Cowboy Unwrapped

Rosie’s gaze warmed. “How’s Sapphire doing? From a sister’s perspective, I mean. Grady says everything’s going well, but I had a little something to do with her decision to move to Cody and I dearly hope it’s working out.”

“It definitely is. You’ll see for yourself tonight when they come to your Christmas Eve party.”

“Are you coming?” Chelsea asked.

“Or more to the point,” Phil said, “are you staying? You’re here for this major-deal sleigh ride, so unless you have plans you might as well stay for the rest of the evening.”

Amethyst was struck by the logic of it. She’d considered coming over later with Grady and Sapphire but that might not make any sense. She glanced at the kitchen clock. If the sleigh was cleaned up and ready before three, she’d be amazed. And dusk came early in December.

Then she looked down at her simple top and jeans. “I’m not dressed for a Christmas Eve gala.”

Rosie laughed. “Honey, you’re at Thunder Mountain Ranch. Around here we pay more attention to the people than the clothes they’re wearing. Besides, you look very nice.”

“All righty, then. I’d love to stay.”

“Great!” Chelsea smiled at her. “Now that we have that settled, I’m dying to ask about your career. I understand you’re a professional singer.”

“I’m working at it. So far my gigs have all been in Wyoming and that’s where I get the bulk of my music sales, too.”

Chelsea’s expression was animated. “Have you sent out demos?”

“I have, but no takers yet from the studios. I hoping for a big break eventually, but in the meantime I’m giving private voice lessons, mostly to kids. That’s fun.”

“I’ll bet it would be,” Phil said. “I love hearing little kids sing. Warms my heart.”

“Mine, too.” Amethyst smiled as she thought about Jenny, her favorite. “I have one little eight-year-old who has real promise. Cute as a button and that girl can sing. I can’t wait to see what happens with her. Then there’s a little guy who’s only five but he really belts out those tunes. It’s adorable. He could go places.”

“I wonder if singing is like acting,” Chelsea said. “You have to actually be in LA or New York in order to make something happen. Or Nashville if you’re doing country.”

“Maybe. I’m pop, not country, so it would be New York or LA for me.” Amethyst always grew uneasy when this subject came up. “And I would go if I had some interest from one of the major studios. You know, a serious nibble. Moving to the city without that seems pretty darned risky. Sure, I could wait tables, but those are pricey places to live. I’d go through my savings in no time. At least here the cost of living is lower so I can support myself between the gigs I pick up and the private lessons.”

“It is risky.” Rosie got up to bring them all more coffee. “I was worried sick about Finn when he took off for Seattle to open a microbrewery. He didn’t know a soul, but he’d researched the market and was convinced that was the best place to be.” She gave Chelsea a fond look. “Then he met the right woman and it all worked out.”

“He was really lucky,” Amethyst said.

“So was I.” Chelsea leaned back in her chair. “I’m grateful that he took that risk. I can’t imagine my life without him.”

“Finn’s not the only one who’s done that kind of thing,” Rosie said. “One of my boys is out in LA right this minute trying to make it as an actor.”

“Oh, yeah?” Phil looked over at her. “Who’s that?”

“Matt Forrest.”

“I remember him from high school!” Amethyst put down her mug and stared at Rosie. “He was a skinny kid one year behind me.”

“Well, he’s not skinny anymore,” Rosie said. “Got a growth spurt, filled out, took some acting classes at the community college. Then he headed to LA. He’s been there almost three years now. Like you’d expect, he’s had to wait tables and take jobs making commercials. He had one bit part in a small-budget movie and I guess somebody from a major studio liked what they saw. The other day he called to say he was up for something much bigger.”

“Wow, I hope he gets it. He seemed like a nice guy the few times I was around him.” Amethyst cradled her mug in both hands as she imagined buying a one-way plane ticket to LA or New York and toughing it out for three years. She just didn’t like the odds. “What I’m hoping is that I’ll have some talent scouts in the audience one of these times. Entertainment folks often vacation in Wyoming.”

“They do,” Phil said. “They even buy homes here. Damon and I have done some renovations for some Hollywood types. Behind-the-camera people, not anyone you’d recognize.”

“I’ve had some celebrity spottings in Seattle,” Chelsea said. “It’s always a thrill.”

After that the conversation turned to actors, movies and which ones might win an Oscar, but Amethyst kept thinking about Matt Forrest. Maybe she was making a big mistake by not relocating to LA and hiring an agent. New York seemed like a different country to her, but LA wasn’t that far from Wyoming.

“Sleigh’s ready!” Cade came into the kitchen grinning. “Come on down!”

Amethyst glanced at him. “So where’s Jake?”

“He’s still fiddling with it, but Damon has declared it operational and Finn’s hitching up Navarre.”

“Then let’s go take a look.” Phil groaned as she rose from her chair. “At times like this I wish the stork brought the kid, after all.”

Cade helped her on with her coat. “Aw, Phil, last I heard you loved being pregnant.”

“That was last month. I’ve revised my opinion.”

Once they were all bundled up, they walked down to the barn. Finn was hitching a brown horse to a sleigh that Amethyst thought didn’t look half-bad. The rack Jake had been holding in place when they’d pulled in was gone and the dust and grime had been wiped away. If the sleigh didn’t exactly sparkle, at least it looked clean.

Blankets had been piled onto the seat and allowed to spill over the edges, which covered some of the more faded parts of the chassis. Damon and Jake crouched near the back, each with a screwdriver as they tightened the struts attached to the runners.

Damon stood as they approached. “Your chariot awaits, milady.”

“It’s a huge improvement.” She smiled at him. “Thank you for all the hard work.”

“It didn’t take much to make it serviceable. Making it pretty will require a lot longer.”

“But we’ll do it,” Cade said. “Before we’re finished you won’t recognize this sleigh.”

“We could put the Academy students to work on it,” Rosie said. “That’s if Damon or Phil would be willing to supervise.”

“What a brilliant idea!” Phil beamed at her. “I volunteer to supervise. I’m going crazy sitting at home while Damon does all the fun stuff.”

Damon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, she is. Great suggestion, Rosie.” Then he turned back to the sleigh. “Your passenger has arrived, Ramsey. The runners are fine for now.”

“Just making sure of that. Don’t want us taking a header into a snowbank.”

“You won’t if you drive slow and easy.”

Cade laughed. “You don’t have to worry about it. Enter the word cautious into your browser and Fireman Jake will be staring back at you.”

“Okay, okay. I get the point.” Jake stood and walked over to Damon. “Here’s your screwdriver, bro. Thanks for stepping in.” Then he turned to Amethyst. “Ready?”

“You bet.” She let him hand her into the sleigh while everyone stood around watching. She had the oddest feeling, as if they were a newly married couple leaving on their honeymoon. To her great surprise, she wasn’t horrified by the image.

When he walked around the sleigh, climbed in next to her and took the reins, the feeling grew stronger. This was only a sleigh ride, she reminded herself. They’d be back in an hour or so.

“Have fun!” Rosie called out as Jake slapped the reins against the horse’s rump and the sleigh began to move.