The Rancher's Christmas Match

by Brenda Minton

  Who was she kidding? His comment had hurt. It had opened up the wounds she’d buried at eighteen when he’d disowned her. It had ached deep down because he didn’t want to meet his granddaughter.

  And yet here she was, in Oklahoma and a short drive from where she’d grown up. Because even if family wanted nothing to do with her, she wanted to know they were nearby. If something happened, she wanted to know they had someone close.

  She’d come to Hope to talk to Jack about the business opportunity he’d advertised nationally. Jack West was offering people free rent if they would commit to keeping their business in Hope, Oklahoma, for one year. But first he had to approve the business and the business plan.

  “I thought we would have our meeting, and then I would drive to Tulsa and stay with a friend.”

  “We can discuss where you’ll stay while we’re going over your business plan,” Jack continued. “We may need a few days to look over your business and I’m afraid the hotel in town is booked up. There’s a festival in Grove and the entire area is overrun with visitors. Which we aren’t going to complain about.”

  “I’ll find us a place.” She smiled, looking over at Allie.

  Jack’s attention slid to the girl and he winked at her. “I think you all should stay right here on the ranch.”

  “We couldn’t,” Rebecca replied. Allie loved animals and anything country. But they couldn’t stay here.

  “I don’t see why not,” Jack continued. “You have a briefcase that I’m sure contains a business plan. And I have a shop looking for a new owner. The only way I can connect you to that shop is if I have an opportunity to look at what you have in mind. If you need an opinion other than mine, that you need to stay put for a while, I think Carson has already given it.”

  “I don’t want to take advantage of your generosity,” she told him.

  “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot,” Jack said softly. “If staying here makes you feel uncomfortable I’m sure we can find somewhere else for you to stay.”

  She had to be a grown-up about this.

  The dog, Maximus, pushed his golden head against her leg. She stroked the soft fur and found courage. But hadn’t she been drawing on that same courage for the past year? The death of her aunt had been a difficult blow.

  It had taken courage to sell their salon and leave Arizona. It had taken more courage to return to Oklahoma, where she knew she’d meet her past head-on.

  For Allie’s sake she needed to make this work. For Allie she would do whatever it took. With that in mind she lifted her gaze to find Jack West watching her, his expression kind. She nodded, accepting the offer. “We’ll stay.”

  Allie let out a weak shout and the dog quickly returned to her side, snuggling against her, his head resting on her shoulder. She ran a hand down his back and the dog pushed even closer.

  “But we don’t want to put you to any trouble,” Rebecca added.

  Jack waved off her concerns. “We have plenty of space. There’s a nice couple of rooms in the women’s dorm.”

  Kylie West came in the room and laughed. “‘Women’s dorm’ is a fancy way of saying that there’s a garage that’s been remodeled and turned into apartments.”

  “Nice apartments,” Jack countered.

  Kylie inclined her head. “I’ll agree with that. I lived in one of those apartments for several years.”

  “You don’t live here?” Rebecca asked.

  “Carson and I built a house just down the road.” Kylie pulled a chair close to Rebecca’s. “There are a dozen people living on this ranch, plus family. I promise you won’t be an imposition. And it looks like Maximus is begging your little girl to stick around.”

  “Thank you,” she said to Jack. “I really do appreciate this. And thank you, Dr. West, for coming over here.”

  “Please, call me Carson. And if you have luggage, I’ll help get you moved to your rooms.”

  Jack’s head jerked a bit as he nodded, but his smile remained bright. “And if Kylie doesn’t mind, she can take you on out to the garage and introduce you to the other ladies.”

  Moments later, Kylie led Rebecca and Allie out the back door of the ranch house and across the lawn to a garage turned living quarters for the three women who lived on the ranch. There was nothing garage-like about the structure, Rebecca realized. The garage doors had been removed and the building included a covered patio.

  Inside, it appeared that Jack West had designed the building with a purpose. The doors were wide, for wheelchairs, the floors were hardwood, the furniture sparse with plenty of room for easy access to the living areas and kitchen.

  For the next few days they would call this place home. Allie had already hurried to the windows that overlooked stables and fields. Rebecca sighed because she knew that in three days it would be difficult to tear her daughter away from Mercy Ranch.

  And it wasn’t just the ranch that would make Allie want to stay, it was the people. Especially a slightly off-balance cowboy with an easy smile and gray eyes that hinted at pain.

  Chapter Three

  Isaac ran a brush down the horse’s side as Ted, the Australian shepherd, snoozed on a bale of hay. Shorty stomped when the brush hit a ticklish spot. Isaac moved the brush to the animal’s back. He didn’t normally get distracted when taking care of livestock. Clearly, he knew better than to daydream while working with a horse. Even a horse like Shorty that he’d spent a good amount of time with. In the business world, Shorty would have been his partner. They’d moved a lot of cattle together, he and Shorty. They’d spent long days riding fences, doing repairs, and they’d even won a few events in cutting horse competitions.

  But he was distracted. Because he’d woken up this morning to the memory of Rebecca Barnes and her daughter. He’d actually smiled as he made his morning eggs and toast. Because she’d been unexpected and had a streak of courage that he guessed most people overlooked.

  Some would have called it foolishness, to approach a stranger, ask for his keys and then offer him a ride home. If he ever saw her again he’d warn her not to do that. She was fortunate that he really was just a guy needing a ride home.

  If Jack gave her a building, Isaac guessed he would be seeing her again. She’d be in town, maybe around the ranch. They would be in one another’s lives.

  “Is the horse ticklish?” a small voice asked from behind him.

  He nearly jumped out of his skin. A grown man wouldn’t want to admit that to just anyone, but considering that whoever had said it giggled at his reaction, he wouldn’t stand a chance at denying. Doing his best to appear composed and tamping down the grin that tugged at his mouth, he faced the girl, who stood inside an empty stall, a scrawny, gray tabby kitten in her hands.

  “Yep, horses are ticklish.” He pushed his hat back to get a better look at her. “You feeling up to snuff today?”

  “I don’t know what that means, but I think it means I’m good. I always am. After.” Her lips drew in as she contemplated him. “Are you up to snuff?”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I am.”

  “Your dad says you sleep off the headaches. Does that help?”

  She had a lot of questions for a little girl. The questions were bigger than she was, but he guessed with her seizures she had a maturity most nine-year-olds didn’t possess.

  “Yeah, it helps. I drink tea and I sleep. Usually when I wake up I’m better.”

  “Is it because of the scar on your head?”

  There was no easy way to dodge these questions and no telling when she’d stop asking them.

  “Yes, it’s because of the scar.”

  “I don’t have any scars. My mom says sometimes kids just have seizures. And I might outgrow it.”

  “That would be good.”

  “Will you outgrow your headaches?” she asked, completely serious.

  “I might. Does your
mom know you’re out here?”

  She shook her head and held tight to the kitten, which decided it might be time to make a break for it. “Did I ask too many questions? My mom says I’m nosy. I don’t think I am. I just like to know stuff, and you can’t know if you don’t ask.”

  “I guess you have a good point.” He gestured at the tabby, which had started to yowl. “You might want to let that kitten go before you get scratched,” he warned.

  The kitten jumped free and scampered sideways out of the stall, hissing as it ran for cover at the other end of the stable. Allie stepped out in turn and watched it make its escape.

  “I was going to name him Stripe.” She let out a big sigh.

  “I’m sure he won’t mind a name.”

  She frowned. “Yeah, but now he’s gone. I’ve never had a cat before. We couldn’t have pets at our apartment in Arizona.”

  He beat down the desire to ask his own questions. Questions were dangerous. Because they resulted in answers and that meant knowing a little too much about people.

  The young person standing in front of him seemed to be making a valiant attempt to fight tears. If she hadn’t looked sad he wouldn’t have handed her the horse brush. As much as he didn’t consider himself to be a kid person, he’d kind of grown fond of smaller humans since Carson had shown up with his two. Maggie and Andy were as cute as two kids could be. This one seemed the same. She was smart and funny, and when a tear trickled down her cheek she dashed it away with an aggravated flick of a finger.

  “How about brushing Shorty for me?” he offered.

  She looked at the brush and looked at the sixteen-hand Quarter Horse. She didn’t seem quite as sure of herself as she had when she first peeked up over the stall door.

  “So where’s your mom?” he asked as he grabbed a step stool and lifted her to stand on it. She looked unsure, so he guided her hand to brush the horse’s neck.

  As she brushed Shorty, Isaac glanced toward the double-door entrance to the stable. No sign of anyone looking for a runaway kid.

  “She’s meeting with Mr. West. That’s your dad,” she informed him.

  He chuckled and she kept brushing.

  “Did you stay in town last night?” he asked. He hated that he was so curious. But there was something about Rebecca Barnes. She was a mix of strength and sweetness, and then there was that slightly wounded and not-so-trusting glint in her eye.

  Someone had hurt her. Maybe more than one someone.

  He shook off the questions that he considered asking the little girl, who was busy brushing his horse, talking to it as if they were sharing their best-kept secrets.

  “Nope.” Allie handed him the brush. “We stayed here.”

  “Here?”

  She gave him a curious look. “Are you going to be sick again?”

  “I wasn’t sick,” he insisted. “And no, I’m not. I’m just surprised. I didn’t know you stayed here.”

  “Because you were sleeping,” she said, sounding matter-of-fact. “We had dinner with Jack. He told us Maria made the casserole. It was better than anything my mom can cook. She burns stuff. She says it’s because she’s distracted.”

  “She wouldn’t want you telling everyone that she can’t cook,” he warned.

  “You’re not everyone. Anyway, we stayed here. In the garage. It’s a nice garage with no cars in it, so I don’t know why it’s called a garage.”

  They’d stayed on the ranch. The thought unsettled him.

  How much could he or should he ask without seeming too curious? He felt like a sixteen-year-old with a crush on the new girl. That wasn’t happening. No way. No how.

  “Hey!” A shout from the front of the stable caught his attention.

  “Hey back,” he returned.

  Eve, a resident of the ranch, glared at him, then managed to soften her expression as she approached. Smile or no, she didn’t appear to be too happy, and it seemed his pint-size stable hand might be the reason.

  “You ran off.” Eve pointed at the girl. “And you didn’t ask permission or tell me where you were going. That really isn’t very nice.”

  “Eve,” he warned.

  If there was another person on the ranch not naturally kid friendly, it was Eve. She’d come around by degrees as she’d gotten attached to Carson’s children. But she would be the first to admit that she didn’t have a lot of experience with children. She’d been an only child to what she referred to as her “hippy parents.”

  He wanted to laugh, because somehow she always got stuck babysitting.

  “Do I look like a day-care provider?” she asked him.

  “You seemed to do a pretty good job,” Isaac teased. “Except you have a tendency to lose children. That can’t be good.”

  “I wanted to see the horses,” Allie explained. “I should have told you, but I thought you’d say no.”

  Eve maneuvered her chair around the horse, giving the animal a less-than-trusting glance. Shorty didn’t even twitch.

  “What if something had happened?” Eve asked the little girl.

  Allie’s shoulders hunkered forward and she sighed. “I didn’t think about that. I just wanted to see the animals. Did you know there’s a llama?”

  Eve melted. She could act tough but on the inside she was a marshmallow. “Yeah, I know there’s a llama. Do me a favor—next time ask. And if you’re going to wander, take Maximus. Now we need to head back to the house. Your mom will be finished talking with Jack and she’ll be looking for you.”

  “Do we have time to see the llama?” Allie moved close to Eve’s chair and leaned on the armrest.

  “I think so. But I don’t do well in the dirt out there, so Isaac will have to take you.” Eve shot him a look.

  He glared back, the way he would have done if he’d had a little sister that pestered him. He did have a little sister, a half sister named Daisy. But since they’d never met, he didn’t know if she was a pest.

  “I’m kind of busy.”

  Eve smirked. “Doing what?”

  He glanced down at Allie. “Work.”

  “What work would that be?” Eve continued.

  “Believe it or not, Eve, ranch work is real work. There are fences to fix, cattle to work, horses we’re training.”

  She saluted. “Gotcha, Sarge.”

  He held a hand out to the child at his side. “Even a spitting llama is better than a stubborn female.”

  As he walked away, Allie’s hand in his, Eve called out, “When you get done, could you take her to the house? I have to get some work done.”

  “No problem,” he called back to her.

  Allie was silent for a minute. “Isn’t she your friend?”

  He glanced down at the blond-haired child. “She is my friend.”

  “Did you date and get mad at each other?”

  “No, we just like to tease. She knows how to...” He cut off the explanation because a kid wouldn’t understand Eve getting under his skin the way she did. “We just like to give each other a hard time. But no, we haven’t dated. We’re just friends.”

  Neither of them dated. It was the code on the ranch. This was a place for healing, for getting lives back in order. Relationships were unnecessary baggage for people dealing with physical and emotional problems they’d brought back from war.

  The last thing he needed was to drag a woman into his messed-up life. He remembered all too well what it had been like living on this ranch with Jack, back when he was still fighting the nightmares of Vietnam. He remembered Jack climbing into the bottle and not climbing out for weeks, the ranch crumbling around his ears and livestock begging to be fed.

  He wasn’t Jack, but he feared the what-ifs.

  What if he became Jack? What if he hurt a woman and children the way Jack had hurt his wife and kids?

  Nah, it wasn’t worth that ki
nd of guilt. And fortunately there’d never been a woman who had made him consider getting serious.

  * * *

  The room Jack West used as an office was on a back corner of the sprawling log home. Massive windows offered a view of the wide-open fields belonging to the ranch. One wall of the room was lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases. The shelves were filled with books and family pictures, as well as trophies the ranch had won at different rodeo events in the tristate area. Tristate meaning Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri.

  Jack had explained it all at the beginning of the meeting. He’d shared personal details that had been uncomfortable to hear. Stories of his wife, his children, his road to recovery and, now, today, trying to forge a relationship with his estranged, adult children.

  So far Carson was the only one of the three who had agreed to meet with him. Isaac was not a full brother to Carson and his siblings, Colt and Daisy.

  “I’d love to show you the building I have available,” Jack told Rebecca. “I think a salon with the potential to expand to a day spa is a terrific idea. I could see how it would benefit the resort we’re renovating. Now I admit, I’m concerned with your ability to bring in local traffic.”

  “I think you might be surprised,” she countered. “Also, we could advertise in nearby communities, like Grove. If people want to get away for the day, go to a top-notch salon, perhaps eat at the tearoom you say is going to be opening in the spring, then why not come to Hope?”

  “Why not come to Hope?” He grinned at that. “Good point. We should use that in advertising to local communities.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at his approval. Goodness, she had to stop needing this man’s approval and she had to stop basking in his praise. He wasn’t her father. And if he learned about her past, he might not be as easygoing as he appeared.

  “Yes, why not come to Hope?” Rebecca repeated.

  Jack gave her a long look. “Why did you come to Hope, Rebecca?”

  The question took her by surprise. What should she tell him? She had a feeling he would find out her secrets somehow, some way.

  “My parents live in Grove. After my aunt passed away last year, I realized Allie and I were adrift in Arizona with no support system. I had friends, but they were busy with their own lives. I decided to move closer to home and I saw your advertisement. My parents...” They wanted nothing to do with her or with Allie. But that didn’t matter. If something happened to Rebecca, her parents would be there for Allie. She had to believe that. After all, she was their only child. Allie their only grandchild.