A Cowboy for Christmas Read online

  He’d wasted enough time on memories.

  Now it was time to take care of Jack’s business.

  It was late in the afternoon when Dan finally settled into his hotel room. He was tired, but he would worry about getting some rest later. What mattered now was finding Jack’s daughter and convincing her to return to Texas with him. He’d checked the railroad departure times before he’d left the station and knew that one was scheduled to leave the following afternoon. If things worked out as he hoped they would, he could have Penny on that train and be heading back to the ranch the very next day. He had to get Penny back to Texas and her father as quickly as he could.

  Dan ordered a bath brought up to his room. When the tub of steaming water was delivered, he quickly got cleaned up, shaved, and donned his last set of clean clothes. He put on his coat and his Stetson and glanced down at his gun belt lying on the bed. He thought seriously about strapping it on, but finally decided against it. Unarmed, he left the room to get directions from the clerk at the front desk.

  “You’ll need a driver to take you,” the clerk advised, after telling him how to get to the address he’d given him. “There should be a carriage just outside.”

  “Thanks.”

  Dan was impressed by Matilda Hathaway’s home as the carriage drew to a stop out in front. A three-story brick mansion with a wide front porch, it spoke of wealth and luxury, and he grimaced inwardly at the thought of trying to convince Jack’s daughter to give all this up and return to the ranch. He had no doubt after all her years of living this way that she was a spoiled, arrogant city girl now, who probably didn’t care at all about her father or the ranch.

  “Wait for me,” Dan told the driver. He hoped Penny was home and would be willing to meet with him, but there was no way to know for sure.

  “Yes, sir,” the driver answered.

  Dan made his way through the wrought-iron gate and up the walkway to the porch. He knocked on the door and stood back as he waited for someone to answer it. He wasn’t surprised to find a maid opening the door.

  “May I help you?” she asked, more than a little surprised and intimidated to find a tall, broad-shouldered man who looked to be a cowboy standing there before her.

  “My name’s Dan Roland. I work for Jack Anderson, and I’m here to see Penny Anderson,” he answered.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Anderson isn’t at home right now. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.” She started to close the door on the stranger and was shocked when he blocked the door and stepped inside, into the front hall. He was such a powerful figure that she took several steps back away from him, feeling threatened. “Sir, really, you mustn’t force your way in—”

  “I’m not forcing my way in. I just need you to answer a question for me,” Dan said.

  She wasn’t quite sure what to think of him, but he had said he worked for Penny’s father, so that explained the edge of danger about him. She had heard all the tales from Penny’s mother when she’d first returned to live with Miss Matilda, about what life was really like out West, and she’d fully understood why she’d wanted to return to live in the city. “What is it you want to know?” she asked.

  “If Miss Anderson isn’t here, where is she? It’s important I speak with her tonight. I have a message for her from her father, and I need to deliver it to her as soon as possible,” he explained quickly. He didn’t want the woman to feel threatened by his presence, but he wasn’t going to sit around and wait until the following day to let Penny know what was going on.

  “If you’d like to tell me what it is, I can give her the message when she comes home, but it will be much later tonight.”

  “No, I need to speak with her myself.”

  “Oh—” For this young man to have made the trip all the way from Texas, she knew whatever he had to tell her was important. He was a stranger, but the women would be safe within a home full of friends. “Penny and her aunt are attending a private ball at the Chase home on Lucas Place.” Sadie gave him the address. “You’ll find them there.”

  “I thank you for your help, ma’am,” Dan said as he turned and started back down the walk.

  Sadie watched him go, wondering what the message was. She certainly hoped it was good news and not bad, but she had her doubts, as serious as the young man had been.

  Sadie wondered, too, what the fashionable Chase family was going to think when a cowboy showed up at their front door. Dan Roland would certainly give the older ladies something to talk about. She was sure of that.

  Dan climbed back in the carriage and gave the driver the new address, then sat back to wait out the ride. He was even more tense now as they made their way through the city streets toward the Chase home. It was going to be even more difficult interrupting a social event to find her, but he had no choice.

  Dan hoped Jack’s health was holding up. Even with the best of luck, it would probably be several more weeks before he could get Penny back home.

  As the carriage stopped in front of the Chase mansion, it was obvious there was a large party going on. The mansion was brightly lit, and music could be heard coming from inside.

  “I’ll be back as fast as I can,” Dan said.

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  Dan went up to the house and knocked on the door.

  The servant who answered knew right away that the man standing before him was not one of the invited guests. “Yes, sir. How may I help you?” His tone was haughty and unwelcoming.

  “I’m here to see Miss Penny Anderson,” Dan answered.

  “May I see you invitation, please?”

  “I don’t have an invitation. I—”

  “I’m sorry, you’ll have to leave, then. This affair is by invitation only,” he ordered coldly, wanting to get rid of him as quickly as possible.

  “I have no intention of staying. I need only to speak with Miss Anderson. I have an important message for her.”

  “I’m sorry, sir. This is not the time or place. Please leave.”

  “If you refuse to let me in, could you at least find her and bring her here? I’ll wait outside to speak with her,” he insisted.

  “No, sir. I—”

  “Is there a problem, Horace?” Edwin Chase asked as he came to the door.

  “No, sir,” Horace answered as he shut the door in the rough-looking man’s face. He certainly had never seen the man around town, and Mr. Chase’s directions at the beginning of the evening had been clear—no one was to be admitted without an invitation. It was a private party with an exclusive guest list.

  Dan thought about kicking the door open and walking right on in, but he knew he’d be in for a fight if he did and he didn’t want a fight tonight.

  He just wanted to find Penny.

  Irritated, but not about to give up, Dan went around to the side of the house and saw that there was a balcony off the ballroom. He grasped the rail and quickly swung up and over, grateful for the cover of darkness. Now all he had to do was figure out which woman was Penny.

  Chapter Four

  The Chase ball was always one of the highlights of the social scene. It was seen as the beginning of the holiday season, and Penny was having a delightful time, visiting with her friends and dancing quite often with several of the young men from town. She was circling the dance floor now in the arms of Jared Montgomery when suddenly Richard appeared and tapped Jared on the shoulder to cut in.

  “If I may?” Richard said.

  Jared had no choice but to turn her over to the other man.

  “Good evening, Penny,” Richard said, gazing down at her. He thought Penny was one of the prettiest girls in town, and he definitely liked dancing with her. He was just sorry he’d been late showing up, but he’d had business to attend to and that had to come first.

  “Good evening, Richard.” She smiled at him, knowing Amanda would be delighted that he was finally there. Her friend had been watching for him ever since they’d arrived and was disappointed when she couldn’t find him right away.


  “You certainly look lovely this evening,” he complimented her.

  “Thank you.”

  They got quiet as they continued to dance and enjoy the moment.

  Taking care to stay out of sight by the French doors, Dan kept a vigilant watch over the ballroom. Crowded as it was, it wasn’t easy for him to get a good look at everyone. He finally spotted a dark-haired young woman in a turquoise gown. Of all the women there, she bore the closest resemblance to the portrait Jack had given him.

  Dan frowned, knowing what he was going to do next wasn’t the most pleasant way to make her acquaintance for the first time, but there was nothing else he could do. Without hesitating any longer, Dan stepped forward and opened the French doors to let himself into the ballroom.

  “What in the world—” One of the men dancing with his wife near the doors was shocked when a rough-looking stranger wearing work clothes and a cowboy hat walked in unannounced. The man stopped dancing and quickly backed away with his wife, believing the intruder was there to cause trouble.

  Dan ignored those who’d turned to look in his direction. He started making his way through the crowd, but he didn’t get very far.

  A well-dressed man moved directly into his path, blocking his way. “Guests come in through the front door.”

  Dan knew there was no point in trying to make any excuses or reason with the man. “I’m not a guest.”

  “Then I suggest you leave.”

  A space cleared around them, and the musicians, upon seeing the disruption, stopped playing.

  “I’m not here to cause any trouble. I just need to speak with Miss Anderson.” Dan glanced in the direction of the woman he thought might be Penny, but she had her back to him. “If you’ll excuse me—”

  Just as he was turning away to walk over to the young woman, the doorman appeared in the main doorway along with another male servant.

  Dan knew he had to reach Jack’s daughter before he got tossed out—again. “Miss Anderson?”

  Penny hadn’t been paying much attention to what was going on, but at the sound of someone calling her name she turned around. She frowned slightly in confusion at the sight of the tall stranger, dressed more for ranch work than a society ball, crossing the ballroom toward her. She had no idea who he was or what he was doing there, but she knew she was going to find out real soon. “Yes, I’m Penny Anderson.”

  “I need to talk with you for a moment,” Dan told her.

  Concerned, she started to step forward to speak to him, but Richard caught her by the arm to stop her. “What are you doing? Stay here and let them throw him out. He doesn’t belong here.”

  “I have to see what he wants,” Penny insisted.

  Pulling her arm free of Richard’s hold, she boldly stepped forward. Tall and broad-shouldered, the cowboy was an impressive figure of a man—and ruggedly handsome. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

  From her dark hair and dark eyes that sparkled with intelligence to the elegant blue gown she was wearing, Penny was exactly what Dan thought a fancy eastern lady should look like, and he immediately wondered if he had any chance at all of convincing her to return to the Lazy Ace.

  “My name’s Dan Roland. I work for your father, and I have news for you from him. Is there some place private where we could talk?” He quickly forced himself to concentrate on his reason for being there.

  Penny was about to answer when the doorman grabbed Dan by the shoulder. “You’re not going to be doing any talking. You’re leaving now, cowboy. Let’s go,” the servant ordered.

  Penny spoke up, not wanting any trouble. “No, wait.” Dan Roland wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to speak with her if what he had to say wasn’t important. “It’s all right. I need to have a few moments with Mr. Roland.”

  Edwin Chase came up just then to see what was going on. “What’s the problem, my dear?”

  “There is no problem, Mr. Chase. Mr. Roland traveled all the way from my father’s ranch in Texas with some news for me. We need to speak privately, so I was wondering if we could use your parlor?” Penny asked politely.

  Edwin looked at the stranger for a moment and was impressed when the intruder met his gaze straight on. He could see no deception or conniving in his regard, and he sensed there was no threat from him. “Come with me.”

  He had started to lead the way from the ballroom when Matilda demanded, “Penny! What’s going on?” She had been sitting with some of her friends at the very back of the ballroom and had missed all of the initial excitement. Only when someone told her of the uninvited cowboy who’d gone after Penny did she get up and rush over to find her niece standing with a tall, impressive man who was no doubt a Texan.

  “This is Mr. Roland, Aunt Matilda. He has a message from my father,” she quickly explained.

  “I’m taking them to the parlor, Matilda. Why don’t you come with us?” Edwin suggested.

  Matilda went along as their host led them from the ballroom with everyone watching with open interest.

  Amanda was standing on the far side of the ballroom when she saw Penny walk out with Mr. Chase, her aunt, and the stranger. She couldn’t imagine what was going on. She hurried over to find Richard, who was standing with one of the other men.

  “What happened?” Amanda asked as she joined them. “Who was that man with Penny and her aunt?”

  Richard shrugged dismissively. “Something about a message from her father.”

  “So the man just climbed up on the balcony and came in to find her.” The other man added.

  Amanda was amazed at the stranger’s resourceful determination. “I wonder why he didn’t just wait until tomorrow to try to reach her?”

  “Who knows?” Richard said. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is the musicians are playing again and we’re not dancing, Amanda. May I have the honor?” Earlier, he’d been seriously considering courting Penny, but after seeing how she acted with the cowboy, he believed Amanda just might be more to his liking.

  “I’d be delighted,” Amanda responded. At any other time, being in Richard’s arms as he twirled her around the dance floor would have been as close to heaven on earth as she could get. But she was too worried about Penny to fully appreciate the experience. What could have happened?

  Edwin Chase took them down the main hall to the front parlor. “I’ll leave you to take care of your business. If you need anything—” He looked to Penny, wanting to reassure her.

  “Thank you, Mr. Chase.” Penny was truly grateful that Dan’s unexpected intrusion hadn’t caused too much trouble. She didn’t want to ruin anyone’s good time.

  Edwin left the room, but he did not close the hallway door on his way out. He wanted to make sure the ladies were safe, and by leaving it open, his servants would be able to hear if anything went wrong.

  Alone at last, Matilda looked up at the stranger, trying to judge his character. “Well, Mr. Roland, what is so important that you had to come barging into the Chases’ home this way to see Penny?”

  Dan saw the fierce protectiveness she had for her niece. He knew that was a good quality, but it also meant he was going to have to convince not only Penny, but her aunt, too. “I have a letter for Miss Anderson from her father.”

  He pulled the envelope from his shirt pocket and held it out to her.

  Penny hesitated for a moment, looking from the letter to Dan Roland. Their gazes met, and she could see how serious he was. She took the envelope from him, feeling decidedly unsettled by what might be in it. She took a deep breath and pulled out the one-page letter.

  Dear Penny,

  It is with great sadness that I am sending this letter to you.

  I have just learned that I have only a short time left to live and I need to see you again before I pass away. Dan Roland is my foreman here on the Lazy Ace. He will accompany you back to the ranch.

  With love,

  Your father

  “What does the letter say?” Matilda asked, noticing how Penny paled as she’d read t
he missive. “What does your father want from you?”

  Penny lifted her gaze to her aunt, her thoughts dark and troubled, her heart aching. “I have to go back to the ranch—”

  “No, you don’t,” her aunt said. “Your life is here now. Your mother wanted you to stay right here in the city with me.”

  “You don’t understand, Aunt Matilda—” Her voice was choked with emotion.

  “Understand what?”

  “My father needs me,” Penny managed. “He’s dying.”

  “Jack is dying?” Matilda was aghast at the news. Of all the things she’d suspected Jack was going to this length to contact Penny about, this wasn’t one of them. The thought that he could be in such ill health shocked her. She looked to the man who’d brought the letter to Penny, and remembering all that Elizabeth had told her about the harshness of life on the ranch, she demanded, “What happened to him? Was he shot? Did he have an accident?”

  “No, ma’am,” Dan replied. “It was nothing like that. The doctor told him it was his heart, so I have to get Miss Anderson back to the Lazy Ace as quickly as possible.”

  Memories overwhelmed Penny as she stood there holding the letter—memories of her father’s one short visit to see them there in St. Louis all those years ago and memories of the life she’d led on the Lazy Ace when she’d just been a young girl. Along with those memories came the pain of knowing that he hadn’t tried to stay in touch with her very often, even though she’d written to him regularly early on. “Why does he want to see me now after all this time? Why does he suddenly care about me and want me there?”

  Dan was gravely serious as he answered her, “He doesn’t have long to live, and he wants to see you before—”

  “But he never tried to stay in touch with me—”

  Dan was caught off guard by her statement. He glanced at her aunt and wasn’t surprised to see the older woman quickly avert her eyes and look away from him. He told Penny, “Your father did write to you. He wrote regularly, but he never heard back.”

  “He didn’t write regularly,” she denied. “I only got a few letters from him—”