A Rancher's Christmas (Saddlers Prairie)

by Roth, Ann

  The women smiled and called out greetings, and immediately Gina felt at home.

  “Cocktails and appetizers are on the side table,” Autumn said. “Help yourself. I’ll stick these pizzas in the oven to stay warm. I’ll be right back.”

  By the time Gina poured herself a glass of wine and found a seat on the massive sectional sofa that faced the fireplace, Autumn had returned.

  She reintroduced everyone. “You remember Sarah Hollyer, Meg Dawson, her sister-in-law, Jenny, and Stacy Engle. They were all at your house the other night and at the funeral. Next to Stacy is Joan Tyee, who you haven’t met. She’s a close friend of mine.” Autumn grinned. “When I took the housekeeping job here, I was an awful cook. Joan saved me by teaching me how to make a few things. If she hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t have been here long enough for Cody to fall in love with me.”

  “Not true.” Joan’s eyes sparkled. “He was in love with you the second you walked into the house.”

  “Joan’s husband, Doug, is foreman here at Hope Ranch,” Autumn said. “He’s really great with our foster sons.”

  Gina wondered what it was like, being a foreman’s wife. “Do you also work at the ranch?” she asked Joan.

  The woman shook her head. “I’m an office manager for an insurance company in town. I also have two little ones at home—and as you can see, baby number three will arrive in a few months.”

  Joan bracketed one side of her mouth with her hand, as if about to reveal a secret she didn’t want others to hear. “I’m almost forty-two,” she said with a wry expression. “And this pregnancy came as a complete surprise. Doug and I are thrilled, of course.”

  A special glow lit Joan from the inside. Gina almost envied her, which was odd. She was so not ready for motherhood. Maybe after she was promoted to vice president—provided she met her Mr. Right.

  Joan went on. “Dr. Mark assures us that everything is normal, for which we’re grateful. But after this one, I’m getting my tubes tied.”

  Everyone laughed.

  When Meg, who was sitting next to Gina, got up to chat with someone across the room, Sarah Hollyer took her place. “I’ve been wanting to ask you something.”

  Assuming she had some marketing questions, Gina smiled. “Fire away.”

  “What do you think of Zach?”

  Taken off-guard, Gina struggled for an answer besides, He’s a great kisser. For the life of her, she couldn’t come up with anything else. “What do you mean?” she finally said.

  “I met him a couple years ago, when I interviewed him and Lucky for an article I was writing about ranching in eastern Montana. Your uncle made me laugh, but Zach really impressed me with his smarts. I think he’s a great guy and really good-looking. Not as handsome as Clay, but a close second.”

  “Uncle Lucky had quite a sense of humor,” Gina said. “And you’re right about Zach. He’s a good man.” Maybe Sarah could tell her something about him. “What do you know about his background?”

  “Only that he’s from Texas and has been here about three years.”

  “I remember when he stopped at the clinic for a tetanus shot a few months ago,” Stacy said. “Every woman in the room was fanning herself. A gorgeous guy like that... It’s a wonder some lucky woman hasn’t snapped him up.”

  Gina didn’t like that idea at all. Frowning, she stood. “I need more wine.”

  When she returned to her seat, a woman named Dani, who’d been in several of Gina’s high school classes, angled her head toward her. “I hear you live in Chicago and that you’re the assistant vice president at a big marketing company. What’s that like?”

  Finally, a subject Gina could sink her teeth into. “The job or Chicago?” she asked.

  “Both.”

  “My job is pretty demanding, but I love the challenge. Chicago’s great—it’s big and vibrant, and there’s always something to do.”

  “Wow,” Dani said. “I’ll bet they have great stores there.”

  “Every chain you can think of, plus a lot of great boutiques. It’s a shopper’s paradise. And the restaurants are amazing.”

  A lively discussion followed. Gina was enjoying herself. She loved the hustle and bustle of Chicago, but these women made Saddlers Prairie seem pretty darn great. Already she felt closer to them than she ever had to Lise or any of her other colleagues at Andersen, Coats and Mueller.

  As for friends outside of work, she didn’t really have any. And whose fault was that? She’d been so busy working that she hadn’t taken the time to cultivate real friendships.

  “I’m ready to eat,” Autumn said. “Help me with the pizzas, Gina?”

  Gina followed her into a spacious, state-of-the-art kitchen. “Wow,” she said. “This is a far cry from the places we lived when we were kids.”

  “I know.” Autumn grinned and pulled on oven mitts. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure my life isn’t a dream. And I’m not talking our bank account or this house. I found the love of my life. With Cody, I’d be happy living in a shack.”

  Gina wasn’t sure she believed that. “You’ve been poor. You know you’d be worrying about how to pay the bills and feed yourselves.”

  “What I mean is, the house and money are just icing on the cake. Let’s put these in the dining room.”

  As Gina helped arrange the pizzas on the dining room table, she mulled over Autumn’s words. She’d never considered that love could matter so much more than money, and she certainly hadn’t seen that with her parents. She wondered if they’d enjoyed each other’s company before the bankruptcy.

  “Dinner is served in the dining room,” Autumn announced in a fake British accent that had everyone chuckling.

  “Yay!” Stacy pushed herself up and rubbed her rounded belly. “You’d think that with this baby squishing my stomach, I’d never feel like eating. But, no, I want to feed my face all the time.”

  Fresh laughter broke out.

  The lighthearted conversation was exactly what Gina needed. She relaxed as she hadn’t in forever, and for a while she forgot all about Zach and the sad event that had brought her back to Saddlers Prairie.

  The pizza was gone and everyone was sipping tea and enjoying brownies still warm from the oven when Autumn sat back and glanced at Gina.

  “So are you dating anyone in Chicago?”

  The conversation around the table stopped as everyone waited for Gina’s reply. Now, that was being put on the spot, Gina thought.

  “Not since my boyfriend and I broke up over the summer,” she said. “The truth is, I’ve been too busy to even think about meeting guys. Once things slow down at work, I’m sure I’ll start dating again.” She crossed her fingers and, without intending to, held them up for all to see.

  Autumn looked sympathetic—the last thing Gina wanted. “Don’t worry about me,” she said. “I’m happy.”

  But was she really?

  “I used to think I’d never get married,” Sarah said. “I certainly didn’t see myself in Saddlers Prairie. Yet here I am, living on a ranch with the best husband in the world and the mother of year-old twins. I’ve never been happier.”

  She sounded a lot like Autumn.

  Except for Gina, all the women were married with children, and they nodded and smiled. She felt like the odd girl out. Yet she also felt accepted and liked by everyone. Not for her work accomplishments but for who she was right now. She wasn’t used to that. It felt...different, in a good way.

  Not long after dinner, the party wound down. At the door, Autumn hugged her. “It’s been great seeing you. I wish you’d think about coming home again for Christmas.”

  Gina had thought she didn’t want to, but now she actually considered the suggestion—for all of five seconds. No, she decided. She needed to stay in Chicago and work.

  Next year, for s
ure.

  * * *

  GINA SPENT SUNDAY cleaning out the basement. She stopped in time to shower and change before heading to dinner at Sophie and Gloria’s. By the time she parked in front of their little house, she was hungry and grouchy. Scooping up a cake—the last of the desserts brought to the house by people paying their respects—and her parents’ bankruptcy folder, she made her way to the front door. Tonight, she wanted answers.

  She knocked before opening the door and stepping into the modest living room. Wonderful smells greeted her, and she sniffed appreciatively.

  “There’s my favorite niece.” Seated in the recliner, Uncle Redd waved. “Is that a cake?”

  “Your only niece,” she corrected, placing her things on a chair and hanging up her coat. “And yes, it’s a cake.”

  Her uncle frowned. “You don’t look happy. Rough day?”

  “Actually, I accomplished quite a bit.” She had the bulging trash bags to prove it. “But no, I’m not very happy. Follow me into the kitchen and I’ll explain why.”

  In the small kitchen, her cousins were working their magic.

  “Hello,” Sophie called out, tipping her cheek up for a kiss. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

  Gloria nodded. “Grab an apron and dress the salad.”

  “Not until we talk.”

  “But dinner’s almost ready,” Sophie said.

  “It can wait.” Gina gestured at the kitchen table. “Sit.” She jerked her chin at Uncle Redd. “You, too.”

  “Oh, dear,” Gloria muttered. “What is it this time?”

  “First, you neglect to warn me that instead of Uncle Redd inheriting the Lucky A, I am. I thought the secrets were behind us, but I was wrong.” She slapped the thick folder on the table so that they could all see it. “I can’t believe you all didn’t tell me about my parents’ bankruptcy.”

  Uncle Redd scratched the back of his neck. “It was a long time ago, honey. Before you were even born.”

  “According to the paperwork, I was a few months old.”

  “Same difference. By the time you were big enough to understand, your folks had put it behind them. What would have been the point of opening that old wound?”

  “The point is, they’re my parents. Bankruptcy is a huge thing, and I should’ve been told.”

  “You know now, and what good has it done?” Gloria shook her head. “You’re all upset.”

  “I’m angry, but not because of the bankruptcy. Because of the secrecy around it.”

  “Your parents were ashamed—we all were,” Sophie said.

  Uncle Redd nodded. “We’ve never been rich, but we always pay our way. It’s a matter of pride. That bankruptcy was the first time anyone in our family faced financial ruin. And in such a public way. Beau and Marie wanted to protect you from the shame.”

  In a public way? “You’re saying that people in Saddlers Prairie knew?”

  Her uncle nodded. “By law, The Saddlers Prairie News is required to print a statement as a notice to creditors. That’s a requirement of anyone declaring bankruptcy. You can imagine the humiliation.”

  In a town the size of Saddlers Prairie, Gina definitely could. The truth was, bankruptcy was humiliating, period—even in a bustling city the size of Chicago. She was beyond thankful for her upcoming bonus.

  “I never heard even a whisper about it from anyone in town,” she said.

  “Why would you? It was no one’s business.”

  “But news travels around here like wildfire.”

  “Yes, and then it dies down.”

  “Tell me how it happened.”

  Uncle Red rested his arms on the table. “Beau wasn’t frugal like Lucky and me. He had a reckless streak and liked to spend money.”

  “He used to say that if you spend like you’re rich, then you’ll be rich,” Gloria said. “He claimed that was how he got your mama to look at him and her daddy to bring him into the farm-equipment business.”

  Gina nodded. “He was dressing for success.” When her family gave her blank looks, she explained. “In the corporate world, looking and acting successful is key to real success. People treat you differently and doors open that would otherwise stay closed.”

  “Beau may have taken over the business, but he wasn’t anything like a corporate executive,” Uncle Redd said. “He spent his paycheck on trips to Vegas and things he didn’t need. A big truck, a fancy car for Marie, a new color TV and whatever else caught his fancy.”

  Gloria made a face. “As you can imagine, on Beau’s salary that didn’t work out so well. He opened a few credit cards and got him and Marie into a real financial pickle. Back then, he handled the finances. Marie had no idea that they were living on credit. She thought they were doing real well, and Beau did everything he could to keep her believing it. After they declared bankruptcy, she closed all the credit-card accounts and took over the budget.”

  “So that’s why Dad had to ask Mom for any money he wanted to spend,” Gina said.

  “Uh-huh.” Uncle Redd shook his head. “Beau didn’t like that one bit, but it was either toe Marie’s line or hit the road, Jack.”

  “Were they ever happy together?”

  “Until your mom found out about the financial mess he’d gotten them into.”

  No longer angry, Gina sighed. “If I’d known all that, I would’ve understood my parents a whole lot better.” Though her life wouldn’t have been any easier.

  “Are we finished here?” Gloria asked. “Because I’d like to eat sometime before midnight.”

  “Okay, but first, are there any other secrets I should know about? If so, please tell me now. I don’t want to come across papers someplace and get sucker punched again.”

  Her relatives looked genuinely thoughtful for a moment. Then they glanced at each other and shrugged.

  “None that I can think of,” Uncle Redd said.

  Sophie shook her head. “If something comes to me, I promise I’ll tell you.”

  “Girl Scouts’ honor.” Gloria held up her hand in a three-finger salute.

  “If you don’t, I’ll never trust any of you again.” Gina grabbed an apron from a kitchen drawer. “Now I’ll dress that salad.”

  Chapter Nine

  At eight o’clock sharp Monday morning—nine o’clock Chicago time—Gina called the office.

  “Good morning,” Marsha said in her cheerful voice. “How are things in Montana?”

  Gina thought of Zach and the old and new friends she’d made. “Not bad, considering.”

  “All ready for Thanksgiving?”

  “No, but I will be.” With Sophie and Gloria’s help, she’d put together a grocery list for the holiday. After she cleaned out Uncle Lucky’s bedroom today, she would head to Spenser’s and buy the needed ingredients. “How about you?”

  “Haven’t started yet. I’m awfully glad we’re closed on Wednesday. I need that day to buy groceries and cook. I imagine Carrie told you she’s sick?”

  “Sick?” Gina echoed.

  “She just called in—I assumed she’d talked to you first. She has the flu and a bad case of laryngitis. I could barely hear a word she said. She won’t be in today, and I doubt she’ll be in tomorrow, either.”

  Gina had checked her email before going to Gloria and Sophie’s the night before and had seen Carrie’s report and an email that had been upbeat and relieved her worries. But now... The fact that her assistant hadn’t contacted her was both puzzling and worrisome.

  Especially with a busy day scheduled. She rubbed the space between her eyes. “Meetings with Evelyn Grant and another client are set up for this afternoon, and I’m going to need help. Who’s in the office?”

  “Everyone but Carrie and Kevin. He’s out for the day with potential new clients. The rest are all in back-t
o-back meetings, but Shirley and Jon should be finished around three. Shall I buzz one of them?”

  Both colleagues worked as hard as Gina, and she doubted they had time to step in. “Never mind,” she said. “I’ll call the clients and set up phone meetings instead.”

  “All right. If I don’t talk to you again before Thursday, happy Thanksgiving. We’ll be awfully glad to have you back next week.”

  Irritated, Gina speed-dialed Carrie’s cell phone. She didn’t expect her assistant to pick up, and of course, the woman didn’t. “I’m sorry you’re sick,” Gina said when voice mail kicked in. “But we still need to talk before Thanksgiving. As soon as you feel better, give me a call—even if you have laryngitis.”

  She spent the next hour making calls to clients and apologizing for not returning calls the day before. They all knew about Uncle Lucky and seemed surprised that she was calling instead of Carrie. Explaining that her assistant was ill, Gina set up phone meetings for the following morning.

  Then, channeling her frustration with Carrie, she attacked Uncle Lucky’s bedroom.

  Stacks of old catalogs filled one wall. Sweating and muttering, Gina hefted trash bags of J.C. Penney and farm and agriculture catalogs downstairs.

  “What were you thinking, Uncle Lucky?” she muttered as she shoved the heavy bags outside.

  They joined a mound along the back of the house—a big, ugly pile of black plastic against the snow. Hating the sight, Gina decided to burn their contents in the bin near the barn. Right away.

  Then she would drive to Spenser’s and pick up the groceries for Thanksgiving and another box of trash bags. She would check her email, too. After that, she might even stop at Barb’s Café and treat herself to dinner.

  * * *

  USING ONE OF Lucky’s old Jeeps to trundle from pasture to pasture, Zach kept an eye out for stranded or lost cattle. He preferred riding horses, but with the temperature somewhere south of twenty degrees, it was too damn cold. He was out of the car, battling the harsh wind and tramping down a gully to reach a misguided heifer, when he smelled smoke.