Page 59 of Christmas at the Ranch
Her phone buzzed and she was tempted not to answer it. But it was her mother.
“Samantha,” her mother’s voice announced. “Did you see my Instagram story?”
How did her mother know about Instagram stories? Samantha had only discovered that feature a few months ago.
“We were at an outdoor market in Èze,” her mother continued. “Èze dates back to medieval times, and the streets are made of cobblestones. Thank god I was wearing my new nonslip loafers those nice people from Amélie Pichard sent me. I would have broken my ankle in my sandals.”
Samantha couldn’t help but smile. Her mother had never owned a pair of designer shoes in her life.
“We were squeezing the melons and a thief grabbed my purse.” Her mother was still talking. “Your father started chasing after himbut I held him back. I didn’t want him ending up in a French hospital, our insurance might not cover it.”
Samantha held her breath, waiting for her mother to continue.
“I was sure the purse was gone,” her mother said. “But this man approached us. He was quite old: he had that kind of wrinkly, parched skin you get from spending every day in the sun. A tan might look nice when you’re young, but it really does age you.”
“Did he retrieve the purse?” Samantha asked anxiously.
“Oh, yes, and the wallet was inside,” her mother answered. “That wasn’t the most exciting part. The real miracle was the man who brought back the purse. His name is Luc and he’s lived in Èze his whole life. A year ago, Luc’s wife died and he hasn’t spoken to a single person since. Everyone in the village thought he’d become mute from the grief,” she finished her story. “But he caught the thief and stayed with him until the gendarmes came.”
“Are you and Dad all right?” Samantha questioned.
“We’re fine,” her mother replied. “The gendarme insisted on giving us a police escort back to Monte Carlo. He was worried we’d write about our experience on TripAdvisor and it would be bad for tourism.”
Samantha let out a sigh of relief. “You must have been scared.”
“I was at first. But look at the good that came out of it. Luc is a hero, it’s a Christmas miracle.” Her mother paused. “It made me remember that time when that new girl, Becky, was being bullied in high school and you stood up for her. It turned out that Becky’s father was an independent movie producer. He gave you a walk-on part in his next movie and the mean girls were so envious. You were brave then, and you still are. You just have to believe in yourself.”
Samantha was too tired and shaken to tell her mother about thefire in the barn. She said goodbye and hung up. She didn’t feel like a hero tonight; she had been terribly scared. It was only the image of Blixen in his stall that allowed her to keep moving.
The fire didn’t change anything. Drew and Beatrix were still getting married in three days.
She pulled the comforter over her cheeks and closed her eyes. Her own Christmas miracle seemed as unlikely as finding the turquoise arrowhead pendant.
Chapter Fourteen
Samantha sat up in bed the next morning and grimaced. The soreness in her ribs and pain in her calves were even worse. And she was coming down with a cold. Her head throbbed and her nose was stuffy.
She padded to the bathroom and stared bleakly at her refection. Her eyes were watery and a bruise had formed on her cheek. There were scratches on her arms and her hair needed brushing.
If only she could spend the day in bed, watching Christmas movies on her laptop. But she wanted to check on Blixen and tell Marigold about the lost pendant. And then there was Drew and Beatrix. Drew still wanted to talk to her, and Beatrix probably had something planned: getting their nails done or buying lingerie. Samantha pictured helping Beatrix choose lacy underwear and silk teddies for the honeymoon and let out a small groan.
There was a knock and Samantha opened the door.
Beatrix swept into the room. She wore pleated slacks and a belted jacket. A scarf was knotted around her neck and she wore suede gloves.
“Arthur told me what happened last night,” Beatrix announcedbefore Samantha could speak. “You saved the whole ranch from going up in flames.”
“The fire was nowhere near the main house, and I didn’t do anything,” Samantha said, trying not to sneeze. “Bruno put out the flames and saved the horses.”
“That’s not what I heard. You’re the hero of the hour,” Beatrix replied. She settled onto the armchair. “I must have had too much moose punch at the bar, I can never handle rum. I practically fell asleep the minute I entered my room.”
Beatrix couldn’t have gone straight to bed. Samantha saw Drew and Beatrix together in Beatrix’s room. Perhaps Drew slept there and they didn’t want Arthur to know.
“I’m glad the horses weren’t hurt,” Samantha reflected. “I’m going to the barn to check on them.”
“Arthur and Drew have been there all morning,” Beatrix said. “Why don’t we go into town and have breakfast instead.”
It was almost noon and Samantha hadn’t eaten a thing since dinner.
