His Christmas Bride

by Lara Van Hulzen

  And Mike? Well, it didn’t surprise Lucas that Mike had met and married Anna in college. Of all the St. Claire siblings, he was the most wired to settle down at a young age. Unfortunately, fate had other plans and Anna had passed away, leaving Mike to raise their daughter, Annalise, all on his own.

  When Franchesca entered their lives not long ago, Lucas saw right away that she was the one Mike and Annalise needed. Feisty and full of flair, she would keep Mike on his toes and make him happy.

  So why did Lucas feel the need to be with a society girl from New York? He’d always expected his brothers to do so and neither of them had. He rubbed a hand down his face, questioning why he continued to live under the expectations of his family, and why the hell was he questioning everything so much? Not one to dwell on details, he didn’t tend to spend too much time thinking things through.

  His gut clenched. Those exact words were the ones Mike had used when he and Franchesca had tried to talk Lucas into waiting on the wedding. But things with Vanessa were so right. He was sure of it. The night they’d met, it was as if everything he’d needed in a partner in life was wrapped up in her. She fit the mold of what he’d imagined the right woman was for him. And she felt the same. They both agreed there was no reason to wait.

  And yet, here he sat, in the gargantuan living room of his family’s home in Montana, questioning the hell out of everything. But was it because of what his family was saying to him? Was it because his brothers had chosen a different path than expected? Or was it because of a certain blue-eyed blonde he hadn’t been able to keep his mind off since dancing with her?

  Yes, he’d admit it. Erin had been on his mind since the engagement party. But what kind of jerk did that make him to be thinking of another woman instead of the one he was about to marry? It was mere curiosity about an old friend was all. Not having talked to her in almost ten years meant he wanted to catch up, see how she was doing. It didn’t mean it changed his feelings for Vanessa.

  His mind played the tape over and over in his head, but if it were true, then why did he feel as if he’d been caught when Vanessa had come up to him and Erin as they’d danced? And what was with the way Vanessa had acted after that? Clinging to him had never been her MO and there was a weird vibe between the two women he couldn’t quite figure out.

  “Uncle Lucas!”

  His mind snapped back to the present as his six-year-old niece pounced on top of him.

  “Annalise!” He wrapped his arms around her and swallowed her in a hug. Her hair smelled like coconuts and the pink tutu she had wrapped around her middle scratched at him through his long-sleeved t-shirt.

  “What are you up to, tiny dancer?”

  “Daddy’s taking me to dance class. We’re working on a performance for Christmas. I get to be a sugarplume fairy. Will you be here to see it?” She pushed back, her little hands against his chest holding herself up. Her mischief-filled blue eyes twinkled. He’d never met more of a force than his little niece and he adored her to no end.

  “It’s sugar P-L-U-M, little one.” Mike had come into the room and stood at the end of the couch, smiling at his daughter.

  “Of course I’ll be here to see it. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He hugged her again.

  “Hello? Is anyone here?”

  Vanessa’s voice echoed through the large room. She came around the corner, Lucas remembering that Wilson had gone to get her so they could go over wedding plans.

  Lucas set Annalise on the ground and hopped up off the couch. He moved past Mike to his fiancée. He leaned in for a kiss but settled for her cheek when she smiled and turned her head. Right. She wasn’t big on public displays of affection. Although she hadn’t minded at the engagement party, or when someone wanted to take their photo, come to think of it. He shook his head loose of all the random thoughts.

  “How did your errands go?” Lucas had offered to run around Marietta with her that morning, but she’d said she would work quicker alone and that Wilson driving her would be sufficient.

  “Wonderful. I got a lot done. Although there’s still much more. Always more…”

  Her voice trailed off as if she were referring to something other than the wedding, but then her eyes moved to Mike and she smiled. “Hello, Mike. Good to see you again.”

  “You too, Vanessa.” Mike’s hands were deep in his pockets, a head nod and smile her way, his greeting.

  “Aunt Nessa!” Annalise came around the couch and launched herself at Vanessa.

  Lucas grinned. The kid was too damn cute. She’d already taken to Vanessa after only meeting her that first night Vanessa had arrived and had asked immediately if she could call her “Aunt.” The lack of females around the child during the time after Anna’s death had made her like iron to a magnet when she met women.

  “Hi, sweetie.” Vanessa smiled down at Annalise, but had already unwrapped the little girl’s arms from her legs. She bent down to look Annalise in the eye. “You look lovely today. Are you headed to dance class?”

  “I am!”

  Annalise didn’t come across as phased by Vanessa’s reaction to her but Mike furrowed his brow and looked at Lucas over the two females’ heads. Lucas shrugged. Vanessa had been fine the night she’d met all the St. Claires. Although, her first interaction with Annalise was short because it had been late and she was headed to bed, but still. Lucas only then realized they hadn’t talked about kids. He wanted a few, for sure. But did Vanessa?

  Yet another detail he’d not taken the time to talk about or think through.

  Man, that phrase kept creeping in and it was beginning to irritate him. He wasn’t an idiot, he just believed things all worked out in the end. Like Erin had said, he was a “If there’s a will, there’s a way,” kind of guy.

  Annalise twirled around, her tutu bouncing as she did so. “I’m going to be a sugarplume fairy!”

  Mike shook his head and smiled. Lucas imagined Mike had already tried to correct his daughter about a thousand times and was finally choosing to let it go. Lucas laughed, but his insides warmed with admiration for his brother. All that Mike had been through and yet he was a rock for Franchesca and Annalise. A good man who Lucas was grateful he had as an example in life.

  Vanessa stood and turned to Lucas. “I’m flying back to New York for Thanksgiving, as you know. I was thinking I’d have you go to Tanner Ranch and deal with the preliminary meeting, but now I feel it best to go with you.”

  Lucas shrugged. “Okay. I don’t mind doing it though. I know Clayton Tanner well.”

  “I understand you know all of the Tanners well.” She smiled, but the look in her eye made a little red flag go up in his brain.

  Annalise stopped mid-spin and turned to look at Lucas. Uh-oh. He knew that look. She’d thought of something she wanted and was relentless about getting her way.

  “Uncle Lucas! If you go to a ranch can I come? I want to ride a horsey. Aunt Noelle took me once before and I want to go again.”

  Phew! That was a request he could make good on. “I’m sure we could figure something out, Annalise. I used to ride there all the time when I was a kid.”

  “You did?” Again, Vanessa’s tone had something in it Lucas couldn’t identify.

  “The Tanners are good people,” Mike said. “They let Noelle bring Annalise over to ride a few months ago. I’m fine with it if you can figure out a time, Lucas.”

  Lucas nodded toward his brother. “I’m on it. I’ll talk to the Tanners when we go to meet about the wedding.”

  “Perfect.” Vanessa smiled at him then Mike, although nothing about her vibe at that moment screamed perfect.

  *

  Erin moved around the kitchen, preparing dinner. It had been a blissful few days of her daily norm full of mucking stalls, helping Tucker fix a broken fence, and keeping up on the office side of things. They’d given Wendell the week off for Thanksgiving.

  After the debacle of Lucas’s engagement party, Erin was happy to have the comfort that was her world to lean on.
As fun as it had been to get dressed up, feel a bit girly, she was most at home in worn jeans and boots. And her days of dreaming that she could ever have some kind of future with Lucas St. Claire were over.

  “Hey, Girl Child.”

  “Hey, Dad.”

  He wheeled into kitchen and pulled up to the table, Gauge ambling behind him. Her father took a stack of mail from his lap and laid it on the table.

  She stood at the stove, stirring pasta sauce. Her dad was a simple man with simple tastes. She loved to cook, but didn’t always have the time. Pasta with meat sauce was a weekly staple for them. And it was easy to make. Another blessing after a long day of work. Gauge wandered over to her and nudged her leg, his way of asking if there were any scraps to throw his way.

  She took a small piece of cooked ground beef from the pan and blew on it to cool it before tossing it into the dog’s mouth. He chomped for a moment then licked his chops before settling beside her dad once more.

  The peace and quiet of their evenings suited her just fine. She turned the burner to low so the sauce could simmer then looked out the window above the sink. They’d had unusually warm weather for the time of year. Well, warm for Montana. Patches of green popped out along the landscape making her think of lily pads on a lake of white. Closing her eyes for a moment, she soaked in all that brought her calm.

  “Lucas St. Claire called me today.”

  Her eyes flew open, any sense of calm soaring out the window.

  “Why would he do that?”

  The sharpness of her voice made her father look up from the stack of mail he’d been opening on the table.

  “Sorry. I’m just surprised.” She turned toward the stove again and stirred the sauce.

  “Why would you be surprised? He’s having his wedding here.”

  Erin had filled her dad in on all the details of the St. Claire wedding. He’d agreed it was a good idea and a great way to fix up the ranch and have extra funds to catch up on bills.

  “Right. So, what’d he say?” Erin tried to calm her heart rate. What was her deal anyway? She knew Lucas and his fiancée would be around, and she should be thanking her lucky stars Lucas was calling her dad instead of her.

  “He and his fiancée, Vanessa, are going to come by tomorrow to walk through the property, makes lists of what they want for the wedding.”

  “Lists?” She turned to face her dad, certain she now masked the turmoil inside her head and her heart.

  Her father shrugged. “I don’t know. Lucas just said lists. If I had to guess, that fiancée of his has some ideas of what she wants. I just hope we can live up to it.”

  Erin tamped down a snort. From the little she’d seen of Vanessa, she had a feeling her father was right. A flurry of concern tickled her belly. What if they couldn’t live up to Vanessa’s expectations? Would they lose the money?

  No. That wouldn’t happen. Cynthia had assured her the contract she’d drawn up was solid and the Tanners would still get paid at least something, even if plans fell through. Apparently, Cynthia had worked with a few bridezillas in her day so Erin trusted her friend to know what was best.

  Erin dished up a plate for her and her dad and set the table. Her father said a blessing over their meal and they dug in. They ate in quiet, Erin reassuring herself that Lucas and Vanessa could come by the following day but she would keep herself scarce. Her dad could handle any “lists” thrown their way. Avoiding Lucas until the New Year could happen.

  Right. And it wouldn’t snow again until next winter.

  Chapter Seven

  Erin breathed in the cold morning air. She’d taken Hemingway out for a ride. The night before, she’d tried to convince her dad to take over the meeting with Lucas and Vanessa, but she could see him getting suspicious as to why she didn’t want to have anything to do with the situation, so she agreed to be there.

  A decision she deemed doable last night, but questioned now. She was a grown-up, but being around Lucas stirred up feelings she’d tried so hard to tamp down and forget. And based on Vanessa’s reaction at the engagement party, she was much more in tune to a past between Erin and Lucas than Lucas was.

  However, he didn’t do a stellar job of hiding a guilty look as Vanessa clung to him, saying how happy she was to meet Erin, etcetera. There’d been a moment on the dance floor when he’d looked at her like he had once before. The way he’d looked at her right before he’d kissed her.

  She shook her head to clear it. As much as she’d like to believe he had feelings for her, deep down she had to accept it wasn’t true. He’d said he would keep in touch when he’d left for college but he never had. She hadn’t, either, but hadn’t wanted to come across as needy. And, in truth, she wanted him to pursue her. To want her as much as she wanted him.

  Clearly, that was not the case. He was marrying someone else. He’d moved on with his life. It was time she did the same with hers. She rubbed Hemingway’s neck. He bobbed his head, a response that made Erin smile. She still had things she could count on in her life. Her dad, always her rock. Being able to work on the ranch, be outside all the time, ride horses… be free. That was enough for her. It was.

  Hemingway breathed in deep and let it out, the movement pushing Erin’s legs out then in again.

  “I hear ya, buddy. I know. But maybe if I keep telling myself I can get over him, I will.”

  The horse blew out a breath, the sound not unlike a raspberry, as he shook his head.

  “Fine. Whatever.”

  Without Erin’s guidance and knowing the way as well as she did, Hemingway took a turn in the path and headed for home. Erin’s stomach clenched. It was inevitable. When she got back, she’d have to meet with Lucas and Vanessa about their wedding. Oh, how she wished that didn’t hurt as much as it did. The thought chipped away another piece of her heart.

  It was one thing if her feelings were mere leftovers of a high-school crush, an infatuation with a boy during years where Disney princess stories had reigned in a girl’s head. But Lucas had been her best friend. He’d even told her the same thing once. It was the summer before they’d gone to college, their last summer together. She and her dad and Eric had been talking about the future, about who would help him run the ranch. Eric had already started to drink a lot, was hanging with the wrong crowd.

  Their mother had been an alcoholic. Well, not always. Clayton Tanner was a rodeo star in his day, women falling at his feet. But he’d fallen hard for Cassie, Erin and Eric’s mom. She’d played the part of doting girlfriend, then wife, but the life of a bull rider wasn’t as glamorous as some believed it to be. Clayton traveled. A lot. In the beginning, Cassie traveled with him. But then she’d gotten pregnant. Shocked that it was twins and feeling overwhelmed doing most of it alone while Clayton was on the road, she’d started drinking.

  As soon as he’d recognized the problem, Clayton retired and vowed to stay home and be the parent the kids needed. Cassie left not long after that. None of them had heard a word from her since. Erin didn’t even know if she was still alive or not. Having been small when her mother left, she had little memory of her, so she hadn’t spent much time or energy missing her mom. Sure, she might have appreciated a girl to talk to through the teen years, but Erin’s dad was there for her in every way possible. She’d never once felt her life lacked anything.

  Being clear with Erin and Eric from the minute they hit the teen years, Clayton told them point blank about their mom. He assured them it had nothing to do with them. Erin believed him, but Eric was never convinced. His last couple years in high school, he’d started drinking, his grades slipped, and most nights, he yelled at Clayton that everything was his fault. That their mother would still be there if it hadn’t been for him. Her father had taken it in stride. He’d let Eric vent, but never took what he said to be true. And it wasn’t. It wasn’t his fault their mother had left. It was hers.

  Eric had been drunk the night they’d talked about the future of the ranch. Spewing things at Erin, she’d fled the house in t
ears and ran to her favorite spot by the barn on top of a couple haystacks.

  Which was where Lucas had found her. He’d listened, and although she’d sensed him tense as she told him all the things her brother had said, he didn’t react. All he’d done was pull her close and let her cry on his shoulder. Man, she’d hated the tears. Hated how weak they’d made her feel. But she’d loved being in his arms. He’d smelled so good, like the outdoors and a cologne that to this day, if she caught a whiff of it on anyone, made her think only of Lucas. And he didn’t give her any pat responses or try to boost her spirits. He’d just sat there and held her. She’d never wanted that moment to end.

  Hemingway rounded the bend as they emerged from the cover of the pine trees at the north of their property. The meadow stood before them, separating them from the house and the black Toyota Tundra parked in the drive. Her father had come outside and was talking to Lucas and Vanessa.

  She took a deep breath in and let it out. Hemingway did the same. Leaning forward, she patted his neck. “I guess it’s now or never, boy. Let’s do this.” With that, she clicked her tongue and loosened the reins. Hemingway leapt forward into a gallop.

  Although headed toward unknowns she didn’t want to think about, Erin closed her eyes and let the wind float through her hair as her movements synced with Hemingway’s. Out here, nothing could touch her. Out here, she was her true self. Relaxed, she opened her eyes and let Hemingway carry her home.

  *

  Lucas was trying to focus on what Clayton Tanner was saying, but his mind was still trying to process being at Tanner Ranch again. As he and Vanessa had driven in, the memories washed over him in waves. Moments he hadn’t thought about it years. Why, he couldn’t figure out. Every time he’d been here was fun. In all the summers his family had visited Marietta, Lucas had itched to get to the ranch. To ride, to be outside, to help with the chores. He’d loved it. And hadn’t realized until that moment how much he’d missed it.