Hidden Blessing

“And if they don’t stop it?” Even as she asked, she knew the answer.

“It could sweep down the mountain to the river and spread along the valley below.” He didn’t add that his ranch would be vulnerable to any fire sweeping up the canyon toward his pastureland. “We’re all praying that that doesn’t happen. Which reminds me, we’re going to have church services here at the school on Sunday. Our little church won’t hold this crowd, and I’m sure there’ll be a lot more worshipers than usual.” He gave her a wry smile. “Lots of people wait to make a 911 call to the Lord, you know, instead of keeping prayed up.”

Shannon refrained from commenting. She hadn’t seen any evidence that churchgoing people had it any easier in life than anybody else. The only time she was ever in a church was for weddings and her parents’ funeral. Neither her mother nor her father had held to any religious faith, and she had been brought up to believe that being a “good” person was all that was necessary.

Ward could tell from her expression that worship was not a part of her life, and for some reason, he felt challenged by her lack of spiritual awareness.

“What do you say to lunch at Bette’s Diner?” he asked impulsively. “It’s only a short walk from here, and I bet getting out of here for even an hour would do you good.”

Shannon searched his face. Was it pity that prompted the invitation? Or did he need an hour away from the heavy pressures as much as she did? There were shadows under his dark-brown eyes and visible lines in his forehead and around his mouth. She wondered how much sleep he was getting these nights.

“Sounds great,” she said honestly.

As they left the school, they passed a roped-off area where anxious pet owners were milling around kennels and cages lined up by the building. Shannon couldn’t believe the menagerie of animals—cats, rabbits, dogs and other furry creatures—that had been brought to the school for safekeeping. When Shannon spied Kenny running across the playground with Pokey on a leash, she waved and smiled at him.

“You ought to do that more often,” Ward told her.

“Do what?”

“Smile instead of frown.”

“Oh, is that your way of saying I look like a sourpuss?”

“Yep.”

They both laughed, and he took her hand with a playful swing. As his long fingers gently closed around hers, she felt a kind of peace and harmony that denied the biting odor of smoke and the wailing of emergency vehicles.

Neither spoke as they walked slowly away from the school. Shannon was surprised at her sudden sense of freedom from the pressures that had been weighing her down. Nothing had changed. Nothing at all. Her life was still in the pits, but somehow, walking hand-in-hand with him, she felt in a world apart from the shambles of her life. She’d never allowed her feelings to dominate her rational thoughts before, and every ounce of common sense told her to shut down this emotional reaction before she lost her mind completely, but she kept her hand in his, drawing warmth and reassurance from the touch.

They strolled down the hill until they reached Main Street—two blocks of clustered rustic buildings that housed one gas station, a small mercantile store, a feed store, several small businesses and one restaurant named Bette’s Diner.

Schoolchildren were bused into Beaver Junction from the whole county, since most of the population lived on ranches and scattered mountain homes. At the moment, the influx of outsiders was ten times the normal population, and the tiny network of roads around the Junction was snarled with emergency vehicles.

Bette’s Diner was crowded from one end to the other, and Ward and Shannon were lucky to squeeze into a booth just as a couple of men vacated it. They didn’t have to wait long for service. They had barely seated themselves when a waitress breezed over to them with a welcoming smile aimed at Ward.

“Hi, there. I was wondering if you were going to make it for lunch today. Somebody told me you were up at the base camp shortly after dawn.”

Shannon recognized the attractive brunette who had hugged and laughed with Ward in the gym that first afternoon. She was still dressed in Western pants and shirt, and a small apron encircled her waist. Shannon guessed she was probably in her late twenties, and the way her eyes lit on Ward made it easy to tell how she felt about the rancher.

“Judy, this is Shannon Hensley,” Ward said, quickly introducing her. “She’s waiting out the fire at the school.”

“Yes, I know,” Judy said as she darted a quick glance at Shannon. “From Hollywood, someone told me. Of course, you can’t believe everything you hear.”

“It’s true. Would you like her autograph?” Ward asked with mock solemnity.

“Are you…somebody?” Judy’s eyes widened as she stared at Shannon.

“Of course, she is. Would I bring a nobody to Bette’s Diner for lunch?” Ward asked facetiously.

“Don’t pay any attention to him,” Shannon said with a laugh. “I’m a working girl from Los Angeles.” And out of a job, she could have added.

A faint color rose in Judy’s cheeks. “I should know better than to fall for his joshing.” As she readied her pad and pencil for their order, she became all business. “What can I bring you?”

Shannon followed Ward’s suggestion and ordered baked trout, which he promised was caught fresh daily. After Judy disappeared into the kitchen with their orders, Shannon chided Ward, “Shame on you. You shouldn’t tease her like that. She likes you.”

“I know, but humor is the best defense for a lot of things, like letting friendship get out of hand.”

The way he said it made Shannon wonder if he kept all the women at arm’s length. And she remembered what Laura Cozzins had told her.

“Well, what’s your verdict?” he asked with a raised eyebrow as he leaned back in the booth.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll tell you a little secret. Your eyes deepen into a startling gray-blue when you’re doing some heavy thinking.” His smile challenged her. “Now, don’t lie and tell me you were thinking about what kind of pie to order for dessert.”

“All right,” she said, resting her elbows on the table. “I was indulging in curiosity about some things Laura shared with me.”

He chuckled. “Well, then, I suppose I should start to deny everything just on principle.”

“Oh, she was very complimentary. She bragged about your ranch and explained that you specialize in raising Appaloosa horses. Frankly, I have no idea what makes one horse different from any other horse.”

“A real city slicker, eh? Well, you’ve come to the right place to get a little equine education.” There was an unmistakable lift of happiness to his voice as he began to tell her about his stable of Appaloosa horses. “They have beautiful markings. Brown and black spots, with white or black tails and mane, are the most common coloring. A wonderful saddle horse, and one of the best mounts for working cattle. The best thing that ever happened to me was coming back to the ranch to devote myself to raising and breeding them.”

“What were you doing with your life before that?”

“Nothing I’m proud of,” his said flatly. “My daughter was only two when my wife died, so I decided to move back to the homestead so my sister could raise her. You’ll have to come out to the ranch and meet them.”

“I’m really hoping to get out of here the first chance I get,” she responded quickly. For some reason, she didn’t want to commit herself to any personal involvement with his family. It was enough of a strain to try to adjust to a bunch of strangers. The less she knew about anyone, especially this very attractive man, the easier it would be to maintain her distance and not get emotionally involved. What a mistake it had been coming to Colorado in the first place. She’d been running away, she could admit that now. Afraid and scared, she’d thought of a mountain cottage as a sanctuary. What a laugh that was!

Ward didn’t know why the barriers had gone up. Probably she was bored to tears with all his horse talk. He wondered why he was so intent upon impressing her. Anyone with a lick of sense could see that his lackluster life wouldn’t hold any charm for her. They were from different worlds, and only a crisis like this fire would have put the two of them together in the first place. It bothered him that he couldn’t figure her out. Spoiled? Certainly. Vain? Probably. Hurting? Definitely.

When Judy served their orders, she made light conversation with Ward and then lowered her voice in a personal tone. “Am I going to see you tonight?”

“Afraid not,” Ward answered readily, giving her his easy smile. “Chores at the ranch have gotten ahead of me. I have to head back as early this afternoon as I can.”

Judy looked ready to protest and shot a quick look at Shannon as she turned away.

Was he breaking a date with her, Shannon wondered. It was obvious that the waitress thought she was going to see him tonight. Were they more than just friends? If Judy was his sweetheart, Shannon didn’t approve of the way he might be standing her up. Was this his usual way of toying with the opposite sex? Her earlier warm and comfortable feeling about him was gone. They finished their meal with only sporadic, desultory conversation.

As they came out of the café, Shannon decided she wanted to pick up a few things at the mercantile store. “I’d like to buy some more coloring books. I don’t want a repeat of this morning.”

“Why not? I’d say you are really talented, drawing all those pictures. Are you an artist in the making?”

“Me?” Shannon protested quickly. “Heavens, no. That’s just doodling—at least that’s what my mother called it. She used to get furious with me for wasting my time, drawing pictures all over my notebooks and scratch pads. Believe me, I haven’t done anything like that for years.”

“That’s too bad. You looked as if you were enjoying it.”

“I was just relieved to find something that would keep the children quiet. It’s worth buying some coloring books to keep them busy.”