Cowboys Under The Mistletoe: Five Christmas Christian Romance Novellas

by Kristen Ethridge

  Enough times to shoot ice water through her veins.

  How could she protect the kids now?

  All the plans Esther had helped her make. All the times Hope had daydreamed of escaping the reach of Cyprus Anders. All her hard-won bravery.

  Had it all been a waste of time?

  She pressed her molars together and stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, willing strength back into the set of her shoulders.

  She had to keep believing God had better for her and Savannah and Ethan. She had to hold on to the thin root of faith that had only been planted within the past two years. Hope had to keep moving forward and continue to trust, even though doubt and fear tugged on her heart at every turn.

  She would need a job and a long-term place for them to stay. If she was able to find a job, she’d have to figure out what to do with the children while she worked. At five, they weren’t even close to being old enough to be on their own. And with his special set of needs, she couldn’t just leave Ethan with anyone. She needed someone who understood, who would be patient.

  Hope needed a miracle.

  I’m trying to trust, Lord. I’m trying the best I can even though I don’t understand. Please, please don’t forsake us.

  *

  Rider bunched one of his t-shirts in his hands as he rounded the corner back to the bathroom where Hope waited. He caught her swiping at tears.

  “Hey, now,” he lowered his voice. Training with the firefighters had taught him to stay calm and speak in soothing tones. Not that he’d needed to learn such things after growing up with two sisters who got easily worked into a frenzy. He’d understood at an early age the need to speak nicely and mind his tone when a lady shed tears.

  “Does it hurt?” He sure hoped she didn’t need stitches.

  A shake of her head was his only answer.

  He would wash out the cut and if there was even had a hint that she needed further treatment, he’d figure out a way to convince her to go to the hospital. He could foot the bill. What did he care? He had a full-time job, a house without a mortgage, and not much to spend his money on these days.

  He tentatively laid the shirt on the sink. “How about you change into that and then I’ll get you cleaned up.”

  She nodded and closed the door.

  Instead of awkwardly standing in the hall, Rider padded into the kitchen and made the promised hot cocoa for Ethan and Savannah. Savannah sailed off the couch to dance around his feet while he opened the packets and poured warmed water into each mug. He topped off each drink with some heavy whipping cream. He’d always preferred that in his morning coffee to the flavored stuff folks filled their mugs with.

  “There you are.” He handed a cup to Savannah. “Hold it steady.”

  She beamed up at him and trailed alongside as he carried a cup to Ethan. The boy gave a lopsided grin as he took the hot cocoa. All things considered, the kids were holding up well with it being so late out and enduring a traumatic car wreck.

  Rider turned the television on for them and then offered Ethan a smile. Ethan hadn’t said anything yet, but Rider didn’t mind. Actually, it put him at ease. Words had never been Rider’s strong suit. It was probably half the reason Kate Silver had looked so surprised and then promptly turned him down when he’d asked her out. It didn’t help things that Kate still lived at Big Sky Dreams. Seeing her at work each day was rough, but it also affirmed the plain and simple fact that he was better off alone. It had been foolish to think a simple and quiet man like him could ever make a woman happy. Even his sisters had high-tailed it away from him the first chance they had. Message received.

  The soft click of the bathroom door let Rider know Hope was ready for him. She was wearing the t-shirt he’d given her, a freebie proclaiming the Country 5K: Clean Fun for the Whole Family, and it swam on her. She sat on top of the vanity, near the sink.

  Hope offered him a weak smile. “You don’t strike me as a runner.”

  He turned on the faucet. “I volunteered at the thing. Handed out water, so they gave me a shirt.” Rider guided her arm under the water. “You might bleed some more while we’re washing this out, but I have to make sure there isn’t any glass left in the cut.”

  It had hit a good two minutes when she sighed. “That’s probably long enough, huh?”

  “They say five minutes under running water is best.” He shrugged. “I don’t make the rules. I just follow them.” He finished rinsing out her cut and then patted the area with a clean washcloth. It had started to bleed again in earnest but it wouldn’t need stitches. He had some butterfly bandages he’d use once the cut was dried off, though. Rider pressed some gauze to the wound and then lifted her arm so it was above her head.

  “Slows the bleeding,” he explained when she gave him a questioning look.

  She was still sitting on the vanity and he was standing a few inches in front of her as he held up her arm. He probably could have let it go—she was more than capable of elevating her own arm—but she didn’t pull away so he didn’t either.

  Her green eyes searched his. “My kids?”

  “They’re doing just fine,” he didn’t know what made him lower his voice. There was no way Savannah and Ethan could have heard them talking. “I put on a show for them. Some cartoon with talking dogs. I hope that’s okay by you.”

  “It’s great. Thank you.”

  He guided her arm back to a normal position. Rider applied the butterfly Band-Aids. After that, he grabbed a spool of bandaging from the sink area and loosely wrapped it around her wrist.

  It was getting late and he needed to broach the topic that had been nagging at him since he first helped them out of the hatchback. He couldn’t push aside the idea that they were either lost or alone. “Do you need to use my phone to call someone? I have to imagine there’s someone out there worried about you guys right now.”

  She bit her lip and looked away. There was no way the calk around the base of the tub was all that interesting. She was avoiding the question.

  “You’ve got no one to call?” he pressed. “What about their father?”

  Hope closed her eyes as if his questions pained her. “There’s no one.”

  Was the man dead? Hope wasn’t wearing a wedding band.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” He tied off the wrapping.

  She tugged her arm out of his light grasp and cradled it against her body. “It’s just the way things are.”

  It was probably a painful topic that he shouldn’t bring up anymore. He needed to switch to something else. “Where were you all headed?”

  “Wherever.”

  His stomach tightened. He’d been right. They were alone and had no place to go.

  “Well.” He backed into the hallway and hooked his thumb in his pocket. “I’ll head back out to your car and collect whatever luggage is there.” He hadn’t spotted much, but surely they had to have belongings. “They’re predicting the blizzard’s gonna get worse before it gets better and there isn’t a hotel for ten miles.” He held up a hand when she opened her mouth. “There’s simply no point loading you all into my truck and driving somewhere in the middle of the night when we’re standing in a ranch house with five bedrooms. It’s common sense, that’s all.”

  Hope hugged her stomach. “But you can’t just let us stay here. You don’t know us and we don’t know you.”

  “You’re people who are clearly in need and I have the means to help.” When she didn’t look convinced, he added, “Ma’am, I believe in following what the Bible says and the Bible says I’m supposed to use what God has given me to help and take care of others. That’s all this is.”

  “You’re a Christian?”

  He slipped his hat on and reached for his coat. “Since I was five.”

  “I am too,” she whispered with the awe of a child sharing a grand secret. “But only since last year.”

  “Welcome to the family.” He nodded and then opened the back door. “I’ll be back with your things shortly.” />
  *

  Last night, true to his word, Rider had collected the meager belongings Hope had been able to pack in a hurry. When he’d returned to the ranch house, he pointed her in the direction of the master bedroom. It turned out he used one of the smaller bedrooms down the hall. The master bedroom had been vacant since his parents’ death a few years ago. The king bed was plenty big enough for her and the kids to sleep together.

  That morning she’d slipped out of the bed, quietly got ready in the master bathroom and then slipped out of the room, leaving the kids to get some extra sleep. Hope thought she had left the charger for her phone in the pocket of the thin coat she’d been wearing last night. When she’d taken off Rider’s coat and hung it up, she’d also removed the inadequate one she’d been wearing and put it on one of the pegs.

  Hope hadn’t planned on turning on her phone. Technology was traceable, too; but the accident left her without a choice. She had to figure out their next step and she couldn’t do that without the internet.

  She tip-toed down the steps so she wouldn’t disturb Rider, but when she rounded the corner into the kitchen she discovered he was already awake, cracking eggs into a bowl.

  His face brightened when he spotted her. “I didn’t know how long you all would sleep but I figured you might be hungry when you did wake up. Eggs and sausage okay?”

  “They’re great. But you don’t have to feed us.”

  He cracked a few more eggs into the bowl. “I hope you like scrambled because that’s about all I can make.”

  Hope reached into the pockets of her coat. Empty. Both pockets. She might have left the cord in the car. Or it could have dropped into the snow on their trek to the house. If it was the latter, she’d never find it in all the snow. She headed back to the island where Rider was mixing the eggs with a fork. “Do you happen to know of any job openings? Possibly one that comes with a place to stay? I know that’s pretty vague. But I’m a good cook if that helps at all. I’ve worked as a line chef for years. I can waitress. I’m not picky.”

  He poured the eggs into the frying pan. “If you found a job, what would you do with Savannah and Ethan while you worked?”

  “I don’t know.” She dropped onto a stool near the island. “I can’t just leave them with anyone and Ethan. Ethan needs special care.”

  Rider pushed a spatula around in the pan. “Is he non-verbal?”

  Hope nodded. The fact that Rider had come out and asked the question instead of beating around the bush made her breath a little easier. Most people asked what was wrong with Ethan. They phrased it in an accusatory way. But Rider’s words were more statement than a question.

  “I like to say pre-verbal,” Hope said.

  “I’ve heard it explained that way too.” He laid sausages onto a skillet.

  “He’s on the spectrum,” Hope found herself saying. “That means he’s—”

  “I know what the spectrum means.” Rider turned to face her for a moment. “I work with a lot of kids like him. They’re wonderful. I always think they show more love and acceptance than anyone else I’ve met.”

  Tears pricked Hope’s eyes. She had to blink a few times to chase them away. Beside Esther, no one had ever warmly accepted Ethan like Rider just had. Cyprus often referred to Ethan as a blight—something to tarnish his reputation.

  When she could finally trust her voice not to falter she said, “You work with them? But I thought you said you were a firefighter?”

  “Volunteer firefighter.” He pointed the spatula at her. “The job that pays the bills is over at Big Sky Dreams. Ali and Jericho Freed own the place and teach therapeutic horseback riding.”

  “I wanted to get Ethan involved in something like that back… back where we used to live. He loves horses, but it was pretty expensive.”

  Rider scooped the eggs onto a plate and flipped all the sausages. Then he held up a finger. “Give me a second.” He grabbed his house phone and placed a call. “Mrs. Ali?” He disappeared into the back hallway.

  Hope got off the stool and went to the oven to take over cooking the sausages. The smell of breakfast had drawn Savannah and Ethan out of the bedroom. She heard them clamber down the steps.

  Rider had set the table with four places so she carried the sausage and eggs over and dished some onto each plate.

  “Hot food,” Savannah breathed the words with the reverence of a prayer. It hit Hope like a punch to the gut. They’d been living off of granola bars and rest stop vending machines the last few days. Her children deserved so much better.

  Ethan took his plate and happily rocked back and forth, causing his chair to creak. Sausage was one of his favorites. Hope pressed a kiss to his forehead and then gave one to Savannah as well before taking her seat. She was just about to bless the food when Rider strode back into the kitchen.

  “Who wants to go horseback riding today?” Rider dropped into his seat.

  Savannah hopped in her chair. “Me! I do! Oh, I do!”

  Ethan clapped his hands and arched his back.

  Rider beamed at both of them. “Mrs. Ali said you can all come over.”

  Hope caught his eye and shook her head. “We can’t afford it.”

  “No charge.” Rider picked up his fork. “Never a charge for my friends.”

  “Is it really true?” Savannah leaped from her chair. “You’ll take us riding?”

  “Sure thing.” Rider grinned at her.

  She bounded around the table and launched at him, her little arms went around his neck in a tight hug. Rider patted her back twice and then sent her back to her chair.

  “You got to eat all your breakfast first. That’s the deal.” Rider turned to Hope. “Right, Mom?”

  “Every bite.”

  Chapter Three

  They fell into a rhythm for the next week and Hope wasn’t sure what to make of it. The first day Rider had left them at the house and returned with booster seats installed in his large truck.

  “Mrs. Ali keeps extras at the ranch, just in case there’s an emergency and her students need to be transported somewhere,” he had explained.

  A week after the accident Hope stood on the edge of the indoor arena at Big Sky Dreams and watched Jericho Freed lead Savannah’s horse around the barn while Rider walked alongside Ethan’s horse. Jericho walked with a slight limp which made her wonder if he had injured his knee. Hope had found him to be a genuinely kind man who did just as much work around Big Sky Dreams as anyone else. He wasn’t the type of owner and manager who sat back in his office.

  A volunteer led the little black pony Ethan was riding, and Rider kept his hand on the horse’s back, right behind the saddle. Everyone at the ranch had referred to that as side-walking. Hope watched as Rider talked to Ethan. He seemed to be able to read all of her son’s non-verbal communication perfectly. The two of them laughed and smiled as if they were deep in conversation—and they were—of their own form. Rider had been able to ask and encourage Ethan to control the horse on his own from time to time.

  Ali Freed sidled over to where Hope waited. Perhaps more like waddled. The petite redhead was not only an owner of Big Sky Dreams but, as Hope had learned, the person who’d come up with the idea in the first place. At eight months pregnant, Ali seemed to be having a hard time getting around. Her husband Jericho had convinced her not to lead the classes or work with the horses for the time being, but that hadn’t kept her out of the arena.

  Ali wore a warm smile. “I’m glad I caught you alone. There’s something I wanted to talk with you about.”

  Hope braced for the words she’d been expecting. You can’t keep coming here. I have to start charging you. We’re concerned that you’re using Rider.

  Nothing good ever lasted.

  “Rider mentioned that you’re looking for a job and I just so happen to have an opening,” Ali said.

  Hope blinked a few times. “Wait … you want to hire me?”

  “My husband grew up on the property that butts up to Big Sky Dreams. Last year,
the two families decided to join our properties and run everything under one banner. It takes a huge staff to do all the work and I cook two meals a day for all of them.” Ali pointed at her stomach. “My doctor is after me about staying off my feet as much as I can and with a little blessing like this, I want to follow orders. All that to say, I was hoping to hire you to cook the breakfast and lunch meals for the staff.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Optimism welled in Hope’s chest, but it was followed quickly by the sting of reality. Even if she took the position, it could never be a long-term solution. It’s not that she had somewhere else she wanted to go, but she had a gut feeling that if she could never stay somewhere, not while Cyprus was out there.

  You’ll never escape me. You’re next.

  A chill passed over Hope’s skin.

  “You’d be doing me a huge favor if you said yes,” Ali said. “Rider said that you’re a good cook.”

  Then again, she needed money in order to move on and Ali was offering her that.

  “I’ve worked as a line chef before.”

  “That’s perfect!” Ali seemed sincerely excited about the possibility of employing Hope. “Will you take the job?”

  “I don’t want to sound ungrateful—and I need the money—but can I have a few hours to think about it?”

  “Of course. No pressure. And in case you’re worried, your children are always welcome here. Free of charge. No matter what you decide to do.” Ali shifted her weight. “They’re doing great, by the way.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you for letting them come here each day.”

  Ali shook her head. “It’s no trouble at all. Most families don’t come for lessons in December because they’re so busy during the Christmas season. My husband, son and I have been going stir crazy in the house waiting for the baby to arrive. It’s nice to have the distraction.” Ali leaned against the wall. “Besides, I’d do just about anything for Rider. He’s not only our best employee, but he’s one of our closest friends too.”