Page 30 of Cowgirl's Christmas Partner

“Wally, hi, it’s Tad Murphy. I know you talked to Sarah, but I wanted to call you and let you know we’re still on. I can do your furniture on the schedule we originally discussed, no problem at all.”

Wally didn’t say anything. Tad checked his phone, but the line was still live.

“Wally? You there?”

“I’m here,” he said. “But I thought Sarah told you, I got Lucy a necklace for her Christmas present instead. I want the deck set for our anniversary in April. You do it right now, it gets buried in snow, and we don’t get to use it till spring anyway.”

Tad sat, blinking stupidly. “But I have time now.”

“What are you saying? You won’t have time in April?” A note of irritation had crept into Wally’s voice.

“No, no, I will.” Tad massaged his forehead. “What I’m saying is—uh, it’s really no problem if you want it right now. Sarah saw I was busy and jumped to conclusions, but I’m never too busy to meet my obligations.”

“I believe that,” said Wally. “But I don’t think you’re hearing me. Iwantit in spring, when we can use it right away. I got this whole breakfast planned, out on the patio, on our brand-new table.”

“Sounds romantic,” said Tad, the words sour on his tongue. So much for his hopes of squeezing in another job—and another paycheck—before Christmas.

“Dad? I found the stamps.” West had stuck a whole sheet of them to his envelope, one more expense Tad could ill afford.

“I should go,” said Wally. “We’ve got a funeral down in Bozeman, and they’ll be wanting their flowers.”

Tad thanked him and hung up, and reached for West’s letter.

“We can drop this off on our way to the hardware store,” he said. “It should still get to Santa in plenty of time.”

“So he’ll bring me my bike?”

“He’ll sure try,” said Tad. “But a cool bike like that, a lot of kids’ll want it. I don’t want you to be disappointed if one of them asked first.”

“I won’t,” said West. “If another kid gets my bike, I’ll just borrow it off them.” He skipped off, unconcerned, and Tad’s heart broke a little. He wanted West to find that bike under the tree. To be the one lending it out to his friends. Somehow, he’d make it happen, if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Tad nearly bumped into Vince, heading into Sarah’s kitchen.

“Tad, good to see you.” Vince held up a package wrapped in tinfoil. “You tried Sarah’s gingerbread loaf? It’s—mm.Chef’s kiss. Trick is, she whips chunks of candied ginger into the icing. Bursts of hot spice,popon your tongue.”

“Sounds good,” said Tad.

“Not good. Delicious.” He tucked the loaf under his arm and reached for his coat. “I was just saying to Sarah, if she needs you into the New Year, I can hold off on the bar. I’ll want it open for Valentine’s, for our big party, but a mid-January start should still get us there.”

Tad narrowed his eyes, seized with sudden suspicion. “Did Sarah say she needs me until then?”

Vince shrugged. “I was thinking her front room could use a coat of paint. And her stairs are still creaking. You could fix those up.”

“Sure, if she wants, but I’ll still be good for New Year’s, to start on your bar.” Tad kept his tone casual, but inside, he was fuming. The shove-off, the gingerbread loaf…he knew what this was. She’d done it again, poked her beak in his business.

“I’m off, Chickadee!” Vince waved from the doorway, and then he was gone. Sarah popped out of the kitchen, dusted with flour. She caught sight of Tad, and her face lit up.

“Tad, West, you’re here! Let me finish up in the kitchen, and we’ll talk carol night. Aunt Val has a wheelchair from when Uncle Vern broke his leg, and I thought we’d borrow it for Amy. She can’t make it up Main Street with her ankle, and I know she’d hate to miss it.”

West frowned. “Isn’t Amy on Cassie’s team?”

“Not for carol night, she isn’t.” Sarah grinned ear to ear, backing toward the kitchen. “Cassie’s come down with the flu—which is awful for her, of course, but she’s past the worst of it. She’s just wiped out, and she needs to take it easy. So Amy’s coming with us. And I’ve got to tell you, that’s lucky for us. Her voice isamazing,and she loves a good carol.”

Tad followed Sarah into the kitchen, his expression carefully neutral. “So, I couldn’t help but notice your uncle leaving with baked goods.”

Sarah paused, smile fading. “Gingerbread loaf. What of it?”

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