.

in the dumps he felt—so he had pursued the topic his father had introduced. “What part of California?” he had asked Andrea. His eyes narrowed as he remembered how cleverly she had evaded a straight answer. And how she had immediately changed the subject.

      Now, why would she avoid an innocuous discussion of her life before moving to Rocky Ford? And what had brought her to Montana in the first place? Did she have family here? If so, why wasn’t she spending Christmas with them?

      Yes indeed, there was something a little off kilter about Miss Dillon.

      Shep sighed. Hell, she could have a scandalous or even a criminal past, and he wouldn’t care.

      He suddenly couldn’t sit there any longer. Rising, he went to the closet for his jacket and put it on. Taking a pair of leather gloves from a pocket, he began working them onto his hands as he entered the kitchen.

      “I’m going for a walk,” he announced.

      Andrea was loading the dishwasher, and Lucas was putting a covered dish into the refrigerator. They both became statue still and looked at him.

      “Uh…sure,” Lucas finally said. “Enjoy yourself, son.”

      “We’ll have dessert and coffee when you get back,” Andrea said.

      He wanted to tell her not to wait for him, that he didn’t know when he’d be back or even if he’d return to her house at all.

      But he only nodded and walked out the back door.

      Andrea and Lucas looked at each other. “He really is very unhappy, isn’t he?” she said quietly.

      “I’m afraid he is,” Lucas said, sounding deeply concerned.

      “Lucas, if you want to go after him, please don’t feel as though you need to keep me company.”

      Lucas placed the dish in his hand on a refrigerator shelf and closed the door. “I think he wants to be alone, Andrea. He’ll talk to me when he’s ready.”

      “Well…I guess you know your own son.”

      “I used to,” Lucas said in a saddened tone of voice.

      Andrea began wiping down the counter. “He came to you, Lucas. In his time of trouble, he came home. That has to mean something.”

      Lucas’s countenance brightened a little. “Yes, he did, didn’t he?”

      Andrea looked out the window above the sink. “It’s snowing harder. Oh, it’s lovely.” But it was also freezing cold out there, and she couldn’t help worrying about Shep Wilde walking around in such weather in an unhappy daze.

      But he was a grown man and none of her business.

      Briskly she turned to Lucas. “Everything’s in order in here. Thank you very much for the help. Now, shall we retire to the living room? I’ll build a fire in the fireplace, and we can either watch a movie or just sit and relax until Shep gets back.”

      They started for the living room. “How about if I build the fire and you pick out a movie?” Lucas said.

      Andrea smiled. “If that’s what you want, sure. What’ll it be, a Western, a mystery or a romantic comedy?” She opened the cabinet that contained her collection of movies.

      Lucas was already bending over to lay a fire. “Anything you choose is fine with me.”

      Andrea sighed inwardly. Lucas didn’t care what movie she put in the VCR because of Shep out walking in the cold and snow.

      Well, wasn’t that where her mind would be, as well?

      Today was not turning out at all the way she’d planned. But had any Christmas of her life been storybook perfect? Sighing again, she grabbed a movie without checking its title and inserted it in the VCR.

      The best part of the next few hours was the fire crackling in the fireplace. Andrea didn’t even attempt to concentrate on the movie, and twenty minutes into the film, Lucas was dozing. She looked at him with great affection. Men were such strange creatures. As worried as Lucas was about his son, he could still fall asleep in front of the TV.

      She should be so lucky. Insomnia had been a problem ever since coming to Rocky Ford. When she was worried or upset, she simply couldn’t sleep soundly, and rarely did she go to bed without something heavy on her mind. And she couldn’t remember the last time she’d napped during the day.

      The movie ended. Using the remote control, Andrea rewound it and then ejected it from the VCR. Getting up, she laid chunks of wood on the dying fire. It blazed again, and she sat on the hearth rug to watch the flames.

      “I must have dozed off.”

      Turning to look at Lucas, she smiled. “You had a very nice nap.”

      “That was darned rude of me.” Lucas got out of his chair and went to the window. “Any sign of Shep?”

      “Your taking a nap was not rude, and no, I haven’t seen Shep.” Her sympathies were with Dr. Wilde. She had never gone through anything remotely similar to his divorce, but she was able to imagine how alone and lost one might feel over such an experience.

      She got to her feet. “This is a good time to give you your present.” Ignoring Lucas’s startled expression, she went to the tree, reached way under it and came out with a gaily wrapped package.

      “Andrea, you shouldn’t have,” Lucas said. “I didn’t get you anything.”

      “And don’t you dare be embarrassed by it.” Andrea held out the package. “This is something I wanted to do and I didn’t expect anything in return.” She placed the gift in his hand. “Open it.”

      “This is really nice of you.” In spite of her admonition to not be embarrassed, Lucas looked a little red in the face. But there was also a twinkling excitement in his eyes, making Andrea smile.

      “Open it, Lucas,” she repeated.

      “Okay.” Returning to his chair, he tore off the wrapping and removed the cover of a small box. “Well, look at this,” he declared.

      It was a soft, wool-blend maroon scarf, quite beautiful and much more expensive than what Andrea had planned on spending when she thought of buying him a Christmas gift. Running across it in a nondescript little shop with an eclectic assortment of merchandise had been a surprise, as Rocky Ford’s stores normally didn’t carry what she considered fashionable items of clothing. She would have bought it at any price. Lucas’s best jacket, which he’d worn to her house today, was a dark gray wool, and she’d known at first sight that the scarf would be perfect with that jacket.

      “How’d you know I needed a new scarf?” Lucas asked, holding it up and fingering the fabric. “Andrea, this is really nice. As soft as can be. Never could stand scratchy things around my neck.”

      “You like it, then?”

      “Sure do.”

      “I’m glad. I thought it would go well with your gray jacket.”

      Lucas grinned impishly. “I’ll look so smartly turned out, I’ll probably have to fight off the ladies.”

      Andrea teased right back. “I’m sure you’re already having to fight off the ladies.”

      Lucas chuckled. “Not anymore, honey.” Carefully folding the scarf, he laid it in its box. “Well, I feel like a darned fool for not thinking to buy you something, but thank you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

      “You’re very welcome. I appreciate your friendship.”

      

      * * *

      

      While this pleasant scene was unfolding in Andrea’s house, Shep was pacing his father’s home. He had walked in the heavy snowfall for about an hour, when he’d started feeling the cold, then bypassed Andrea’s place in favor of Lucas’s.