Christmas Day Lunch In Master City

 Josh was frantic. Allie wouldn't talk to him when he called her. All she kept saying was three plus one is four. What was going on out there? Maybe she was talking in code. Yes, what would three plus one is four mean in code? The harder he tried to figure it out, the faster he drove. He was going as fast as he could safely. "I know. I'll call the sheriff.."
"Hello, sheriff? I think Allie is in trouble. You need to get out there as fast as you can. She is talking nonsense on the phone. I can't get her to talk to me. Please hurry. Something is terrible wrong. I should be there in twenty minutes." "Yes I know it is Christmas Day, sheriff, but we are talking about my best friend. She's in trouble. Please get out there!"

The sheriff mumbled to himself something about young folks nowadays as he was putting on his jacket. I" think those two should make a truce and maybe run that ranch together. Something has to give. I'm gettin' pretty tired of runnin' out there."

The sheriff got in his patrol car and turned on the lights. "Maybe the kid is right. Maybe there is something goin' on out there I need to check on." As he turned down the driveway to the ranch he looked in his rear view mirror and there was a car right behind him and honking his horn. "That kid is gonna get himself killed drivin' like that. I'm gonna have to tangle with that kid one of these days." He got out of his car and yelled at Josh to stay outside. He was going in to check out the situation. If Josh was right he didn't want him to see anything he wouldn't forget. He hollered for Allie throughout the downstairs. She didn't answer, but he could hear something from upstairs. As he took the stairs two at a time, he yelled, "Allie, Allie, are you alright? Answer me, girl." Within seconds Josh had pushed the sheriff out of his way and was shaking Allie. "Allie Allie wake up!" And that she did; hollering and yelling at the two men in her bedroom! 

"What do you two think you are doing in my bedroom! Get out of here! I can't even get a goodnight's sleep before I sell this place. Do the two of you mind? I'm getting out of this bed and then I'm going downstairs. When I get there there had better be a hot pot of coffee and a really good explanation for this intrusion into my privacy. Oh and by the way I'm starved. Out!"

The sheriff grabbed Josh's arm and said, "I told you to stay outside. You never listen do you? Now we are both in trouble. She's just fine and feisty as ever. That youngun sure can holler can't she?" I'm outta here. It's Christmas Day and I was supposed to have the day off. I'm going back to town and I don't want to hear another peep out of either one of you."

As the sheriff was driving out he saw the light on in Maxine's cabin. "Hmm, I wonder what's going on with her this morning. Maybe I'll check on her while I'm out here. Maybe she has coffee on. Well, it's Christmas. Yup, I think I'll just stop for a minute to wish her Merry Christmas. I doubt she has many visitors out here."

Maxine seldom had visitors. She was not known for her pleasing personality. In the old days she was a happy bride. She and her husband had so many plans for their future. Then he decided that he could strike it rich. He was bound and determined to find gold or silver. He just knew he would. They had bought this ranch together and worked their fingers and backs until they could work no more. Then one day he gambled it all away. The ranch and their dreams as far as she was concerned. Her husband's brother won the ranch in a poker game. He had let her live in her cabin for the rest of her life. She was grateful for that, but she had nothing to do with the old miner. He too had the "silver fever" she called it. He lost his wife, Naomi, over it. "Two of a kind if you ask me." She frowned and thought, "Nobody asks me nothing." Then she heard the crunch of tires on the dirt and rocks in front of her cabin. "Hmm, wonder who that is." She looked out the window and thought, "Sure enough. The sheriff. He's probably out here to evict me on Christmas Day. The young Allie probably is just as mean as a snake, just like my brother-in-law."

She got up and opened the door. "Well, you got an eviction notice you gonna serve me or what? Get it over with. I told that Allie that I had enough money to fight her in court and I'll do it too. Now let's have it!"

The sheriff looked at those beautiful snappy eyes and said, "And Merry Christmas to you too! I know a cafe that's open on Christmas Day. Want to go have lunch with me?"

Well Maxine was speechless. That was definitely not what she expected to hear. "What'd you say? Lunch? I haven't even had breakfast yet. I don't think so. Why would you even ask? I don't like people and they don't like me, so have yourself a merry little Christmas all by yourself." As Maxine started to close the door in the sheriff's face she looked at his face. He was grinning at her from ear to ear. "So what's so funny? I just turned you down, you shouldn't be grinning." The sheriff said, "Well I'm grinning because I'm thinkin' I'm gonna marry you some day. Yessiree bob, I just might do that."  As he stepped off the porch he was whistling a merry little Christmas tune and looked back at Maxine and winked. 

"The audacity of that man!" and slammed the door. "I'm a single woman and I like it that way just fine. Yes I do. Just fine. Marry you? I don't think so mister sheriff. You are dreamin'"

She got up and opened up her whatnot cupboard. "Yup, there it is. She held her wedding ring in her hand. I married once. I'll not do it again. That ended up in a disaster and so did our son. K.R. is in jail but I am the one that is held prisoner with old memories. She looked at the ring again, but instead of putting back in with her other keepsakes she said, "Goodbye ring of gold. You are not part of my life anymore." With that she put it in her trash basket.

Maxine was startled by the sound of her phone ringing. "Well, what now?" She looked at the phone. It said unknown number. "I might as well answer it. It will make some car warranty telemarketer happy."

"Hello?" You again? Now listen I told you I wasn't going out to lunch with you. No, now don't waste your time driving out here."  She tapped the red receiver on her phone.

"Can you believe that man? He said he's coming out to pick me up for lunch so I had better get dressed to go. Well, I'll just see about that."

Maxine walked into her bedroom and thought. "Well, what would it hurt? Just one lunch. I am kinda hungry. But he'd better not get any ideas about anything else. I'll tell him I'll pay for my lunch. Yes. That will put the kibosh to his romantic ideas. "He does have nice eyes. I wonder if he likes black. Yes, I'll wear black. If he shows up in his uniform I'm done.  Good grief, that old fool is here already. Hmm, not lookin' too bad. "Yes, I'm ready. Let's get on with it."

Josh had made Allie some coffee. He was ready for a serious talk with her. He had a lot to tell her and he also wanted some answers from his grouchy friend. "She is definitely not a morning person I can sure tell that! Man she is snappy when she gets woke up in the morning."

Allie came into the kitchen and said, "I don't want coffee. I want to go out for lunch. It's Christmas Day or did you forget that? I'm sure that there will be something open in Master City. No, let's go now. You left me here all by myself, Mr. Joshua. Now you can do what I want for a change."

Rex and his new lady friend had a table in the back of the cafe. They had to sit at a table for six. It was the only table left. The place was crazy busy even though it was Christmas day. They decided that she would drive since he wasn't supposed to. He was going to  play things by the book for a change. His life had become so much happier since he had met Pat. He found himself grinning at things and  even the sun seemed brighter. He was happier ever since the day he played Santa at the nursing home. It wasn't so bad to be old. The only thing that made him a bit sad was that his brother had not wanted to stay. He and his new wife had a life of their own. That was okay. All the old bad feelings had been hashed out and now was over and done with. This was his life now, with the prettiest woman he ever did see. This was going to be the best Christmas in a very long time...