Yuletide Cowboy

by Debra Clopton

  Not again. Her boys had been around Chance for only a short time and for some reason they were fascinated by everything about the man. “Gavin, I’ve already told you he’s Mr. Turner to both of you. And he probably is very good at building things,” she admitted as she opened the door for them. “Wipe your boots off.” They made extravagant swipes of their boots on the rug and then hurried off to their rooms. Tiny tried to follow but Lynn grabbed him. “Oh, no you don’t, buster.” She pulled him outside, patted his head and then firmly closed the door.

  She walked to the sink and stared out the window at the tree with the board attached and the hammers leaning against it. Chance probably could build a tree house her boys would be proud of. The man looked like he could do anything. There was just something about him that gave off that vibe. She felt it, and that had to be what her boys were sensing even though they were too young to realize it.

  “Mom! Jack won’t give me my shirt,” Gavin yelled from the back room.

  “It’s my shirt,” Jack yelled back.

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. Her boys got along for the most part, but brothers would be brothers…Pushing thoughts of Chance from her mind she went to see what was going on. She was so happy to have the small house of her own that even the sounds of her boys fussing made the place seem homey. It was wonderful to know that she was providing a roof over her sons’ heads in this peaceful ranching community.

  The other women who had arrived with her in the van from L.A. were also moving on with their lives, slowly but surely, just like Esther Mae had said. Lynn had helped many of them in some way. Rose, the only mother with a teenage son, had been the first to move out of the shelter and had married not too long after that. Nive was still at the shelter, and so was Stacy, who was about to get married. All of them had come a long way since arriving here in Mule Hollow. And there were others after them who came, too. Some had used the facility as a temporary stopping point before finding a permanent shelter elsewhere, but for the original four Mule Hollow was now home. It was a great place to raise boys. The country life suited them and it suited Lynn, too. “It’s mine—”

  “No. It’s mine—”

  She found them having a tug-of-war over a blue shirt.

  “Guys, what’s going on here?”

  “It’s my shirt,” Jack said.

  Gavin shook his head. “It’s mine.”

  Lynn looked at the shirt. “You both have this same ex act shirt… Let’s take a look at them.” Getting dressed for church was not always an easy process. Raising boys was challenging, but she wouldn’t give it up for anything. Sometimes, though, she worried about the future and not having a man in their lives to help guide the boys. Should she start looking for a man to fill the blank spot their dad had left? The thought hit her at times like this. When things like the tree house cropped up. It made her feel guilty that she wasn’t ready.

  The ladies pressuring her about the bachelor auction didn’t help either. They didn’t understand—how could they know how she felt when she’d never told them? All her life she’d lived in turmoil where men were concerned—until now.

  No one knew exactly how bad her life had been prior to escaping to the shelter. She wanted it to stay that way, too. Hiding her emotions had worn her down, but for the first time in years she was living life contentedly.

  With no man in the picture there was no danger. No broken trust, no risk of being hurt…it was easier. Safer.

  Both physically and emotionally. It had taken the love and fear for her sons to drive her from the cycle of abuse. Knowing that if not for them she might still be there undermined her self-respect and scared her.

  No. It was better this way. Better feeling strong and content that her boys were her life. They were safe and happy as they were. And no matter how guilty she might feel because they didn’t have a father in their lives, she wasn’t ready to change that, not even for them.

  Church had started when Chance slid into the back pew. He felt awkward arriving late but he hadn’t planned on coming at all. At the last minute the Lord, or habit, had him heading to the church. Normally his church was a dusty or waterlogged arena prior to a competition’s start.

  Miss Adela had been playing the piano for the Mule Hollow Church of Faith all of Chance’s life. She had just finished playing the welcoming hymn “When We All Get to Heaven” as he slipped into the pew beside Applegate.

  “This back pew’s not the place fer you, Chance Turner,” App leaned in and whispered loudly.

  So much for thinking he’d gotten his point across yesterday. “Good morning to you, too, App.”

  Applegate hiked a bushy brow. “What’s good about it? We’re at church and the only preacher we’ve got is sittin’ in the back row with me.”

  Several people turned at his words. Since App was hard of hearing and talked loud enough to be heard in the choir loft it was a wonder the entire congregation didn’t turn and look at him. Well, okay, so most of them did. Chance had known this would happen but here he was anyway. It was like the Lord wasn’t going to let him go even when He knew Chance was struggling. “App, sir,” he whispered, “now isn’t the time for me to be up there.”

  App crossed his arms and grunted just as Brady Cannon stepped up to the podium. The sheriff taught the singles’ Sunday school class, and he and his wife, Dottie, had turned his ranch into a shelter for abused women. Chance respected them both very much. Dottie ran a candy store on Main Street where she taught the women how to run their own business. Being self-sufficient was a goal of the shelter along with helping the families overcome their abusive pasts.

  Wyatt had told him that Lynn, the woman he’d met yesterday, had recently moved from the shelter into her own place with her two sons. He wondered about Lynn. He’d hated to hear she’d had a hard time in her life. How a man could hurt a woman was beyond him…but how he could vow before God to love and cherish her and then strike and abuse her was even more incomprehensible.

  “As most of you know I’m a sheriff, not a preacher,” Brady began to speak. “I’m just the best you’ve got this morning. Or at least that’s what the elders tell me. I’m pretty certain there’s some of you out there who could do a much better job than me of preaching this morning. I hope whoever you are that you’ll step up and fill the need.”

  App shot Chance a sharp look, and he felt eyes on him from everywhere else, too. Looking to the right he saw two small heads, one dark and one blond, turned his way. Gavin and Jack were barely able to see him over the back of the pew but they were watching him. Their mother sat beside them with her gaze focused straight ahead on Brady. When the boys saw Chance looking, the blonde raised his hand and waved. The dark-headed one followed suit. Lynn caught their movement out of the corner of her eye and automatically turned. Her midnight eyes locked with Chance’s and unexpectedly his mouth went dry and his pulse tripped all over itself, pounding erratically.

  Something in that look hadn’t been there before. Some thing in the way her eyes blazed into his hadn’t seared into him like that yesterday. The moment lasted less than a second before she let her gaze drop to her boys, tapping them each on the head and telling them, with the swirl of her finger, to turn around. Less than a second but he was hung up…

  App elbowed him. “Like I said yesterday, she don’t look at jest anybody like that. If you was in the pulpit you wouldn’t have ta be lookin’ at the back of her pretty head right now.”

  The woman in front of him almost choked on her laughter as she tried to hide that she’d heard what App had said. Why hide it? Everyone would have heard him, but they were all listening intently to Brady. Chance knew there was no way they hadn’t heard App, but they were doing a good job not disturbing the service any more than it already had been.

  “App, cut it out,” he growled.

  Thankfully, App decided he’d said enough. He crossed his arms and stared straight ahead for the remainder of Brady’s lesson.

  The sheriff did a good job o
ver the next twenty minutes. His words were about being a good steward of the talents God had given each church member, something Chance had thought he was doing until Randy’s death.

  Though Chance listened, his heart was closed off to any emotional response. It had been that way ever since Randy had fallen beneath the hooves of that bull and Chance had realized he probably wasn’t coming out alive. App could push all he wanted but Chance wasn’t up to being in that pulpit right now. And honestly, he wasn’t sure when or if he’d be ready. He felt as if a heavy horse blanket had been thrown around his heart, smothering out all the light.

  Everyone kept saying he needed time. That was why he’d come home. Time could heal most everything.

  Chance hoped it was true.

  He’d given many a cowboy a similar sermon at different times of trial in their lives. Now he was seeing how much easier it was to spout the words when you were giving advice to someone else. It was different when you were the one in the midst of the storm.

  He let his gaze slide toward Lynn once more. Something was bothering her, too. He saw it in her eyes just now, and it cut him to the core.

  Chapter Four

  “Hey, mister. Mr. Chance, hold up.”

  “Yeah, hold up!”

  Chance had cut out the second the prayer was over. He wanted to keep right on walking but no way could he ignore the small voices hailing him. He’d made straight for the parking lot and was almost to the edge of the grass, almost to the white rock and fifteen feet from his truck… He’d almost made it.

  App’s grumbling during the sermon had convinced Chance that if he hung around he’d never hear the end of it. But no way could he ignore Gavin and Jack.

  Feeling roped and tied he turned on his heel to find both boys charging after him. Lynn followed at a slow, reluctant pace. And he groaned at the sight of the Mule Hollow posse behind her! Norma Sue Jenkins and Esther Mae Wilcox were two of the older ladies who kept Mule Hollow running smoothly. They, along with their buddy Adela, had saved the tiny town with their matchmaking antics.

  They’d come up with the idea a couple of years earlier to advertise for wives for all the lonesome cowboys who lived and worked the ranching area. Despite the disbelief of everyone around them, lo and behold, women read the ads and had begun to come to town. Since then the ladies were always coming up with special events that would draw women to the town. Like dinner theater with the cowboys singing and serving, or festivals where the cowboys and ladies would meet up. So far it had worked well. He appreciated the three women, but they were also among the ones who were adamant about him coming home to preach.

  Watching their approach he prepared himself for a lecture.

  “Boys,” Lynn called, coming to a halt behind the two little dudes.

  He couldn’t help but wonder what was bothering her so…why she looked pensive and almost frightened. Was she scared of him?

  “Mr. Turner was leaving. You don’t need to bother him.”

  “We ain’t, Momma.” Gavin batted big eyes at her and then at him. “We was just wonderin’ if you know how to make a tree house?”

  “Yeah,” Jack drew the word out dismally as he wagged his dark head back and forth. “We got a mess at our house. A pure mess.”

  “Boys!” Lynn exclaimed, turning red as a poinsettia, her big dark eyes widening like she’d just been prodded with an electric cattle prod.

  Esther Mae and Norma Sue came to a halt, catching the end of Jack’s declaration. Chance had a feeling Lynn was just as reluctant in their presence as he was. Match-makers. Scary stuff for people who wanted nothing to do with the subject.

  “Y’all are building a tree house—how fun!” Esther Mae exclaimed. Her red hair almost matched the color on Lynn’s cheeks as they flamed up even brighter.

  “We—well, the boys—started one this morning.”

  “That’s a wonderful idea,” Norma Sue boomed. “You boys probably do need a man to help you get that tree house up and working.”

  Chance didn’t miss the flash of alarm in Lynn’s eyes when Norma Sue spoke. He understood. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to build a tree house. He wanted to be alone right now. To go back out to the stagecoach house where he was staying to contemplate the state of his life. Alone. And he could see that was what she wanted, too.

  But Jack and Gavin were looking up at him with adoring eyes! Adoring—what exactly had he done to de serve the look in those eyes?

  He met Lynn’s now fiery gaze and his mouth went dry for the second time that day. She was struggling to hold her temper. It was obvious she didn’t want his help. He told himself this had to do with her background. This was wariness or maybe distrust that he was feeling from her. He didn’t like what he saw in the depths of her eyes and his own hackles went up at the idea she’d been mistreated. How bad had her abuse been? The question dug in like spurs.

  “I could help if you need me.” What else could he say? The boys yelled jubilantly and began jumping around with happiness.

  Lynn pressed her shoulders back and shook her head. “Thank you,” she said, stiffly, “but we don’t need help building our tree house.”

  “I don’t mind.” Chance, what are you saying?

  “He don’t mind, Momma.”

  “Gavin, you’re showing very bad manners. Again, thank you but we’re fine,” she said firmly. “Come on, boys, we need to go.”

  “But, Momma—”

  “Jack, we need to go home. Remember we have Christmas lights to put up, too.”

  Both boys looked reluctantly at him but obediently headed off to the car. Lynn didn’t meet his gaze as she said goodbye to Norma Sue and Esther Mae. He thought she was just going to walk off but then she paused. “I’m sorry. Thanks for the offer though,” she said, then strode away.

  What had she been through?

  Chance’s cousins walked up. “What was that all about?” Wyatt asked.

  “That was Lynn being stubborn,” Norma Sue offered.

  “Gavin and Jack were trying to get Chance to help them build a tree house, but Lynn is Miss Independent and having none of that.”

  Esther Mae harrumphed. “She needs to get over that.”

  Wyatt got a thoughtful gleam in his eye. “Really.”

  Cole grinned. He was the youngest brother, about Chance’s age and his former partner in crime. “Did you tell them you were a master tree house builder?”

  “I think we can both swing a hammer better than we could back then.” Chance chuckled. He and Cole had tried to build a tree house when they were about eight years old. “We were stubborn back then though. We re fused help from everyone.”

  “Until Dad stepped in,” Wyatt added. “Y’all had the biggest mess. Dad finally had to insist on making it safe for y’all to use.”

  “Thank goodness.” Seth gave a laugh that was more of a grunt. “Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you Melody said thanks for taking those lights up to the church for her.”

  Esther Mae beamed. “Lynn told us about that last night when we were decorating for the fundraiser. What a cute way to meet,” she gushed. “Are you coming to the fundraiser tonight?”

  Chance had already told Wyatt and all the guys the day before that he was going to pass. Wyatt hadn’t liked it and had told him that being around people would be good for him, but he understood. Now, looking at Esther Mae and Norma Sue, Chance wasn’t sure what to say. They had worked hard on this fundraiser, evidently, and it was for a good cause. His conscience pricked at him. He was startled that they hadn’t yet mentioned his preaching. He was relieved by the reprieve. “I’m not sure—”

  “Sure you are.” Norma Sue looked serious. “Chance, we just heard what a hard time you’re having dealing with the loss of this young man. The best thing is for you to get involved with your family…and we are your family. I expect to see you there.” She shot Wyatt a firm look. “See to it.”

  Wyatt gave a slow grin. “Yes, ma’am. You heard the lady, Chance.”

&n
bsp; He was dug in deep for patience.

  Esther Mae dipped her chin, causing the yellow daffodils on her hat to bend forward as if they, too, were watching Chance. “I’m expecting you there, too. So don’t disappoint me. I know you’ll enjoy it. And it will be good for you. Lynn will be there, too.”

  Great, just what he needed. Chance wondered what Lynn would think if she knew what was going on.

  “And you’ll enjoy the auction, too,” Cole drawled.

  “What auction? I haven’t heard anything about that.”

  Seth hiked a shoulder. “Aw, it’s just stuff for the la dies.”

  “But you’ll still enjoy seeing them bid,” Norma Sue added quickly, and Esther Mae grinned and nodded.

  Everyone was acting strange. He knew they cared for him and maybe they were right. “I might be there,” he offered.

  Chance thought about Norma Sue’s words all the way back to the stagecoach house. As he drove down the gravel road to the house that had been in the Turner family for almost two hundred years, he felt a small semblance of peace. His home was basically on the road, but when he needed time out this was where he came—always had been. All the memories he had from his years spent visiting and living at the ranch were the good times. Yes, he’d come home for much-needed solitude and time to think. But as he pulled up in front of the stagecoach house and got out of the truck he knew at six o’clock he’d be getting back in the truck and heading back to town.

  This was a fundraiser…and the least he could do was go up there and buy a steak to help raise money for the women’s shelter. There was no denying the good the shelter did. It was evident in Lynn and her boys. He’d spend some time alone tomorrow, but he knew he wouldn’t feel good about himself if he didn’t go up there and make a contribution to the shelter. Many benefits had been held to help Randy’s family after his death. He’d only made it to one of them and he’d been asked to speak. He’d almost not made it through that… No, helping out the shelter here at home was the least he could do.