Sugar Plums for Dry Creek & At Home in Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad Page B

sit where they al ways sit,” one of the cow boys said be fore he turned to Lizette and swept off his hat. “Begging your par don, miss. I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you. My name’s Pete Denning. The boys and I heard you were making dough nuts. What a fine thing to do on such a nice day.”
    Judd could see that the longer Pete talked to Lizette, the less concerned he’d be come about the dough nuts. By the time the man had stopped introducing him self, he had a grin on his face that Judd would wager had nothing to do with baked goods.
    â€œOf course, I’m not asking for any dough nuts for my self,” Pete continued, confirming Judd’s suspicions. “I just wanted to come over and see if I could do any chores for you—you know, something to welcome you to Dry Creek.”
    Judd grunted. “She’s probably got some dishes to wash now that she’s made the dough nuts.”
    Pete’s smile wavered. “I was thinking more along the lines of chop ping fire wood or something. You know, one of those chores that single women need a man to help them out with.”
    â€œI have an electric stove,” Lizette said. “And the dishes are all done. All I need is some one to dance for me.”
    Pete’s smile brightened. “I can do that.”
    â€œShe means the ballet,” Charley muttered from where he sat at the table. “She’s not talking about line dancing or any thing fun.”
    â€œShe’s not?” Pete looked at Lizette. “You’re sure? There’s a place in Miles City that sets up a mean line dance.”
    â€œWhat place is that?” Jacob asked as he joined Charley at the table. “You’re not thinking of the senior center, are you?”
    â€œNo, I’m not thinking of the senior center. How romantic would that be? No, I’ve got my own kind of places,” Pete said.
    â€œIn Miles City?” Charley asked. “What kind of places are there that we don’t all know about?”
    There was a moment of tense silence.
    â€œThanksgiving is al most here, and that’s no time for quarreling,” Jacob finally said. “It’s a time for lighting our candles at church in stead.” Jacob turned and ad dressed his words to Lizette. “That’s been the tradition here since be fore the town started. Everyonelights a candle and says why they’re grateful. It helps us all be thankful for what we’ve got.”
    â€œWhat we’ve got right now is dough nuts,” one of the older men said as Lizette started passing the plate of dough nuts to the men who were the regulars in the hard ware store. The man who spoke took a maple dough nut off the plate. “And I’m sure enough grateful for having one.”
    â€œI have more in back, so there’s enough for everyone,” Lizette said as the plate made its way around.
    By now all of the cow boys were standing with their hats off. Lizette knew she should say something about going back to wipe their wet boots, but she didn’t have the heart. They were all gazing at her with hope in their eyes, looking more like little boys than grown men.
    Lizette went into the back room and brought out an other full tray of dough nuts. She had a row of chocolate frosted ones, a row of powdered dough nuts, a few jelly ones, a row of apple ones and a section of maple bars. She’d even shaken red and green sprinkles over a couple of sugar-glazed dough nuts just to see what they’d look like when Christmas came. She was al most glad the ranch hands had stopped by. What would she have done with all of these doughnuts otherwise?
    The men all sighed when Lizette carried the full tray over to where they stood.
    â€œOf course, these dough nuts are to help advertise my ballet classes.” Lizette felt she did owe it to herself to say that much as several hands reached for dough nuts. “And, remember, no one