скачать книгу бесплатно
“Today is the fifth of November. Thanksgiving is two and a half weeks away and Christmas is a long way off.”
“Not when you’re planning Christmas for every child who has made their home at Big Heart Ranch. These are abused, neglected and abandoned children. Many don’t know what a real Christmas is. And I don’t mean gift giving. The true meaning of the season.”
“Who does the regular ranch chores while you’re busy making all these Christmas memories?” He knew his voice sounded cynical, but his interest in Christmas was right up there with his interest in RangePro.
Travis nodded. “Nothing changes. We add the Holiday Roundup to our regular workload. Emma spearheads the entire project.”
“Emma? Aren’t her hands full enough?”
“Both of my sisters are without boundaries when it comes to the kids and Christmas.”
Christmas. Zach squirmed. The holidays were nothing but a brutal reminder of the emptiness in his life. It had been that way since he was a kid. Pulled away from his father and half brother by a spiteful mother so he could spend Christmas all by himself. Yeah, one thing he didn’t need was another reminder of the past.
“So, how many head do you have?” Zach asked, changing the subject.
“Up to one hundred now.” Travis released a sigh. “And then there’s the bison.”
“You have bison? No kidding?”
“Definitely not kidding.” Travis raised a hand and grimaced. “It’s a long story. AJ is crazy about those shaggy beasts, and sometimes you do things you told yourself you’d never do all in the name of love.”
Zach stared at him. “Did you ever think back when we rode on my father’s ranch that one day you’d be telling me you were doing anything in the name of love?”
“I didn’t know half as much as I thought I did in those days.”
“How exactly did the cowboy who swore off love fall in love?” Zach asked.
“Not a clue. I sure wasn’t looking.” Travis offered a goofy grin.
Zach contemplated his friend’s words for a moment and hesitantly asked the question pulling at him. “How’d you know?”
“Know what?”
“That she was the one?”
“The real question is how did I not know.” He looked across the pasture to where AJ rode her horse checking cattle. As if sensing she was the topic of their conversation, his wife turned their way and raised a hand in greeting. In that moment, love shone in Travis’s eyes pure and true.
Zach ached for what his friend had found. What would it be like to have his love returned unconditionally? To find a partner to face life with? He couldn’t even imagine.
“You’ve got it real bad,” Zach murmured.
“Terminal, I hope.”
Zach chuckled.
“Quit your laughing. You might be next, so you better be careful.”
He gave a slow nod. “At all times.”
When Travis nudged his horse forward to inspect a group of heifers, Zach followed. Several had reclined in the pale brown grass and barely glanced up. “These mommas are ready for the whole pregnancy gig to be over,” he observed.
“Yeah. Got a bent tail here,” Travis said. “That cow is going to calve soon. We’ll keep an eye on her.”
Zach nodded.
“In a perfect world they’d all deliver in twenty-four hours and we’d be done counting calves before lunch tomorrow,” Travis said.
“Good to have dreams, because my guess is that in the real world they’ll be staggering delivery for the next two weeks and totally messing with your plans.”
“You’re right on.” He turned in the saddle to face Zach. “Do you miss this?”
“When I’m praying to God that I’ll make it out of a mission alive, yeah, I do.”
It was more than that. More than he could ever admit aloud. He missed those summers on his father’s ranch when he could pretend he had a normal family, instead of one where he was a bungee cord between divorced parents.
Zach leaned back in the saddle and inhaled the clean earthy fragrance of red dirt and golden autumn pasture grass. Seemed like he couldn’t get enough. “In truth, I miss quite a lot about ranch life.”
“You’ve got two months until you start the new job. What are you going to do until then?” Travis asked.
“No clue.”
“Are you staying with your father?”
“My father has leased out the Pawhuska ranch. He’s retired and is now circling the globe with my stepmother. Sort of a celebration because her cancer is in remission.”
“I knew they were traveling on and off, but hadn’t heard he’d leased. Any thoughts of taking over?”
“Never. Too many memories.”
“I hear you.” Travis frowned. “So where are you staying?”
“A bed-and-breakfast in Timber.”
“That’s no good. We have plenty of room in the bunkhouse. Why not stay with us until January?”
“Here?” Zach drew back slightly at the generosity of the unexpected gesture. “That’s not a sympathy offer, is it?”
“No way. We’re short staffed right now and having a jack-of-all-trades like yourself on staff to fill in the gaps here and there would help me sleep at night.”
Zach adjusted his ball cap as he considered Travis’s words.
“It’s not nearly as exciting as being a navy SEAL, or staying at the Timber B & B, but we are your family. The plus side would be you get to spend the holidays with your nieces.”
The mention of his nieces was enough to yank him right in. He was overdue for being a real uncle to Rachel and Elizabeth.
“I’m going to take you up on that,” Zach said before he had a chance to change his mind.
“All right.” Travis grinned. “Stop by human resources in the admin building tomorrow morning and fill out the paperwork. They’ll get you squared away with a security badge to get you in and out of the gate.”
“Will do.”
Travis snapped his fingers. “Oh, and before I forget. Monday evening, 6:00 p.m. Big meeting at the Oklahoma Rose in town. In the banquet room.”
“At a restaurant?”
“It’s the staff Christmas party.”
“Trav, I hate to beat a dead horse, but it’s November fifth. You haven’t even had a good frost around these parts.”
“You’re still not getting it. There’s no time in December. This place has nonstop holiday activities from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve.”
“I’m trying to understand,” Zach returned, tucking away the information.
“You will, firsthand, and soon enough.”
The pounding of hooves, announcing a horse and rider approaching in the distance, had both men turning around.
“Uh-oh, Emma found us.” Travis raised his brows. “Or maybe she found you. Wait until she hears that you’re staying.”
“Could we keep his between us right now?” Zach asked. “Emma has her own agenda that I’m doing my best to dodge.”
“RangePro, right?”
“How’d you know?”
“She’s done nothing but talk about turning Steve’s company over to you since you got back.”
A groan slipped from Zach.
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. That said, this is a female-dominated ranch, so you know the odds of anything remaining a secret long are slim to none.”
“Yeah. I figured as much, but if I can get even a short reprieve from her trying to lasso me into her plans for my future, I’ll take it.”
“Have you suggested selling?”
“She’s convinced that if she can tie me to a chair long enough for the RangePro spiel, I’ll change my mind.” He took a deep breath. “I’m telling you, your sister is the only woman I know who’s as stubborn as I am.”
Travis gave a chuckle. “I respect the fact that you admit that.”
“That only means that one of us is going to end up very unhappy.” Zach narrowed his eyes. “I’m committed to that person not being me.”
“I hear you.” He gave a nod toward his sister and called out. “You looking for me, Emma?”
“Yes. Dutch is bringing a breech to the barn and he needs your help.” She pulled her horse up next to them and adjusted the black Stetson at the back of her head.
“Can you two monitor the rest of the herd?” Travis asked.
“I’m good.” Zach nodded.
“Then I guess I am, too,” Emma said as Travis headed back to the barn. The grim set of her lips and the expression on her face offered an uneasy détente. She’d work with him for the good of the ranch.
“Where are the twins?” Zach asked as his gaze skimmed over her. Despite the tension between them Emma was relaxed in the saddle. She wore a long-sleeve black T-shirt with the ranch logo on the front pocket. With a gloved hand, she pushed a single plaited braid of long dark hair off her shoulder. He stared, mesmerized for a moment, before returning to his senses and quickly averting his eyes.
“I’ve hired a sitter for a couple of hours every afternoon so I can help out, since Lucy can’t ride,” Emma said.
“Everything okay with your sister?”
“Apparently, you haven’t seen Lucy yet. My big sister is having a baby.”
“Whoa. Is everyone getting married and having babies around here?”
Emma laughed. “There does seem to be an epidemic, now that you mention it.”
“Her first child?”
“Her first pregnancy. She and her husband, Jack, adopted triplets last year.”
Zach opened his mouth and then closed it again. “I have no words.”
“Most people simply say aw when they see seven-year-old triplets.” She gave him a long look. “You’re helping Travis out?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s hardly a vacation.”
“In my world it is.”
Emma shook her head and led her brown Appaloosa with white spots toward the outside of the pasturing herd. Zach followed, riding the flank.
“How long’s this one been in labor?” she asked, pointing to a heifer reclining near the fence.
“Not long.”
Silence stretched between them as they circled the pasture.
“Who’s your App?” he asked with a nod to the Appaloosa.
“This is Rodeo.” Emma patted the animal’s neck as she continued to ride at a slow pace, eyes never leaving the herd.
“Rodeo? Does that mean you’re still barrel racing?” Zach asked.
“No. I was never really much of a barrel racer.”
“I thought you were.”
Emma’s face pinked at his words and she shook her head. “AJ is our resident barrel racing expert, though I try to get in some practice when I can. Sometimes I bring the twins to watch. I want to get them comfortable around horses right away.”
“Good idea.”
