That urge was so unfair. She was the one who’d been reluctant to let anyone know that they’d established an extremely intimate connection on a very brief acquaintance. He was only acting the way she’d asked him to.
Possessiveness on her part was not only unattractive but uncalled-for. They’d struck a deal—a fun romp for however long he was here followed by a cheerful parting of the ways. Under those circumstances, she had no claim on him, and he had no claim on her.
The arrangement felt completely unreal to her, though, because she’d never entered into one like it before. She’d never gone to bed with a man who hadn’t been a potential mate. None of her three previous lovers had turned out to be her one and only, but she hadn’t known that until they’d spent some quality time together, including having sex.
What she’d shared with them hadn’t come within a mile of what she’d discovered with Ben, and now she had a whole new concept of what made for a perfect partner. She hoped that Ben wasn’t one in a million. If so, she was in for a long search.
Molly arrived early for lunch in the big dining room. She sat down with Sarah and Pete, who were the only two at their table so far. Ben moved on past, as if heading for a spot on the other side of the room.
But Pete called out to him, and he turned back. “Come and sit with us,” Pete said. “I had some more thoughts on your potential breeding program. You might be interested in one of our mares, as well.”
Ben sat down next to Pete, across the table from Molly. “Don’t know if I can afford that, yet.”
“Maybe we could work out a deal. Time payments, or first look at the foal. There are all sorts of creative ways to do it. Jack and I talked and we want to help in any way we can.”
Ben nodded. “That’s good to know. Where is Jack, anyway?”
“Josie had an emergency at the bar. A pipe broke, so he’s helping her handle it.”
“I’ve heard of that bar.” Ben picked up his sandwich. “Supposed to be haunted, right?”
“Yes.” Sarah laughed. “That’s why Josie renamed it the Spirits and Spurs. Some claim my late father-in-law is one of the ghosts who makes an appearance from time to time. He used to stop in for a beer whenever Nelsie went into town to shop.”
“Archie’s supposed to be one of the ghosts?” This was the first Molly had heard of it. “That needs to go into my notes. I have this feeling I’m missing all kinds of things that will just come out in casual conversation if I hang around long enough.”
“That’s true.” Sarah sent her a fond glance. “You need to come back. You have summers off, right?”
“Sort of. I usually teach one session of summer school.” She felt Ben’s gaze on her. If she returned this summer, they could pick up where they left off. He’d be in Sheridan, which wasn’t that far away, and in summer the drive would be easy. They wouldn’t have to say goodbye forever.
“Then think about flying back up here,” Pete said. “We’ve loved having you. You fit right in.”
“Thank you. That sounds great.” But she wasn’t so sure it was a good idea. This time with Ben was short and sweet. When they parted, they’d make a clean break. If she came back, though, the relationship automatically became more complicated.
“Good.” Pete seemed satisfied the issue was settled. He turned back to Ben. “You’ll need to figure out where you’re going to put these horses. Do you have some ideas about that?”
As the meal continued, Ben described his plans for buying a small spread on the outskirts of Sheridan, and Pete offered enthusiastic advice. The two of them seemed to have bonded. Nick and Gabe joined them, and soon the four men were deeply involved in a subject they all held dear.
Sarah glanced over at Molly and lowered her voice. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She smiled to add emphasis to the statement.
Sarah leaned closer. “I hope you didn’t have a disagreement with Ben.”
“Heavens, no.” Molly tried to control the heat in her cheeks but knew it was no use.
“You did, didn’t you?” Sarah spoke in an undertone. “I thought you were getting along great last night, but you’ve avoided each other all morning. Was he rude to you?”
“No, Aunt Sarah. Everything’s fine.”
“Because I don’t care if Pete likes him. If he’s not nice to you, then he can take a long walk off a short—”
“Really, it’s fine.”
Sarah turned in her chair and skewered Molly with a look. “You’re sure about that?”
Molly gulped. “Yes.”
“All right.” Sarah leaned even closer. “But since he’s right down the hall from you, if there’s any reason for concern, you let me know immediately. Is that clear?”
“Yes.” But as she looked into Sarah’s blue eyes, Molly didn’t kid herself that she was fooling her aunt. Sarah knew that something was going on. She just didn’t know for sure what it was.
But with the big party only three hours away, now was not the time to confess everything. No one had discovered the liaison with Ben yet.
Sarah nodded. “Good. Glad that’s settled.” She resumed her normal tone of voice. “I’m worried that we don’t have enough wineglasses for tonight. We’ve lost more to breakage than I thought. I’m thinking of ditching the stemmed glasses completely and going with whiskey glasses for the wine. We have a ton of those. What do you think?”
“I think it’s very European.” Over Sarah’s shoulder, Molly caught Ben looking straight at her. One of the hands had come by to talk with Pete, temporarily interrupting the men’s conversation.
Ben took the opportunity to wink at her. Then the ranch hand left and Ben returned to the topic of breeding horses. But that wink had undone her. He’d chosen the perfect moment to send her a covert message, a secret communication to remind her of their connection.
Molly had been looking forward to Sarah’s party ever since she’d made plane reservations. She’d created a special photo album of all the Gallagher relatives, and each of them had written a birthday greeting next to their picture. Molly could hardly wait to present that to her aunt tonight, and now she was eager to see Sarah’s reaction to the magnificent saddle.
And yet, her thoughts had already moved beyond the party to the moment when the guests had left and she could climb the stairs. She pictured slipping into her room and taking off her clothes. Unfortunately her bathrobe was fleece and had moose pictures on it, but that couldn’t be helped.
“I just don’t want the kids to think that the wine is their favorite cherry drink and guzzle it by mistake. I sometimes let them have the cherry drink in a whiskey glass, so help me keep an eye on them, okay?”
“I will.” Molly did her best to concentrate on the conversation. “One sip and they’ll spit it out. I’ve never known a kid who thought wine tasted good.”
“Oh, I know one. Sarah Bianca took my glass when I wasn’t looking the other night. When I asked if she’d tasted my wine, she assured me that she had, but it was okay because we had the same germs.”
Molly laughed. “Sounds like her.”
“So then I asked her opinion of the wine. She said it was yummy. I explained that it was for grownups, but I’m not convinced that she won’t try it again.”
“Then I’ll keep close track of her.” Sarah Bianca, SB for short, was Morgan and Gabe’s oldest. During the cookie decorating session, the little redhead had informed Molly that she was not four, but four and a half, thank you very much. She thought her Grandma Sarah had hung the moon, and if her beloved grandmother loved red wine, so would SB.
Nick and Gabe said their goodbyes and left the table. Soon afterward, Pete and Ben pushed back their chairs and Pete glanced at his wife. “Unless you need me for something, Ben and I thought we’d head down to the barn and take another look at Calamity Sam, maybe turn him out so Ben can see him run.”
“I think we’re in pretty good shape.” Sarah smiled at him. “I have a few more things to check on in the kitchen, but as f
ar as I’m concerned, the work’s done. We’re ready for the party.”
“Excellent.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “See you soon.”
“Bye.” Sarah gazed after the two men as they left the dining room. “You know, when Pete and Jack first told me a horse buyer was coming, I was so wrapped up in the preparations for the party and Christmas that I didn’t think much about it.” She turned back to Molly. “But don’t you think his timing is a bit strange?”
“I guess it worked with his schedule.” Molly hoped her expression gave nothing away.
Sarah gazed at her with a knowing smile. “That’s BS.”
“It is?”
“It is, and you know it. There’s a secret connected to that guy. There has to be, and it has something to do with my birthday. I just hope it’s not a horse. I love Bertha Mae and I don’t need another one. But I don’t think that’s it. He didn’t haul a horse trailer in here, just his pickup with a camper shell on the back.”
Molly laid a hand on her arm. “My advice is to stop thinking about it.”
“Oh, I intend to. But I had to test you and see if you were in on it, whatever it is. You definitely know what’s going on. Maybe that’s why you’ve been avoiding Ben all morning. You’re afraid to talk to him for fear you’ll give something away. Is that it? Did I guess?”
“I’ll plead the Fifth.”
Laughing, Sarah glanced out the window. “Sun’s shining. If you want to take a walk, you could touch base with my husband and Ben and plot some more. I’ll be in the kitchen with Mary Lou so I won’t be able to hear a word you say.”
“So you really aren’t going to pry into this?”
“Nope. That would spoil the fun. I know better than to do that with this family. They do love their surprises.”
“Then maybe I will walk down there.” She thought it would be safe enough, even if temptation lurked in the form of Ben Radcliffe. He’d be with Pete, and ranch hands would likely be around, too. “I haven’t spent much time at the barn. According to Nelsie’s diary, she and Archie and my Grandpa Seth lived in it for a few months.”
“Yes, they did. They were hardy, those two. I wish I could loan you her diaries to take home for your research, but I don’t dare let them out of this house. The boys would kill me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of borrowing them, either. They’re too precious. I feel lucky that I was able to read them, and I took copious notes and a few pictures of certain entries with my phone.”
“The one where she mentioned you, I’ll bet.”
“Absolutely. I texted that one to my folks because I knew they’d get a kick out of it. I kind of remember her, but not very well. I was pretty young when she and Archie made their last trip to Arizona.”
“That’s too bad, because you would have loved her. I did.” Sarah got a faraway look in her eyes. “When I first met her, she was younger than I am now. Hard to believe.” She shook her head and scooted back her chair. “Enough of that. Go take your walk and don’t let on that I suspect a thing.”
“I won’t.”
“It doesn’t matter if I do, anyway, since I have no idea what they could possibly be up to.” She stood. “I have everything in the world a woman could want.”
Molly stood, too. “Just remember that they love you and want you to know it.”
“Oh, I do know it.” She smiled. “They demonstrate how much they love me all the time and I return the favor. Life’s too short to live any other way, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” Molly gave her a hug. “Thanks for letting me be a part of things for a few days, Aunt Sarah. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.”
“You’re more than welcome. Now, go put on your coat and get some fresh air. We might not get to keep this weather much longer. I heard there’s a storm moving this way.”
“See you in a few hours.” Molly left the dining room and hurried upstairs. First she popped in her contacts. She probably wouldn’t get to kiss Ben behind the barn, but she didn’t know that for sure.
Then she put on her winter gear. She’d given the mittens their outing and was back to her leather gloves. She checked the weather app on her phone. Sarah was right about the approaching storm. With luck, the storm would blow through before Monday, when her plane left.
She had confidence it would. And Christmas Eve wasn’t until Wednesday. Surely the storm, if it hit, would be over in time for her to spend the holiday with her family. She didn’t intend to break a perfect record.
Dressed for winter, she bounded down the stairs and out through the front door. Someone had scraped the snow and ice from the porch, and the steps were clear, too. Sunlight glinted off the snow. She pulled on her gloves and shaded her eyes as she glanced toward the barn.
Ben and Pete stood by the fence watching Calamity Sam romp through the drifts in the pasture. The air was still cold enough that she could see her breath, but the sun helped warm her as she followed the path toward the barn.
A Paint horse running through snow proved to be a dramatic sight. As he frolicked, the white part of his coat blended into the background. If she squinted, she could almost see disembodied gray spots dancing in the air.
Mesmerizing though that was, Molly was more interested in studying Ben. She could get away with it because he had his back to her. The tilt of his Stetson, the sheepskin coat stretched across his broad shoulders and the booted foot he’d propped on the bottom rail of the fence all branded him as a cowboy, even though she’d never seen him ride. He made Western saddles and was thinking of buying one of the Last Chance horses. She figured he could ride.
She easily pictured him investing in a small ranch and adding a little horse breeding to his saddle-making operation. Like her, he was full of energy and ideas. He seemed to love life as much as she did. But she couldn’t help thinking about his decision not to have children. If she and Ben were only destined for a brief affair, it shouldn’t matter to her if he liked kids. She had no right to question his choices, either. Their relationship was based on sex, and she’d told him she was fine with that.
Except she wasn’t. He’d already become more than a sex partner. His good nature and cheerful willingness to help out with the party preparations had impressed her. She was beginning to care about him and hated to think he was closing himself off from certain aspects of life out of fear.
His tenderness with her indicated he was a kind man, and she found it hard to believe that he’d mistreat a child. She also hadn’t forgotten the emotion he’d put into his harmonica rendition of the theme from Beauty and the Beast.
Then there was his artistic side. He wouldn’t have been able to create that magnificent saddle unless he had an empathetic, sensitive nature. His contradictions fascinated her. She wanted to know what made him tick and why he nurtured some dreams while rejecting others.
He’d said that he’d come from an unhappy home and didn’t want to repeat the pattern. Tonight she’d watch how he acted with Sarah’s grandchildren. If he was abrupt with them, she’d know that his concern was legitimate and he was right not to want kids.
As she stood there contemplating this puzzle of a man, he turned, along with Pete, and walked toward her.
Pete called out a greeting. “Coming out to see Calamity Sam strut his stuff?”
“Sort of. Mostly I just craved a little fresh air.”
As she drew closer, Pete lowered his voice. “Ben said you know about the surprise.”
“I do. The woman I called in Sheridan mentioned that Ben made saddles, and I knew that had to be the reason he was here.”
Pete gazed at her. “Do you think Sarah has guessed?”
“No.”
“That’s a relief. Ben and I mostly came out here to discuss how to get the saddle into the house without her noticing.”
“Did you figure it out?” She had wondered about the logistics.
“I think so. I’ll keep Sarah busy in the bedroom while...wait, that didn’t come out right.”
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Molly grinned. “Whatever it takes, Uncle Pete.”
He looked a little flustered. “What I meant to say was that I’ll distract her and keep her out of the living room for the ten minutes it’ll take for a couple of guys to carry the stand and saddle into the house.”
“We moved it to the front of the tractor barn first thing after we left the dining room,” Ben said.
“And I finally got to see it,” Pete said. “I was blown away. I’ve seen some gorgeous saddles, but this one...you made something very special, Ben.”
He flushed. “Thanks.”
“As long as Molly’s out here, you should take her over to get a look.”
Ben looked at her, his expression carefully neutral. “Would you like to do that?”
She smiled, enjoying the fact that they had their own special secret. “Of course!”
“You have never seen such a beautiful saddle in your life, Molly. Anyway, I need to get back. I forgot to check the supply of Scotch in the liquor cabinet. Usually I’m the only one who drinks that, but lately Alex has taken a liking to it.”
Then he turned to Ben. “My apologies. I shouldn’t throw out names like that. You’ll need a scorecard to keep everyone straight tonight, but for the record, Alex Keller is Jack’s brother-in-law. He and Jack’s wife Josie are brother and sister.”
“And Alex is married to Tyler, who is Morgan’s sister,” Molly added.
“Exactly.” Pete nodded. “Stick close to Molly, Ben. She’s been studying this stuff all week and she has it down cold.”
“I’ll be sure to do that.” Ben’s tone was carefully nonchalant.
“See you two later, then.” Pete’s long strides carried him back toward the house.
Ben glanced at her, laughter dancing in his brown eyes. “So, Molly, would you like to see that saddle?”
“Yes, Ben, I would love to.”
“After you.” He gestured toward the narrow path leading to the tractor barn.
As she walked ahead of him, she wondered what sort of scenario was going through his mind and if it was as X-rated as the one going through hers.
A Last Chance Christmas Page 9
