“Sounds good to me. We’ll need to set up a Christmas-drive fund at one of the banks, so people can get tax credit for their donations,” Paige said.
“I can deal with that because I’ll be going by the bank anyway,” Stella said.
“Fine. You take care of setting up the bank account.”
“Paige, I appreciate this so much. I talked to Aaron about it and he’ll run it past Cole and the TCC guys. I have a list of people who will probably participate in the drive. I’ll email it to you.”
“Good. I better run.”
“Thanks again. I’ll walk out with you. I’m going to the office—our temporary one. I think town hall will be one of the last places to get back to normal.”
“There are so many places that still need to get fixed, including the Double R,” she said.
“How’re you doing running that ranch by yourself?”
“I run it in Craig’s place, but not by myself. Our hands have been wonderful. They’ve really pitched in and gone the extra mile.”
“I’m glad. See you soon.”
They parted and Stella drove to town hall, trying to focus on work there and stop thinking about Aaron.
It was seven when she went down to meet Aaron in the Cozy Inn dining room, which had gotten to be a daily occurrence. She thought about how much she looked forward to being with him as she glanced once more at her reflection in the mirror in the elevator. Her hair was in a neat bun, every hair in place. She wore a thick pale yellow sweater and dark brown slacks with her practical shoes. The night air was chilly, although it was warm in the inn.
She stepped off the elevator and saw him only a few yards away.
Tonight he was in slacks, a thick navy sweater and Western boots. He looked sexy and appealing and she hoped he asked her to dance.
“You’re not in your usual spot tonight. I thought maybe you decided not to come,” she said.
“Never. And if something ever does interfere with my meeting you when I said I would, believe me I’ll call and let you know unless I’ve been knocked unconscious.”
She laughed. “I hope not. I had a productive day, did you?”
“Oh, yes, I did. Let’s get a table and I’ll tell you all about it, because a lot of it concerns you. I’ll bet they were pleased at town hall with the checks you got yesterday.”
“Oh, my, yes. We have three families that are in a desperate situation and need money for a place to stay. Then some of it will go to buy more supplies where needed. Do you want me to keep going down the list?”
“No need.” He paused to talk to the maître d’, who led them to a table near the fireplace. Mesquite logs had been tossed in with the other logs and the pungent smell was inviting.
Stella ordered ice water again. When they were alone, she smiled at him. “I saw Paige Richardson today. She agreed to cochair my Christmas-drive committee.”
“You didn’t waste time getting that going.”
“No, we need to as soon as possible. Actually, I kept $2,000 of the check from Lubbock to open a fund at the bank for the Christmas drive. She is recruiting some more members for the committee and I have Megan’s and Julie’s help.”