Innocent Witness. Leona Karr

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      Susan’s eyes sparkled as she took in Deanna’s dress and shoes. “Wow, look at you. Gold earrings and everything. You ought to turn a few heads in that out-fit…or maybe one in particular. If you know what I mean.”

      Deanna tried to ignore Susan’s broad grin, but she suddenly felt terribly self-conscious. Why on earth had she put on a dress instead of her usual trim slacks and tailored blouse? She shoved aside the glaring truth that her feminine side wanted to impress the California doctor.

      “Susan, why don’t you take Penny into the dining room, and see what the cook has on the menu for dinner,” Deanna said. “You go ahead and order. If Dr. Sherman and Travis haven’t eaten, we’ll join you in a few minutes.”

      “Okay, but I tried to see what Maude was preparing and she chased me out before I could find out.”

      Deanna silently crossed her fingers that the stocky, gray-haired Maude Beaker was as good a cook as she claimed she was. Keeping good help was a constant headache because the resorts nearer the ski areas paid higher wages, and her last cook had quit without notice. Luckily, Maude, apparently an old maid, had come to Red Eagle to live with her nephew, Roy Beaker. She’d told Deanna that Roy was gone all the time, so she’d decided to find work. Deanna couldn’t imagine the two of them living together. Roy was as testy as his aunt, and if they ever argued, Deanna feared Maude might decide to move on, leaving Deanna without a cook again. So far, the meals Maude had prepared had been tasty, but nothing fancy. Deanna hoped Steve Sherman wasn’t so spoiled by the offerings of chic California hotels and restaurants that his palate rejected plain cooking.

      Leaving the dog in the office, Susan and Penny headed for the dining room, and Deanna walked down the hall to the lobby. When she caught sight of Steve standing at the front desk, she knew what had stimulated Susan’s adolescent approval. His formfitting jeans and knit shirt could have been on a television commercial showing what sexy men were wearing. He was boyishly handsome with his chestnut hair all windblown, his face tanned from a day in the sun.

      “Hi, Mrs. Drake,” Travis called before she reached them. He ran over to her and exclaimed, “We’re here.”

      “So you are,” she laughed at his exuberance. “Did you have a good trip from Denver?” She really wanted to ask why they were late getting here. She had been anxiously expecting them all day, fearful that something might have gone wrong.

      “We saw some big, big elk. A whole bunch. Horns like this.” He spread out his arms as far as they would go. “Dad took pictures. We’ll show you,” he bubbled.

      Deanna smiled, “I’d love to see them.”

      “We even stopped and talked to a bunch of guys who were fishing. They had a whole string of spotted pink fish.” He held out his little arms wide to show Deanna how many. “Dad says we’re going fishing to catch a bunch of them.”

      “I said we were going to try and catch some,” Steve chuckled. “Don’t put me on the spot, son.”

      “There are plenty of trout in the lake,” Deanna assured them. “And we even have boats that will take you out in the middle where the big ones are.”

      “Gosh! Can we do that, Dad?”

      “Well, not tonight.”

      “Tomorrow?”

      “Probably not tomorrow.” At his son’s groan, he smiled. “We don’t want to do everything the first day, do we? We’ll get everything in, I promise.” He knew that his son was walking two feet off the ground, talking and planning all kinds of fun for their mountain vacation. Steve was almost as eager as Travis to enjoy the spectacular Colorado Rockies. He’d been looking forward to spending this vacation time with his son. Combining work with pleasure should work out well for everyone. Scheduling Penny’s therapy sessions in the morning would leave the rest of the day for Travis.

      “The hotel has a nice playground,” Deanna said. “And an indoor swimming pool.”

      As Steve let his eyes travel to her honey colored hair, lightly tanned skin and blue dress that swirled around a beautiful pair of legs, he could easily picture her in a bathing suit. He chided himself for wondering if she ever swam with the guests.

      He picked up the room keys. “First let’s get settled in our room.”

      “I’ll have one of the boys take your luggage up, sir,” said the desk clerk, a tall, lanky young man with a ready smile.

      Deanna was pleased with the way Jeffery Tanner was handling the desk, and hoped Jeffery would stick around awhile, but she knew that as soon as college opened in the fall, he’d be gone. Keeping staff was an ever-present headache.

      “I hope you’ll find your room satisfactory, Dr. Sherman.” Deanna smiled with her usual hostess politeness.

      “Steve,” he corrected her. “I’m on vacation, remember? And may I call you Deanna? It’s a lovely name, by the way. Suits you.”

      She didn’t know quite what he meant by the compliment, but she found her face getting slightly warm under his appreciative gaze. She hoped her voice sounded normal when she suggested, “Why don’t you and Travis join us for dinner, Steve? You know Penny, and her nanny, Susan Whitcomb, is with her in the dining room. I don’t know what’s on the dinner menu, but mountain air usually makes everything taste good.”

      “Sounds great,” Steve responded readily. “Let us freshen up a bit and we’ll meet you in the dining room, say, fifteen minutes?”

      They made it back downstairs in only ten minutes. Steve had changed into fresh brown slacks and a tan pullover sweater. Travis’s face was freshly scrubbed, his hair neatly combed, and he wore a Broncos’ sweatshirt that looked brand-new.

      Deanna was pleased when Steve looked around the dining room and gave a nod of approval. She had chosen a pastel floral wallpaper and tablecloths in pale green and pink. A series of windows overlooked the lake and mountain valley. A flagstone terrace with potted greenery just outside added to the spacious feeling of the room and made a wonderful setting for early-morning breakfast, midday lunch and evening dinner.

      “Very nice,” he said. “Warm and inviting.”

      He smiled at Susan as he took a chair beside her, and Deanna enjoyed a secret smile at the young girl’s flustered expression. Travis took a seat on the other side of Susan, and following thoughts of his own, asked, “What’s the dog’s name?”

      “Hobo,” answered Deanna.

      “That’s a funny name,” Travis said, frowning.

      “It’s another word for tramp,” Steve explained, and Travis brightened. He’d read a book about a funny tramp who wandered around making people laugh.

      “We took Hobo in as a stray, and haven’t been able to get rid of his straggly, unkempt look despite brushing and baths,” Deanna chuckled. “He seems determined to live up to his name.”

      “Maybe he would like to be called Prince better, even if he doesn’t look like one,” Travis offered.

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