The Maverick's Holiday Surprise

by Karen Rose Smith

  Late Monday morning Hudson sat in his office much too aware of Bella at her desk in the reception area beyond. She really was an expert at handling the children. This morning he’d noticed the way she put her hand on a child’s shoulder, or gave him a hug. Her smile when she was with the kids was absolutely radiant. Yes, it was safe to say there was a lot about the woman that intrigued him.

  As if his thoughts had beckoned her, she stood and approached his office. He invited her inside.

  “I set up a meeting for you with the holiday pageant director, Eileen Bennet, next Wednesday afternoon,” she told him.

  Every year the local elementary school put on a Christmas pageant, and this year they wanted the day care babies to get involved. “The pageant isn’t that far off. I hope she doesn’t have anything too complicated in mind.”

  “If she knows babies, she won’t,” Bella said with a smile. She filled him in on what she knew, then turned to go. She’d almost reached the door of his office when he asked, “What did you do before you managed the day care center?”

  He’d heard the gossip that she’d quit college to help her brother, but he didn’t know that for a fact.

  “I was in college—my second year.”

  He must have looked puzzled because she added, “I worked after I graduated from high school to save money for college.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Mostly I waitressed. Lots of long shifts so I could sock the tips away. Four years of that, and I applied for and received a grant from a women’s foundation. I enrolled at Montana State University.”

  “What was your major?”

  “Business administration. I eventually wanted to focus on public affairs and learn strategies for helping small towns survive. Maybe that’s a pipe dream, but if someone doesn’t inject life into a place like Rust Creek Falls, it could become a ghost town. That was especially true after the flood.”

  “So your college courses gave you managerial skills that come into play here.”

  “I guess you could say that. I don’t know when I’ll be able to complete my degree. Working here will help me save the money to do it. But I plan to stick around Rust Creek Falls as long as Jamie needs me.”

  Bella’s eyes sparkled with her dedication to her brother, as well as with the dreams that she still envisioned. More than anything, Hudson wanted to stand up and go over to her. He longed to brush her bangs across her forehead. Even more than that, he ached to tip her chin up, to bend his head, to put his lips on hers.

  And that’s why he stayed sitting. Yeah, he longed to kiss her, but they were in their workplace. Besides that, he wasn’t looking for a long-term commitment, and Bella was the type of woman who deserved one.

  This time when she moved to leave his office, he let her.

  For the rest of the morning, Hudson felt unsettled. Finally he pushed away from his computer, stood and stretched. Truth be told, he wasn’t used to sitting at a desk for most of the day. If he had to choose a job he liked best, it would be one training horses, cutting calves or walking through a field or pasture checking fence. He liked being a cowboy. Even now he rode whenever he could at the Lazy B, but it wasn’t the same thing as being on a horse most of the day.

  Leaving his office, he spotted Bella. Instead of at her desk, she was on a ladder at the bulletin board in the reception area. Instinctively, he crossed to her, fearful she was going to fall off.

  As he stood a few feet from her, he could see that she was putting up photos of the babies who came to Just Us Kids. There had been an explosion of pregnancies after a wedding reception that most of the town had taken part in two summers ago. Rumor had it that old man Homer Gilmore had put something potent in the punch. The result: nine months later, nurseries had been full of babies. Many of those babies were enrolled at Just Us Kids.

  He moved a little closer to study the photos, and Bella took notice of him.

  “These pictures are good. Who took them?”

  “I did,” Bella said proudly.

  She was still on the ladder, and he stood close to her, his shoulder at her waist. “You just didn’t snap quick photos. These are well thought out, artistic even. Look at the eyes on this little guy. They absolutely sparkle.” He pointed to another one. “And this expression is priceless. You have a real artist’s eye and good timing. Kids move and change minute to minute, and you’ve caught some of their best expressions.”

  She glanced down at him, and their gazes met. “Thank you,” she murmured.

  Clearing his throat, he said offhandedly, “You’d probably enjoy looking at the paintings at my ranch house.”

  Bella seemed to almost lose her balance. She toddled, and he put his arm around her to support her. They stood frozen, staring at each other, her face above his but not so far away. Why had she lost her balance? Had she thought he wanted her to come back to his ranch house for other reasons?

  Maybe he did.

  “You have to careful,” he mumbled.

  She nodded slowly. “Yes, I do.” Then she pushed away from him and made her way down the ladder.

  Once she was on the ground, he asked, “Do you have other photos you’ve taken? Not of babies?”

  “I do. I carry my camera with me almost everywhere I go.”

  “Get it,” he said impulsively. “I’d like to see them.”

  “Now?”

  “You’re due for a lunch break and so am I, right?”

  Bella didn’t know what to think of Hudson’s suggestion. Did he really want to see her photos? Why? And just what had he meant by that comment about going to his ranch? Did he really want her to see the paintings? Or did he have something else in mind?

  Did she?

  She felt her cheeks beginning to flush. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. For years now she hadn’t dated. She’d kept to herself. She’d been determined not to get into any more trouble, not to do something foolish or reckless. But in a way, her heart had been frozen during those years. She’d rebelled as a teenager, and that had gotten her into so much trouble. No, she hadn’t loved the father of her baby. Yes, she’d been looking for love, and somehow she’d mistakenly thought that sex could give her love. But she knew better than that now. She knew better about a lot of things.

  But having Hudson’s arm around her when she’d almost fallen, catching the scent of his aftershave, looking into his blue eyes, foolish and reckless and impulsive had all seemed like good ideas.

  No, no, no, she told herself firmly. Hudson Jones is nothing but trouble for you.

  Knowing all that, she still said, “My camera’s in my bag. I’ll get it.”

  Going around her desk, she opened the bottom drawer. Inside her hobo bag she found her point-and-shoot camera. It wasn’t anything special, but it worked for her.

  Taking the small white camera to Hudson, she turned it on. Then she hit the button that brought up the display and the photo review. “My SD card is almost full,” she admitted, handing him the camera so he could look for himself. She pointed to an arrow button. “Just press that to go backward or forward.”

  He was silent for a long time as he seemed to spend forever on each photo. When she glanced over his arm, she saw he was studying the sequence she’d taken on Short Hills Ranch. She’d shot the fall foliage with horses in the background. She’d captured Jamie astride a horse as well as a bay with a star on its forehead looking straight at the camera. There was a shot inside the stable, too, where a yellow light cast a horse in a golden glow.

  As Hudson shuffled through one photo after another, she watched his expression. He had an expressive face, not stoic like her grandfather’s. She saw his eyes widen with surprise when he glimpsed at a photo he especially liked. She spied his mouth turn up at the corners as he went through a sequence of the triplets more than once. There was Katie with ce
real all over her face... Henry with his thumb in his mouth... Jared crawling toward a favorite toy. She’d also caught Jamie standing in a window at dusk, his profile in shadow.

  Hudson suddenly lowered the camera. “Do you know how good these are?”

  She analyzed every crease on his face, the openness in his eyes. Was he feeding her a line?

  But his next words told her he wasn’t. “I can see you don’t know how good you are. Did you ever think about hiring out your services?”

  “It’s just a hobby.”

  “It’s a hobby that could take you someplace. What if I tell you I know someone who might like to hire you to take photos?”

  “Of what?” she asked suspiciously. After all, she’d learned to be suspicious of men and their motives.

  “Do you know Brooks Smith?”

  The name sounded familiar, and all at once she placed it. “He’s a veterinarian. I’ve never met him. His dad usually comes out to Short Hills when we need a vet.”

  “Brooks and his dad have separate practices but cover for each other. His dad is cutting back his hours. Anyway, Brooks and his wife, Jazzy, run a horse rescue ranch out at the edge of town. The ranch is a passion with them, and they’re going to have pamphlets printed about the facility. Jazzy mentioned she just hasn’t had time to put it all together. Do you think you’d be interested in taking photos of the horses on the ranch?”

  She was so busy now that she didn’t know what to say. Between work and the triplets, she sometimes didn’t have time to breathe. But the idea of taking photographs and making extra money was downright inviting.

  “When would I have to do this?”

  “Pretty soon, I guess. They mentioned handing out the pamphlets at their holiday open house.”

  “I don’t have much spare time,” she admitted.

  “I know you don’t, but this would probably only take a few hours.”

  “You don’t know if Brooks and his wife would really want me.”

  “I can set up a meeting.”

  “Let me think about it. If Jamie has enough help, it would be a possibility.”

  Hudson motioned to the photos of the babies on the bulletin board. Then he pointed to her camera. “You have a gift, Bella. You see with your camera what most folks can’t see with their eyes. You really should share that.”

  She thought about that, then asked, “Why? I mean, everyone sees what they want to see for the most part.”

  “But what if you can broaden someone’s outlook? What if you could give them a positive spin instead of a negative one? What if you can make a difference?”

  “We’re talking about shooting a few photos.” She couldn’t keep the amusement from her voice because she thought maybe he was joking.

  “No, not just a few shots. Each of your photos is a study of your subject that you’ve captured for eternity. That’s not something to treat lightly.”

  She never expected something so deep to come out of Hudson. That just proved she didn’t know him very well. And he certainly didn’t know her.

  “I’ll check with Brooks and Jazzy,” he said. “You think about it. I’m going to take a walk and get some lunch. Would you like some fresh air, too? You’re welcome to join me.”

  She could hear the sound of children’s laughter coming from one of the rooms. When she looked up at Hudson, she saw interest in his eyes. The children were safety. Hudson was danger.

  As she had for the past few years, she chose safety. “I’d better stay here in case anybody needs me.”

  “You like to feel needed, don’t you?”

  “I do. It gives my life purpose.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve never had that kind of purpose. I’m not exactly sure what it feels like.”

  “Walker needed you here. Isn’t that why you took over supervising Just Us Kids?”

  “I never looked at it that way,” he conceded. “I guess you’re right.” He motioned to the bulletin board. “It looks good. It will capture people’s attention. Soon we’ll have to decorate for the holidays.”

  “It’s not even Thanksgiving yet.”

  “Not so far off,” he reminded her as he moved toward the door. He opened it and looked back over his shoulder at her. “I won’t be long. If anything comes up, you have my cell number.”

  She nodded. She did have his cell number. But she doubted she’d ever use it.

  Chapter Three

  As she approached Jamie’s front porch, Bella couldn’t stop thinking about Hudson and the way he’d studied her photos. He’d really seemed interested. She’d never thought of taking pictures for actual payment. That would be a breeze if it panned out because she loved photos and she loved horses, so she knew they’d be good. She hoped Hudson would really follow through with his offer.

  As she opened the door to the ranch house, Bella heard commotion in the kitchen. Taking off her coat, she hung it in the closet and headed for the voices and the squeals.

  She smiled when she saw the scene in front of her. Fallon O’Reilly was helping Jamie with the triplets by trying to feed Katie while he fed Henry and Jared. Bella felt warmth spread around her heart at the generosity of Fallon and others who were giving of their time so easily. However, the way Fallon looked at Jamie, Bella suspected there was more there than a friend helping a friend.

  Fallon was a year older than Bella and came from the kind of family that Jamie and she wished they’d had. She was a product of parents who had been married for decades and who loved their kids dearly. In turn, Fallon was great with kids. She should be; she worked at Country Kids Day Care.

  When Fallon spotted her, she smiled. “As you can see, applesauce is on the menu. Katie is wearing it exceptionally well, don’t you think?”

  The baby had obviously waved her hands around with applesauce-covered fingers. There was even some on the little pink ribbon in her fine hair. She smiled when she thought how Jamie always dressed her in pink and tried to keep the ribbon in her hair so everybody would know she was a girl. He was such a good dad.

  On the other side of the table, Henry and Jared had smeared it all over their mouths, on the high chair trays and even on Jared’s nose.

  “This looks like fun,” Bella said with a laugh. “Can I join in?”

  Jamie motioned to a chair on the other side of Henry. “Pull it up and have a go at this.”

  As Bella settled in, she said to Fallon, “How’s everything at Country Kids?”

  She brushed back her curly red hair. “Busy as usual. I had a four-year-old today who hit another child, so I had to call his parents to come pick him up. He was having a tantrum.”

  “How did the parents react?”

  “Not well. But I explained that he couldn’t disrupt the whole class just because he couldn’t get his way. The mom admitted she and her husband are having some problems at home and that’s why he’s acting out. Her husband lost his job in Kalispell, and he’s taken two part-time positions to try to make up for it. But they’re having financial difficulties and arguing. All of that affects kids.”

  Bella exchanged a look with Jamie. Everything regarding home life affected kids. That’s why she and Jamie were trying to give the triplets all the love and attention they could muster. With others joining in, the triplets should have a good start on life, even though they’d been born prematurely and had had to catch up. Even though they’d lost their mom.

  “Fallon, I don’t know if we say it often enough, but we’re so grateful for your help,” Bella said.

  “I love helping.” She turned her blue eyes on Jamie and then the triplets. “When these little ones follow me with their eyes, as they grab hold of my finger, or they eat their food instead of wear it, I feel like I’ve accomplished something important.”

  “I know what you mean,” Bella agreed. “
That’s why I love working at the day care center, too. Babies are so easy to love.” She thought about her background and Jamie’s and added, “Unlike teenagers, who are angry and ungrateful sometimes.”

  “Our grandparents did their best,” Jamie murmured.

  Bella supposed that was true. People could do only what they knew how to do. But it seemed love should be easier to give than to withhold, and she’d always felt their grandparents had withheld their affection. She always surmised that they’d taken in her and Jamie out of guilt. Years before, they’d disowned their only daughter, Bella’s mother Lauren, when she’d gotten pregnant out of wedlock, and Bella suspected they regretted that decision. When Bella had gotten pregnant, it had brought back for her grandparents all those unwanted memories and stress—stress that no doubt contributed to her grandma’s death. At the end of the day, she had blamed herself for all of it. She’d ended up believing that she was a burden who should have never landed on her grandparents’ doorstep.

  Jamie’s thoughts must have been following the same course because he said with regret, “I wish things were different with Gramps, but that’s too much water under the bridge, isn’t it?”

  “I wish things were different around the holidays especially,” Bella agreed.

  Gramps still lived in the same house in town, and they never heard from him or saw him. She wished he could be part of their lives, but he’d disowned her after she’d gotten pregnant, even though she’d had a miscarriage. That hadn’t made any difference to him. He’d been cold and mostly unspeaking until she moved out when she was eighteen. There was so much resentment there—resentment for his wife dying, resentment for the financial burden they’d caused, resentment that Bella had acted out when she was looking for love. No, there was no going back there. She just had to look forward.

  “Family is complicated,” Fallon agreed.

  “Yours doesn’t seem to be,” Bella offered. “You’re close to your brothers and sisters, and your parents would do anything for all of you.”

  “That’s true, and my parents are great role models for the marriage I’d like to have someday.” Again her gaze fell on Jamie, but he was oblivious.