A Rancher's Christmas (Saddlers Prairie) (9 page)

“Beau may have taken over the business, but he wasn’t anything like a corporate executive,” Uncle Redd said. “He spent his paycheck on trips to Vegas and things he didn’t need. A big truck, a fancy car for Marie, a new color TV and whatever else caught his fancy.”

Gloria made a face. “As you can imagine, on Beau’s salary that didn’t work out so well. He opened a few credit cards and got him and Marie into a real financial pickle. Back then, he handled the finances. Marie had no idea that they were living on credit. She thought they were doing real well, and Beau did everything he could to keep her believing it. After they declared bankruptcy, she closed all the credit-card accounts and took over the budget.”

“So that’s why Dad had to ask Mom for any money he wanted to spend,” Gina said.

“Uh-huh.” Uncle Redd shook his head. “Beau didn’t like that one bit, but it was either toe Marie’s line or hit the road, Jack.”

“Were they ever happy together?”

“Until your mom found out about the financial mess he’d gotten them into.”

No longer angry, Gina sighed. “If I’d known all that, I would’ve understood my parents a whole lot better.” Though her life wouldn’t have been any easier.

“Are we finished here?” Gloria asked. “Because I’d like to eat sometime before midnight.”

“Okay, but first, are there any other secrets I should know about? If so, please tell me now. I don’t want to come across papers someplace and get sucker punched again.”

Her relatives looked genuinely thoughtful for a moment. Then they glanced at each other and shrugged.

“None that I can think of,” Uncle Redd said.

Sophie shook her head. “If something comes to me, I promise I’ll tell you.”

“Girl Scouts’ honor.” Gloria held up her hand in a three-finger salute.

“If you don’t, I’ll never trust any of you again.” Gina grabbed an apron from a kitchen drawer. “Now I’ll dress that salad.”

Chapter Nine

At eight o’clock sharp Monday morning—nine o’clock Chicago time—Gina called the office.

“Good morning,” Marsha said in her cheerful voice. “How are things in Montana?”

Gina thought of Zach and the old and new friends she’d made. “Not bad, considering.”

“All ready for Thanksgiving?”

“No, but I will be.” With Sophie and Gloria’s help, she’d put together a grocery list for the holiday. After she cleaned out Uncle Lucky’s bedroom today, she would head to Spenser’s and buy the needed ingredients. “How about you?”

“Haven’t started yet. I’m awfully glad we’re closed on Wednesday. I need that day to buy groceries and cook. I imagine Carrie told you she’s sick?”

“Sick?” Gina echoed.

“She just called in—I assumed she’d talked to you first. She has the flu and a bad case of laryngitis. I could barely hear a word she said. She won’t be in today, and I doubt she’ll be in tomorrow, either.”

Gina had checked her email before going to Gloria and Sophie’s the night before and had seen Carrie’s report and an email that had been upbeat and relieved her worries. But now... The fact that her assistant hadn’t contacted her was both puzzling and worrisome.

Especially with a busy day scheduled. She rubbed the space between her eyes. “Meetings with Evelyn Grant and another client are set up for this afternoon, and I’m going to need help. Who’s in the office?”

“Everyone but Carrie and Kevin. He’s out for the day with potential new clients. The rest are all in back-to-back meetings, but Shirley and Jon should be finished around three. Shall I buzz one of them?”

Both colleagues worked as hard as Gina, and she doubted they had time to step in. “Never mind,” she said. “I’ll call the clients and set up phone meetings instead.”

“All right. If I don’t talk to you again before Thursday, happy Thanksgiving. We’ll be awfully glad to have you back next week.”

Irritated, Gina speed-dialed Carrie’s cell phone. She didn’t expect her assistant to pick up, and of course, the woman didn’t. “I’m sorry you’re sick,” Gina said when voice mail kicked in. “But we still need to talk before Thanksgiving. As soon as you feel better, give me a call—even if you have laryngitis.”

She spent the next hour making calls to clients and apologizing for not returning calls the day before. They all knew about Uncle Lucky and seemed surprised that she was calling instead of Carrie. Explaining that her assistant was ill, Gina set up phone meetings for the following morning.

Then, channeling her frustration with Carrie, she attacked Uncle Lucky’s bedroom.

Stacks of old catalogs filled one wall. Sweating and muttering, Gina hefted trash bags of J.C. Penney and farm and agriculture catalogs downstairs.

“What were you thinking, Uncle Lucky?” she muttered as she shoved the heavy bags outside.

They joined a mound along the back of the house—a big, ugly pile of black plastic against the snow. Hating the sight, Gina decided to burn their contents in the bin near the barn. Right away.

Then she would drive to Spenser’s and pick up the groceries for Thanksgiving and another box of trash bags. She would check her email, too. After that, she might even stop at Barb’s Café and treat herself to dinner.

* * *

U
SING
ONE
OF
Lucky’s old Jeeps to trundle from pasture to pasture, Zach kept an eye out for stranded or lost cattle. He preferred riding horses, but with the temperature somewhere south of twenty degrees, it was too damn cold. He was out of the car, battling the harsh wind and tramping down a gully to reach a misguided heifer, when he smelled smoke.

He squinted at the white plume, which looked to be coming from someplace near the barn. When he’d checked in with the crew earlier, no one had mentioned burning any trash today. That left Gina.

The heifer lowed mournfully, and Zach turned his attention to her. She’d wandered onto the icy gully bed and couldn’t get across it.

He slipped and slid toward her. “Easy there,” he said. Hands on her rump, he grunted and shoved, forcing her forward until her hooves found purchase. She trotted up the slope of the gully. Panting and sweating, he followed her out. When they both reached flat ground, he gave her rump a thwack. She loped off toward the rest of the herd.

One down and hopefully zero to go.

Ready to resume his search for lost cattle, he climbed into the Jeep, pulled off his gloves and cranked up the heat. But instead of heading for the back pastures, he drove toward the barn. Toward Gina.

Though acres separated them, she was easy to spot. Her burgundy jacket added color to the gray afternoon. Zach steered toward her. He hadn’t seen her since running into her at the Pizza Palace Saturday night. They’d both been uncomfortable, and he figured they should probably talk. This was as good a time as any.

As he neared her, he noted the jeans hugging her long legs. Legs that fueled his fantasies and kept him up at night. She was hefting a fat black bag, one of a pile nearby. Hearing the Jeep, she paused and shaded her eyes against the winter sun. She wasn’t wearing a hat or a scarf. In this weather? What was she thinking?

He watched her dump the contents of the bag into the bin. The paper caught quickly, wind fanning the flames high and whipping her hair across her face.

Braking to a stop, he exited the vehicle, shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and tromped across the snow toward her. “That’s a lot of trash bags.”

“You have no idea.”

“You’re supposed to ask for help.”

“I wanted to do it myself.”

She couldn’t seem to keep still. She walked around the fire, fiddled with her gloves and pulled up her jacket collar. Her cheeks were red with cold. Zach could think of a few great ways to warm her up, all of them involving getting her naked and under the covers. He swallowed. “Where’s your hat?”

“I left it at the house. I meant to grab a scarf, but I was distracted and forgot.”

“I’ve got an extra wool cap in the Jeep. It isn’t fancy like your hat, but at least you’ll be warm.”

“Great—thanks.”

He retrieved the navy cap and handed it to her. She pulled on the cap so that her ears were covered. She looked cute.

“That’s much better. I’ll give it back later.” She held out her gloved hands to the fire.

“Keep it until you leave. We need to talk about the other night,” he said.

“You mean at the Pizza Palace?”

“I was thinking about a different night.” The night he’d kissed her until his body was on fire. “You’ll be seeing a lot of me while you’re here, and I want us to be comfortable around each other.”

“I’m okay, Zach. I wanted what happened.”

He had to ask. “Do you want it to happen again?”

“I don’t know.” She poked at the fire, stirring the flames higher. “Right now, I don’t know much of anything.”

She looked like she needed a friend. “You want to talk about it?” he asked.

“You might be sorry you asked.”

She gave a wry smile, coaxing a smile from him. He scooped up a trash bag and emptied it in the bin. Fresh flames crested the metal walls. “I’ll take that risk.”

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she began. “I set up a phone call with my assistant for this morning, but she’s sick with the flu. She can’t help that, but she didn’t even bother to let me know. I found out from the office receptionist. I think she’s avoiding me, and I wish I knew why.”

Zach should’ve guessed that this was about work. “Maybe she’s afraid of you.”

“The way she’s been acting since I left, she should be. I can’t get a hold of her, and we’ve been communicating mostly through texts. It’s almost as if she’s ducking me.” Gina looked indignant. “In the six months since I hired her, she’s always worked as hard as I do. She’s ambitious, too, and seemed more than eager to take over for me for a few days. I wish I knew what she’s up to.”

“Maybe she thought she was ready for the responsibility, but she isn’t. Or she’s having boyfriend or husband problems and it’s interfering with the job.”

“She’s single, and she’s always been focused, no matter what. She wants to get promoted. We’re a lot alike that way. Right now, she doesn’t even have a boyfriend. But come to think of it, Friday night she did have a date with someone new.” Gina rubbed her chin, leaving behind a smudge. “I wonder if she caught the flu from him.”

“You’ll find out when you get back next week. You’ll straighten things out then.”

“Let’s hope. I can’t afford to have anything else fall through the cracks.” Her eyes were round and shadowed. “I really need her to pull her weight.”

“What fell through the cracks?”

“Appointments with two clients—one of them a huge account. I set up phone meetings with them for tomorrow, which isn’t ideal, but it’s better than nothing. The problem is I don’t have time for that right now. There’s still so much to do with the house. I haven’t emptied Uncle Lucky’s closet and dresser or sorted through either of the guest bedrooms, and I have less than a week to get it done.” She emptied a bag into the fire.

“Sure you don’t want help?”

“You still have plenty to do. Anyway, this is something I should do on my own. Thanks for listening. There really isn’t anyone else I can talk to.”

“No problem.” To keep the fire going, he dumped another bag onto the fire. “Lots of newspapers and magazines here.”

“And old bills that go back decades. I found this stuff everywhere—stacked on shelves in the basement, in Uncle Lucky’s office and in his bedroom...” Gina shook her head. “I knew he was a pack rat, but I never guessed he was this bad.”

With a frown bracketing her mouth, she looked worn down, even more exhausted than when she’d stepped off the plane.

“Did you find anything worth saving?” he asked. “Something that might change your mind about holding on to this ranch?”

“You don’t give up, do you?”

He made a face and she laughed, which was what he’d wanted.

Zach grinned. “Seeing you crack a smile eases the pain of your decision.”

A moment later she sobered. “I wish... It’s too bad you don’t have the money to buy the Lucky A.”

Her words just about knocked him to his knees. Not even Lucky knew that he had money—a great deal of it. It sat untouched in an investment account and had since Zach had sold his company for a hefty sum. He’d given away half of the profits but wasn’t sure what to do with the rest. He didn’t intend to use the money for himself.

“Even if I did, I’d never buy this place,” he said. “Lucky willed it to you, and he meant for you to keep it.”

“Yes, I know.” Her eyes took on a stubborn glint and she set her jaw. “I’m not going to change my mind, Zach.”

As determined as she seemed, he wasn’t about to give up. “You never did say if you found anything in those papers.”

“As a matter of fact, I did.” She kicked at the snow. “Lucky kept a folder that belonged to my parents. I discovered that around the time I was born, they had declared bankruptcy. I had no idea—no one ever told me.” She frowned. “I don’t understand secrets like that.”

Zach did. Some things were best kept from others. “Every family has skeletons in their closet,” he said.

“Yes, but do they keep those secrets from their own flesh and blood?”

Thanks to the internet and the local paper, Zach’s family and anyone who read the business pages knew about his mistakes. He shrugged. “I guess that depends.”

“Maybe. At least now I know why my mother was so tightfisted.”

She angled her head a fraction, and he knew she was going to ask him something.

“Did your parents fight over money?”

As an insurance executive, Zach’s father earned more than he could ever spend, and his mother’s trust fund made her independently wealthy. “No, but they fought about everything else.” Remembering the constant volley of criticism and accusations, he winced. “They divorced and remarried each other twice before they both moved on to other partners. My father is still with his third wife, and my mother just married husband number four.”

“And I thought my childhood was rough.”

“I got used to it.”

“I always wished I had a brother or sister, especially when my parents fought. Do you have any siblings?”

“A brother, and yeah, as kids, we leaned on each other quite a bit.”

“Is he still in Texas?”

Zach nodded. “He and his wife live in Houston.”

“I’ll bet you miss him.”

“We’re not close anymore.” Not since Zach had sold his business and walked away from his life of luxury. Jim thought he was crazy. The entire family did, and except for obligatory phone calls on holidays, they rarely touched base.

Gina opened her mouth, no doubt to ask him something else.

Wary, he eyed her. “What’s with the questions?”

“I just think we should get to know each other better.”

She already knew more about him than most people in town. Zach let his eyes travel lazily over her. “After the other night, I’d say we’re starting to get to know each other pretty well.”

Her red cheeks flushed redder still. “You know what I mean.” She didn’t ask him anything else, which was what he’d intended. “I need to finish this and get to Spenser’s.” She emptied two trash bags into the bin, one on top of the other, jumping back when the flames flared up. She almost bumped into Zach.

“Careful.” He caught her in his arms.

She’d knocked the hat cockeyed. With cold fingers, he tucked her hair back and straightened the cap, tugging it gently over her ears. “There.”

His fingers lingered on her soft skin.

“Your hands are cold,” she said.

“I took off my gloves when I got you the hat.” Zach dropped his arms to his sides. He longed to kiss her—and more. But any of the ranch hands could be nearby. Already Curly suspected that something was going on between Zach and Gina, and Zach didn’t want him or the other men catching sight of anything that would cause them to talk.

The shed where Lucky stored tractors and other heavy equipment was only a few yards away. “I want to show you something.” Zach caught hold of Gina’s hand and tugged her forward. “It’s important.”

“What is it?”