“Oh, Travis, I know. You told Santa you wanted a mommy for Christmas.”
“Yes, but it’s you I want, not just any mommy.”
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, did you know that? If it were possible, I’d love to stay here and be your mommy. I can’t think of anything I’d like better.”
“Can’t you be going to angel school while you’re being my mommy?”
“I don’t think that’s quite the way it works.” She rocked him, wishing she had the wisdom needed to help this little boy. He relaxed against her, content to be in her arms.
The first thing Bret saw when he opened the door was Travis cuddled in Noelle’s arms. Her fair head rested against his black curls. Despite the difference in their coloring, they could easily have been mistaken as mother and son. There was so much love shining from each face. Travis looked so contented in Noelle’s arms and she looked very natural holding him.
It was one of those moments when everything seemed to come together for Bret. He loved this woman, loved her with a maturity and a passion that almost frightened him. He didn’t want to think about what it would mean to let her leave them. He needed her. Travis needed her. The older children did, as well. Somehow he would have to figure a way to convince her to stay.
He stamped the snow off his boots and came into the kitchen, closing the door behind him. Travis and Noelle looked up at him and smiled, the same trusting innocence shining in each face. Something grabbed at his heart and he was humbled by the love he saw.
Noelle helped Travis off her lap, then went to the stove. “I’ll have your eggs for you in a few moments,” she said. “Travis and I were chatting and I lost track of the time.”
Bret hung his hat and coat on hooks beside the door, then strode over and swung his son up in his arms. “I didn’t expect to see you up this early. It seemed like a good morning to stay tucked under the covers for a while.”
Travis grinned. “I know.”
“As long as you’re here, you might as well have breakfast with me and keep me company.”
Noelle joined them and they were finishing up when Roy came in. “Thought I’d take you up on that offer of a hot cup of coffee.” He took off his leather gloves and briskly rubbed his hands together. “Brrr! Looks like old man winter’s getting serious out there.”
“I’m taking Noelle with me to check on the rest of the livestock. Do you suppose you can hang around the house for a while, just to keep an eye on things?” His gaze touched Travis before returning to Roy.
“Can’t think of anything I’d like more than to build up a big ol’ fire in that fireplace. Would ya like to help me, ol’ fella?” he asked Travis.
“Can I help carry the wood, too?”
“If you get the right kind of clothes on. Wouldn’t want you to get sick this close to Christmas.”
Travis slipped away from the table and rushed upstairs. Once he was gone, Roy looked at Bret, glanced at Noelle, then looked back to Bret. “There’s something I’ve been needing to tell you, boss, but I haven’t quite known how to bring it up. Seems to me this is as good a time as any.”
“That sounds a little ominous, Roy. Don’t tell me you’re thinking about quitting here, ’cause if you are, I want a chance to convince you otherwise.”
Roy grinned. “No. It ain’t that. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get too far away from your young’uns. They feel like mine.”
“Then I’m sure I can handle anything else you might decide to spring on me.”
“Well, maybe. Then again…” His slow speech became even slower before he stopped completely, scratching his ear. “I had a little talk with Freda last night after the kids went in to see her. Well, the thing is, I guess I’ve pretty much taken Freda for granted. I mean, we’ve known each other for years…been friends and all…but the day she was hurt really got me to thinking. I can’t remember a time when I’ve been so scared. I could see she was in a lot of pain and there wasn’t anything I could do for her. That’s when it hit me how much Freda means to me. When I got around to telling her how I felt she seemed real surprised—but happy, too—like she felt the same way.” He gave Bret a sheepish grin and said, “So there’s a good possibility that when Freda returns to the ranch she’ll be my wife and live with me.”
“I couldn’t be happier for you, Roy. I’ll admit I’m surprised. I had no idea there was anything in the wind of that nature, but you couldn’t do any better than Freda.”
Roy cut his eyes over at Noelle once again before saying to Bret, “I just thought that you might want to know how things stand and all, in case you were thinking about making plans of your own.”
Bret nodded, biting down hard to keep from smiling. “That’s really decent of you, Roy, keeping my interests in mind like that. I want you to know that I appreciate it.” He glanced at Noelle. “I need to get moving. I have quite a lot of ground to cover today.” Then he smiled innocently.
“Let me clear the table and get my coat. I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes.”
The men discussed what needed to be done over the next few days and Noelle cleared the table before going into her room to gather her hastily discarded outerwear. She could feel the pressure building all around her. First the children, then Bret, now Roy. She’d never seen such a transparent bunch of matchmakers in her life.
This wasn’t what she’d had in mind when she asked to come into the family to help them during this particular season. She hadn’t understood how quickly she would get involved in their lives and heartaches. She hadn’t understood how strongly she would grow attached to them.
She hadn’t known how deeply she would fall in love with Bret Bishop. Unfortunately there wasn’t a thing she could do to remedy the outcome of their present situation.
Chapter Seven
By the time Bret and Noelle reached the gate that would take them off the track to where the cattle were, the sun had melted much of the snow. Only patches dotted the landscape, giving the area a neglected look as though Mother Nature’s party was over and everyone had gone home, leaving the remains of the decorations scattered around.
Noelle waited in the warm truck while Bret got out, unlatched the gate, drove through, stopped and relatched it behind them. She looked around but could see no road.
When he crawled back into the truck, she asked, “What happened to the road?”
He grinned. “There won’t be a road from now on.”
“Then how do you know where to go?”
“Easy. I know every inch of this place. I’ve learned where I can take a truck.” He patted the steering wheel. “It’s times like now when this particular horsepower comes in handy.” He glanced over at her and winked. “Hang on.”
She was glad of the warning. Although Bret seemed to know where he was going, she couldn’t see a path anywhere. He drove along an abutment that eventually widened and leveled off.
Once she adjusted to their newest direction, Noelle began to look around, glancing into the brush as they passed. When she saw eyes staring back, she blinked and stared. Adjusting her gaze, she realized that there were deer hidden all around them, watching their progress.
“Bret, look at the deer.”
“I know. Why do you think I’m out here?”
“To feed the deer?”
“To make sure there’s enough feed for my cattle after the local wildlife eat. It takes a great deal of feed to keep cattle. Some of my ranch acreage has low vegetation and has to be supplemented during certain seasons.”
Periodically he would stop the truck to unload hay and grain. He seemed to have a regular route because the cattle would be standing around as though waiting for him to show up.
Noelle found the whole procedure fascinating.
During the last stop, she watched Bret kneel beside a small creek bed and study the ground, frowning. When he joined her once again, his mouth looked grim. He turned the truck in a tight circle and started back the way they’d come.
>
“Is something wrong?”
“Yeah. It looks like my visitor’s back.”
“Visitor?”
“Several of the ranchers around here have been complaining of seeing cougar tracks on their property, no doubt stalking the cattle. A few weeks ago, I spent the better part of a day tracking him on my property. The blasted thing crossed my boundaries onto another ranch before I got more than a brief glimpse of his tawny coat. He’s a cunning devil.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Saddle Hercules and get back up here as soon as possible. I’ve got to find that cat before he destroys any of my livestock.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Can be.”
“You’ll be careful, won’t you?”
He gave her a quick glance from the corner of his eye. “Are you worrying about me?”
She could feel herself blushing. “I just want you to be safe.”
He grinned. “Guess my guardian angel will have to make sure I don’t come to any harm.”
“You’re teasing me, but I don’t care, because you’re right. Your guardian angel will be with you.”
As soon as they returned to the house Noelle went inside the house. Roy and Travis were in the living room.
“Bret said to tell you he spotted cougar tracks and was going out looking for the cat on horseback.”
Roy shook his head. “Maybe he’ll have more luck finding him today than he did last time. Boy, was he ticked off when that cat disappeared onto a neighboring ranch. He said he’d wasted a whole day following him around.”
“Isn’t it dangerous for him to go out on his own like that?”
“No more than any other time, I reckon. Bret’s always careful, though. No need to worry about him.” Roy picked up his hat. “Guess I’ll see you later, then,” he said and walked out of the room.
Noelle turned to Travis. “Would you like to help me bake some cookies?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Where are Brenda and Sally?”
“They’re upstairs, wrapping presents. They made me promise not to go up until they said I could.”
“Is Chris with them?”
“Nope. His friend Jamie wanted him to help move firewood over at his place. He’ll be back later.”
“How did he get over to Jamie’s?”
“Jamie’s big brother came and got him.”
“Well, then we’ll get to work and make up a batch of cookies for everybody.”
“Can we make ’em look like Christmas trees and angels and bells and stuff?”
“You bet.”
Travis trotted by her side into the kitchen.
Bret saddled Hercules and took off on the road he and Noelle had just followed. He knew he needed to take care of the cougar, but what he wanted to do was to stay at the house with Noelle. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with her. Somehow he needed to convince her that they could work out whatever was going on with her. She was obviously a very loyal person. He couldn’t fault that. Loyalty was an admirable trait.
He would just have to convince her that he deserved her loyalty as well as her present employer. He smiled to himself, thinking of all the ways he would enjoy convincing her that she needed to stay with the Bishop family.
Once he left the main road, he took the horse directly to the last sighting he’d had of the cougar’s tracks, rather than following the trail made by the truck. There were times when traveling by horseback could save him miles. This was one of those times.
Dismounting, he knelt and studied the tracks, then circled the watering hole for any sign. When he came across tracks leading into the rugged hills, he remounted and slowly followed them, keeping his eyes trained on the surrounding foliage, as well.
Despite his focus on the cat tracks, Bret lost some of his concentration because he kept thinking about Noelle. The unexpected whirr of the deadly rattlesnake spooked the horse as well as startling Bret. He’d been leaning forward, peering up into the trees for a possible sighting of tawny fur when the horse let out a snort and began to buck.
Feeling like a complete fool for having been caught unprepared like some greenhorn, Bret had only an instant to realize that he wasn’t going to be able to stay in the saddle. The world did a crazy tilt as he sailed over the horse’s head. Bret concentrated on relaxing and rolling with the fall.
It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been forcibly ejected from a saddle, he managed to think before he came to an abrupt halt as he slammed against the hard ground on his back.
He would have been all right except for some bruising if he hadn’t fallen beside a granite upcropping. The jagged ridge of rock caught him behind the ear as his head whipped back from the fall.
One instant he was aware of a whirling blue sky, the next instant pain exploded in his head, turning the blue sky into a fathomless darkness.
By midafternoon Noelle could not keep her eyes away from the kitchen window that overlooked the direction Bret had taken a few hours before. There was still no sign of him. Shouldn’t he have found the cougar by now?
She was alone in the kitchen. Travis was upstairs taking his nap, the girls had gone to visit with friends and Chris had returned home to help Roy somewhere on the ranch.
She couldn’t quite forget the shiver that had raced over her when she’d watched from this same window as Bret had ridden away earlier. She’d seen him leave the house alone on several occasions before today. She couldn’t understand her uneasiness when she’d watched his solitary figure ride out.
The girls returned in time for a late lunch. She fed them and they disappeared upstairs. When she went to check on Travis he was still sound asleep, Rex curled up on the rug beside his bed. Once again she fought her uneasiness. Rex was usually by Bret’s side. Perhaps his staying behind was what made the day seem different to her.
Noelle tiptoed over and adjusted Travis’s cover before she left the room.
Next, she went into her bedroom and checked the kittens, smiling as they milled around on wobbly legs, batting at each other, their eyes barely opened. She sat back on her heels, remembering how Bret had been so badly outnumbered on the question of whether or not to keep the kittens or to attempt to give them away. All four were now officially members of the Bishop family, each with its own name and owner.
She had a hunch that none of them would be sleeping in the barn.
Noelle returned to the kitchen and peered out the window once again. She couldn’t quite shake her restlessness. Her thoughts kept returning to Bret and how lonely he’d looked riding off alone. A brief picture of him flashed into her mind and she froze, frightened. She saw him lying on the ground, his eyes closed, his face almost gray. Hercules stood nearby, restlessly shaking his head. She could almost hear the whuffling sound of the horse and the jingle of the bridle.
Had something happened to Bret?
Unable to stay in the house another moment, she grabbed her coat off the hook and slipped it on, then stepped outside on the porch. The wind had picked up since morning, and it felt icy whipping around the corner of the house.
Worried, she peered up the lane where he’d gone, but she could see nothing.
She was still standing outside when Roy and Chris drove into the yard in the truck. Giving in to impulse, Noelle went over to the truck.
“Howdy,” Roy said, opening the door. “It’s a little cold to be standing around outside, ain’t it?”
“Roy, I’m worried about Bret.” He glanced around. “Where is he?”
“He left several hours ago to check out those cougar tracks. I haven’t seen him since then.”
Roy pushed his hat back and scratched his head. “Well, there’s nothing unusual about that. A man can spend hours trailing that cat. Bret’s been worried about the cussed thing. He’s probably decided not to come home until he gets him.”
“But what if he’s hurt…or something?”
Roy gave her a sharp look. “Whaddaya mean?”
/> She bit her bottom lip and looked away. Meanwhile Chris had walked around the truck and joined them. He stood there watching her, his gaze intent on her face. She forced herself to look at Chris, to let him see her concern. His face blanched but he showed no other sign.
“Let’s go find him, Roy,” Chris said quietly.
“Well, son, I can’t see where we need to—”
“I do. I think Noelle’s right. We need to go find Dad.”
Roy looked from one to the other with uneasiness written on his face.
“If you think we should, Chris, of course we’ll go. I just didn’t want your dad irritated at us for wasting time.”
“He’ll understand,” was all Chris said, turning away. Then he stopped and looked back at Noelle. He touched her lightly on the shoulder. “He’s okay, isn’t he?”
She heard the frightened little boy beneath the young man’s calm. She closed her eyes, forcing herself not to alarm him more than she already had. On a subconscious level Chris remembered her, remembered who she was, remembered their talks so long ago. She had consciously touched the bond that had been forged between them without fully stopping to think how it would affect him.
“You’ll find him,” she whispered, nodding. “That’s the important thing.”
“Did he take Rex with him?”
“No. Rex is upstairs with Travis.”
Chris hurried into the house. Within minutes he reappeared with Rex. The dog sniffed the wind, then looked up at Chris. Chris lowered the tailgate of the truck and Rex leaped inside.
Chris crawled into the cab of the truck and said, “Let’s go, Roy.”
Noelle briefly described to Roy where she and Bret had gone that morning to save Roy and Chris as much time as possible. She stood in the middle of the ranch yard for a long time after they had disappeared from view, praying that they found him before dark, praying that he was all right.
Then she turned and slowly went into the house for the long wait ahead of her.
When she heard the faint sound of a vehicle coming down the lane what seemed to be hours later, Noelle rushed to the door. The rest of the children had been fed and were upstairs. She had explained to them that Roy and Chris had gone to look for Bret, that she was certain he was all right, but that she felt he needed some assistance.
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