A South Texas Christmas

by Stella Bagwell

  “Hmm. So the ranch truly is a family operation,” Neil mused aloud as he tilted his coffee cup to his lips.

  “Very much so. It’s been that way for nearly a century, I think.” Raine opened a loaf of bread and dropped four pieces into a toaster. As she watched the coils inside the appliance heat to a bright red, she decided she was worse than the toaster. She didn’t even have to be plugged into electricity to feel a sizzle. One look from Neil was enough to heat her. Even now, with her back turned to him, she could feel his eyes on her and just the thought left her cheeks warm, her heart beating fast.

  She glanced over her shoulder. “I thought you might like to walk over to the barns with me this morning and meet the guys. That is, if I’m lucky enough to find them all on the ranch at one time.”

  He smiled. “Sure. Since I’m practically your fiancé, I need to see what sort of competition I have here on the ranch,” he teased. “I hope all three men are married.”

  Even though she understood Neil was just being playful with her, she couldn’t stop the warm, gentle feeling settling over her. It was nice to hear him speak as though she was attractive, as though she was a woman that any man would cherish.

  “No. None of them are married. Matteo is widowed and has a daughter. The other two guys are still single. But believe me, I’m like a little sister to all of them. They’ve watched me grow up here on the ranch.”

  The bread popped up and while she began to butter each piece, Neil glanced around the homey kitchen. The room was small enough to make it feel cozy, yet large enough for two people to cook at the same time. He thought of his own kitchen back home and tried to remember the last time a woman had been in it. Too long for him to clearly recall. He’d learned early on in his young life that if you shared a bit of hearth and home with a woman they tended to get clingy, and fast. Now that he’d gotten older and wiser, he avoided any sort of domestic scene with a woman. It was easier that way.

  Maybe he was breaking his own rule with Raine, he admitted to himself. But this time with her was only going to last a few days at the most. Besides, she wasn’t interested in hanging on to him. Her thoughts were zeroed in on finding her father. He was as safe as a baby cradled in its mother’s arms.

  “Where’s Esther?” he asked.

  Raine carried a plate of toast over to the table then fetched saucers for the both of them. “She goes to work very early. Usually around five-thirty or six so that she can help Cook over in the Saddler house.”

  “Which house would that be?” he asked as she handed him a knife and fork.

  “The first house on your right after you drive onto the property. It’s the hacienda-styled one with the red-tiled roof. The Sanchezes live in the red brick.”

  She took a seat kitty-cornered from his and pushed a jar of homemade dewberry jam toward him. Neil slapped a layer on a piece of the toast as he flashed covert glances at her.

  Somewhere between last night and this morning he must have forgotten exactly how beautiful she was. But a few minutes ago when he’d walked into the kitchen and she turned to look at him, he’d been reminded with an impact that had struck him like the punch of a fist.

  Raine wasn’t a glamour girl, the type that Neil was normally attracted to. No, with her subtle makeup and fresh innocent face, she was far from being the sultry temptress. So when Neil looked at her and thought she had to be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, it confounded him, even scared him.

  She wasn’t supposed to look this good, he thought. Her golden-brown hair was pulled into a simple ponytail and she was wearing a basic white shirt over a pair of blue jeans and tan cowboy boots. There wasn’t anything ultrafeminine about her attire, but it was damn sexy the way the jeans outlined her curvy little butt and long, strong legs. The shirt was unbuttoned down to the V of her breasts and every time she moved the slightest bit, Neil found his gaze locked on the honey smooth skin and the slight, tempting shadow of cleavage.

  Clearing his throat the way he wanted to clear his mind, he asked, “Did you talk with your mother this morning before she left the house?”

  Her expression went flat. “Only for a few minutes.”

  He glanced at her as he bit into the toast. “How was she?”

  Raine shrugged. “She didn’t mention you. It was like last night never happened. But I could tell beneath her small talk that she was reeling from it all.” She picked up a piece of the toast, then with a sigh lowered it back to her saucer. “I’m really beginning to feel awful about this whole thing, Neil. Maybe I should just fess up and tell her why you’re really here.”

  “No!” His response came out so quickly Neil almost shocked himself and he looked across to Raine to see she was staring at him. She was probably wondering about his fierce reply, and frankly, Neil was wondering about it himself. A million little voices had been telling him there were going to be problems ahead with Esther Crockett and this game of deception that he and Raine were playing. Yet spending time with Raine and hoping against hope that he might actually help find her lost father was beginning to mean much more to him than escaping an ugly confrontation with the woman.

  Quickly he said, “We’ve already come this far, Raine. Let’s not mess things up now. If she’s as adamantly against searching for her past as you say she is, then she’d demand that I leave the ranch without giving me the chance to ask anyone questions. Don’t you see we’ve got to keep on with what we’ve started? That is, if you still want to try to find your father.”

  Her expression changed to sudden desperation and she nodded. “You can’t imagine how badly I do want to find him. He’s not just a part of my past, he’s a part of me. I want to know where I came from before I start thinking about having a family of my own. Otherwise, it’s like I have no legacy to pass on to my children. And you’re right, Neil, we can’t quit this charade now. But I feel so…horrible about deceiving her.”

  “Don’t think about that part of it. Just think how relieved and happy she’ll be once I’m gone from here and out of your life.”

  Wearily Raine pinched the bridge of her nose, then gave him a wobbly smile. “I’m sorry I’m putting you through all this. I didn’t even offer you a proper breakfast.”

  If she’d handed him a cardboard doughnut, he would have been happy to eat it just as long as she was sitting here beside him.

  Hell, Neil, he silently cursed himself, now wasn’t the time to revert back to adolescence. He wasn’t here to get all dreamy-eyed over a woman fifteen years his junior. As far as that went, he wasn’t going to let himself get dreamy-eyed over any woman, including Raine Crockett.

  “Don’t worry about it. I know my way around the kitchen,” he said.

  And more than likely the bedroom, too, Raine thought, as she watched him quickly down a piece of toast. The whole image of Neil making love to her or any woman was enough to rev up her feminine engine. But try as she might, she couldn’t seem to make her thoughts about him go in a different direction.

  Last night after everyone had retired and the house had gone quiet, she’d lain awake in bed while her mind replayed over and over the moments she’d spent in his arms. Wisdom told her he’d only been playing with her. And from what she could gather about him, she doubted he would ever be serious about any woman. So why had his kisses felt serious? she asked herself. Why couldn’t she look at him and forget about the way he’d made her feel?

  Pushing those troubling questions out of her head as best she could, Raine swallowed the last of her coffee. “It’s getting late,” she explained. “If you’re finished, we’d better be going. There’s an office down at the main barn that the men use. I’ll take you by there before I go on up to the Saddler house. That’s where I work,” she went on to explain.

  “All right,” he agreed, then rose and carried his cup and saucer to the sink.

  Raine scooped up what was left on the table and joined him at the sink. Quickly she rinsed everything clean, put the dishes away and turned off the coffee machine.
She didn’t want to give her mother anything to complain about. Even something as petty as two dirty cups and saucers.

  Outside, the two of them climbed into Raine’s pickup truck and drove the short distance to the main barn, a huge metal structure situated at least a quarter of a mile from the Saddler house. On one side of the barn, a maze of cattle pens made of iron pipe covered, at the very least, two acres of land. On the opposite side of the building was a large corral filled with a dozen or so horses.

  Apparently this autumn season had been dry for the area. The ground in the horse pen was like loose powder and as the animals trotted around in the warm morning air, dust boiled from their hooves and hung above them like a brown cloud.

  In spite of it being December, the weather was quite warm, the sun already bathing the low hills of the ranch in a golden glow. Raine parked beneath the skimpy shade of a mesquite tree growing at the edge of the horse corral and the two of them climbed to the ground. As Neil glanced around him with interest, he spotted two men coming from the nearby barn.

  Raine noticed them, too, and immediately motioned for them to join her and Neil. Then glancing around to where he was standing just behind her shoulder, she informed him. “That’s Lex and Cordero. Maybe Matt is around here somewhere and we’ll catch him, too.”

  Two tall men dressed in jeans, boots and hats, and appearing to be somewhere in their thirties, began to amble in their direction. As the pair made their way across the dusty lot, Neil stepped up beside Raine and slipped his arm around the back of her waist.

  She shot him a brief glance. “Is that necessary?” she asked under her breath.

  Smiling, Neil whispered down at her, “To keep things looking authentic. We want these guys to believe we’re a couple, don’t we?”

  She sighed. If only his embrace was real, she thought, and the warmth of his arm would always be there when she needed love and support. But this was an act, a fairy tale that would eventually have to end. Why did the idea leave her feeling so bereft?

  “I suppose it’s necessary,” she replied.

  “Then you’d better get rid of that frown running down the middle of your forehead,” he whispered.

  He’d barely gotten the words out when the two men joined them in the shade of the mesquite. By now Raine had plastered a happy smile on her face and she quickly made introductions.

  “Neil, this is Lex Saddler and Cordero Sanchez,” she said with a gesture to each man. “Guys, this is Neil Rankin. He’s—uh—”

  A lost expression suddenly stole over her face and Neil quickly stepped in.

  “I’m Raine’s fiancé,” Neil finished for her. “Glad to meet you both.”

  While assessing both men, he shook their hands. The two were equal in height, with rugged physiques and dark brown hair. Both had similarly striking features and green eyes, with Cordero’s being a darker hazel of the two. As Neil studied their faces, the odd sensation that he’d seen these men before crept over him. But how could that be when he’d never been in this part of the country?

  Neil’s mind whirled with the possibility as both Lex and Cordero were staring at Raine with great surprise.

  “Why, you sneaky little thing,” Cordero was the first to speak. “You’ve been telling us you didn’t even have a boyfriend! Now here you bring a fiancé home to the ranch. What gives?”

  “Good Lord, don’t be questioning her, Cord!” Lex scolded his younger cousin. “She deserves our congratulations!”

  Stepping forward, Lex jerked Raine away from Neil’s grasp and gathered her up in a tight bear hug.

  “Way to go, honey! This is wonderful news!”

  Not wanting to be left out, Cordero pushed Lex aside and pulled Raine into the tight circle of his arms. “That’s not the way to do it, cuz,” he said to Lex, then sweeping off his Stetson, he bent his head and kissed her soundly on the lips.

  “Congratulations, little one,” he murmured through a wide grin. “I hope you’re very happy.”

  Neil, who’d never been the jealous sort in his life, suddenly wanted to reach out and snatch Raine away from both men.

  “I’m going to make sure Raine is very happy,” Neil spoke up.

  The one called Cordero chuckled with pleasure. “You sound pretty sure of that.”

  Neil had made the statement with plenty of conviction, he admitted to himself. And where his attitude had come from he didn’t know. He didn’t have any long-term ideas about Raine. And there wasn’t any need to go overboard with this fiancé thing. So why was he standing here sounding like a lovesick, possessive male?

  Before he could even think about answering those questions, Neil reached out and tugged Raine back to his side. She stumbled in the process and he steadied her with a tight hold on her waist.

  His actions caused her to glance sharply up at him and he smiled lovingly down at her. “I’m pretty confident I can make Raine happy,” he said.

  The man called Lex was grinning from ear to ear. “Well, this is great news,” he said. “And about time, too. Matt and I had bets on whether Raine was going to enter a convent or simply stay single the rest of her life. Especially since she never showed any interest in dating. Guess she had both of us fooled.”

  The two cousins laughed over this idea, whereas Raine appeared completely embarrassed. As for Neil, the men’s comments were beginning to make him wonder if Raine had actually lived such a solitary life. Dear Lord, she could possibly still be a virgin! But Neil didn’t want to think about that possibility. He wasn’t in the habit of seducing young, innocent women. No matter how beautiful or sweet or sexy.

  “What’s going on? Is someone planning a barbecue?”

  The sound of another male voice behind them caused Neil to look over his shoulder. A third man, dressed in a black cowboy hat and pair of worn batwing chaps was rapidly approaching the group. As Neil studied him, he didn’t have to guess that the man was Matteo. He resembled his brother Cordero, and from his authoritative stride, he appeared as a man in charge.

  “Matt, wait till you hear our little darlin’s news,” Cordero called to him. “She’s getting married!”

  The man, who appeared slightly older than the other two, stopped in his tracks and stared at both Raine and Neil.

  “You’re kidding!”

  Raine looked up at him and Neil could see troubled shadows in her eyes. He squeezed her side with reassurance and smiled down at her.

  “Tell him, honey. There’s no need for you to be bashful about it,” he urged, while wondering what his beloved secretary, Connie, would think of his performance as Raine’s fiancé so far. She’d probably recommend he try out for the local little theater. Either that, or scold him for enjoying the role a bit too much.

  “No. He isn’t kidding, Matt. Uh, I’ve brought Neil home to meet Mother and I wanted y’all to meet him, too.”

  Matteo stepped up and offered his hand to Neil. “Hello. I’m Matt Sanchez.”

  Neil shook the other man’s hand. “Neil Rankin. Nice to meet you.”

  Even as Matteo turned his gaze on Raine, he could see the man was still sizing him up, trying to decide if Raine had picked someone worthy of her love. And it suddenly became obvious to Neil that these people considered her family.

  The idea made Neil wonder if part of what Esther had said might be right. Maybe the Saddlers and the Sanchezes were family enough for her and Raine. But no. Linc Ketchum was surrounded by loving cousins, yet that didn’t make up for the fact that he’d been without a mother for more than twenty years. Linc needed to find Darla Ketchum. Just as much as Raine needed to find her father, whomever he might be.

  Linc! Ross! Seth! The names shot through his brain like zaps of lightning. Now he understood why these cousins had seemed familiar to him. They possessed the same strong, rugged builds, dark hair and green eyes as the Ketchum men back home in New Mexico. And the impish grin on Cordero’s face could have been a replica of Ross’s.

  Whoa, Neil! Just pull back on the reins and take a deep
breath, he ordered himself. These people didn’t have any connection to the Ketchum family of the T Bar K ranch. Or did they? Could it be possible?

  Raine didn’t know what was putting such an odd look on Neil’s face, but she figured her own appearance was even more strained than his. None of this pretense was sitting well with her. She loved these guys. They were just like her brothers and now they believed she’d found the love of her life and was planning to get married. Oh why, why had she ever said such a thing to her mother last night? she asked herself. It had been a sudden impulse. A result of too many kisses and not enough time to think past them, she realized.

  “Neil is a financial advisor from San Antonio,” she heard herself saying. “We met over the telephone and then later I started driving up there to see him.”

  Matteo chuckled. “And Lex thought you made those trips to San Antonio to visit a convent. He had this idea that you wanted to become a Sister.”

  She did, Raine thought, but not the sort that Lex was thinking of. She wanted to truly be someone’s sister. Or maybe discover that she had a sister of her own out there somewhere. If all this fibbing could help her do that, then it had to be worth it, she told herself.

  Raine smiled at the ranch manager. “I was thinking more along the lines of being a wife,” she told him.

  The cousins laughed and so did Neil. Matteo leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

  “Congratulations, little darlin’,” he said, then asked, “Have you two set a date?”

  “Not yet,” Neil spoke up. “But I’m pressing her for one.”

  Dear Lord, he was good at this game, Raine thought. Far too good. The day had only just started and already she felt as if she should head to town and start shopping for a wedding gown.

  “You going to be around the ranch for long?” Lex asked Neil. “Maybe we can throw you two a party? I know Mom is going to want to celebrate this news. It will give her another excuse for another Christmas party.”