantha entered her guest room. Beatrix looked completely different than yesterday. The bruise on her cheek was concealed by makeup and she wore eye shadow and lipstick. Her hair had been washed and was back to its glorious shade of blond. Even her nails had fresh polish.
“Samantha!” Beatrix exclaimed, pleased to see her. “Angela just left and I feel much better. If it didn’t hurt to stand up, I’d be good as new.”
“Angela?” Samantha questioned, placing the tray on the bedside table.
“Arthur sent her, he’s so thoughtful. Just like Drew.” Beatrix beamed. “Angela works at a beauty salon in Jackson Hole. She did my hair and makeup and nails.” Beatrix waved her hand in the air. “I told Arthur this morning that I didn’t need pampering. He saidit’s impossible to be spoiled during Christmas, that’s what the season is about.” Her eyes seemed to become even larger. “Don’t tell Arthur but I gave her an extra tip myself. Angela has a nine-year-old daughter, Penelope, who spends Christmas with her ex-husband in Utah. Now Angela will be able to afford the new snowboard that Penelope has been wanting when she returns home.”
