A Rancher's Christmas (Saddlers Prairie)

by Roth, Ann

“I can’t feel my face,” she moaned.

  “Hang on, honey.” He wiped away the blood then spoke to Red. “I’m taking her to the emergency room.” Damn Bridget. Already Isi’s petite nose had swollen to the size of a kosher pickle.

  He helped Isi to her feet and Sasha handed him Isi’s backpack. Isi swayed after taking a step toward the door, so he tucked her against his side and practically carried her out of the bar.

  They drove in silence to the hospital. He figured she was hurting pretty bad if she couldn’t give him hell about Bridget. He parked in the visitor lot in front of the emergency entrance.

  “I don’t need to see a doctor. I’ll be fine,” she said.

  “Let the doctor make that call.” When he reached for the door handle, she snagged his shirtsleeve.

  “I don’t have health insurance.”

  He wasn’t surprised. Isi worked part-time at the bar and by law Red didn’t have to offer her benefits. “You got punched in the face because of me. I’ll take care of the bill.” It was the least he could do.

  Once inside, Isi filled out the paperwork then waited almost an hour before a nurse took her to get an X-ray. Conway spoke to a billing representative and made arrangements to pay for Isi’s E.R. visit. By the time Isi returned to the waiting room, the bruising beneath her eyes had worsened.

  “A clean fracture,” the nurse announced. She handed Conway a bottle of pain pills. “No driving while she’s taking this prescription.”

  Conway shoved the container into his jean pocket, thanked the nurse and escorted Isi to his truck. “Do you have a concussion?”

  “No.”

  “Want to take a pain pill right now? I’ll go back inside and buy you a bottle of water from the vending machine.”

  “No, thanks. I’ll take a pill after I drive myself home.”

  “You’re not driving anywhere tonight.”

  “I can’t leave my car at Red’s.”

  Conway didn’t want to pick a fight with Isi when she was hurting. He drove her to the bar and parked next to her 1996 white Toyota Camry. “I’ll follow you to your place.”

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “Maybe, but I’ll feel better knowing you got home safe.”

  She grabbed her backpack then hopped out and slammed the truck door. Conway drove behind her as she pulled out of the lot. He knew she lived in a trailer park nearby but had forgotten which one.

  Isi headed southwest a mile then entered the Desert Valley Mobile Home Park. The neighborhood was well kept—mostly single wides. She pulled beneath a carport in front of a white trailer with faded turquoise trim. Instead of the traditional rock and cactus landscape, the yard consisted of dead grass and dirt. He parked behind Isi and followed her to the door.

  “Thank you for taking care of the hospital bill,” she said.

  “I’ll pay for any follow-up doctor visits.”

  “As long as your girlfriends stay away from the bar, I won’t need to see any more doctors.”

  “I’m really sorry. I didn’t think Bridget would follow me after I left the rodeo.”

  “You might have to compromise if you want to find the perfect woman, Conway.”

  He didn’t want to discuss his love life. “Do you have a friend who will stay with you tonight?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  When Isi opened the door, he heard a female talking. “Who’s that?”

  “The sitter. She’s always on her cell phone.”

  Conway followed Isi inside.

  “Oh, my God, what happened?” The teen’s eyes widened in horror.

  “I’m fine, Nicole.” Isi sent Conway a silent message. “I ran into the kitchen door at the bar.”

  So she didn’t want the sitter to know the truth—fine by him, because the truth made him look like an idiot.

  “Conway, this is Nicole. She watches the boys when I’m at the bar. Nicole, this is Conway. He’s a friend.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Nicole said.

  While Isi asked the sitter how the boys had behaved, Conway studied the furnishings. Sparse was the first word that came to mind. The furniture appeared second-hand—TV, love seat, chair and coffee table. Kids’ artwork decorated the walls and colorful plastic bins filled with toys had been stacked in the living room corner.

  “What time did the boys go to bed?” Isi asked.

  “Fifteen minutes ago.”

  “I’m sorry to have to cut the night short.” Isi faced Conway. “Where are those pain pills?”

  He handed her the bottle and she went into the kitchen and got a drink of water. “I won’t be working at the bar this weekend, so I’ll see you on Monday, Nicole.” Isi disappeared down the hallway then a moment later he heard a door open and close.

  “Do you need a ride home, Nicole?” Conway asked.

  “No, I live here in the trailer park with my aunt.” She walked to the door. “I left a note on the kitchen table for Isi. Will you make sure she reads it in the morning?”

  “Sure.”

  After Nicole left, Conway stood in living room uncertain what to do. Was it okay to leave Isi and her kids alone after she’d taken a pain pill? What if a burglar tried to break into the trailer or the water heater caught on fire? Isi was in no shape to handle a crisis.

  The least he could do after she’d taken a blow meant for him was stay the night and make sure she and her sons remained safe. As soon as she woke in the morning, he’d hightail it back to the farm.

  * * *

  A SIXTH SENSE told Conway he was being watched. He opened his eyes beneath the cowboy hat covering his face. Two pairs of miniature athletic shoes stood side by side next to the sofa. He played possum—not an easy task when his legs were numb from dangling over the end of the love seat all night.

  “Is he dead?”

  The question went unanswered.

  “I bet he’s dead.” The same voice spoke again.

  “Poke him and see.” A second voice, slightly higher in pitch than the first, whispered.

  Conway grinned, glad the hat hid his face.

  “Get Mom.”

  “She’s sleeping.”

  The sound of a food wrapper crinkling reached Conway’s ears.

  “Shh.”

  “I’m hungry.” Crunching followed the statement.

  Conway shifted on the couch and groaned.

  “He’s alive.”

  “Maybe he’s sick.”

  “Look under his hat.”

  “You look.”

  “Chicken.”

  “Am not.”

  Conway’s chest shook with laughter as he waited for his assailants’ next move. Small fingers lifted the brim of his hat and Cheerio breath puffed against in his face.

  On the count of three. One...two...three. Conway opened his eyes and his gaze clashed with the boys’. The kids shrieked and jumped back, bumping into each other. The Cheerio box sailed through the air, the contents spilling onto Conway’s chest. He studied the mess then turned his attention to the daring duo.

  “Sorry, mister.” The brothers scooped oat rings off of Conway’s shirt and stuffed them back into the box. Conway swung his legs to the floor and sat up. The twins were identical. They wore their hair cut in a traditional little-boy style with a side part and both had their mother’s almond-shaped brown eyes.

  He pointed to the kid holding the cereal box. “What’s your name?”

  “Javier.”

  Conway moved his finger to the other boy.

  “I’m Miguel. Who are you?”

  So Miguel was the outgoing one and Javier the shy one. “Conway Twitty Cash.”

  “That’s a long name,” Miguel said.

  “You can call me Conway.” It wasn’t
enough that his mother had slept with every Tom, Dick and Harry across southern Arizona, but she’d also possessed a strange sense of humor in naming all six of her sons after country-music legends. “How old are you guys?”

  “Four.” They answered in unison.

  “Are you a real cowboy?” Miguel asked.

  “That depends. You asking if I work on a ranch?”

  Miguel nodded.

  “I’m not that kind of cowboy.”

  Javier made eye contact with his brother and Conway swore the boys conversed telepathically. “What kind of cowboy are you?” Miguel asked.

  “Part-time rodeo cowboy. When I’m not bustin’ broncs, I work on a farm.”

  The boys stared with blank expressions.

  “You know what pecans are, don’t you?”

  They shook their heads.

  “Nuts that grow on trees. People eat the nuts or use them in pies.”

  Javier whispered in his brother’s ear then Miguel asked, “How come you’re in our house?”

  Not sure what answer Isi would want him to give her sons, he asked a question of his own. “Have you ever seen a man in your house after you woke up in the morning?”

  They shook their heads again.

  For some stupid reason that pleased Conway.

  Javier whispered in his brother’s ear.

  “You can ask me questions yourself, Javier,” Conway said.

  “I mostly talk.” Miguel’s chest puffed up. “Why are you sleeping on our couch?”

  “Your mom wasn’t feeling well, so I stayed the night in case something bad happened.”

  “Is Mom dying?” Miguel paused, then said, “Like what?”

  “No, your mom isn’t dying. For Pete’s sake!” Conway had trouble following the conversation—he’d never talked with four-year-olds before. “Like what, what?”

  “What kind of bad things?” Miguel asked.

  “Well, there could have been a fire in the middle of the night.”

  Javier ran from the room then returned with a small fire extinguisher.

  “We know how to put out a fire,” Miguel said.

  He doubted the boys had the strength to pull the pin on the extinguisher, but he was impressed that they knew what the canister was used for. “Or a bad guy could’ve broken into the trailer.”

  Javier set down the extinguisher then opened the closet door in the hallway and removed a baseball bat, which he dragged across the carpet. Conway got the impression the kid was trying to tell him that they didn’t need his help protecting their mother.

  “Can you lift that?” he asked.

  Javier raised the bat and Conway intercepted the barrel before it hit Miguel in the back of the head. “Whoa, slugger.” He confiscated the weapon and laid it on the couch.

  “Javi...Mig... Where are you guys?” Isi’s sluggish voice rang out a moment before she appeared in the hallway. Conway sucked in a quiet breath. The bruising beneath her eyes had deepened to dark purple.

  “Mom!” Miguel dashed across the room, Javier following him. “What happened?” Both boys hugged Isi’s legs.

  “I had an accident at work last night. I ran into a door and broke my nose.”

  “Does it hurt?” Miguel asked.

  “Yes. Did you have breakfast?” Isi dropped to one knee and hugged her sons. She whispered in Miguel’s ear then he went into the kitchen, climbed onto the counter and retrieved two cereal bowls from the cupboard. Javier remained by Isi’s side—he was definitely the insecure twin.

  “Mom.” Miguel set the bowls on the table.

  “What?”

  “Conway Twitty Cash slept on our couch.”

  “You can call me Conway.”

  “Mr. Conway,” Isi said.

  “I told them I stayed last night, because you weren’t feeling well and I needed to be here in case of an emergency.”

  “We don’t need his help, do we, Javi?” Miguel said.

  Javier wouldn’t look at Conway.

  “It was nice of Mr. Conway to stay, but I’m fine now.” Isi sent him a time-to-leave look.

  Conway stood up and the Cheerios that had gotten caught in the wrinkles of his shirt spilled to the floor. He stepped over the Os to avoid smashing them into the carpet. “Your sitter left this for you last night.” He handed her the piece of paper Miguel had pushed aside on the table. “She wanted you to read it first thing in the morning.”

  While Isi read the note, Conway said, “I’d really like to make it up to you for what happened last night. Is there anything I can—”

  Isi glanced up from the note a stunned expression on her face.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nicole quit.”

  “What?”

  “She’s moving to Tucson to live with her father.”

  “When?” Conway asked.

  “Today.” Isi sighed. “If I don’t find a sitter by Monday, I’ll have to skip class and I have an exam that day.”

  “Maybe your mother could help out with the boys.”

  She frowned. “My mother’s dead.”

  That’s right. She’d told him her mother had passed away right before she’d immigrated to the U.S. He inched closer to the door. “Maybe a relative—”

  “Conway—”

  Hand on the doorknob he froze. “What?”

  “I told you a long time ago that I don’t have any family. It’s just me and the boys.”

  Really? He couldn’t recall Isi talking about her family. He was always wrapped up in his dating dilemmas and the information had probably gone in one ear and out the other. He swallowed hard. That Isi was all alone in the world didn’t seem right. He might have had a mother who cared more about chasing after men, and a father who hadn’t wanted the responsibility of raising him, but he’d had siblings and grandparents who cared about him.

  “You offered to help,” she said. “Would you watch the boys until I find a replacement sitter?”

  Babysit? Him? “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “It would be for two or three days at the most.”

  “I don’t know anything about kids.”

  She ignored his protests. “I’d need you to drop them off at preschool and bring them back here afterward.”

  “I’m sure—” he winked at the boys “—they’d rather have anyone but me watch them.”

  “Never mind.” Her shoulders sagged.

  Did she have to act so dejected?

  “I’ll take the boys to school with me and hope the professors allow them into the classroom.”

  “I don’t want to go to your school, Mom,” Miguel said.

  It’s because of me that Isi’s nose is broken.

  Oh, hell. How hard could it be to watch a couple of four-year-olds? For two years Isi had listened to him bellyache about women. He couldn’t turn his back on her when she needed him most.

  “Okay, I’ll watch the boys,” he said.

  She flashed him a bright smile. “You’ll need to be here by noon on Monday.”

  “See you then.” Right now, Conway couldn’t escape fast enough.

  ISBN: 9781460320358

  Copyright © 2013 by Ann Schuessler

  A RANCHER’S CHRISTMAS

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