The Rancher's Christmas Match

by Brenda Minton

  She didn’t say more. Rebecca wondered if there were people in Eve’s life who might have a hard time seeing her as someone other than the person they’d once known. Maybe that’s why she stayed on the ranch rather than going home to Texas.

  They arrived at the church several minutes early. The SUV Carson and Kylie drove was already there. Rebecca parked and got out. She hurried to help Eve get her chair out of the back. The other woman transferred herself and grabbed her purse.

  “Ready to go,” Eve said. She peered up at Rebecca. “You look as if I’m taking you into a torture chamber.”

  “The last time I was in church, it fit that description.”

  “Bad experience?” Eve asked, as she navigated the parking lot.

  “Want me to help?” Rebecca offered.

  “If you don’t mind... I can usually get around, but sometimes there’s a rough patch.”

  “I never know if I should ask.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m never offended if someone offers help.”

  She grabbed the handles of the chair and got Eve up on the sidewalk.

  “Thanks. I can take it from here. Now, about the bad church experience...”

  “My dad was the pastor. When I was eighteen I rebelled. I got pregnant and didn’t want them to know. Allie’s father convinced me we should steal the offerings from church and take off for California. In the end I gave the money back, but my father dragged me before the congregation and listed my many sins. I publicly apologized, then he put me on a bus for Arizona.”

  “Wow.” Eve stopped her chair. “That’s tough. You were just a kid.”

  “I know. I can’t imagine ever doing that to my daughter.”

  “People do it, though.” Eve shrugged and replaced her hands on the wheels of the chair. “I think it cuts deeper when our wounds happen in church.”

  “Yeah, I guess that might be true. So here I am, and I’m not sure if I want to walk through those doors.”

  They could hear children singing inside. Eve glanced back. “I think you’re going to want to go in there and see your daughter practicing for the Christmas program. People are human, they’re real, they make real mistakes. But I think this church, the people here, are genuinely good. They do their best.”

  “Thank you.” Rebecca gripped the handles of Eve’s chair and pushed it up the ramp.

  And inside she saw her daughter standing on the stage, quoting a Bible verse. “‘For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord.’”

  The angels began to sing. Rebecca closed her eyes and listened, picking out her daughter’s voice.

  The service that day was a blur. It mattered only that she’d seen Allie on the stage with the other children. She’d been happy and healthy, her dog nearby. Even angels needed a little help from time to time.

  Rebecca had survived her first day back in church. She’d witnessed joy on her child’s face. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she’d made the right choice moving here. And she was so thankful to Jack for the opportunity he’d given her.

  After the service, she stood at the periphery of the group of Wests and the inhabitants of the ranch as they all made lunch plans, discussed the service and talked about the unseasonably warm day. Isaac moved to her side.

  “What are your plans for the rest of the day?” he asked.

  “I have to run by the salon. I need to put some things up and make sure everything is ready tomorrow, when they install the pedicure chairs.”

  “We can take Allie with us to the ranch,” Eve offered. “I’m riding with Sierra, so you can go take care of things.”

  “That would be nice. I’d hate for her to sit around and wait for me. I should only be thirty minutes or so.”

  “We’ll keep an eye on her.” Eve motioned for Allie to join her. “You’re going to ride with us so your mom can get some work done. Is that okay?”

  “Yeah, that’ll be fun.” Allie held her dog close. “Come on, Jersey.”

  Off she went. As if she didn’t mind leaving her mother behind. It was good, Rebecca told herself. It was a natural part of a child growing up.

  “Don’t look so stricken,” Isaac whispered in her ear. “She’ll see your face and then she won’t want to go.”

  She nodded. “You’re right.”

  “You’re giving her wings, Becca. That’s what you’re supposed to do.”

  She wanted to hug him, but she wouldn’t. They were friends, nothing more.

  He walked her to her car. “I’m not sure if you should go to the salon alone.”

  “I thought you’re giving me wings,” she teased.

  “Right. Of course. But don’t...”

  “Talk to strangers? Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

  She got in her car and he closed the door. Then he waved to her as she backed out of her parking space.

  It was only a few blocks from the church to the salon on Lakeside Drive. The streets were one-way, so she had to drive down Second Street to the highway, back around and down Lakeside. When she pulled up to her shop, another car pulled in next to her. She already had the door open and was stepping out when the other driver got out and she realized her mistake.

  Greg was ten years older. His hair had thinned and there was gray at the temples. His face was sunken in and he was pale. How had she ever been attracted to this man? He hadn’t been kind, even then. He’d used her. He’d laughed at her.

  What in the world had she wanted at eighteen that she thought this man could give her? Stupid. She’d been so stupid. So naive.

  “Don’t you look pretty? It’s been a long time, Becca. I thought you’d at least write to me, considering I robbed that store in order to give you a better life.”

  “Go away, Greg.”

  “I wish I could. Thing is—” he grinned “—I want to see Allie. Maybe I’ll take you to court and get custody of her.”

  “I don’t—” No. Arguing with him would only spur his anger. She didn’t want him angry. She wanted him gone. “I have to go. I’ll talk to a lawyer about visits.”

  He leaned on his car, leering at her. “You think that’s what I want. I don’t want visits. I want weekends.”

  “I see.”

  “I heard you came into some money when your aunt passed away.”

  Ah, so that was his game. It always came back to money with him.

  “I put my money into this salon. But she didn’t leave much.” Another worthless man had already beaten him to her savings. Men were always taking from her.

  No more. Now she was in charge of her future.

  “I bet you could come up with some money. I looked inside that fancy shop of yours. You’ve spent some serious money on that equipment. Maybe that rancher guy you’re living with could cough up some money, too. I bet he has extra cash in a drawer somewhere.”

  “I’m not breaking the law for you, Greg. You’ll have to go now.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to do, you stupid...”

  She froze him with a glare. “Don’t talk to me that way.”

  “Or you’ll what? Keep me from my daughter? You’ve already done that. I need money to leave the state. I’m not going back to prison.”

  “You should call your parole officer.”

  “Gee, thanks for the advice.” He stared at her for a minute, and she thought he would leave, but then he started toward her. “Let me give you some advice. Don’t mess with me. I’ll make you regret it.”

  Rebecca pushed away from him as he grabbed her. His arms went around her and he pulled, grasping her left arm as he yanked her closer. His grip tightened, but she pushed her free hand into his nose, knocking him back just enough to get away.

  She managed to get in her car and lock the door before he regained his footing and came after her again. She backed o
ut of the parking space, not caring that she almost hit him.

  Adrenaline pumped through her body as she drove the few miles to the ranch. By the time she parked at the apartment, her entire body trembled and she couldn’t catch her breath.

  Then she saw Allie. Riding a horse.

  She jumped out of the car and tore across the lawn toward the corral, where Allie sat atop Dolly.

  “No!” she shouted to Isaac, who waved, as if he’d done nothing wrong.

  “Stop.” She brushed at her wet cheeks, shaking inside. She had to get control of herself. “Get her off that horse. Now.”

  Isaac climbed the fence and dropped down in front of her. His hands gripped her arms, gently but firmly. He made eye contact with her, his face scrunching as he studied her.

  “Calm down.”

  “She’ll fall. She’ll have a seizure and fall off the horse. What if she...”

  “She isn’t going to fall. I’m right here.”

  But Rebecca hadn’t been there. Her heart was shattering and she didn’t even know why. She breathed in, trying not to fall apart in front of her daughter. Isaac moved, blocking Allie’s view. She heard her daughter call out, asking if she could see that she was riding a horse.

  Rebecca nodded, but couldn’t answer.

  * * *

  Isaac held on to Rebecca, who appeared to be falling apart right in front of him. He glanced back at her daughter, still circling the corral on Dolly. Jersey sat a short distance away.

  “I think it’s time to end this riding lesson,” he called out.

  He spotted Sierra coming out of the barn. She headed their way, eyes widening when she noticed Rebecca.

  “Can you get Allie?” Isaac asked. “Tell her Rebecca and I have to discuss something about the shop. Maybe get her some ice cream. Or show her some of the tricks Jersey knows. I haven’t taught her the good ones yet.”

  “Sure thing, Isaac.” Sierra put a hand on Rebecca’s shoulder. “Do you need me?”

  She shook her head, but her eyes were wide, troubled.

  “Becca, let’s go talk.” Isaac started her toward the barn, but she drew back.

  “Don’t call me that. Don’t ever call me that.”

  Fear crept in, taking him by surprise. He reached for her hand. “I’ll never call you that again.”

  He noticed the bruises, but obviously caused by someone holding her arm tight. Fear turned to rage.

  “What happened?”

  “Not here,” she whispered.

  He held her hand gently and guided her through the barn to the office. “Water?”

  She nodded as she took a seat. She drew a deep breath and started sobbing. “I didn’t expect this.”

  “Was it Greg?”

  She nodded, accepting the bottle of water he’d opened for her. She took a sip.

  “He hurt you.” Isaac managed to say the words without sounding as angry as he felt.

  “He followed me to the shop. At first he pretended he wanted to see Allie. And then he started in about money. I thought he would leave, but he came at me. I should have known better.”

  “I shouldn’t have let you go there alone. You won’t be there alone again until he’s caught.”

  “What if they don’t catch him?” She looked up, her brown eyes luminous in the dimly lit office.

  “They’ll catch him. We need to call the police. You have to file charges against him. The more they have on him, the better.”

  “I just want him to go away.”

  “I know.”

  She drank a few sips of water. “I need to go to Allie. She’ll know something is wrong. And I don’t want to be away from her.”

  “You can’t smother her.”

  Her head popped up, those luminous brown eyes now flashing all the fire of a protective mother.

  “She’s my daughter. And I don’t want her on a horse.”

  “Because...?”

  “She could have a seizure.”

  “So you’ll keep her in a bubble her entire life because she might have a seizure? Rebecca, I was right there with her. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She’s a little girl who wants to have normal little-girl experiences.”

  She covered her face with her hands and he went to her, sitting on the edge of the desk and debating if it would be wise to take her in his arms.

  “Rebecca, I know how it is to feel alone. I know how hard it is to trust. I was an angry kid. I was an even angrier teenager. It took a lot of God to get me to the point that I forgave. I had to forgive my mom for walking out on me. I had to forgive my dad, Jack. I had stuff I had to forgive myself for. I was full of myself, didn’t show a lot of respect to the women I dated. I wasn’t always the nicest guy.”

  She dimpled at that. But she didn’t say anything.

  “I was not the guy I would want anyone’s daughter to date.”

  “Stop. I trust you,” she interjected. He was glad, because he didn’t want to tell her any more of his stories. “I never expected to find this place. I certainly didn’t expect you to make us feel like a part of your family. But you have. And I don’t want to bring all of my troubles down on Jack or you or the people on the ranch.”

  “You think we can’t handle trouble? Before Kylie and Carson got married, she had a guy so riled he attacked her at the hospital after Jack had a heart attack. We’re used to trouble. And we’re not afraid of it.”

  “I’m afraid of Greg,” she admitted in a quiet voice. “Not of what he might do to me. I’m afraid he’ll hurt Allie.”

  “We won’t let him,” Isaac reassured her.

  “Do I tell Allie about him, about Greg? I can’t really call him her father. He’s never been that.” She exhaled loudly, as if the weight of the world was in that sigh.

  “I don’t know,” Isaac admitted, frustrated because he couldn’t just fix it all for them.

  “I know, and I’m sorry for putting you on the spot. He knows we’re staying here.”

  “Yeah, I figured he would find out. We’ll all be watching for him. We won’t leave you or Allie alone.”

  “I should go. Maybe I should find a place to rent? Or go to Tulsa and stay with my friend Carleen?”

  “Run from him?”

  She shrugged, one shoulder lifting beneath her pale blue sweater. “I don’t know what else to do. I feel like he’s going to ruin everything. One way or another he’s going to tear apart everything we’re building here.”

  “I think you’re building your faith. He can’t take that. We won’t let him take anything else.”

  “Thank you, Isaac. I’m not sure what I would do without you, without your friendship.”

  Yeah, friendship. He swallowed a lump that was half guilt and half regret. It got lodged somewhere near his heart.

  “You were upset when I called you Becca.” He needed to know why.

  “That’s what Greg always called me. Seeing him today, it shook me and brought back things I’d forgotten about him.”

  “I won’t call you that again, I promise.” He hopped down from his desk and, after a slight hesitation, kissed the top of her head. Her hand squeezed his.

  “It’s okay.”

  It wasn’t. He wanted to hurt this guy, Greg. Badly. “Does Greg have a last name?”

  “Baxter.”

  “Got it. I’m going to call the police now.”

  “Okay. I know we have to. Would it be okay if I went to the house for a minute to check on Allie? I need to hug her.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll make the call and ask them if we can meet them in town. That way Allie won’t see.”

  Before she left, Rebecca stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad I gave you a ride, cowboy. I didn’t know how much I needed a friend.”

  Yeah, a friend. He held a smile on his face until she
walked out the door. He’d never expected all this with her to be so complicated. But she was. Because before, he’d been able to keep women at a distance. He’d had female friends. Kylie. Eve. Sierra. Countless others.

  Rebecca was more. In every way that counted, she was more. And that made him want to protect her. From Greg. From himself. She deserved some nice, uncomplicated guy who didn’t have a ton of baggage. A guy who didn’t have nightmares that sometimes turned violent.

  What he wouldn’t give to be the type of guy she truly deserved.

  Chapter Eleven

  The little girl laughed as she opened the package containing the doll. She hugged the soldiers who had given it to her and then ran off down the street into the dusky Afghan evening. As she ran away, he realized she no longer had dark hair. She had blond hair. He screamed her name. Allie! The explosion rocked the ground and the girl disappeared.

  He sat up straight in bed. The darkness of his room enveloped him. He leaned forward, wiping at the perspiration on his forehead. It took a minute to catch his breath, to realize he was in Oklahoma, and that Allie was safe.

  Joe, on the other hand, wasn’t. He was leaning against the wall, a hand on his cheek. He wiggled his chin and muttered something about a strong right hook.

  “I hit you?” Isaac brushed a palm down his face. “Man, I’m so sorry.”

  “It must have been some nightmare.”

  “The worst. The little girl turned into Allie.”

  “You know that’s not possible, right?”

  Isaac jerked on his boots and grabbed a jacket. “Of course I know that. I’m going to start locking my door at night so you can’t come in here and try to wake me up. One of these days I might really hurt you.”

  “One of these days the dreams might end,” Joe said. “Look, we both have sleepless nights. It isn’t as if you’re waking me up out of a sound sleep and it isn’t like I can’t handle myself. It was barely a tap on the cheek.”

  “Now you’re just insulting me,” Isaac told the other man. “I’m going for a walk.”

  He headed out the front door, the cold air taking his breath. It was exactly what he needed to clear his mind. The dream had shaken him deeply.

  But the girl in the dream turning to Allie—that was the real nightmare. As he walked, Maximus joined him. Someone else was up early. Eve had probably let the dog out.