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The only blind person at Christmas time is he who has not Christmas in his heart.
– Helen Keller
Jordyn stayed busy for the next two hours delivering breakfasts. Everyone was in a cheerful mood and wanted to chat—especially about the Gala that evening. The days preceding the event were always filled with activities, but Gala day was set aside to relax, go for long walks or just stay in the snug cabins in front of the fire until it was time for the big party.
After making her last trip to the row of cabins, Jordyn started back to the house, but made a slight detour to go by the chapel her father had built. Made of stone and logs, it stood at the base of a hill and appeared as rustic and idyllic as the land itself. It was one of the first buildings he’d added and he’d done most of the work himself. It now stood as a labor of love that had withstood the testament of time. Dozens of couples had met at Painted Sky over the years and come back to say their vows in the holy spot.
The church looked like a painting or a postcard decorated for Christmas. Swags of pine adorned with red ribbons lay on each window ledge, and even though it was daytime, flickering candlelight reflected off the glass from inside. Jordyn’s gaze swept the area and landed on the large stack of wood that would be set ablaze later to help illuminate the night sky. There would be numerous roaring bonfires to light the way as well as dozens of smaller campfires with marshmallow and hot chocolate stations nearby
It always amazed Jordyn how many women would throw on a coat and a pair of boots over their beautiful dresses to go for a walk on Christmas Eve. No matter the weather or how deep the snow, the lighted fires would lead the way through some of the most spectacular towering pine forests and night sky vistas. If the night was clear, star gazers would be enthralled by the vast, wide open sky that twinkled with an infinite number of brilliant stars.
Jordyn turned around and headed back to the house, and caught sight of the man she’d been hoping to find. “Mr. Judson.” She pretended to be cheerful when she saw him standing on the porch of the ranch hand cabin. “I’m Jordyn Dunaway. I’ve been meaning to stop by and introduce myself. I understand you’re the new foreman.”
He’d been leaning on the railing, but pulled himself up to his full height, as if by doing so she wouldn’t notice the thick sludge of mid-section that hung over his oversized belt buckle. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Dunaway. I’ve heard a lot about you.” His gaze started at her eyes, but slowly perused her entire body before returning.
She almost said the same thing to him, but decided a better course of action would be to remain friendly. “It’s nice to have someone taking care of things for Mom.” She kept her voice calm and even despite the fact that just saying the words caused a new wave of anger to surge.
He straightened his shoulders a little more. “That’s my job, ma’am. My pleasure.”
Jordyn took a step closer. “I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot or anything, but I just heard a complaint about your use of chewing tobacco, and—”
“From who?” he retorted angrily, looking at the row of cabins as if to figure out which one had said something. “It’s none of their business.”
“I didn’t mean to start an argument.” Jordyn kept her voice upbeat and cheerful, betraying nothing of her anger and disgust. “But I’m sure my mother told you about chewing and spitting in front of guests.”
Judd’s eyes narrowed and his brow creased. He opened his mouth to respond, but then apparently thought better of it. He merely smiled and lifted his hat in an exaggerated fashion. “Very well, Miss Dunaway. Thank you for the reminder.”
Jordyn nodded and waved as she started to walk away. “Merry Christmas!”
“I mean, I can understand why you’d be a little on edge, seeing as how that horse died last night. It don’t reflect too good on the ranch.”
Jordon stopped in her tracks, but didn’t turn around at first. She concentrated on his words rather than the roaring in her ears. “I beg your pardon?”
“Now don’t try to hide it, Miss Dunaway.” He lowered his voice as if they were confiding in one another. “I know all about Bell.”
“What about her?” Jordyn turned now and took a step closer. “Yes, she was sick and the vet came. But she was fine when I left the barn last night.” She took a deep breath of satisfaction that her voice hadn’t trembled in the least.
“You mean Chad didn’t tell you?” Judd’s face lit up as if it brought him great pleasure to be able to break the bad news to her himself.
“Tell me what?”
“That the horse got tangled up and ripped the IV out. Bled to death, apparently.”
“No. That can’t be true.” Jordyn put her hand over her mouth, feigning surprise.
“Sorry to break it to you.” He pointed to the bulldozer up on the hill. “What do you think that’s for? Chad took that thing out there in the middle of the night and dug the hole. Right on the other side of the hill I guess so no one would see or hear.”
Jordyn almost burst out laughing, but successfully resisted the urge. When Chad said he had other things to do, she hadn’t known what he’d meant. But it all made sense now. If a horse had died, they would either need to produce a body or a grave to make it believable. He’d gone the extra mile to make it look like a horse had been buried on the property.
“I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.” Judd said, as he eyed her with a calculating expression. “Maybe he’s trying to cover up his own incompetence.”
Jordyn put her face in her hands. “I can’t believe it. Not Bell.” She peered at him through her fingers. “How do you know what happened? Did you find her?”
“No. The bad thing is, it was one of the guests...so it probably won’t be kept quiet for very long.” Judd tilted his head as if assessing how she would take that news.
“Oh, no. Which one? Maybe I should have a talk with hi....ask him to keep it quiet.”
“You can try, I guess.” Judd crossed his arms across his barrel chest. “His first name is Ricky. That’s all I know.”
“Does he wear a black checkered bandana?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.” He leaned forward with squinty eyes. “How’d you know?”
“I heard him introduce himself to someone.” Jordyn quickly tried to cover her mistake, and then tried to dive for more information. “What did he do when he found her? That’s so terrible.”
“Well, of course he ran out and tried to find someone to help. I was the first person he ran into since everyone else was still at the Lodge celebrating and enjoying their holiday.”
Jordyn didn’t need to ask the next question on her lips.
“But before I could get over there, I saw Chad heading into the barn, so I decided to just let him handle it. There was nothing that could be done according to what Ricky said.”
“It’s so sad.” Jordyn wiped away a make-believe tear. “Thanks for telling me.”
