Christmas Kisses with My Cowboy - Diana Palmer Page 0,30
was sweet on Katy. It would be underhanded and unkind to play on that attraction, she told herself. Then she thought about Teddie and what it would mean to the little girl to have an abusive former owner try to reclaim his horse. She didn’t know any local attorneys, and she was afraid that if the abuser had plenty of money, local attorneys in a small town might not be anxious to go up against him publicly. She needed somebody high-powered and aggressive in the courtroom. Teddie didn’t like the lawyer, but she loved her horse. Katy thought about that.
After which, she picked up the phone and made a long-distance call to Maryland.
* * *
When Parker and Teddie came up on the porch, both laughing, she felt a sudden pang of guilt. She should have first discussed with her daughter what she planned to do. She had an impulsive nature that sometimes got her into complicated situations. This one would certainly qualify.
“I’ve got lunch ready,” she said, leading the way into the kitchen. “How’s Bart doing?”
“Very well, indeed,” Parker said as he pulled out a chair for Teddie and then one for himself at the kitchen table. “His hooves look good. So does the rest of him.”
“What do you want to drink?” she asked Parker.
“Oh, a fifth of aged scotch, a magnum of champagne . . .” He grinned at her expression. “How about coffee?”
She laughed. “That suits me, too.”
She put the tuna salad on the table, along with a loaf of bread, a jar of mayonnaise, and knives at each plate. “Dig in,” she invited them.
“We haven’t said grace yet,” Teddie reminded her with a pointed look.
Katy rolled her eyes. “Sorry, sweetheart. Let me start the coffee and I’ll be right there.”
She sat down and before she and Katy bowed their heads, Parker was already bowing his. “When in Rome . . . ?” he teased softly.
Katy smiled and said grace.
She got back up then and went to pour coffee into two cups.
“Cream? Sugar?”
“I’m a purist,” he returned. “I take my coffee straight up mostly.”
She grinned. “I do too.”
“I don’t,” Teddie piped up. “Cream and sugar helps kill the taste! Can I have some?”
“When you’re thirteen,” Katy said, without missing a beat.
“Thirteen?!”
“That’s when my grandparents said I could have it. My parents said it, too. Coffee’s supposed to stunt your growth or something if you drink it earlier than that.” She frowned as she put the cups down on the table. “That sounds very odd.”
“It does,” Teddie agreed enthusiastically. “So where’s my cup?”
“When you’re thirteen, regardless of why,” Katy said easily and sat down.
They made sandwiches. Parker bit into his and his expression spoke volumes.
“Hey!” he said. “This is great!”
Katy smiled broadly. “Thanks. I learned how to make it from my granddad. He had a secret ingredient that set it apart from most tuna salad.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “And . . . ?”
“Oh, no,” she retorted. “I’m not giving it away. It’s a secret,” she said in a loud whisper.
He gave her a wicked look. “For now,” he said, and the way he was looking at her made her flush.
Teddie noticed. She smiled to herself.
They ate in a pleasant silence, except that Katy looked guilty and Parker wondered why.
After lunch, Teddie asked to be excused to watch a special program on the nature channel. Katy agreed at once.
She put up the lunch things and put the dishes in the sink, worried and unable to hide it.
“What is it?” Parker asked when she sat back down at the table.
She managed a jerky smile. “The vet called. They let Bart’s owner out of jail and dropped the charges.”
He sighed. “I know. I just found out this morning. I was going to tell you earlier, but I didn’t have the heart.”
“He suggested I get an attorney.”
“That’s a good idea,” Parker said. “He has one out of Denver,” he added. “A relative who’s a big-city attorney with a great track record.” He sighed. “Problem is, getting you an attorney who can stand up to him in court.”
“I thought about that.”
“We have some good local ones,” Parker continued. “But not one of them has ever gone up against a sophisticated city lawyer. Not to my knowledge. You need somebody comparable to the horse abuser’s counsel.”
“As it happens, I do know one back East.” She gave him an apologetic look. “The attorney who handled my husband’s affairs,” she began.
He rolled his eyes. “Not the suit with the attitude problem who doesn’t like Teddie?”