Page 57 of Christmas at the Ranch
The pendant wasn’t on the counter, or in the bathroom stall. She got down on her knees and searched the floor. It could have fallen off anywhere: in the parking lot, or somewhere in the bar. What was she going to do, and what would she say to Marigold if she couldn’t find it?
A tightness formed in her chest, and she could barely swallow. The pendant had kept her safe. She couldn’t ride the bull without it.
The door opened. Samantha was afraid it would be Beatrix, but it was Gladys.
“I was sent to find you,” Gladys said to Samantha. She turned to the mirror and patted her helmetlike brown hair. “I told the announcer you’re a famous author. He was impressed.”
It was no use; Gladys wouldn’t leave the bathroom without her. Samantha glanced in the mirror. Her cheeks were pale and her lips were almost blue.
“Do you want to borrow my lipstick?” Gladys offered, opening her purse. “Isn’t this exciting? Though you must be used to it. Celebrities are always participating in odd charity events. Last week I watched a donkey basketball game on Facebook Live. A group of television chefs rode donkeys and played basketball at the same time.”
Samantha handed back the lipstick and smoothed her hair. Gladys opened the door and Samantha followed her to the stage. The announcer was standing next to the bull, waving a flashlight at the crowd.
“There’s our contestant.” He pointed to Samantha. “I’ve been told the next rider is a well-known author. Let’s have some fun and change the setting to Most Challenging. It’s a competition, folks, we have to keep it interesting.”
The announcer helped Samantha onto the saddle, and she gingerly took the reins. Her pulse quickened and a pit formed in her stomach. Arthur’s table was only half full; Drew and Beatrix were gone.
Before she could search the crowd, the announcer pressed the button. At first, the bull started slowly. Then it raised its head and pitched sideways. Samantha tried to hang on with her knees but the bull kept bucking. Suddenly the whole room tilted. The bull jerked so violently; the reins slipped out of her hands. She grabbed the saddle and then pitched forward and landed on her stomach in the middle of the stage.
“Send her home,” a man bellowed from the back. “It’s time for the men to have a turn.”
“Now, Abe, that’s not polite.” The announcer shone his flashlight on Abe. “I say we give her another chance. We can’t have her returning to New York and saying the locals aren’t polite to tourists.”
Samantha’s side ached and there was a ringing in her ears. The announcer reached down to help her up, but she ignored him. She crept off the stage and edged down the back to the bathroom.
Her hands were shaking and she could barely turn on the tap. She leaned against the sink and blinked back tears. That was the most humiliating thing she had ever done.
Her cheeks were covered with dirt and straw stuck to her sweater. She waited until the chanting in the bar died down. Then she opened the door and slipped quietly out the entrance to the sidewalk.
The cold air hit her the minute she stepped outside. She had never felt such cold. Her jacket and scarf were in the bar and she couldn’t go back inside. At least her wallet was in her pocket. She could pay for a taxi. She stumbled across the parking lot and noticed a taxi idling at the corner.
“The Wentworth Ranch, please,” she said, climbing inside.
The driver put down the meter. He glanced in the rearview mirror.
“You do realize it’s minus fourteen outside?” he said, steering onto the road. “Tourists are lucky that Jackson Hole has taxis. All those big cities are overrun by Ubers.” He kept talking. “If you had to wait for an Uber, you’d last ten minutes before you got pneumonia in that outfit.”
Samantha opened her mouth to answer, but closed it. It was none of the cab driver’s business but she was too tired to argue.
The ranch was quiet when she arrived. The only light came from a bedroom on the second floor. Two figures stood by the window and Samantha realized it was Drew and Beatrix. They were standing close together and Drew’s arms were around Beatrix.
She wondered what Drew had wanted to talk to her about. He probably wanted help with his speech for the reception. She couldn’t face him tonight; she’d see him in the morning.
For a moment she imagined what it would be like to be Beatrix. To be held by someone you love, to always have someone to talk to. It was easy to tell Charlie that she didn’t need anyone, she was perfectly happy with Socks for company. But that wasn’t true. She couldn’t have philosophical discussions with Socks, or talk about their future. All Socks cared about was getting his breakfast and dinner and that she took him for his evening walk.
She debated again if she had been too hasty with Roger. But itwouldn’t have worked. Her feelings for Roger were somehow tainted, as if she had taken off her rose-colored glasses and viewed him in a new light. If she wanted excitement, she could always search the internet for a new setting for a Sloane Parker book. Sloane could go visit an aboriginal tribe in Australia or go on safari in Kenya. Some of those safaris were quite glamorous. Sloane would be dressed in a sexy cargo-style dress and the leopard skin boots that were so popular.
Samantha trudged upstairs to her room. Her ankles smarted and her knees were covered in bruises. She slipped off her shoes and spent half an hour applying hot towels to the bruises on her knees. Then she walked to the window to close the drapes.
A light was on in the barn. She peered more closely and noticed the light was flickering. Her heart began to hammer and she let out a gasp. It wasn’t a light; it was a fire.
She grabbed a pair of slippers and dashed down the staircase. This time she didn’t even notice the cold. She was moving too fast, racing over the slippery snow until the barn door was within reach.
Inside, the flames leapt from the corner with the Christmas tree. Smoke filled the air and the horses paced nervously in their stalls.
She couldn’t get the horses to safety alone. Bruno lived in the apartment upstairs; he could help. She ran back outside and climbed the staircase. There was no answer to her knock and the lights weren’t on inside.
What if Bruno was at the Mangy Moose, waiting to take the guests to the ranch?
