by Liz Isaacson
They hadn’t been able to gather that last Christmas, and his dad had died only five days later. So when he’d offered the lodge this year, everyone had said yes, and Graham had already talked to Annie, Celia, and Bree about helping him get everything ready for the celebration.
Sam sighed. “I know,” he said. “Bonnie worries about you.”
“Tell Bonnie I’m just fine.”
“Bring someone if you want!” Her voice came through the line as though she was standing in the kitchen Sam had remodeled for her while he sat at the table. Sam chuckled, but Graham didn’t.
He didn’t need to be thinking about dating. Not right now. He had no time to give to someone, number one. And number two, he’d left most of his heart in Seattle. How was it fair to give a slice of himself to someone and expect it to be enough?
“Tomorrow night,” Sam said. “Six o’clock.”
Graham confirmed, hung up, and shook his head. “They want me to bring someone,” he said to Bolt with a scoff. “That’s ridiculous, right?”
The horse didn’t answer, but lifted his head over the fence and nudged Graham’s shoulder. At first, the large animals had scared him a little. But now he found them gentle and attentive.
“You’re lucky,” he said to Bolt. “You’ve got two ladies right here, penned in with you so they can’t escape.” He rubbed one palm down the horse’s mane. “And you always know where they are, so they can’t cheat on you.”
His throat cinched, and he swallowed back the bitter memories. He wasn’t even sure he could trust another woman, and he thought he was doing just fine as a cowboy bachelor.
Wasn’t he?
The following evening, he showed up at Sam’s farmhouse ten minutes early. It was a Saturday after all, and he couldn’t be expected to work twelve hours on the weekend. But he had, and still had time to shower and drive down the winding roads from the lodge to the town.
Sam and Bonnie lived on the east side, and Graham enjoyed a trip down memory lane as he drove from one side of the town to the other. Sam and his brothers had grown up here too, but Sam sat between Eli and Beau, Graham’s two youngest brothers. Graham had been gone from Coral Canyon before Sam entered high school.
Bonnie opened the front door and waved at him to come on in. Graham ducked his head and got out of the huge, hulking SUV he drove. “Hey, Bonnie,” he called.
“Use the side door.” She hurried to close the door, and Graham didn’t blame her. It was freezing tonight, and he couldn’t see a single star as he walked toward the stairs leading to the entrance on the side of the house.
So it would definitely snow tonight, and Graham felt a little piece of him die. He never thought he’d miss Seattle and all the rain, but snow was definitely worse.
Inside the house, the atmosphere held cheer, bright yellow light, and the scent of roasted meat mixed with baby powder.
Sam had a child in each arm. His daughter, Jackie, had just turned three, and she squealed when she saw Graham. He took her from Sam and produced the bag of chocolate that made him so popular with the little girl.
“There are only fifteen of them,” he said to Bonnie when she tsk’ed. Jackie already had the first candy-coated chocolate in her hand, a blue one.
“Blue,” she said before popping it into her mouth.
Graham smiled at her and set her on her feet.
“Not in the living room, Jackie,” Bonnie said as she stirred something on the stove. “Eat them at the table.”
Sam smiled and shook Graham’s hand, the six-month-old baby boy on his hip bouncing with the movement. CJ babbled and slobbered on his fingers, and Graham gave him a cursory smile. He’d never thought of himself as cut out for fatherhood, so seeing Sam in the role so easily was a bit of a mystery to him.
“Something smells good,” he said to Bonnie as he removed his cowboy hat and set it out of the way on the back counter.
“Beef tacos,” she said. “We bought a cow from your neighbor.”
“Laney?”
“Yes, Laney.” Bonnie turned off the stove and declared them ready to eat. A flurry of activity started then, from saying grace to loading up plates for small hands. By the time everyone sat at the table with flour tortillas, long strips of marinated beef, and all the taco toppings, several minutes had passed.
Yet Bonnie said, “She’s single, you know,” as if no time had passed.
“Who?” Graham asked.
“Laney.” Bonnie rolled her eyes. “About your age too.”
Graham took a big bite of his taco, not sure where Bonnie was going with the conversation. He exchanged a glance with Sam, who was absolutely no help.
“I know Laney,” Graham said after he swallowed. “We grew up together. We’re good friends.”
Bonnie’s eyebrows went up. “You mean you have other friends besides us?” Her hazel eyes danced with merriment.
Graham smiled and shook his head. “I’ve needed help with the stable chores from time to time. Laney comes when I call her.”
“Like a servant?” Bonnie’s hand paused with a taco halfway to her mouth.
“No,” he said quickly, though Laney did come whenever he called. Maybe not right away, but she always had. Sometimes she looked absolutely exhausted, but she was still there. He had the sudden thought to invite her for Christmas. Her and her mother, who still lived in town. But he kept the idea to himself, sure Bonnie would have them engaged and their wedding planned if he said anything at all.
“Well, she’s beautiful,” Bonnie said. “And she hasn’t gone out with anyone in years.” She was less than subtle with the hints, and Graham nodded and smiled like he agreed that he’d go straight home and ask Laney to dinner.
Sam, thankfully, moved the topic to something else, but Graham couldn’t let go of the idea of not only asking Laney to come to the lodge for Christmas but to go out with him.
Chapter 3
Laney wasn’t sure she could make it through another winter alone. Last year had almost killed her, and the snow hadn’t melted until well into May.
I need help, she prayed. And someone cheap. The ranch made enough to function, plus a little bit more. Barely enough to keep her and Bailey in new clothes, keep the homestead heated, and put gas in the truck and other ranch vehicles.
I don’t want to sell a horse, she continued her prayer. Please, help me find a solution to this problem.
The work around the ranch in the snow slowed her down, and she didn’t have time to lose. But she knew she couldn’t keep going at the rate she was. She’d turned forty last March, and her body was starting to make her feel it every day of her life.
Still, she bundled up and left Bailey on the couch with the heelers to go out and get the morning feeding done.
Graham’s invitation to Christmas at the lodge sat on her voicemail, and she dialed it just to hear his voice again. True, the man had annoyed her these last eleven months, always calling and demanding she come help him with some problem on his property.
Or maybe she’d just viewed his requests as demands. A time or two, he’d acted completely beastly when she’d shown up, but she’d helped him, vowed to ignore him next time, and then responded to his calls anyway.
The cycle made no sense. Neither did her perpetual attraction to him. She reasoned that anyone with two X-chromosomes would be attracted to Graham Whittaker. In fact, she’d heard his name tossed around the rumor mill in town more than once.
But, to her knowledge, he’d never been out with anyone. Hardly ever left the lodge, in fact. He’d hired a staff to help him, and while Springside Energy sometimes found itself in the headlines, he’d kept them off the Internet’s front page for almost a year.
“Hey, Laney,” her voicemail recited back to her. “It’s Graham.” A chuckle, which sounded kind of nervous. “Of course it’s Graham. Your phone will tell you that.” He cleared his throat, another tell of anxiety. “I’m just wondering what your holiday plans are. My brothers are all coming to town, and we’re having
a big celebration at the lodge. Would love to have you and Bailey there with us. Your mother too.”
Her heart warmed every time she listened to the message, and she wouldn’t allow herself to admit how often that was.
“Let me know.” The message ended, and Laney ended the call to voicemail, tucked the phone in her back pocket, and got to work. She hadn’t answered Graham yet, and it had been almost a week. Would he still have her? Wouldn’t he need to plan food, activities?
“Probably not,” she said to Acorn, the horse in the first stall. “He has people bring his groceries and cook his meals. What’s two more? Or three?” she added, thinking of her mother. They hadn’t discussed any plans for Christmas, though Laney knew she could show up at her mom’s unannounced and an hour later, there would be a feast on the table.
She went down the west wall of the stable, feeding the horses, checking their blankets to make sure they fit properly and didn’t have sores, and cleaning any stalls that hadn’t been done recently.
At the end of the row, she pulled out her phone and called her mom.
“Laney.” Her mother always infused a measure of surprise into her voice when she answered the phone.
“Hey, Mom.” Laney took a moment to lean against the wall, giving some relief to her legs. Her wrist ached from the sprain she’d gotten over the summer, trying to lift a hay bale that was simply too heavy for her. “I’m wondering what you want to do for Christmas. Graham Whittaker has invited us to come to the lodge and spend it with his family.”
“Oh, that sounds lovely,” her mom said. She sounded tired, and the fact that she’d agreed so readily testified of it.
“I’ll tell him yes, then?” She wasn’t sure why she’d made the statement a question, only that she needed extra support to accept the invitation.
“I think it sounds nice to just be guests for a year,” her mother said. “Don’t you?”
The thought of not having to decorate, cook, clean, anything did sound like heaven. Maybe it was a heavenly intervention. Maybe the help she’d been praying for. And she wasn’t one to tell the Lord how He should do things.
“All right,” she said. “I’ll let him know we’ll be there.” After a few more pleasantries, Laney hung up and drew her shoulders up straight. She had a phone call to make, and it wasn’t going to be easy.
The weather worsened as the days passed, and with only a week until Christmas a healthy three feet of snow sat on the ground at the ranch. No other solution to Laney’s problems presented itself, and she carried on each day the best she could.
That was all God could ask of her, wasn’t it? Just do your best.
Pastor Landy hadn’t said exactly that, but that was the message she’d taken from his last sermon. She had seen Graham at church occasionally, but he never acknowledged her or sat by her.
She wasn’t sure why the slight bothered her. Only that it did.
The party at the lodge was in only three days, and she was looking forward to seeing the interior now that it had been remodeled. She wasn’t sure if he knew that a fire had destroyed most of the main floor and half the rooms on the second level, but she knew. The construction vehicles in and out of that place had disturbed her favorite horse, Starlight, for months while they renovated it.
When she stepped out of the shower, the hot spray had not done much for the ache in her shoulder. “Definitely going to snow today.” She moaned as she rotated her arm, trying to further loosen the stiffness there.
The more she worked, the harder it snowed, until it finally drove her back into the house about mid-afternoon. The sky was as dark as though it was night, and she shook the heavy flakes from her hat and coat before ducking into the house.
“Phew.” She blew her breath out, glad the heat in the homestead still worked so well. She’d been told years ago that the furnace would need to be replaced in the next three to five years, but it had been almost eight now, and the appliance was still kicking.
A blessing, she thought as she called, “Bay? Where are you?” The little girl had finished school for the holidays two days before and usually had no problem entertaining herself. She spent most of her free time on the couch with the dogs, a movie on, or music playing while she colored.
But as Laney bent to untie her boots, she couldn’t see any living thing, canine or human. Still no answer. Laney hurried through the rest of her undressing, finally getting all the heavy, sopping clothes off. She’d normally hang them all to dry but she left them in a heap as she went to search for Bailey.
She found her daughter asleep on the bed, both dogs curled around her, one on each side. Clearwater, the oldest of the blue heelers, looked up with a sleepy expression on his face. Barry just glanced at her without moving his head, making his face look baleful, like we had to jump onto the bed. The girl human was in here and we didn’t want her to be alone.
“Come on.” She snapped her fingers and both dogs came over to her. Bailey didn’t move, and Laney decided to let her sleep. With the dogs out in the hall, she gently closed the door and went to find something to put in the oven for dinner.
With a sheet pan of corndogs and frozen French fries in a piping hot oven, she’d collapsed onto the couch and taken two breaths when the power went out.
“No,” she groaned and heaved herself back off the couch. This couldn’t be happening. Without electricity, they couldn’t heat the house. And it would get awfully cold in here, as she hadn’t had the money to replace the drafty windows as she’d been advised.
She checked the breaker box in the basement, but all the connections seemed fine. Her stomach grumbled for want of food, and Laney remembered that she’d skipped lunch in an effort to get the ranch chores done amidst the swirling storm.
And now that wind and snow had knocked out her power.
She hurried back upstairs, because it was way too cold in the basement already. Pulling on a coat, she opened Bailey’s door. She hated to wake the girl, but they couldn’t stay here. If they could get to town, they could sleep at her mother’s and come do the minimal feeding chores when they could.
“Bailey.” She nudged the angelic child and her daughter’s eyes fluttered open. “Sweetheart, the power’s out, and we have to go.” The light was gray, but Laney could see enough to pack a bag with the essentials for a couple of nights at her mother’s. With a backpack on Bailey’s shoulders with her pajamas and clothes in it, and a bag in her hand, Laney started collecting the boots, hats, coats, scarves, and gloves they needed. She’d lived on the ranch long enough to know a couple of things. One, in a storm, always overfeed. She’d done that today, so her animals would be all right if she couldn’t make it out tomorrow. Two, never leave the house without as much gear as possible.
Even though they’d be in the car, she wasn’t going to take any chances. There were plenty of opportunities to slide off the road, and the snowplows wouldn’t make it out this far for days. Her ranch and the lodge were the only sources of shelter.
Worry ate at her stomach, and she wondered if they’d even be able to get to town. “Come on,” she said to Bailey and the dogs in a falsely cheery voice. “Get in the truck.” She hit the auto-opener on the garage and stared as it lifted.
At least three feet of snow had fallen that day. How had she not noticed? Probably because she kept her head down as she worked, the wind so violent it whipped the snow into her eyes if she didn’t.
Bailey got in the truck like the sun shone and they were going to the beach while both dogs jumped in the back, ready for the adventure. Laney couldn’t get herself to move. She wasn’t even sure she could get out of her own driveway.
Can’t stay here, she thought. Can’t get out.
Desperation clawed at her now, scattering her thoughts. In moments like these, she hated being the only one capable of making a decision. She needed help. A partner to talk to, to bounce ideas off of, to rely on when she simply had nothing left to give. And Laney was operating on empty right now, and had been for weeks
.
“Can’t stay here,” she muttered to herself, though she wondered if bundling up in a single room was the lesser of two evils. She honestly had no idea what she should do, but she knew she couldn’t stay here.
Her phone rang before she could take a single step.
“Graham,” she breathed into the phone, relief soaring through her. He’d help. He drove a massive SUV that drank gas like it was free. He’d come get them.
“Where are you?” he asked. “Inside, I hope.”
“I’m standing in my garage,” she said. “My power’s out.”
“It is? It’s on here.”
“We probably have different lines.” And his were newer, thanks to the fire from two years ago. Everything had been replaced.
“Can you get out?”
She eyed the snow and then the clearance on her truck. “I honestly don’t know. Bailey’s in the truck, but I’m not sure leaving is the best idea.”
“You can’t stay there without heat. Do you have a fireplace?”
“No,” she said. “Well, I do, but it’s in the basement, and I’ve closed it off since we never go down there.” She moved to the edge of the garage, where snow met cement.
He exhaled. “I’ll come get you. You can stay here tonight.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary. I—”
“You can’t make it to town,” he said. “I can guarantee that.” He spoke in that voice she hated, the one that bossed people around and expected to be obeyed.
“How do you know?” she challenged.
“Because my housekeeper just tried to leave in her four-wheel-drive truck, and she slid off the road a quarter of a mile down. She’s staying here tonight too.”
Maybe longer, Laney thought. The sky foamed with snow, and all she could see was gray in every direction as the snow flurried through it.
“And you think you can get down here and back to your place?”
“I’ll have to try.” Scuffling came through his end of the line, and he said, “I’m on my way. Hold tight.”
