Stranded for the Holidays

by Lisa Carter

  Careful of her expression, she kept her composure. She put on the game face she’d learned in cotillion. “It happens.”

  He squared his jaw. “I was determined to do right by her and the baby, but she didn’t want to be tied down.”

  AnnaBeth laced her hands together. “Children have a tendency to do that.”

  “It was only with a great deal of reluctance she finally agreed to marry me. I think she knew, even if I was too pigheaded to see it, that we weren’t compatible. That we wouldn’t be happy together.”

  The remorse in his voice, the pain on his face, broke her heart. “You’re not that same man, Jonas. I can tell.”

  “I was so selfish, AnnaBeth. After Hunter was born, I stood it as long as I could, but we fought a lot.” He sucked in a breath. “There was this one bronc... Not merely a cliché. My life flashed in front of my eyes, and I knew I had to be done with the rodeo for my son’s sake.”

  AnnaBeth wasn’t sure where he was going.

  “I wanted to come home to help Mom run the ranch, but Kasey told me if I seriously thought she’d ever live on this backwater mountain hollow, I could think again.”

  AnnaBeth stopped breathing.

  “She told me she’d rather die than leave her career. And unfortunately, that’s exactly what she did. She died. The divorce hadn’t yet been finalized before she got herself killed in a stupid rodeo stunt.”

  Her tongue felt thick in her throat. “How old was Hunter when...? When she...?”

  “It’s okay to say it, AnnaBeth. She left me. I’ve come to grips with her deserting me.” He ran his hand over his head. “It’s been harder getting over her abandoning her son.” His mouth thinned. “Hunter wasn’t yet eight months old.”

  AnnaBeth put her hand on his arm, desperate to offer him at least a small shred of comfort. To erase the look of inadequacy on his face. A feeling she knew all too well.

  “I’m sorry, Jonas.”

  “Hunter and I have been on our own ever since. I don’t know how I would’ve made it the first two years without Mom. But lately, I worry she’s sacrificing too much for us. Especially since she and Dwight Fleming have started spending so much time together.”

  “You know about that?”

  “I may be clueless most of the time, but I’m not totally oblivious.” He grimaced. “I’m afraid she’s putting aside her own happiness to stay at the ranch and take care of us.”

  “She loves you both. Devotedly.”

  He sighed. “If only every mother was as good a mother as my mom. I blame myself for what happened with Kasey.”

  But AnnaBeth had a hard time understanding how a mother could leave her baby.

  She took hold of his hand. “I do that, too. But don’t blame yourself.”

  “When I met her, I knew the rodeo was Kasey’s whole world. But the FieldStone Ranch was everything I really wanted. Different worlds. Different dreams. Different goals.”

  Over the years, she’d pieced together a similar story in her parents’ marriage. But it had been her father’s all-consuming ambition to climb the banking ladder and his relentless drive toward perfection that split her parents apart. Her mom hadn’t fit into his image of the corporate wife.

  As for being the perfect corporate daughter? AnnaBeth had the suspicion that, despite Victoria’s best efforts over the years, neither had she.

  She had no concrete memories of them together as a family. She’d been so young when her mother died. Then she’d gone to live with her father and Victoria.

  “Thank you for sharing that with me, Jonas. I appreciate how painful it is to share those kind of wounds with someone.”

  “You’re a pretty terrific listener, AnnaBeth. And you’re not just someone. You’re a friend I know I can trust.” His eyes bored into hers. “I’m so grateful you came into our lives.”

  Jonas felt grateful to have her there?

  “The change you’ve wrought in Hunter...” He squared his jaw. “You’ve shown me I need to make some changes in my life. For his sake.”

  For Hunter’s sake. Right.

  “If you ever want to talk about what happened with your fiancé, I’m willing to listen.”

  About how humiliated she’d felt in losing Scott to her baby sister? So not happening. Although, what would be the harm in leaving out that one measly detail? What would it hurt?

  She still had her pride. She’d do almost anything to avoid Jonas feeling sorry for her. She wasn’t ready for full disclosure. Not just yet.

  They were friends. Just friends. It wasn’t like it mattered that she tell him everything.

  Yet he was obviously waiting for her to say something. She had to say something. Anything...

  “I’ve been burned by love.” Painting a smile on her face, she said the polite, distancing thing Southern girls learned in the cradle. “But I’ll be fine.”

  He scowled. “Stop doing that.”

  “Stop doing what?”

  “You know what. The My-Smile-is-My-Armor thing you do.” He glared. “It may play in Charlotte, but you don’t fool me. You don’t have to fake being happy with me, AnnaBeth, when you’re not.”

  She glared at him. “Happy? What’s not to be happy about? I’m happy.” She clenched her teeth. “So, so happy.”

  “You were jilted at the altar by the man you loved, AnnaBeth.”

  “I didn’t love Scott.”

  “You didn’t love him?” Jonas’s eyes widened. “And you were going to marry him, anyway?”

  How to explain something she didn’t quite understand herself...

  “It meant so much to Daddy. He and Scott’s father are best friends. Scott and I have known each other since we were children. And Victoria got so excited about the wedding, she went all stepmother-zilla.”

  “AnnaBeth...”

  She shrugged. “I wasn’t in love with anyone else. At the time, neither was he. It seemed...”

  “It seemed what, AnnaBeth?” Jonas grunted.

  “Easier.”

  He gaped at her. “Easier than what? Tying yourself to someone you don’t love for the rest of your life? You deserve better than that.”

  That’s what Jonas didn’t get. And she wasn’t about to tell him otherwise. Even after all these years, her father couldn’t speak her mother’s name without losing his temper.

  And though outwardly picture-perfect, his marriage the second time around was nothing to write home about, either.

  “What kind of person does that? Marries someone they don’t love?”

  She lifted her chin. “Where I come from, lots of people do.”

  Based on the heated exchanges she’d overheard through the years, she was fairly certain her father married Victoria because of her family connections. And for the first time, she felt a vague feeling of pity for her stepmother.

  Jonas’s mouth flattened. “How could you ever think you’d be satisfied with that?” He moved closer.

  So close she felt his breath flutter a strand of hair dangling at her earlobe. Her heart stutter-stepped.

  How? Because she’d never dreamed anyone like Jonas could ever make her feel so...valued? Special?

  “You deserve more, so much more. If only you would see yourself the way I see you...”

  How did Jonas see her?

  As a friend? Good with children? Blogger extraordinaire? Or was he trying to tell her something else?

  But, lacking the courage to ask, she stepped away. From the point of no return. Before she made a fool out of herself and discovered he wasn’t feeling the words she longed for him to say.

  “Looks like we both have trust issues.” She folded her arms around herself. “We should probably go back to the lodge.”

  The sun had begun its slow descent toward the ridge. As she’d discovered last night, night came quickly in the Blue
Ridge Mountains.

  “Your mom and Hunter are probably wondering where we are.”

  He picked up the reins. “Not every man is like Scott. And not every man has a problem with commitment.”

  “No?” She cocked her head. “Maybe you should take your own advice.”

  Scowling, he flicked the reins and put the team in motion, setting her teeth to rattling almost as much as he’d already rattled her heart.

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning, Jonas drove to the far pasture, parking as close as he could get to the downed fence.

  During the storm, a huge, snow-laden branch had broken off from an overhanging oak. And when it fell, the branch took down an entire section of barbed wire. Breath fogging the air, he dragged the tree off the wire.

  The sun was shining, but the temperature wasn’t warming. At this rate, the snow would remain on the ground for a long time.

  Was he actually starting to hope the roads would keep their runaway bride stranded on the FieldStone indefinitely?

  He growled low in his throat. What a chump. She’d pushed him away yesterday when he’d been trying to be a friend.

  Because he’d decided that’s all they could be. Friendship was all he wanted from AnnaBeth. Right?

  He wasn’t sure how she could make him feel so at ease and yet so off-kilter at the same time.

  Protective earphones slung around his neck, he retrieved the chain saw from the truck bed. Earphones and face shield in place, he spent a half hour cutting up the stout branch. And despite the chill, it didn’t take long for him to shed his coat.

  The roar of the chain saw drowned all other sounds, giving him ample time to reflect on the events of the last few days. And the one person who occupied his every waking thought.

  By sharing the pain of his past failures, he’d hoped to encourage AnnaBeth to trust him and do the same—open up about what had to have been the most painful day of her life. When her no-good fiancé left her at the altar.

  Good thing her sorry ex-fiancé didn’t live anywhere near Truelove. She could say what she liked about not being in love with Scott. Jonas wasn’t so sure she didn’t still have feelings for him.

  Jonas wasn’t a violent man, but when he contemplated how humiliated AnnaBeth must’ve felt to run away from her family in the middle of a snowstorm...

  His left hand tightened on the front handle. If not for God’s watchful care, she could have easily lost her life.

  The save-a-life connection must be real. Otherwise, he had no explanation for the intense feeling of protectiveness he felt for her.

  Across the snowy terrain, a flash of gold drew his attention. Dwight Fleming’s SUV rounded the curve in the driveway. The road to town must be clear again. And it appeared his mother had a gentleman caller.

  Dwight was a great guy. Barring snowstorms, there weren’t many days his mother and Dwight didn’t keep company.

  He was glad his mother had someone special in her life again. Which turned his mind to the lovely flatlander. And less happily, also to the last someone he’d had in his life.

  From what he’d observed of AnnaBeth over the last couple of days, he had a strong feeling no one could have pried her child from her. Nor would she have willingly walked away.

  When he watched her with Hunter, his heart felt like it was lodged in his throat. Someday, she would make someone a wonderful mother, a wonderful wife.

  The lump in his throat grew. Wife to him? No... Not him. He was done with relationships. Yet there was such a beguiling sweetness to AnnaBeth.

  Unbidden, an image rose to his mind of a sunny autumn day in a mountain meadow. AnnaBeth’s laughing, happy face. Her belly big with child. His child?

  His heart hammered. As he lifted the saw off the wood, he activated the brake. What was he thinking?

  They came from such different worlds. And AnnaBeth deserved someone wonderful. With so much more to offer than he ever could.

  His chin dropped. Throttling up once more, he cut the branch into shorter lengths he’d haul to the firebox at the house. He needed to think about something other than the flatlander...

  She was nothing like Kasey. Somehow he sensed that when AnnaBeth loved someone, she loved deeply and forever.

  His lip curled. That Scott dude didn’t know what a treasure he’d let slip through his fingers.

  When the chain saw stopped cutting smoothly, he activated the brake. Lifting the face shield, he took a closer look.

  Great. If it wasn’t one thing, it was twelve. The tension was off. The chain must be too loose.

  Jonas had just set the saw on the tailgate to tighten the chain when a shout of laughter drew his attention to the hill behind the barn. He smiled.

  His son had found yet another way to enjoy winter fun. Cheeks rosy from the cold, AnnaBeth cheered wildly as Hunter sledded downhill on the saucerlike lid of a trash can.

  It did something good to his heart to see his son so happy. AnnaBeth was like that, though. She had the ability to bring sunshine and warmth to even a gray day.

  Jonas clambered onto the truck bed, but despite his best intentions, his gaze strayed toward the fun happening across the pasture.

  Hunter zoomed down the hill. Bottoming out, he trudged back up the incline over and over again. Several times, the plastic lid dumped his little cowboy topsy-turvy onto the snow, but each time, he jumped up laughing.

  “I’m going to go faster, AnnaBef,” his son yelled. “Watch me! Watch me fwy!”

  Jonas smiled at the joy in his son’s voice. He surveyed the long length of the fence yet to be repaired. His heart wasn’t into it today. Wasn’t like he was getting much done, anyway—

  “Hunter!” AnnaBeth yelled. “Watch out!” She screamed. “Hunter!”

  Scrambling off the tailgate, he ran toward the sounds of AnnaBeth’s screams. A second. He’d taken his eyes off them for only a second.

  But sometimes, a second was the only difference between well-being and tragedy.

  * * *

  They’d been having fun until Hunter hit a slick patch of snow under the shade of a lone pine.

  Ice had sent the saucer veering completely off course, and the makeshift sled had careened into a big boulder. Thrown out, Hunter skittered on his backside a great distance before coming to rest in a bowl-shaped dip in the land.

  AnnaBeth ran down the hill.

  Testing his limbs, Hunter slowly got to his feet. He grinned at her. “I’m okay.” He stuck his thumb to his chest. “Cowboy-tough.”

  She put her hand over her pounding heart. “You scared me, sweetie pie. That was a bad tumble. Are you sure...?”

  Tiny, spiderweb-like fractures appeared on the snow-covered ground around him, radiating with a horrifying suddenness.

  His eyes rounded at the same instant she realized he’d landed in the middle of a frozen pond. There was a loud, echoing crack. Hunter fell through the ice into the circle of water. And then he went under.

  Terror-stricken, she screamed, “Hunter!”

  His head bobbed to the surface. Arms flailing, he sputtered, “AnnaBef!”

  “Stay here.” Hat flying off his head, Jonas rushed past her. “I’ve got him.”

  “Wait, Jonas. If Hunter was too heavy—”

  But reaching the edge of the pond, Jonas lay flat on his stomach to better distribute his weight. “Hang on, Hunter. Daddy’s coming.” He slowly inched forward. “Don’t panic. Remember your swim lessons last summer.”

  She held her breath.

  Dog-paddling, Hunter lifted his head to keep his face out of the water. “I—I so c-c-cold-d D-D-Dad-d-dy.”

  Flat on his belly, Jonas stretched his arms toward his son. “I’ve got you. Daddy’s—”

  The ice underneath him shattered.

  Jonas plunged into the freezing cold pond. Both of them went und
er. And she thought her heart might stop from fear.

  Like a cork, though, Jonas popped to the top, holding Hunter tight against him. But after being dunked for the second time, Hunter had gone into full-blown panic.

  If Hunter didn’t drown Jonas first, it wouldn’t be long before his limbs would begin to feel weighted and grow numb.

  She had to do something...fast. He wouldn’t be able to keep them afloat for long.

  Maybe there was something in the truck she could use to help them.

  She turned on her heel and raced toward the hill. Rounding the top, she dashed toward the truck parked near the fence line.

  Flinging herself over the tailgate, she spotted a rope coiled near the toolbox. Grabbing it, she jumped over the side and sped to the pond. “Please, God. Don’t let me be too late.”

  Slipping and sliding, she crashed through the snow. Reaching the bottom of the hill, she tied one end of the rope around the trunk of the pine tree.

  “I’m coming!” she yelled. “Hang on, Jonas. Hang on, Hunt.” Keeping hold of the other end of the rope, she took off for the pond.

  Legs wrapped around Jonas’s torso, Hunter clung to his father. But she could see the strain in Jonas’s face. The effort it was costing him to keep both their heads above the surface of the water.

  Going as far as she dared, she took a deep breath. Suppose she missed? But there was no time to lose. She couldn’t miss. She had to get the rope to them, as fast as she could, on the first try.

  Remembering what Hunter had taught her, she tossed the rope onto the ice. It landed with a plop in the widening circle of water in front of Jonas. Holding Hunter with one arm against himself, Jonas snagged the rope.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. Thank You, God. Thank You.

  A split second later, Jonas noosed the rope around Hunter’s midsection.

  “What are you—?”

  “You’re not strong enough to pull us both out at the same time,” he called.

  “But what about you?”

  “Don’t worry about me. Just get my son to safety.”

  But she cared about Jonas... Far more than she should... She couldn’t leave him in the water. There wasn’t time for a second throw.