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

by Stella Bagwell

  “Sawyer, I should bonk you over the head for that dirty trick!”

  He threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, Viv, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t resist.”

  Ever since they’d returned to work Monday morning, he’d not mentioned anything about the kiss in the cantina. And taking his cue, she’d not brought up the incident, either. Over the past few days, she’d halfway convinced herself that he’d totally forgotten the torrid embrace, or considered it nothing more than a momentary diversion.

  But apparently he was remembering and that fact alone was enough to cause her heart to hammer against her rib cage.

  Turning her gaze on the passenger window, she said in a strained voice, “I thought you’d probably forgotten all about that.”

  When he didn’t immediately respond, she turned her head to see he was studying her with a look so achingly tender it was all she could do to keep from throwing herself into his arms.

  “It was more than just a kiss, Viv,” he said in a low voice. “That’s what I remember most.”

  Yes, she silently agreed. It had been a heated kiss and much, much more. Still, she didn’t feel comfortable admitting such to him. But then, maybe she didn’t need to. Maybe every feeling wrapped around her heart was already plastered on her face.

  Instinctively, the tip of her tongue came out to moisten her dry lips. “Well, it was crazy and risky,” she finally replied. “And we can’t let it happen again.”

  “You’re right,” he said bluntly, then grinned mischievously. “We can’t let it happen again here at work. But there’s always after hours.”

  After hours! What did that mean? Surely not that he was expecting them to have some sort of romantic rendezvous outside of work.

  “That would probably be a mistake—for both of us,” she said stiffly.

  “Maybe for you. I don’t have any direction to go, but up.”

  The playful lilt to his voice put a smile on her face and then before she could stop it, she chuckled. “Sawyer, you’re such an idiot. But I like you. Very much.”

  He reached for her hand and the warm excitement rushing through her was like nothing she’d ever experienced. She didn’t understand her reaction. Especially when she knew it wasn’t brought on by his handsome face or long, lean sexy body or even that magical kiss. No, even when there were no words or touches igniting a spark between them, she felt an intangible connection to him.

  “I like you, too. Very much.”

  Her gaze lifted to his face and she found herself studying his thick black lashes, the mystery of his deep brown eyes, the shallow valley beneath his nose and finally the hard curve of his lips.

  I’m going to ask Santa to bring you a really neat guy. A tall, strong one, who’ll make you laugh and smile.

  Hannah’s Christmas wish was whispering through her brain as Sawyer leaned across the console between their seats and placed his lips on hers.

  The kiss was brief, but still powerful enough to cause her eyes to close and her breathing to turn shallow.

  When he pulled back and settled himself behind the steering wheel, Vivian clamped her hands together and asked herself what she was going to do about him. About the wild rush of pleasure she felt each time he touched her. Oh, Lord, it was a hopeless situation. Yet, she was incredibly happy that fate had sent him to Lake Pleasant and to her.

  From the corner of her eye, she watched him put the gearshift into Drive and ease the SUV back onto the road.

  “In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s no clump of mistletoe hanging from the headliner.”

  He chuckled. “I didn’t need a reason to kiss you again—except that I wanted to.”

  His response shook her, but she tried not to show it. After all, she was six years older than him. He probably believed she was experienced with men and kisses and making love. But she wasn’t. She’d only had sex with one man, and at the time, he’d been her husband. And he’d not exactly been an expert lover. Kissing Sawyer had proven that much.

  Deciding they both needed to change the subject, she said, “You’ve not explained about Mort’s call. What was the real reason?”

  He smiled. “He had good news to relay to us. Sometime after midnight last night, two deputies from the Yavapai County sheriff’s department arrested the guys who attacked Mr. Roberts. The pair have already confessed to the crime. He thought we ought to be the first to hear the news.”

  She let out a huge sigh of relief. “That is great news. So hopefully they’re behind bars now and can’t hurt anyone else.”

  “Mort made it clear that they’re in jail. And because both men had warrants out for their arrest on other crimes committed in Yavapai and Maricopa Counties, they’ll most likely be locked up for a long time.”

  “Hmm. I wonder if my brother Joe was in on the arrest,” she mused aloud. “I don’t know what shift he’s working presently, but sometimes he has night-shift duty.”

  “He doesn’t live on the ranch?” Sawyer asked.

  “No. He’s married with a baby boy. They live on his wife’s ranch, the Bar X. It’s not far from the main headquarters of Three Rivers.”

  “Well, I doubt he was in on the arrest. Otherwise, he would’ve probably already contacted you with the news.”

  Vivian shook her head. “I doubt it. I didn’t tell any of my family about the incident on Javelina Trail. They all have enough worries of their own without adding me to the mix. Not that I was ever in any danger, but...”

  Her words trailed away as she struggled to find a way to explain her situation without sounding like a real snob.

  “You’re from a wealthy family and they’re concerned you might attract predators. Is that what you were about to say?”

  The man never failed to surprise her. He seemed to instinctively understand what she was thinking and feeling. Which only made the connection between them even stronger.

  “Yes. I just didn’t know how to say it without making myself sound like some sort of princess, who needs protection around her at all times.” She let out a cynical laugh. “Really, Sawyer, my family isn’t paranoid. They only want me to be extra cautious. Because I’m a female and they think I’m gullible and vulnerable to go with it.”

  He looked over at her. “I don’t believe you’re gullible or vulnerable.”

  He might think differently if he knew what a loser she’d married and later divorced, Vivian thought dismally. But she’d made that mistake years ago. She wanted to believe she’d grown and changed since then.

  “Thanks, Sawyer.”

  “And besides,” he added with a wicked wink, “you now have me for a bodyguard.”

  She very nearly groaned out loud. “Great,” she said drily. “As long as there’s no mistletoe hanging around, I’ll be well protected.”

  A half mile on down the road, he was still laughing.

  Chapter Eight

  That evening, as the Hollister family gathered in the den for before-dinner drinks, Holt walked up behind Vivian and slung an arm around her shoulders.

  “How’s it going, sis?”

  She looked around and promptly gasped at the sight of his face. One eye was black and swollen, while the right corner of his bottom lip was stitched together.

  “What in the heck? I hope the other guy looks worse than you,” she told him.

  He chuckled. “Viv, you know your little brother quit picking fights years ago. A randy colt gave me this pretty face. He thinks he’s grown enough to be a stallion, but I tried to tell him he wasn’t. We butted heads over the argument.”

  In spite of his black eye and mangled lip, she couldn’t help but laugh at the comical expression on his face. Holt was one of the best horse trainers in the state and probably beyond. But over the years he’d suffered various forms of injuries. Some minor and others very serious, like a skull fracture and a shoulder torn out of
its socket.

  “I’m glad that’s all he did to you. So what does the horse look like? I hope you didn’t hurt him,” she teased.

  “A hell of a lot better than I do,” he joked, then, squeezing her shoulders, he guided her toward a small leather couch positioned near the fireplace. “Come on, let’s sit here before someone else does.”

  The two of them had settled themselves comfortably onto the couch when Jazelle appeared with a tray full of drinks.

  Vivian quickly plucked up a margarita, but Holt took his time studying the assortment of drinks.

  “What’s this orange-looking thing with the brown twig in it?” he asked the housekeeper.

  “It’s heated punch with apple cider and a few other things Reeva adds to it. And the brown twig is a stem of cloves.”

  “You don’t eat it, though, little brother,” Vivian informed him. “It’s just to add flavor.”

  Jazelle winked at Vivian, then said to Holt, “The drink doesn’t have alcohol, so you might want to choose one that does.”

  “The punch will be fine,” he said. “The doctor gave me something for pain when he sewed up this lip. I’d better stay away from the alcohol. Viv thinks I’m crazy enough as it is.”

  Jazelle was handing Holt the drink when Chandler walked up and surveyed the loaded tray.

  “Have any wine there?” he asked. “I’ve had a hell of a day.”

  Holt let out a cynical snort. “I guess you think mine’s been a bowl full of cherries.”

  “Yeah, and you got the pits instead.”

  “Ha. Ha,” Holt retorted.

  Jazelle handed Chandler a long-stemmed glass of blackberry wine, then moved across the room to where Maureen was seated with Blake and Katherine. In a far corner of the room, Hannah and Nick were busy erecting a small nativity scene on a console table.

  It was a typical evening for the Hollister family, but Vivian could only wonder what Sawyer was doing right now. Having a quiet evening meal with his grandmother? Or maybe he’d stopped in Camp Verde to have dinner with a woman. The idea of him sitting across from a young, pretty woman, smiling at her, reaching for her hand and giving her a line of sweet talk bothered Vivian far more than she wanted to admit.

  After sampling a sip of his drink, Chandler eased a hip onto the arm of the couch next to Vivian. “Joe tells me they arrested a pair of felons last night who’d beat up a camper at Lake Pleasant. Did you know anything about this?” he asked her.

  Holt leveled a suspicious look at her. “You’ve been keeping something from us?”

  She frowned at him. “No. Well—uh, not exactly.”

  “Then you didn’t know anything about it?” Chandler persisted.

  “Actually, Sawyer and I were the rangers who found the victim on Javelina Trail. He was in bad shape with both ankles broken. Seems as though these guys wanted to stomp the victim because he wasn’t carrying any money on him.”

  “Oh. And that wasn’t serious enough to tell your family about it?” he asked sarcastically.

  “Well, gee, Holt, do you tell us everything that happens in the training pen?” she questioned crossly.

  “No, but this is different,” he argued. “You’re a woman. You’re my sister.”

  Vivian held a finger up to her lips and made a shushing noise. “Please, lower your voice, Holt! I don’t exactly want Mom to hear this. She has enough to worry about without you adding more to the plate.”

  Before Holt could make any kind of retort, Chandler asked, “Who’s Sawyer? I thought you always worked with Louis Garcia.”

  “Sorry, brothers. I’d assumed Mother had told you that Louis broke his leg. It must’ve slipped her mind,” she explained. “He won’t be able to return to work for at least six months. Sawyer was brought in as his replacement.”

  “So they moved him over from some other area of Lake Pleasant?” Chandler asked.

  “No. Sawyer’s from Dead Horse Ranch. And—” she turned a smug look on Holt “—he’s young and strong and perfectly capable of seeing that no one tries to snatch me off the trail.”

  Holt’s brows inched upward and Vivian wished she could kick herself. Exactly why had that remark come out of her mouth?

  “Oh, really.” He cut a sly glance at Chandler. “When was the last time we’ve heard Viv give a man that kind of compliment?”

  Tapping a forefinger against his chin, Chandler pretended to think hard. “Hmm. I’m not sure I can remember back that far. I’d say maybe fifteen years ago.”

  Vivian rolled her eyes. “Just wait and see what I get you two for Christmas. Right now I’m thinking duct tape for your mouths would be perfect!”

  “Okay, seriously,” Holt said, “are you satisfied that you have the right guy for a partner? I mean, I’ve heard what all you rangers do on the job. There are times you encounter dangerous situations. You need to have someone who’ll watch your back.”

  She didn’t have to think about Sawyer being the right partner for her. Not for one second. No matter if he was a flirt. No matter that he kissed her when he shouldn’t have been kissing her. She knew without a shred of doubt that he would put himself on the line to protect her. And that, in itself, was far more than Garth would’ve ever done for her.

  “I have the right guy,” she said.

  Seemingly satisfied with her response, he and Chandler let the subject drop and Vivian was relieved not to have to field any more questions about Sawyer.

  However, the reprieve didn’t last long. During dinner, as Maureen talked about the family’s upcoming Christmas festivities, she surprised Vivian by bringing up Sawyer’s name again.

  “Viv, since you’ve gotten a new partner at work, I think it would be very nice if you’d invite Sawyer to join us for dinner Saturday night,” she said. “We’ll be decorating the big tree in the den and most all of us will be here. I think even Joe and Tessa will be here, along with Sam. And we’d all like to meet this new man of yours.”

  Leave it to her mother to make it sound like she had a new boyfriend, rather than a coworker, Vivian thought.

  Before Vivian could make any sort of reply, young Nick spoke up, “Don’t forget Little Joe, Grandma. He’ll be here, too.”

  “That’s right,” Hannah chimed right behind him, then cast a curious look at her mother. “I didn’t know you had a new partner, Mom. Who is he?”

  Sitting next to her, Holt shot Vivian a skeptical look. “You haven’t told your daughter about Superman?”

  “He’s just another ranger,” Vivian said to Hannah, while beneath the table, she kicked his shin.

  He uttered a painful grunt, but she deliberately ignored him and turned her attention to her mother. “I’m not sure Sawyer would want to come, Mom. He might’ve already made plans for the weekend.”

  Maureen wasn’t about to let her daughter slide that easily. “Well, it wouldn’t hurt for you to ask. The man might appreciate the invitation. Especially since he doesn’t have family of his own.”

  “He has his grandmother,” Vivian reminded her.

  “Well, I meant a wife and children.”

  Across the table, Hannah asked, “Is he really Superman like Uncle Holt said?”

  Next to Hannah, Nick giggled. “Superman is a comic figure, Hannah. He’s not real.”

  The girl made a face at her cousin. “I know that, silly! But he might be a super guy.” She looked at her mother. “Is he, Mom?”

  Oh, Lord, how did all this start? Vivian wondered. And what in the world would Sawyer think if she invited him to a family affair? Would he see the whole thing as a green light from her?

  Are you stupid, Vivian? You’ve already kissed the man as though he was everything in the world you ever wanted. Don’t you figure that was a huge green light?

  Trying to block out the annoying voice in her head, she looked at her daughter. “Well, like Nick poi
nted out, he’s not a comic figure wearing a cape. But he is nice. And he’s a great ranger.”

  Her eyes suddenly twinkling, Hannah put down her fork and gleefully clapped her hands together. “Then please invite him, Mom. It’ll be fun to have someone new around. Say you will. Please?”

  Vivian felt every eye at the table turn on her. “Okay,” she relented. “If you all feel that way, then I’ll invite him. But I won’t make any promises that he’ll show up.”

  While everyone voiced their approval, Holt leaned his mouth close to Vivian’s ear. “If you’re half the woman I think you are, then he’ll show up,” he said.

  If she was half the woman she wanted to be, she would’ve already found the courage to invite Sawyer into her home and into her life. But courage and trust were two things she’d been lacking ever since she’d learned Garth had married her for her money.

  “You just take care of your face, little brother. Otherwise, Sawyer is going to think you were out on Javelina Trail.”

  Holt laughed, but Vivian didn’t join him. She was too busy wondering how Sawyer was going to react when she invited him here to Three Rivers.

  On the other hand, meeting Hannah and the rest of her family might be the very best thing for both of them, Vivian decided. Seeing that she was all about family would make it clear that she wasn’t the kind of woman who’d be content to have a heated affair with him, or any man.

  * * *

  The next afternoon, Sawyer and Vivian, along with two other rangers, were asked to help erect a portable stage where a Christmas candle lighting and caroling service was scheduled to be held on Sunday night.

  With the sunny weather much warmer than usual, putting the heavy pieces of plywood together turned out to be a sweaty job. By the time it was completed, Sawyer was more than ready to head to the cantina for a cool drink.

  “Let’s sit out on the porch,” Vivian suggested. “There’s a cool breeze.”

  Sawyer leveled a knowing grin at her. “Afraid of the mesquite mistletoe hanging in the kitchen?”