His Christmas Sweetheart

The dining hall wasn’t scheduled for construction until spring. In the meantime, guests were served family-style meals in the kitchen of the main house. Hearty country breakfasts every morning comprised the usual fare, with the occasional dinner. Like tomorrow, in honor of their special guests. Most people seemed to enjoy sitting at the same table as the cast members of the show The Forty-Niners once had.

Will’s presence at a meal had only been requested once before. When his boss had gotten married.

He and his bride had looked happy that day. Sometimes when Sam didn’t think anyone was watching, he wore the same dopey smile he had during the ceremony. With their two daughters from their respective previous marriages, they were now one big happy family.

Will envied his boss. Happiness like that had once been within his reach.

Lexie had been his first love and the woman he believed he’d spend the rest of his live with. But then, he’d also believed he’d conquered his PTSD. He’d been wrong on both counts and had learned a very hard lesson. Women didn’t want a broken man.

“I only ask because I’m wondering how long you intend to stay in the mountains.”

Will slanted Sam a look.

“Bedroll. Tarp. Rope.” One by one, Sam listed the items Will had packed.

“Two hours. Three at the most.”

“Okay. Just making sure. You’ve been burying yourself in work the last couple of days. Not that you don’t always bury yourself in work.”

“It’s important the winning couple have a good time.”

“Yeah, but the entire burden of their stay doesn’t rest on your shoulders.”

Will retied the bedroll behind his saddle and patted the mare’s rump, a signal to Sam that he was ready to leave.

“How’s Mrs. Litey?”

“Don’t know.”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

Apparently Sam wasn’t ready to cut Will loose yet. “A while.”

“Is there a reason you’re avoiding her?”

“I’m not.”

“Miranda, then.”

“I better head out while the weather’s holding.” Will didn’t wait for a response. He flung the reins over Rocket Dog’s neck and mounted her in one fluid move. Cruze jumped up from where he’d been lying and waiting.

“Sorry, boy. You need to stay here.”

The shepherd mix instantly planted his hind end on the ground. He used to hate being left behind. Lately his age had started to show, and a trip to town would exhaust him. He’d be there when Will returned, or in the barn.

“Do me a favor, will you?” Sam patted Cruze’s head, letting Will know his dog would be watched during his absence. “On your way back.”

“Sure.” As long as it wasn’t stopping by a certain elder-care group home.

“Mayor Dempsey has a package for me. Some vouchers for the contest winners. Can you pick them up at the Paydirt on your way back?”

“Will do.”

Will didn’t normally ride through town, though he had before. During Sweetheart’s early days and up until The Forty-Niners had ceased production, horses were a common sight on the streets.

Saluting Sam, Will turned Rocket Dog toward the long tree-lined drive leading from the ranch. Halfway to the main road, he chose a partially hidden trail, one used more by deer and elk than humans. He and Rocket Dog were immediately engulfed by towering ponderosa pines.

Will was in his element. He rode the mare hard, down one hill and up the next, until their breathing was labored. The terrain, still thick and green despite the encroaching winter, didn’t last. Within a mile, the forest gave way to a sea of barren, blackened land. This was how close the fire had gotten to the Gold Nugget.

Skirting the border of the vast wasteland, Will stopped occasionally to dismount and mark the trail with a red plastic tie fastened to a low-slung branch. Only the most stalwart and athletic of riders, hikers and cross-country skiers would choose this trail. He couldn’t wait to lead them.

At one point he nudged Rocket Dog across a rushing stream. Well, more like a babbling creek until spring, when the snow melted. Then crossing would be tricky. At the very top of the hill, where the stream originated from an underground spring, Sweetheart’s original settlers had chanced upon gold and had staked a claim. They’d prospected the area for thirty years until it had panned out.

Will thought the old claim, with its discarded and derelict equipment still there, might make an interesting rest stop and noted it on his map.

Hard riding and fresh air took his mind off Miranda, but only for a short while. Too soon, he was back to thinking about her. Constantly.

Had she and her father visited this mining site when she was young? Did they hike this same path? Picnic at this same spot along the creek? View the town nestled in the valley below from this same vantage point? Why did she waste even a minute of her time with him?

Will couldn’t fathom the answer.

Two hours later, the narrow trail merged with a larger and more frequently used one that led to town. By now the mare’s steps were slower, her excess energy having been spent. Will relaxed and let her set the pace for the last leg of their trip. Miranda still filled his thoughts, but caused him less anxiety.

In his opinion, the woods surrounding Sweetheart showed no signs of recovery from the fire—other than the forest service’s clearing the network of dirt roads. Scorched pine tree trunks stood at bent angles, resembling an army of ghoulish stick soldiers. Here and there a tree remained, miraculously spared from destruction. It would be years before the seeds from their cones produced new generations.

Will wondered if winter, with its gray skies and heavy blankets of snow, would be kind and hide the forest’s blemishes, or unkind and magnify them.

His ride down Matrimony Lane drew a lot of stares and a few waves, which Will returned with a nod. He didn’t admit to searching every female face for Miranda’s. At the Paydirt Saloon, he tethered Rocket Dog to the old hitching post beside the building. Drooping her head, she eagerly indulged in a well-deserved snooze.

Inside, the mayor hailed Will from behind the bar and reached for a clean mug. “The usual?”

“Not today.”

“What brings you by?”

“Sam sent me. You have some vouchers for him.”

She frowned in confusion. “What vouchers?”

“For the contest winners.”

“Don’t know what he’s talking about.”

“I’ll call him.” Will reached into his jacket pocket for his cell phone and dialed Sam. His boss didn’t pick up. “Must be a mistake.”

“Try again in a few minutes. In the meantime, have a beer.”

“How ’bout a water?” He wasn’t in the mood for drinking.