A Ranger For Christmas (Linda Lael Miller Presents; Men 0f The West Book 40)

by Stella Bagwell

  “I cook whenever the urge hits me.” Which was true enough, she thought.

  “Guess your husband enjoys it whenever you do make his favorite meal.”

  His remark was more than obvious and the idea that he was interested in her marital status was flattering, along with disturbing.

  “I wouldn’t know,” she replied. “I’ve not seen him in more than eleven years.”

  Even though he’d slipped on a pair of aviator sunglasses earlier this morning, she could tell he was staring at her. The idea made her want to jump to her feet. Instead, she wrapped up what was left of her sandwich and stuffed it back into her lunch bucket.

  “I take it he’s an ex-husband.”

  “That’s right,” she said stiffly. “I was married for two years. Long enough to have a daughter.”

  He continued to stare at her and Vivian wondered what he was thinking. Most likely that he wasn’t going to waste his time flirting with a single mother in her midthirties. And he’d be thinking right. She wasn’t in the market for a man. Even if her family was often pushing her to find one.

  Her family couldn’t understand her aversion to getting back into the dating scene. After nearly twelve years of being single, most of them figured she was over her short, disastrous marriage. Her little brother Holt was the only one who seemed to understand her feelings about risking her heart again. Not because he’d been married before, but because out of all her siblings, she was closest to him and he to her. Holt recognized that it wasn’t men Vivian mistrusted, but rather her own judgment of them.

  “You have a daughter?”

  “Yes. Hannah. She’s twelve going on thirteen. Although, to hear her tell it, she knows more than a twenty-year-old.”

  He grunted with amusement. “Don’t we all at that age?”

  She cast him a wry smile. “I suppose. I remember I was around that age when I told my mother I was going to be an astronaut and nothing could stop me.”

  “Obviously something stopped you.”

  She let out a soft laugh. “I got on an airplane with my two older brothers for a trip to California. Once the plane landed I was so terrified I begged them to rent a car for the return trip. They refused and I hid my eyes during the entire flight back home.”

  He grinned. “So you learned you didn’t like leaving the ground.”

  “I figured out exploring the desert is much more fun to me.”

  “Most women like office jobs. What made you decide to be a park ranger?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not the indoor type. And my parents pushed all of us kids to get at least some college education, so I studied for four long years and ended up with a degree in natural resource management and nearly enough hours for a degree in agribusiness. Later on—after I divorced—I was glad that I’d acquired all that knowledge. It was just what I needed to get a job here at Lake Pleasant.”

  “Hmm. You’ve got me beat in the education department. I’m still working toward my degree in wildlife ecology. A few more online courses and I should be finished by the end of this coming spring.”

  Just about the time Louis would be returning, she thought. By then she’d either be very glad to see Sawyer go, or very sorry. At the moment it was too early to predict how she’d be feeling about telling him goodbye.

  “I’m sure you’ll be excited to get that behind you. Are you planning to stay at Dead Horse Ranch after you get your degree?”

  He nodded. “Next year a management job will be opening up. I’ll need my degree to have a shot at it.”

  “And you want to work at a park that doesn’t take you far away from your grandmother,” she stated.

  He crumpled the empty cupcake wrapper and stuffed it into a sack with the rest of his lunch trash. “That’s right. Lake Pleasant is really farther away from the reservation than I’d like to be. But this job is only for a few months and Nashota, that’s my grandmother, insisted I take it. See, she has a mystical nature and something told her that my time here will bring me good fortune.”

  “You believe in that sort of thing?”

  A crooked grin slanted his lips. “I believe in Grandmother. Because I sure as heck can’t argue with her. She has a stubborn streak.”

  He made talking to him oh, so easy. And that was dangerous, she thought. If she wasn’t careful, she’d soon be telling him things about herself that were better kept locked away.

  She turned her gaze away from him and tried to focus on a giant agave plant growing off to her right. “I don’t know what kind of good fortune you might find around here,” she said, “but it doesn’t hurt to dream.”

  He asked, “Do you ever think about asking to be transferred to a different park?”

  The question brought her gaze back to him. “Not ever. I’ve never lived away from my family. It would take something very special for me to ever move away.”

  In spite of the sunglasses covering his eyes, she could tell his gaze was thoughtfully searching her face. Which surprised Vivian somewhat. So far, Sawyer seemed to be a lighthearted jokester, who appeared to consider flirting nothing more than a fun game.

  “You have family living in Wickenburg?”

  Thankfully he hadn’t yet connected the Hollister name to Three Rivers Ranch. And for today, at least, Vivian was glad he didn’t know she was an heiress to a cattle empire.

  “Yes. A mother, four brothers, two of whom are older than me, and a younger sister. My sister is currently living away, though.”

  “You didn’t mention a father. What about him? Or is that question too personal?”

  She very nearly laughed. He’d talked about her lips being kissable. Could he get any more personal than that?

  “No. It’s not too personal,” she told him. “I didn’t mention Dad because he’s been dead for several years. A horse accident.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  She sighed. Officially, Joel’s death had been ruled an accident, but as far as the family was concerned, there was too much mystery surrounding the incident to pass it off as an accident. But she’d only met Sawyer a few hours ago. She didn’t know him well enough to share the few facts they had about her father’s death with the man.

  “Yes. I still miss him terribly.” Her voice strained to speak around the lump in her throat. “What about you? Do you have siblings?”

  “No brothers. No sisters. It’s only me and Nashota. My dad died when I was eight years old—a construction accident. After that happened, my mother moved away with another man. I’ve never seen or heard from her since.”

  Looking at this strong and striking man, it was very difficult to imagine him growing up without a father and a mother who’d basically chosen to desert him. Given that sort of childhood, it was commendable that he’d turned into a responsible man.

  “That’s tough.”

  He shrugged. “Life is often tough. More for some than for others. I happen to think I was lucky. I had Grandmother to grab me by the seat of the pants and keep me on a straight path. Some of my childhood friends didn’t have as much. I wouldn’t want to tell you how they’ve ended up.”

  This morning his playful flirting had made her uncomfortable, yet surprisingly this genuine side of him disturbed her even more. The idea of him wanting, hurting and needing in the most basic human ways touched her more than he could ever guess.

  “Yes. Lucky you.” She rose from her seat of slab rock. “We’d probably better be going. We still have one more hiking trail to cover before we hit another set of campgrounds.”

  While she gathered up her partially eaten lunch, Sawyer left his seat and walked over to the edge of the bluff.

  “This is an incredible view,” he said. “From this distance the saguaros look like green needles stuck in a sand pile.”

  She looked over to see the strong north wind was hitting him in the face and molding his uniform
against his muscled body. The sight of his imposing figure etched against the blue sky and desert valley caused her breath to hang in her throat.

  She walked over to where he stood, then took a cautious step closer to the ledge in order to peer down at the view directly below.

  “I never get tired of it,” she admitted. “There are a few Native American ruins not far from here. We’ll hike by those before we finish our route.”

  A hard gust of wind suddenly whipped across the ledge and caused Vivian to sway on her feet. Sawyer swiftly caught her by the arm and pulled her back to his side.

  “Careful,” he warned. “I wouldn’t want you to topple over the edge.”

  With his hand on her arm and his sturdy body shielding her from the wind, she felt very warm and protected. And for one reckless moment, she wondered how it would feel to slip her arms around his lean waist, to rise up on the tips of her toes and press her mouth to his. Would his lips taste as good as she imagined?

  Shaken by the direction of her runaway thoughts, she tried to make light of the moment. “That would be awful,” she agreed. “Mort would have to find you another partner.”

  “Yeah, and she might not be as cute as you.”

  With a little laugh of disbelief, she stepped away from his side. “Cute? I haven’t been called that since I was in high school. I’m beginning to think you’re nineteen instead of twenty-nine.”

  He pulled a playful frown at her. “You prefer your men to be old and somber?”

  “I prefer them to keep their minds on their jobs,” she said staunchly. “And you are not my man.”

  His laugh was more like a sexy promise.

  “Not yet.”

  Chapter Three

  Later that night in the big family room on Three Rivers Ranch, the Hollisters were enjoying drinks before dinner when Hannah plopped down on the couch next to Vivian.

  Eyeing the beseeching grin on her daughter’s pretty face, Vivian said, “Okay, I know that look. What are you wanting? To add something to your Christmas list?”

  Hannah wrinkled her pert little nose. “Oh, Mom, I’ve only asked for two things.”

  “Only two? A horse and a saddle. You already have both.”

  “Yes, but a girl can’t have too many horses or saddles,” her daughter pointed out, then gave her long blond braid a flip over one shoulder. “Anyway, I don’t want anything else on my Christmas list. I wanted to ask if you’d take Nick and me down to Red Bluff this weekend.”

  Frowning, Vivian placed her drink on a nearby table, then turned her full attention to Hannah. “Red Bluff? Whatever for?”

  Hannah rolled her eyes in droll fashion. “We’ve not been down there to see Aunt Camille in ages. And it’s so warm and pretty there. We want to go riding down the canyon.”

  Red Bluff Ranch was another property of the Hollister family. At thirty-five thousand acres, it was only a fraction of the size of Three Rivers, but it was equally important. Located at the bottom of the state, near Dragoon, the climate remained much milder than Three Rivers. Each autumn her oldest brother, Blake, who managed the family ranch, shipped several hundred head of cow/calf pairs to Red Bluff for winter grazing.

  “It’s a long drive to Red Bluff and I don’t want to haul two horses that far just for a weekend trip.”

  Scooting closer, Hannah grabbed her mother’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “But you wouldn’t have to haul the horses. Matt says Daisy and Dahlia are down there. We can ride them.”

  The two paint mares were sisters and perfectly suitable for her daughter and nephew to ride. Which meant she had one less excuse to avoid making the trip. “I’m not sure Camille would want our company.”

  “Yes, she would. She told me that she gets lonely down there by herself.”

  “If she gets that lonely she’d come home and live with her family,” Vivian muttered, then sighed as she noticed the disapproving look on her daughter’s face. “Okay, I shouldn’t have said that.”

  Hannah shook her head. “It wasn’t nice, Mom. You just don’t like it because Aunt Camille wants to live down there instead of up here with all of us. That’s her choice.”

  That much was true, Vivian thought. She missed her younger sister. She also thought Camille was making a mistake by running and hiding from her personal problems. But she wasn’t going to discuss those matters. Hannah already knew too much about everyone and everything.

  “You’re right and I’m sorry,” Vivian said. “So about this trip that you and Nick have conjured up, what do his parents think about it?”

  Before the girl could answer, Nick, who was one year younger than Hannah, suddenly appeared in front of the couch, and from the excited grin on his face, Vivian already had her answer.

  “Mom and Dad say it’s okay with them if we go to Red Bluff. Are we going, Aunt Viv?”

  Last June, when Blake had married widow Katherine O’Dell, he’d also become an instant father to her son, Nick. Since then, the boy had taken to ranch life like a duck to water and like Hannah, his world revolved around cattle, horses and being a cowboy. The two children were practically inseparable and, remarkable as it seemed, never fussed or fought for any reason.

  She studied Nick’s eager face before glancing at her daughter. “Well, I didn’t have anything important planned for this weekend. And if you two have your school studies caught up, I suppose we could make a trip down there.”

  “Oh, wow! That’s great, Aunt Viv! Thanks!”

  Hannah flung herself at her mother and promptly smothered the side of Vivian’s face with appreciative kisses. “Thank you, Mom! You’re the best!”

  “Okay, okay.” Vivian laughed. “The trip is on—as long as you two don’t get into trouble before Saturday morning.”

  “Oh, Mom, we’ll be so good you’re going to see halos over our heads.” Hannah gave Nick a conspiring wink. “Right, Nick?”

  “Right!”

  Vivian glanced over to the fireplace, where Blake and Katherine were sitting close together on a love seat. Apparently the two of them had been watching her exchange with the children. Blake was giving Vivian a thumbs-up sign, while Katherine was showing her approval with a wide smile.

  Besides making her daughter and nephew happy, she’d be treating Blake and Katherine to a quiet weekend, something the two of them certainly deserved. As ranch manager of Three Rivers, her brother carried a tremendous load on his shoulders. Frankly, Vivian had been surprised when he’d taken on an even bigger responsibility of a wife and son. But marriage clearly agreed with him. She’d never seen Blake looking so contented and happy.

  Yes, two of her brothers were happily married now, Vivian thought wistfully. More than a year ago, Joseph and Tessa were wed in a beautiful ceremony on the front lawn of their ranch, the Bar X. The two were still madly in love and had a baby son, Little Joe, to prove it. Blake and Katherine had been married for several months, yet they continued to look at each other like dreamy-eyed newlyweds.

  Vivian was thrilled for her brothers, but seeing the way they adored their wives had her often wondering if a man would ever really look at her that way, as though he would cherish and protect her for all of his life.

  “There’s Jazelle. Dinner must be ready,” Hannah announced.

  As Hannah bounced up from the couch, Vivian glanced across the room to see the young housekeeper speaking to Maureen. No doubt she was telling her that Reeva had dinner ready to be served.

  You cook breakfast before you leave for work?

  Sawyer’s question suddenly drifted through Vivian’s mind and she realized he thought of her as a regular woman, one who cooked and cleaned and cared for her own home. What would he think of her once he found out she lived with her family and for all of her thirty-five years she’d had a huge support system around her? That she was helpless or even too privileged?

  “Mom? What’s wrong
? Aren’t you coming to dinner?”

  Hannah’s voice penetrated Vivian’s deep thoughts and she glanced around to see the room had emptied, except for her daughter and nephew, who were waiting impatiently for her to join them.

  “Oh. Sorry. I was thinking about something.” Rising from the couch, she slung an arm around each child. “I hope Reeva has cooked up something good tonight. Are you two hungry?”

  “I’m starving!” Nick exclaimed. “We’re having barbecue ribs and charro beans!”

  “Sounds good,” Vivian replied, even though she doubted she could muster more than four or five bites.

  “Reeva says if no one wants ribs they can have menudo,” Hannah chimed in. “That’s what I want. With lots of onions and jalapenos!”

  The Mexican soup made with tripe and hominy was touted to cure the worst of hangovers. Maybe that’s what she needed to shock her appetite back to normal, Vivian thought. That, or forget she’d ever laid eyes on Sawyer Whitehorse.

  * * *

  A few minutes later, after everyone around the long dining table began to eat, Maureen clanked her spoon loudly against her wineglass.

  “Quiet, everyone!” she called out. “Blake has an important family announcement to share with us tonight.”

  “Hallelujah. He’s finally selling that damned one-horn bull,” Chandler, the veterinarian of the family, spoke up. “I’ll never have to doctor him again.”

  Sitting next to Vivian, Holt waved his fork through the air. “No. He’s decided the ranch needs another horse barn. One with a therapy pool.”

  “Sorry, brothers. You’re wrong on both counts,” Blake said, then slipping an arm around Katherine’s shoulders, he gave her a smile that was both incredibly intimate and loving. “My wife has just learned she’s expecting. The baby should arrive by the Fourth of July. So one way or another, he or she should be a little firecracker.”