Christmas on the Ranch

by Arlene James

  Thankfully, God is patient and loves us too much to let us harbor resentment forever. He’ll give us opportunities to put our resentments behind us, but we must take them. The harder and longer we resist, the more extreme His measures may become.

  Forgiveness brings blessings that we can’t imagine while we’re sulking in our resentment dungeon. Like Dixon, however, we can find peace and unimagined love through forgiving others.

  God bless,

  CHRISTMAS EVE COWBOY

  Lois Richer

  This book is for my own Christmas Eve cowboy. Happy anniversary!

  For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will

  never abandon you.” So we can say with

  confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will

  have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

  —Hebrews 13:5–6

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Chapter One

  “Mommy, can I have five hundred dollars?”

  “What?” Elizabeth Kendall froze in the act of receiving her just-purchased potatoes from the farmers’ market seller to stare at her five-year-old daughter. “Why?”

  “To buy one of those.” Zoey pointed.

  Elizabeth turned to look across the town square and locked gazes with the most searching brown eyes she’d ever seen.

  Then she caught her breath because this guy also had the heart-stopping good looks of a cowboy actor just departed from the set of an old Western movie. He was tall and lanky, wearing a battered leather jacket with sheepskin lining, jeans and boots. His Stetson was pushed back, exposing his face to the brilliant winter sun. He slouched against a beat-up red truck, cradling a wiggling puppy in his roughened hands. Several more canine babies frolicked in a box on the ground in front of him. Beside them stood a cardboard sign with hand-painted lettering.

  Puppies for sale: $50

  “That says fifty dollars, sweetie. Not five hundred.” Elizabeth knew what was coming. A shiver ran down her spine even though the Montana morning wasn’t that cold, at least not for this first day of December. But then her resolve to avoid dogs had nothing to do with the temperature.

  “Fifty dollars isn’t as much as five hundred dollars, right?” Zoey asked. “So if I can’t have my daddy for Christmas, could I have one of those puppies?”

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” The longing in Zoey’s green-eyed gaze hit Elizabeth right in the heart yet... I can’t have another dog. I can’t go through losing again.

  “You always say no.” Zoey glowered at her. “I want that puppy!” she shrieked before racing across the town square toward the cowboy.

  Knowing all the busybodies in the little town of Snowflake would soon be gossiping about her and Zoey made Elizabeth pause before following her child. Finally she walked toward the cowboy, tension increasing with each step.

  He’s not James, her brain reminded her. He can’t hurt you.

  “What kind are your dogs?” Zoey’s now uber-friendly tone drew smiles from other shoppers. Elizabeth winced at her daughter’s pseudo-innocent look, which meant she was fully aware of the attention. Her kid was a con artist.

  “The puppies are a mixture of Lab and springer spaniel.” Seeing Zoey’s blank look, the hunky cowboy grinned. “They’re just plain dogs. Hello.”

  When he tipped his hat to Elizabeth like they did in the movies she felt an inner flutter. A perfunctory smile lifted his lips but didn’t reach his intense gaze. Full of secrets, his eyes reminded her of Belgian chocolate—ordinary-looking until you bit into it. Then you couldn’t think of anything else.

  “I’m sorry she bothered you.” Elizabeth fought back regret as Zoey cuddled one of the animals. “Honey, you have to give it back.”

  “I want this puppy for Christmas. I’m calling him Mr. Beasley.” She giggled as a pink tongue licked her nose. “See, Mommy? He loves me already.”

  Zoey asked so little. Elizabeth yearned to say yes. But memories wouldn’t let her.

  “Um, he is a she,” the cowboy murmured. “So that would be Mrs. Beasley, or actually Ms. Beasley.” He caught Elizabeth’s eye roll and shrugged. “I’m just saying.”

  “Whatever.” His generous grin weakened her knees. She focused on Zoey. “Honey, you can’t have that puppy.”

  Fury ignited sparks in her daughter’s emerald eyes. Elizabeth wondered who among the shoppers would understand why any mom would deny her daughter a puppy.

  “This is my dog.” Zoey cuddled the animal closer, giggling when it burrowed into the sleeve of her soft pink jacket. “He—” she glanced at the cowboy and corrected “—she loves me, even if my daddy doesn’t.”

  “Brett Carlisle, ma’am.” The cowboy’s voice turned conspiratorial. “May I handle this?”

  “We can’t have a dog,” Elizabeth insisted.

  “I understand.” He hunkered down next to Zoey. “Listen, kiddo, I don’t give my puppies away unless parents okay it.”

  “Why?” Zoey frowned.

  “Because having a puppy is a big responsibility.” He glanced at Elizabeth. “Your mom’s a doctor, right?”

  “Uh-huh.” With every second Zoey was bonding more tightly to the puppy, which wasn’t the only reason Elizabeth desperately wanted to get away from this man with mesmerizing eyes and too-cute dogs.

  “Everybody calls Mommy Dr. Liz but her name’s really Elizabeth.”

  “Elizabeth Kendall. And you’ve met Zoey,” Elizabeth said.

  “Nice to meet you both.” Brett nodded and smiled.

  “You, too.” Elizabeth shifted impatiently. Was he going to help or not?

  “I can’t let you have a puppy unless your mom says it’s okay, Zoey.” Brett’s voice softened. “Your mom says you can’t have this puppy.”

  Zoey’s chin jutted out, rebellion filling her freckled face.

  “Honey, I have to do more shopping before the market closes.” Elizabeth rested her hand on Zoey’s shoulder and nodded at the cowboy. “Thank you for letting her hold the puppy.”

  “You’re welcome. Bring her to my ranch. I have lots of babies she can hold.” Brett grinned at her surprise. “Baby animals. I rescue and nurture them until they can be taken back to the wild.”

  “The wild?” Elizabeth arched one eyebrow.

  “I rehabilitate baby deer, foxes—wild animals.” Brett’s rumbly voice held amusement.

  “Those two C’s.” Zoey pointed at the logo on his truck. “What do they mean?”

  “They stand for the Double C Ranch. My dad’s name is Clint Carlisle.”

  A current raced from his dark eyes straight to Elizabeth’s pulse. She didn’t want a connection with him or any man. That was why she’d come to Snowflake, because it was light-years away from New York and James and the feeling that she’d never again be whole.

  “You and your father ranch together?” Elizabeth guessed.

  “We did. Dad’s been ill.” A glimmer of pain flickered. What wasn’t Brett saying?

  “I’m sorry.” She didn’t want to empathize with him but she couldn’t help it.

  “Thanks. Dad loves the ranch. He’s a great father.” Brett ruffled Zoey’s strawberry blonde curls. “I’m sure your daddy is, too.”

  “My daddy doesn’t want me.” Zoey’s too-old tone bit into Elizabeth’s heart.

  “Sorry.” Brett’s dismayed gaze dropped to Elizabeth’s bare ring finger.

  �
��I want my daddy for Christmas but Mommy says I can’t have him.” Zoey’s pathetic tone and meekly lowered head made Elizabeth frown. “So now I want a dog. This dog.”

  “But—” Brett’s sideways glance made Elizabeth feel worse for denying her daughter a puppy.

  “The other kids at school all have daddies,” Zoey murmured into the dog’s fur, accompanying the words with a pathetic sigh. “I’m the only one who doesn’t.”

  “That’s tough,” Brett murmured.

  “A puppy would sure help.” Zoey peeked at him through her long lashes.

  Enough.

  “The market closes at noon. We must go.” Who was she kidding? Her daughter wasn’t going to release that puppy anytime soon.

  “Hey, Pastor Bill.” Brett grinned at the approaching rotund minister. “I think Norma’s already sold all of those lemon tarts you like so much.”

  “Norma wouldn’t do that to me. How’re you doing, Brett?” Pastor Bill clapped him on the shoulder, greeted Zoey and Elizabeth then asked Brett, “How are the sets for the Christmas program coming?”

  “Okay.” He shrugged. “They’re not complicated.”

  “Vida doesn’t do complicated.” Pastor Bill scowled. “Unfortunately, she left for Denver this morning to visit her brand-new grandson. Which means we need a new director.” His eyes narrowed. “Say, Dr. Liz. I’m on Snowflake’s medical board and I seem to recall your résumé included extensive music knowledge. How about leading the Christmas Eve kids’ choir?”

  “Mommy could.” Zoey’s excitement made Elizabeth wince. “She sings good.”

  “Well,” Elizabeth said, then shook her head. “I’m sorry, Pastor. Vida asked me last night. I declined.” She ignored Zoey’s crestfallen face. “I can’t.”

  “This isn’t a formal choir, just kids singing on Christmas Eve,” the minister countered. “Nothing fancy.”

  “I’d mess it up. Sorry.” She felt guilty for refusing. The memories and James’s criticisms wouldn’t be silenced.

  You always disappoint, Lizzie. She’d hated that denigrating name. Next time let someone else do it and save yourself embarrassment.

  “Snowflake’s kids singing on Christmas Eve is our oldest tradition.” Pastor Bill’s forehead furrowed. “Seriously reconsider, will you, Dr. Liz?” He waved at the woman beckoning to him. “Guess I better get Norma’s tarts before the market closes.”

  “I need to shop, too. Come on, Zoey.” Elizabeth held out her hand.

  “I wanna play with the puppy.” Zoey’s stubborn gaze met hers.

  “Let her play while you finish shopping.” Pastor Bill ruffled Zoey’s hair. “You can watch her from any place in the square. She’ll be safe with Brett. Everybody in Snowflake will vouch for him. He’s lived here his whole life.”

  So refusing would make it seem like she didn’t trust either her pastor or Brett.

  “Folks’ll be real disappointed if we cancel the kids’ choir. You being part of Snowflake and with all that musical knowledge...” The pastor’s hint was left hanging as he jogged away.

  “It can’t matter that much,” Elizabeth muttered.

  “The whole town attends the Christmas Eve kids’ choir service. It’s tradition.” Brett smiled. “Go shop. Leave Zoey with me. Maybe I can dissuade her about the puppy before you come back,” he added sotto voce.

  More contact with this disturbing man? “I don’t want to bother—”

  “It’s no bother. I love kids, though I’m not around them much.”

  “You don’t have any?” Curiosity built as Brett affectionately studied Zoey.

  “Not married.” He glanced at his watch then back at her. “Six minutes left. Trust me, Doc.”

  Elizabeth hadn’t trusted anyone since James and look how that had turned out. But Snowflake was a small town, and judging by the number of people who called out greetings, Brett was well-known and respected. And she’d be less than sixty feet away.

  Zoey wouldn’t leave without a protest so she decided to shop first then fight the puppy battle after the stalls closed, when most of the townsfolk would be gone.

  “Okay.” Elizabeth bent beside Zoey who looked totally infatuated with the puppy. “You can stay here and hold the puppy, but remember—we are not taking her home. Got it?”

  “Yeah.” Zoey pressed a kiss against the dog’s fur, her face clearly telegraphing she wouldn’t give up without an argument.

  Frustrated, Elizabeth hurried toward the fresh bread stall then glanced back. Brett squatted beside Zoey as the two laughed at the antics of the other puppies.

  “They sure look good together.” Ida McCloskey handed over Elizabeth’s preorder. “Zoey is exactly what Brett needs. He’d never admit it but that man gets real lonely on his daddy’s ranch, following his daddy’s dream.”

  “Ranching wasn’t Brett’s choice?” Elizabeth was intrigued.

  “The guy’s desperate to be a veterinarian. He was leaving when his dad took sick and—” She shook her head. “Sure you can’t lead the kids’ choir, Dr. Liz?”

  “I can’t, Ida.” Elizabeth was learning Snowflake had no secrets.

  “‘I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me,’” Ida quoted and winked. “That’s what I keep telling Brett about his veterinarian dream. Now you best get over to Mabel’s stall before she gives away your order.”

  Walking across the square, Elizabeth couldn’t help a second glance at the cowboy. Her heart skipped when Brett pressed back the tangle of strawberry blonde curls that almost reached Zoey’s waist. His expression snagged Elizabeth’s breath. Why couldn’t James have looked at his daughter like that? Why couldn’t he have looked at her as if she was precious, cherished?

  She blushed when Brett caught her staring.

  What was it about this cowboy that made Elizabeth think of Christmas wishes and mistletoe kisses?

  * * *

  “Do you like kids?”

  Warning! Danger.

  Brett tore his gaze from the lovely blond doctor, electrifying in her bright blue jacket to focus on her daughter.

  “Who doesn’t like kids?” he asked.

  “My daddy. Least not me.”

  Her stark response shocked him. “Who said so?”

  “My mommy.” Her green eyes swirled with sadness. “She ’splained ’bout him last night ’cause I made a big fuss. But I had to,” she wailed. “I found a picture of him and Mommy. I didn’t even know I had a daddy!”

  Elizabeth was chatting with Mabel Montgomery. From what he’d seen of mom and daughter at church Sunday mornings, Doc seemed devoted to her kid. Why keep Zoey’s father a secret?

  “Maybe she was protecting you,” he mused aloud.

  “Like from a bad man?” Zoey frowned. “Mommy said Daddy didn’t want us. I dunno why. I musta did sumthin’ wrong.” A crease pleated her pale forehead. “Only I can’t ’member what.”

  Brett realized this poor kid had the same doubts he’d had years ago when he’d learned his mom had abandoned him and his dad. “You didn’t do anything, Zoey.”

  “How do you know?” Zoey tilted her head, her riot of curls jiggling.

  “Kids can’t make their parents not love them.” Surprised by the fierceness of his urge to hug her, Brett brushed her cheek.

  “I dunno.” Zoey wrinkled her nose dubiously.

  “I know. You never did anything that made your daddy not love you.”

  “So why doesn’t he?” Zoey’s plaintive question made Brett scrounge for an answer to soothe her hurting heart.

  “Some people just can’t love.” A picture of Wanda suddenly filled Brett’s mind.

  She’d claimed to love him yet she’d dumped him without apology. Facing shame, embarrassment and a load of wedding debt she’d accumulated all over town, debt he’d onl
y just paid off, made him avoid romance. For the past two years he’d focused solely on running the ranch.

  Until this morning when Elizabeth Kendall and her cute kid reminded you of your loneliness and lost veterinary college dream.

  Only it wasn’t lost anymore, though he was still lonely.

  So what do I do, God?

  Brett blinked as a shadow fell over them. “Hey, Grant.”

  “Hey.” His neighbor smiled as he tousled Zoey’s mass of curls. “Pretty hair.”

  “Thank you. I’m Zoey.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Miss Zoey.” Grant gallantly shook her proffered hand. “Brett, the missus says our kids are getting two of your puppies for Christmas. Can you keep ’em till Christmas Eve?”

  “Sure. Which ones?” Seeing Zoey clutch her puppy until Grant left, Brett had a hunch fireworks were in the offing. Seeing Elizabeth return he eased the animal from Zoey’s clutches and returned it to the box. “Did you get everything?” The way Doc’s flaxen hair sparkled in contrast to her jacket mesmerized him.

  “More than.” The pretty doctor chuckled as she held up bulging bags.

  Stay uninvolved. Brett was glad for the interruption of more customers, which left only Zoey’s pup and another unsold.

  “Good day for puppy sales,” Elizabeth said.

  “It’ll buy more dog food.” The shyness Wanda had always mocked overtook him at the inquisitive looks they were getting. “I’d better get home for lunch.”

  “I’m hungry, too.” Zoey picked up her puppy again. “A man said there’s going to be food at a roaster. Can we get some, Mommy?”

  “A roaster?”

  “The Roaster.” Brett chuckled at Elizabeth’s confusion. “If you haven’t realized, this town is nuts about Christmas. December first, today, marks the kickoff of Snowflake’s official Christmas season.”

  “Ah.” A cloud filled her eyes.