The Christmas Cowboy Hero

by Donna Grant

  “I’m going to apologize in advance,” she said as she looked at Clayton. “My brothers will no doubt gorge themselves.”

  “You said you’ve not seen your brother smile in a while. Well, I don’t think my mother has either. With my father’s mini-stroke—”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she interjected.

  He shrugged. “Things happen.”

  “Was this recently?”

  “Yeah.”

  That’s when Abby realized it must have happened when the cattle were stolen. “Clayton, I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t have to keep saying that,” he said and turned away.

  She walked to him and put a hand on his arm. “I do. My brother’s involvement means that my family is to blame.”

  He looked down at her hand. She snatched it away, but he reached over and gave it a little squeeze. “It seems like our families are intertwined.”

  Yes, it did. And Abby wondered how much the Easts were going to change them all.

  Or perhaps she was more worried about the heat Clayton’s touch caused.

  Chapter 8

  Impatience. It ruled Clayton the next day. He’d spent hours on the phone with the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, filing a complaint against Nathan Gilroy, before he found himself once more atop the bay gelding riding across the land.

  The surveillance system was coming along nicely. Clayton had chosen one of the small offices in the front barn that hadn’t been used for anything in years to set up the monitors. Alerts were set up, and everyone who worked at the ranch would be notified if anyone tried to cross the property barriers again.

  While cameras could only do so much—and could be disconnected—only Clayton, his parents, and the small crew installing the system knew that another line was being run around every inch of fencing throughout the property. If another fence were torn down, they’d know about it.

  It would take another week before all the line was run and the computers were set up, but Clayton already felt better about the security of the ranch.

  If only his father felt the same. The man was maddening, but he was slowly coming around. Clayton knew a large part of it was that his father believed everything was his fault—when it wasn’t. Though Ben should be resting, he kept demanding to know everything Clayton was doing. To keep his father from becoming more agitated, Clayton began giving him nightly reports.

  But Ben East wasn’t the type of man to remain off his feet for long—no matter what the doctors said. Not that Clayton could blame him. He’d do the same.

  Yet, Clayton knew it would give his mother some relief if his father continued to rest. Every day, his father pushed himself. He was out of bed and already going down stairs while threatening to get back on a horse. So far, Justine had kept Ben in check, but how much longer could that last?

  It made Clayton wonder about leaving her alone with his father. His parents, while tough and resilient, were getting older. What if something happened to them that could’ve been avoided if he remained?

  He pushed that thought out of his mind for now. There were countless other things that needed to be taken care of before he went down that road. Thanks to Shane, the manager of the ranch for the past twenty-five years, things were still running smoothly with the day-to-day business. At least that was one area Clayton didn’t need to worry over.

  It felt like years before he spotted Brice driving the UTV to the west pasture. Clayton knew it was only a little longer until Abby arrived.

  “Well, your attitude changed quickly,” Shane said.

  Clayton’s head whipped around to the ranch manager. He didn’t know how long Shane had been beside him, but by the twinkle in his dark brown eyes, it was some time. “What do you mean?”

  “You were scowling like a bear with his paw caught. Why do you think everyone is keeping their distance?”

  Clayton looked around at the others, but the security team was busy working. “They’re doing their jobs.”

  “Not anywhere near you like they were yesterday,” Shane pointed out.

  He shrugged. “There’s a lot I have to see to.”

  “About that.” Shane removed his cowboy hat and scratched his head of brown hair before replacing it. “I already spoke with your folks, but I wanted to apologize to you as well.”

  “For what?” Clayton asked, confused.

  Shane’s face crinkled into a frown. The very epitome of a cowboy, he spent more time out in the sun than in his office. Shane was very hands-on, which was what made him so valuable to the ranch.

  “I should’ve known something was up with Nathan.”

  Clayton put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “It wasn’t your job to notice.”

  “I still feel responsible.”

  He looked into Shane’s brown eyes and nodded as he dropped his hand. It had been the ranch manager who’d found him holding the broken body of his brother all those years ago.

  Clayton would never forget how Shane had gently taken Landon’s body and set him aside before holding Clayton as he cried tears of remorse and shame. While Shane was a valued employee, he was also a close family friend.

  “It wasn’t for you to control,” Clayton repeated the words Shane had once said to him.

  The man’s eyes watered before he hastily looked away, clearing his throat. “You’ve turned into a damn fine man, Clay.”

  Coming from Shane, that was quite a compliment.

  Before he fought emotions himself, Clayton asked, “What do you have planned for Brice today?”

  “Saddles need to be cleaned.”

  Clayton winced. That was one chore he detested—and one his father always gave him when he was young and being punished. Clayton absently rubbed his shoulder because he knew Brice would be hurting in the morning.

  “You’ll have to go easy on him tomorrow,” Clayton said.

  Shane grinned. “You told me to make sure I made a man of the boy. And you said he was working off his debt.”

  “He asked me if I’d hire him once he’s that debt is paid up.”

  Shane’s brown eyes widened in his tanned face. “A cowboy in the making, huh?”

  “A teen who has romanticized ranch life.”

  “He asked you this yesterday after we worked him to the bone, right?”

  Clayton nodded. “He did.”

  “You and I both know this life isn’t for everyone. Those who live it do it because it’s in our soul. A love for the land and animals that gives us comfort we can’t get anywhere else. Perhaps the boy is meant for it.”

  Shane’s words made Clayton frown. Mostly because he believed them. He’d been certain he would spend his life right here on the ranch working for his brother. But things always changed when you least expected it.

  “I didn’t mean to open old wounds,” Shane said softly.

  Clayton glanced at the overcast sky. “You did nothing, old friend.”

  After a few minutes of silence, Shane lightly slapped him on the shoulder and turned away to mount his horse and ride away.

  It wasn’t much longer before Clayton whistled to the gelding, who munched on grass about thirty yards away. The horse jerked up his head before galloping to him.

  Clayton unhooked the reins from the saddle horn and grasped it before he mounted and pointed the animal in the direction of the house. Then he clicked twice. The bay jumped into a run. The lower Clayton bent over the horse, the faster he ran.

  The wind rushing over his face was icy and roared in his ears. The ground was a blur beneath him, but it was the vibrations of the hooves meeting the earth that made him smile. The power of the animal could be felt in every movement as he ran over the terrain.

  He became one with the horse, their bodies moving in unison—symbiotic even. Adrenaline spiked, coursing through his body like lightning. All his worries disappeared, and he began to relax.

  How could he have forgotten how good it felt to let a horse have its head and run? Clayton felt truly alive for the firs
t time in a very long while.

  When he sat up and slightly tugged on the reins, the gelding slowed his pace. By the time they reached the first barn, everything looked more vibrant, more brilliant than it had when he’d first arrived.

  Then again, riding had always cleared his head and helped him sort his emotions. Now that he remembered how good it felt, he planned to ride like that every day.

  After giving his horse a nice rubdown and a carrot as a treat, Clayton found himself glancing toward the house and then at his watch. When would Abby get there? If she got off at five o’clock, it would take her about ten minutes to get home. Give her another ten minutes to collect Caleb and change if she needed. That would make it 5:20.

  She’d need twenty minutes to get to the ranch. So he’d allot five extra minutes for anything else that might come up. Which meant that she should be there around 5:45.

  It was now 5:43, and she wasn’t there.

  Clayton closed his eyes and told himself to be patient, that Abby would get the information they needed.

  But the truth was that it was more than what she could find in regards to Nathan and their money that had him so antsy. It was Abby.

  He hadn’t been looking—and God knew he didn’t need a woman in his life—but there was no denying that she had caught his attention. He could usually forget women easily enough, so it said something that he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  When his mother had told him that Abby was at the ranch last night, his stomach had fallen to his feet in nervousness and excitement. He’d thought he would have the entire drive to her house to think about what to say to her, but instead, she had come to him.

  He’d taken his time gazing at her in the office. Her brunette locks hung down about her like silky waves he yearned to touch. And her eyes!

  Each time she looked at him, he felt as if she pierced his soul. Her gaze was direct, unflinching. In her blue eyes, he saw her strength, her determination, her worry, and her fears. Above all else, he saw how much she cared about her family.

  He understood that. Perhaps it was that connection that had prompted him to give Brice a second chance. Every time he saw Abby, she impressed him.

  5:52.

  He ran a hand down his face. She should be here. Did she get a flat? Or worse, have an accident? Maybe he should drive to see if he could find her.

  As he walked to his truck, thinking of all the ways she could’ve crashed now that it was dusk, he saw a slim body run around the house, making a beeline for the pasture where some of the horses grazed.

  “Caleb, wait!”

  Two words were all it took for the tightness in his chest to fall away. The sound of her voice was music to his ears. A few moments later, Abby rounded the house.

  Even in just the light of the lamps hanging from the house she sparkled. She shoved a hand through her luxurious, dark tresses, pushing them away from her face. The same coat she had worn the other day was buttoned up the front, preventing him from seeing her shirt. But he smiled when he saw the faded denim that encased her legs. Since he’d only seen her in office attire, he’d wondered what she looked like in jeans.

  Though she didn’t have cowboy boots on, the black boots that her jeans were tucked into came up past her calves and were laced up the side.

  On her way to follow Caleb, her gaze clashed with his, and she came to a halt. Clayton wasn’t sure what to make of the way his stomach quivered with excitement or the way his balls tightened with need.

  He knew lust well, and this wasn’t it.

  Need, yes.

  Desire, definitely.

  But the hunger within him was raw, visceral.

  Primal.

  How could he experience such a thing with someone he just met? He wanted to be near her, and when an opportunity had presented itself, he’d jumped at the chance.

  It was a mistake. Every instinct he’d honed through the years told him not to mix business with pleasure. Yet he hadn’t listened. He couldn’t.

  Abby glanced at Caleb before changing course and heading to Clayton. His palms started to sweat, and his heart pounded against his ribs. Damn, this woman was beautiful. He couldn’t believe someone hadn’t snatched her up and claimed her heart, but it was their loss and his gain.

  “Hi,” she said with a shy smile when she reached him.

  He returned her grin. “Hey.”

  There was a beat of silence as they both tried to find something to say. He wondered if she was attracted to him. Both hoping that she was and that she wasn’t.

  “I’m sorry about Caleb. He’s excited to be here.”

  “Come. I’ll give you a tour,” he said.

  Her brows snapped together. “Not on a horse.”

  “Not this time,” he teased.

  Her lips curved into a smile. “You won’t get me on a horse.”

  She’d learn soon enough never to place such a dare before him—because he never lost.

  Chapter 9

  Abby finally understood what it meant when someone’s mind was in a whirlwind. After the tour of the barns and paddocks closest to the house, she’d been staggered by everything—and couldn’t wait to see it all in the light of day. She’d had an idea of what the ranch did, but seeing it up close and personal was another matter entirely.

  And she’d just gotten a peek at a slice of it.

  Remembering to look at the things Clayton was showing her instead of staring at him had been the hardest part. But what had she expected when she arrived and saw him standing there with the wooden fence behind him and cattle grazing beyond?

  She’d seen numerous photos of hot cowboys in front of such a landscape, and he blew them all away. Even if his hair wasn’t styled, and his shirt wasn’t half unbuttoned. In many ways, he was sexier because of it.

  His black hat had been pulled low so she couldn’t see his eyes. He’d stood as still as stone, but she’d known he was watching her. There was a particular heat that came over her whenever his gaze touched her.

  His suede coat was unbuttoned, allowing her to see the beige button-down beneath that was tucked into denim. He carried gloves in one hand as if he’d removed them and had stopped what he was doing when he saw her.

  As handsome as Clayton was, it was his quiet stillness that she saw first and foremost. He appeared unmovable, but not rigid. He reminded her of a great oak—steady and strong.

  She hadn’t expected calmness, knowing some of what the ranch was going through, but she suspected that everything would methodically be taken in hand and set to rights because of his composure.

  She was introduced to Shane, who then asked if Caleb wanted to see more of the ranch. Her brother’s exuberant response brought a smile to her face. As the two got in the SxS and drove off, Clayton had beckoned her into one of the other barns.

  The smell of hay, manure, leather, and horse filled her senses. She paused to stroke a white mare, who hung her head over the stall door. The velvety nose and the way the horse blew against her arm kept her petting.

  Clayton leaned against the stall a few paces down, watching her while rubbing the neck of another horse. His pale green orbs studied her so intently that she felt as if he were reading her actions and facial expressions.

  She met his gaze, wishing she knew what he was thinking. While he belonged to this wonderful, intimidating world, she was never more aware that she knew nothing of ranching than at that moment.

  Yet, it didn’t bother her. She was being given a glimpse into a way of life that used to dominate Texas. Now, as more and more ranches went under, it almost seemed as if men like Clayton were a dying breed.

  “I take it from your earlier comment that you don’t ride,” he drawled.

  She laughed and looked into the mare’s dark, fathomless eyes. “No. Horses don’t frighten me, I’ve just never been atop one.”

  “Want to change that?”

  His query had her sliding her eyes back to him to see if he were joking. The seriousness of his expression
said he wasn’t. She was about to decline, but something stopped her.

  Why couldn’t she have some fun? She’d worked hard for so long that she wasn’t sure she knew what having fun meant. Besides, hadn’t she just reminded herself that it wasn’t going to be long before her brothers graduated and were gone? She needed to think about the future and discover things that she might like to do.

  While she’d never be able to pay for horseback riding lessons herself, this was an opportunity only an idiot would pass up. And Abby stopped being stupid in eighth grade after she’d let Joey Ashworth take her to the homecoming football game.

  “Say yes,” Clayton urged.

  She licked her lips and grinned. “Okay.”

  One side of his mouth tilted up in a charming smile that made her weak in the knees. “Good.”

  “Why are you being so nice?” It probably wasn’t something she should ask, but she couldn’t help it.

  He pulled something small and white from his pocket before offering it to the horse, who quickly gobbled it up. Then he sauntered over to her and took her hand.

  The contact of his large, warm palm on hers was like being shocked. Her stomach trembled, and she couldn’t catch her breath. When he set something on her palm, she looked down to find a sugar cube.

  “Keep your fingers flat, so the horse doesn’t accidentally bite them,” he warned as he moved her hand closer to the mare’s mouth.

  Abby held her breath as the animal’s lips nibbled at her hand before taking the cube. She laughed at the tickle, and instantly wanted to do it again.

  No wonder both of her brothers wanted to be around horses. They were amazing. Sweet, gentle, beautifully powerful creatures that spoke volumes with their eyes.

  “I’m being nice because I want to be,” Clayton said.

  Abby had forgotten her question. Now, as she looked at him, she felt like a fool. “The people I know are only nice when they want something in return. After what Brice has done to your family—”

  “He’s working it off,” Clayton interrupted. “And you’re helping, as well. Unless you offered your assistance in exchange for something,” he asked with narrowed eyes.