Page 20 of Colorado Christmas Carol
“Not nice,” Essa chided. “She’s a sweet child. You’ve done a magnificent job of bringing her up,” she added, smiling at Mellie.
Duke, surprised, checked to make sure she wasn’t being sarcastic. But she wasn’t. She really liked the child. He was very surprised. None of his dates had liked her and made it evident.
“You don’t really mind that I’m obnoxious?” Mellie asked with a big grin.
Essa chuckled. “No, because I’m obnoxious, too!”
They both gave Duke a smarmy smile.
He groaned and finished his meal.
* * *
On the way back, he turned off on a dirt road when they were near Benton.
“Where are we going now?” Mellie asked.
“It won’t take long, will it?” Essa asked in a small voice. “I’ve really enjoyed today, but I have to be back in time to get the supper menu going.”
“No problem. I just want to ask a couple of questions,” he added.
It was a small ranch with well-kept paddocks and newly painted fences. The livestock looked well-fed, and the horses showed no signs of abuse. Essa, who was raised on a ranch, fell in love with it, especially the ranch house, which was flat and sprawling and seemed to blend into the forest that surrounded it. Sharp mountains, snow-capped, rose in the background.
“It’s so lovely,” Essa said in spite of herself.
“What, no comments about poor cows?” he asked.
She gave him a long-suffering look. “We don’t eat cows, we eat steers. And if you noticed the menu where you’re staying, we offer several beef dishes that I’m required to cook.”
“What’s a first-time mama cow?” he shot at her.
“A heifer.”
His eyebrows rose. He didn’t say anything but just got out of the car and went to shake hands with a man standing at the foot of the steps.
“I wish we lived here,” Mellie said sadly, laying her arm over the back of the seat and pillowing her cheek on it as she spoke to Essa. “I hate living in Denver. Daddy hates it, too.”
“I love Benton,” Essa replied with a smile. “It’s small, but we all know each other. And Benton during the holidays is extraordinary! We have a Christmas parade with floats and lots of horses.”
“I like horses and cattle. And I’d love to have a dog and a cat.” She made a face. “We live in an apartment. You can’t have pets there.”
“I live in the hotel,” Essa replied. “I can’t have a pet, either. I had to give up my dog and my cat after my parents . . .” She swallowed, hard. “Anyway, I don’t have pets anymore.”
“Do you know where they are?” Mellie asked, sad for her new friend.
“Yes. There’s a no-kill shelter in town. I give them money every week for their keep. They aren’t mistreated and they get plenty of attention from the people who work there.”
“I guess that’s better than having them go to a different kind of shelter.”
“It truly is!”
Duke was shaking hands with the man again. He was smiling as he came back to the car.
“You look like the cat who ate the canary,” Essa remarked.
“I just discovered something.”
“What, Daddy?” Mellie asked, excited.
