Christmas at Blue Moon Ranch

by Lynnette Kent

  “Is Willa here?”

  “I believe she came in a few minutes ago. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour. Can I persuade you to stay?”

  He thought of what he had to say to her niece. “Thanks, Miss Rosa, but I…I’m going into town when I leave here. Another time, maybe.”

  Her eyebrows drew together in disappointment. “That’s too bad. I hope you can join us soon. Have a seat and I’ll find Willa for you.”

  Daniel didn’t sit down, but browsed the pictures on the walls, instead. He was examining the recent portrait of a handsome man in a National Guard uniform—Jamie Mercado, he was sure—when footsteps approached on the tile floor of the entry hall.

  He turned to find Willa standing in the doorway. “Daniel? I’m surprised to see you.” Her tone was startled but not unfriendly. She even smiled a little.

  The sight of her was enough to weaken his resolve. He didn’t want to fight with Willa Mercado. He wanted to make her laugh, to hold her hand and kiss those wide, soft lips.

  Then he gave himself a mental kick in the butt. “I was surprised, myself, when Nate and I found evidence this morning that rustlers have been stealing your cattle.”

  Willa stepped forward to grip the back of a chair. “I—”

  “I can understand your reluctance to sell off part of the Blue Moon. I gave up expecting a neighborly welcome, and you did warn me not to look to you for help.”

  Even from across the room, he could see her cheeks flush bright red at the memory.

  “But I had a right to know about the rustlers, Willa. You should have told me my cattle would be at risk on that property. Anyone I hire to work for me is in danger if we decide to interfere and these misfits play rough. By any standard, you owed me a warning. What the hell were you thinking?”

  Willa rounded the chair, dropped onto the seat and covered her face with her hands. “I—I didn’t expect you to move so fast. I thought you would take more time to get your crew, set up your operation.”

  “So you were planning to tell me at some point?”

  She looked up and nodded. “Of course. I hoped having somebody on the northern side of the ranch would create a buffer between the Blue Moon and the rustlers. I’d planned to work with the owner, get the sheriff involved, see if we couldn’t catch them in the act…”

  “Using somebody else’s herd as bait, right?” Daniel sat down in the chair directly across a low table from her. “And then you found out your new owner was a cripple.”

  “No! I didn’t think about it like that.” Willa pounded her fists on the arms of the chair. “I’m sorry—I should have told you sooner. But there’s so much to do, to consider…I’m still getting used to the idea of that land belonging to somebody else. And after what happened—”

  She stopped, a horrified expression on her face, and looked behind her as if she expected to see the whole family standing there, listening.

  “Nobody’s there.” At another time, he might have smiled at her concern. Today he was just too damn mad.

  A deep breath lifted her slim shoulders. “I didn’t mean to put you in danger. We moved our cattle, and I thought it would be weeks, maybe months, before you had your own.”

  “Actually, what you think is that I won’t be there past Christmas.”

  Her gaze dropped away from his. “I hoped the rustlers would give up, go prey on someone else. I was going to tell you. Soon.”

  “But you have alerted the sheriff?”

  “The first time I realized I was missing cattle. He can’t spare staff to patrol the perimeter full-time. Unless we catch them red-handed…” She shrugged. “I don’t have a big enough crew for that kind of duty. The rustlers pretty much have the run of the desert.”

  “We’ll see about that.” His anger vented, Daniel felt fatigue wash over him. “I don’t intend to contribute to their lifestyle.”

  “But—” she stood up as he got to his feet “—what are you going to do?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t have a plan, yet. Only intentions.”

  She gazed at him doubtfully. Daniel couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke his fingertips along her cheek. “I’ll be okay,” he said quietly.

  For a second, she submitted to his touch. Then her shoulders stiffened and her chin came up. “I’m sure you will. If you need some of my cowboys, let me know and we’ll see what we can work out.” Turning on her heel, she headed for the front door, clearly expecting him to follow.

  “Your aunt invited me for dinner,” he told her as he crossed the entry hall. At her look of dismay, he laughed aloud. “Don’t worry, Willa. I said no, thanks.”

  As he reached her, standing by the open door, he paused. “But you can’t avoid me forever. There’s more between us than just a sales contract. Someday, we’re going to have to figure out exactly what it is.” Leaning closer, he pressed a quick kiss to her temple. “Someday soon.”

  He walked through the doorway and let her shut him outside without a goodbye. Standing on the veranda in the deepening twilight, Daniel thought about his brave last words.

  And wondered if he stood a snowball’s chance in hell of making them come true.

  WILLA LEANED BACK AGAINST the closed door and commanded her heart to stop pounding. Someday soon, he’d said. But she didn’t want to know what these feelings were between them. Once burned, twice shy, so the saying went. Well, she’d been burned twice now, and she’d learned to stay as far away as possible from the fire.

  Before she could catch her breath, the quick tap of heels on tile announced Lilianna’s arrival. “Where is Major Trent? Rosa said he’d arrived.”

  “He had to leave. I’m sure he’s sorry he missed you.” She started for the back of the house, but Lili stopped her with a hand on her arm.

  “Couldn’t you persuade him to stay for dinner?”

  “I didn’t try, Lili. He told Rosa he couldn’t stay.”

  “Oh, but he was just being polite.” Her aunt-in-law gave her a disapproving look. “And you, I’m afraid, were not. Where have your manners gone, Willa? You treat Major Trent like a—a criminal, instead of the personable, attractive neighbor he is.”

  “Just because I don’t invite him to run tame in the house doesn’t mean I’m being impolite.”

  “You can be friends with Major Trent, Willa, and still respect Jamie’s memory. You don’t have to be afraid—”

  “I’m not afraid!” Her denial was all the more violent for being a lie. “He’ll be gone by Christmas, Lili. I don’t want the children getting attached to him and then being hurt when he leaves.” I don’t want to be hurt when he leaves. “You and Rosa should be careful, too. Daniel Trent will not last until to the new year. I promise.”

  Washing her hands a few minutes later, Willa met her own gaze in the mirror. “I promise,” she’d said.

  “Hah,” she told her reflection. “You hope!”

  LATE THAT NIGHT, IN THE ROOM they’d shared since they were children, Lili put aside her book to look at her sister, seated at the dressing table brushing her hair. “Willa and Daniel had quite a confrontation this evening.”

  Rosa nodded. “And now she knows just how strong he really is.”

  “She’s worried that he’ll go after the rustlers on his own.” Lili smoothed the covers over her knees. “Or with just his own men. One of them might get hurt.”

  “Nate Hernandez, for example?” Through the mirror, Rosa saw Lili’s blush. “You haven’t even gone up there to speak with him.”

  “Why would I?”

  “So that he would know you’re interested.”

  “I couldn’t.”

  Rosa turned around. “Lili, that’s always been the problem. You’ve never let Nate know, and so he thinks you don’t care. Maybe by the time you both get to be eighty years old, you’ll come to your senses about that.”

  “If he were truly interested, he’d come here.”

  “After Jamie accused him of stealing and fired him? What sort of man would he be if he
came back under those circumstances?”

  “Jamie’s been gone for nearly two years.”

  “And Nate has his pride.” With her hair braided, Rosa turned out the light on the dressing table and went to her own bed, identical to Lili’s. “I suppose you can just sleep with me for the rest of our lives.” Turning her back to her sister and the light, she said, “And we’ll both die shriveled old maids.”

  The room plunged into darkness as Lili turned off the lamp by her bed. “You would be happier if I left you here by yourself?”

  Touching the metal bracelet that never left her wrist, Rosa sighed. “I have my memories, Lilianna. They keep me company. I wish you could make some memories of your own, that’s all. Before it’s too late.”

  MONDAY MORNING, DANIEL WENT into Zapata to talk to the sheriff about the rustlers. Hobbs Sutton defied the stereotype of a fat, bumbling Texas sheriff, being tall and lean with black hair, sharp gray eyes and a ready smile.

  “Good to meet you, Major Trent.” He gave a firm, quick handshake. “Sorry I haven’t made it out to your place yet.”

  “I imagine you stay pretty busy.” Daniel lowered himself into the chair offered. “Law enforcement on the border is a challenge these days.”

  “You got that right.” Sheriff Sutton sat down behind his paper-covered desk. “What can I do for you?”

  “I understand there’s been some cattle rustling in my part of the county—the northern side of the Blue Moon Ranch.”

  Sutton shook his head. “Yeah, Willa’s lost a couple hundred head over the last few years.” A flush spread over his cheekbones. “And I should have put a stop to it—don’t think I don’t know that. But I’ve got sixty miles of the Mexican border to patrol, plus the highways inside the county. I simply don’t have the manpower to post a permanent watch on Willa’s fence line. Or yours.”

  “I understand. Have other ranches been hit?”

  The sheriff went into a drawer and pulled out a thick file folder. “These are reports of rustling just in this southeast area. And, yeah, quite a few resemble the evidence from Willa’s place—time of day and month, probable number of suspects, use of a specific brand of ATV and cattle truck.” He handed a sheaf of pages to Daniel. “I’ve clipped all those together. You’re welcome to draw your own conclusions.” When Daniel raised his eyebrows in surprise, Sutton grinned. “Since you’re military, I figure we’re basically working for the same boss.”

  In the end, Daniel had to admit the sheriff’s department had done as much as could be expected. “These guys are too smart and too fast,” he concluded. “Short of posting a full-time guard on the fences, I don’t know what the answer is. I do know I can’t afford to lose hundreds of cattle. My herd will be a tenth the size of Willa’s.”

  Sutton got to his feet. “Amazing, isn’t it? She’s kept that place running since her husband left, practically single-handed. And managed three kids, in the process.”

  Daniel wondered if he heard a trace of personal interest in the sheriff’s voice. “She’s a determined woman. A little prickly, maybe.”

  “Well, she didn’t want to sell off part of the land, you know. The Mercado legend carries a lot of weight around here, and Willa bought into it in a big way when she married Jamie. We all went to school together, first grade through high school.”

  “Maybe having a neighbor on her northern border will relieve her of some responsibility,” Daniel said, though he’d scoffed at the idea in the confrontation with Willa. “I’ll do what I can to catch these creeps.”

  “Don’t put yourself at risk in the process. If you give me something concrete to work with, I’ll bring in as many people as I can spare.” He walked Daniel to his truck and shook his hand once more. “Be sure to tell Willa I’m ready for some of her aunts’ home cooking, any time she issues an invitation!” Slapping a hand on the truck hood, Sutton gave a final wave and went back into the building.

  So the sheriff was interested in Willa. Daniel picked up some groceries, then drove home wondering if Hobbs Sutton was the reason Willa was so upset about their night together. If she were dating Sutton but had let the alcohol sway her judgment…

  Daniel shook his head. Not likely. A woman who could run a ranch the size of the Blue Moon without help wouldn’t surrender to lust if her heart was given elsewhere. Sutton might intend to pursue Willa, but his reasoning told him she didn’t intend to get caught.

  What did that say about her feelings for Daniel, himself?

  Driving across Blue Moon land toward his own house, he saw a small cloud of dust on the side of the road, which resolved, as he approached, into two kids with a brown-and-white dog. While Toby pulled on the leash attached to the dog’s collar, Susannah attempted to propel the animal from behind with shooing motions and occasional shoves. But the dog—young, rawboned and playful—wiggled and plunged, going in every direction except the one Toby desired.

  Daniel pulled up beside them and lowered his windows. “Is this obedience class?”

  Toby came over to the truck and climbed up on the running board. “Hi, Major Trent. Boy, are we glad to see you.”

  Below window level, the dog echoed this sentiment with an excited bark…followed by the distinct sound of ten claws scraping down the finish on the door of Daniel’s truck.

  He cringed and Susannah gasped. “No, no, doggie. Get him down, Toby!” Judging by her face as she gazed at the door, a new paint job would be called for.

  Toby disappeared, and then the passenger door opened. “Look what we got you,” the boy said, levering the dog’s hind end onto the seat. “Just what you need!”

  Before Daniel could take a breath, the dog bounded into his lap. Wagging from the tip of his nose to the point of his tail, he proceeded to wash Daniel’s face with his long, very wet tongue.

  “Hey, hey. Stop. C’mon, dog. Stop!” Daniel got hold of the narrow shoulders and held the animal off. “Toby, where in the world did you get this animal?”

  The dog lunged forward, trying to lick again. His face and one ear were caramel brown, and his short hair grew in brown and white splotches over his body and legs. All four paws, the remaining ear and the tip of his tail had stayed white.

  “We found him on the road near the bus stop. Isn’t he great?”

  “Definitely a terrific dog.” While the dog turned to look at Toby, Daniel took a second to swipe a shirt sleeve across his face. “So terrific, in fact, that I really think you should keep him as your own.” He got his hand back on the dog before the dog got in another lick.

  “Mom won’t let me bring any more animals home,” Toby said, his lip stuck out in a pout. “Just because—”

  “Just because the last time he brought home a pregnant gerbil…without telling her.” His sister crinkled her nose in disgust. “We had gerbil babies running all over the house, ’cause he knocked over the box and couldn’t get them back in.”

  Daniel had to grin. “That’s pretty bad, Toby.”

  “Well, but the kid who brought her to school was going to drown her, because his mom wouldn’t let him have anymore gerbils. Lucky is so pretty, I couldn’t let her die like that.”

  “Lucky is still around?”

  Susannah sighed. “She lives with a couple of her female babies in Toby’s room. We made him take the rest to a pet store in Laredo.”

  “Lucky sounds like she lives up to her name. But I don’t think—”

  “No, really, Major Trent, you need a dog.” Toby sat down in the passenger seat.

  “Why?”

  “To keep you company. To chase off coyotes. To warn you if somebody’s coming.”

  The dog chose that moment to scratch furiously at his ear with a back foot, then turned and bit even more violently at the spot just above his tail.

  “To bring fleas into my house,” Daniel said, already resigned to the inevitable. He’d always had a soft spot in his heart for puppies, and this one did have an eager-to-please expression. “Have you named him?”

  To
by smiled in triumph. “We wanted you to do that.”

  “Gee, thanks.” Daniel pushed the dog into Toby’s lap. “Put on your seat belt and hold him still until we get to the house. Hop in, Susannah. I guess I’m taking what’s-his-name here home.”

  Once inside the house, the dog immediately peed on the vinyl floor of the kitchen.

  “No, no.” Toby took firm hold of the leash. “You do that outside. Outside.” He pulled the dog through the kitchen door, across the carport and into the dirt, firmly repeating, “Outside.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Susannah grabbed up the roll of paper towels on the counter. “I knew this wasn’t a good idea, Major Trent. But I couldn’t talk him out of it. And I couldn’t let him come up here by himself. Mom doesn’t know.”

  Daniel took the paper towels and did the cleanup himself. “Don’t worry, Susannah. I don’t mind having a dog. You’re sure he doesn’t belong to someone and just wandered off?”

  “We’ve seen him for several days in a row. I think somebody dropped him off because they didn’t want him anymore. And he kept waiting for them to come back.” She knuckled tears out of her eyes. “I hate it when people do that.”

  “Me, too.” He was completely hooked now, Daniel realized. “I just hope he’s healthy.”

  Toby and the dog came through the door. “He did his business,” the boy announced proudly. “See, he’s practically house-trained already.”

  “Let’s hope so.” Daniel set a chair across the opening into the rest of the house. “Still, I think I’ll keep him in the kitchen until I’m sure. Are you two hungry? I found a box of homemade cookies on my doorstep yesterday.”

  The three of them wolfed down a plate of Rosa Mercado’s lemon cookies and a glass of milk each while the dog sniffed at every inch of the kitchen perimeter. Finally he flopped onto the rug in front of the sink. A minute later, he started to snore.

  Daniel glared at Toby. “You brought me a dog who snores.”