by Kit Morgan
Finding Love At Christmas
(Cowboy Holiday Romance, Book 1)
Kit Morgan
ANGEL CREEK PRESS
Finding Love at Christmas
(Cowboy Holiday Romance, Book 1)
by Kit Morgan
© 2019 Kit Morgan
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher. All characters are fictional. Any resemblances to actual people or livestock are purely coincidental.
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License Note
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
About the Author
Want to get in on the fun?
Chapter One
“Jack Carlson!”
Jack set down his coffee cup, turned in his chair and froze. “Wendy?”
“Jack!” The woman zigzagged between tables in the restaurant, which was crowded with out-of-towners as usual. Lots of folks visited the Fort Worth stockyards, even in December, and the restaurant was just a stone’s throw away.
Jack stood. “Wendy,” he repeated, this time in a whisper. She hadn’t changed since he saw her twelve years ago. She still had long blonde hair, and the blue eyes that reminded him of stars when they were younger were just as bright. “Wendy Preston,” he said when she reached him.
“Jack,” she repeated with a huge smile. To his surprise she threw her arms around him.
He returned the embrace, then stepped away. “How are you?”
She smiled and shook her head, clearly overwhelmed. “I might ask you the same. I … I heard your father passed last year.”
He nodded. “Yes. It was unexpected.”
She touched his arm. “I’m so sorry. I always liked your dad. He was a good man.”
“The best,” he agreed. He noticed she wasn’t alone. “Hello.”
“Oh, gosh, where are my manners?” she said with a playful roll of her eyes. “Jack, this is my best friend in the world, Missy Trent.”
Jack smiled at Wendy’s friend. She had dark hair and eyes, and tanned skin that could either be real or fake. Given the woman’s expensive clothes, he leaned toward fake.
“What are you doing in Fort Worth?” Wendy asked.
“I’m here on business.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “For the ranch?”
He smiled at the obvious surprise in her voice. His family had a ranch near their hometown of Cutter’s Creek, Montana. Wendy’s family had moved from there to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex right after she finished high school, and he hadn’t seen or heard from her since, though he’d written a couple of times.
“Jack,” she said softly. “I’m … well, I’m sorry.”
He sighed. “I was wondering what happened to you, why you never wrote back. I figured you must have written me off.”
“No, it wasn’t like that!”
“Whoa, maybe the two of you ought to sit down,” Missy suggested. “This sounds like it could get heated.”
Jack laughed. “Hardly.” He glanced between the women. “Does she know?”
Wendy blushed. “No, I never told her about you.”
“So you did forget me,” he teased. Part of him, however, didn’t think it was funny. She’d hurt him all those years ago, badly.
Wendy had the decency to blush again. “No, I haven’t forgotten. But we lost touch …”
“… Because someone didn’t write,” he finished.
She sighed. “Like I said, I’m sorry.” She began to turn away.
Jack reached out and took her hand. “I forgive you.”
She looked at him with a bright smile. “Well, that’s a relief.”
He smiled back. She was sorry – he could see it in her eyes. But as much as they’d loved each other years ago, why hadn’t she kept in contact? He had a theory … “How’s your father?”
She blanched. Yep, bullseye. “He’s, um … well.”
“Glad to hear it,” he said, leaving it at that. “Care for some coffee with me?”
She exchanged a quick look with Missy. “We were just leaving. I saw you, though, and once I recognized it was you, I had to say hello.”
He smiled and nodded. She was running away. But she hadn’t run away years ago – she’d been carried away. “I’m in town for a week or so. Maybe we could get together, talk about old times?”
She swallowed, smiled, then glanced at her friend again. “Sure, that would be nice.”
She was still nervous. Now why would that be? “Fine.” He pulled out his wallet, opened it and sighed. “Looks like I’m out of cards.” He took out his phone instead. “What’s your number?” They exchanged contact information, said their goodbyes, and he watched the women leave, his heart thundering in his chest.
Jack had loved Wendy Preston once – too much, in fact. How else could she have ripped his heart in two so easily? But they were in high school – what did they know? They’d also been the best of friends, and he missed that after her parents carted her off to Texas. Devastated, he’d spent the next couple of years working hard on his father’s ranch, maybe to prove to Wendy’s father – or himself - that he was good enough for her. She was probably a spoiled rich socialite at this point. Best he forget about her. It was, however, nice to see her …
He set the thought aside as his business partner entered the restaurant. “Jack, sorry I’m late.” Charlie took a seat. “Caught in traffic. Hey, are you okay? You look a little funny.”
Jack blinked a few times, still trying to clear his head. “Sorry, I just ran into an old friend from high school.”
Charlie sat back in his chair and eyed him. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Oh, it’s good. She looked great.”
“She,” Charlie drawled. “I see.”
“Charlie, don’t go there.”
“Why not? At least a woman caught your eye. When was the last time that happened?”
“Wendy did not catch my eye. She happened to see me here and came over to say hello.”
“Ohhhh … Wendy. The Wendy?”
“Charlie, don’t start,” Jack rubbed his face a few times. “We have work to do.”
“Yeah, but will you be able to do it? Now that you’ve seen Wendy?”
“I will if you drop it.” He never should have told Charlie about her, but they were exchanging stories one night and it slipped out. “Let’s get to work. Did you bring the reports?”
Charlie reached into the file he’d brought with him. “Yes, and we could have them shipped next week.”
“Let’s look at them first. I don’t want to bring back something we can’t work with.”
The men spent the next hour pouring over facts and figures. They were in Fort Worth to acquire new breeding stock. The little family ranch in Montana had grown into one of the largest beef cattle operations in the Northwest.
Jack smiled at the thought. All that hard work he’d put in after Wendy left had really paid off, and he and his father had built up quite the empire. Maybe if she’d kept in touch she’d know, but once he stopped writing he’d lost the urge to tell her. Who knew if she’d heard anything through the grapevine about their success? The family ranch was so small back then it didn’t warrant a name – she might not associate him with C-Square Ranch …
“Jack? Are you listening?” Charlie asked.
Jack frowned. Maybe he needed more coffee. “Sorry.”
“Boy, what did Wendy do to you? Your mind is definitely not on your work.”
Jack ran his hand through his dark hair. “No, it’s not. And yes, she …” He shook his head. “Never mind.”
“Oh no, you’re gonna talk. Otherwise we’re liable to purchase a couple dozen longhorns by mistake.”
Jack laughed. “It’s not that bad.”
“Sure it’s not. Why don’t you see her, get caught up, make amends?”
“There are no amends to make. It’s all in the past.”
Charlie laughed. “And right now, so is your head. Did you get her digits?”
Jack nodded, glancing at his cell phone on the table.
“Call her, have dinner. Get this out of your system before we go home.”
Jack sighed. Charlie was right. He did need to get this out of his system. She shouldn’t be affecting him like this, but she was. “Fine, I will.” He picked up his cell phone and dialed.
Chapter Two
“Wow,” Missy said, eyes bright. “So what’s the story on him?”
Wendy side-eyed her. “We were high school sweethearts. There’s nothing to tell.”
“Liar.”
“Really, it was just high school.”
“It’s not just anything, or I would have known about him,” Missy argued. “We spent four years of college together.”
“True,” Wendy agreed, then quickly changed the subject. “What are you doing tonight?”
Missy wagged a finger at her. “You’re not getting off that easily. I saw the way he looked at you. How come you never told me about him?” She cocked her head to one side. “Does he own a ranch?”
Wendy rolled her eyes. “Yes, he does. and there’s nothing to tell.”
Missy laughed. “Omigosh, is he the ‘love of your life’ guy your father can’t stand?”
Wendy stopped in front of a chocolate store. The sweet smell of candy and caramel corn wafted from the open door. The stockyards were full of cute little shops and eateries, but even though it was a major tourist attraction, it was still a working stockyard. If Jack was looking at stock here, he must be doing well for himself – though if he were doing really well, he’d have sent a foreman to do the job.
“Well?” Missy prompted.
“Who told you?”
“Your brother mentioned it a few times.”
“David? Ugh.”
“Don’t be mad at him. He didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Other than to share my private information.” She folded her arms.
Missy started walking again. “Well if you must know, your brother and I were talking about your engagement to Bill.”
“That reminds me – Dad wants me to start looking for a wedding planner,” Wendy said to get Missy off the subject.
But that wasn’t about to happen. “Yes, David and I were wondering why you settled on Bill in the first place.”
Wendy stopped again. “For your information, Bill Reeves is a rich and powerful man. There are plenty of women chasing after him. I just happen to be the lucky one that got him.”
“I heard it was the other way around,” Missy said.
“From who?”
Missy smiled. “David.”
Wendy groaned again and walked on. “I see I should have kept you better informed while you were in Europe.”
“Maybe you should have come with me. Then you wouldn’t be engaged to Bill Reeves.”
Wendy scoffed and continued on. “There’s nothing wrong with Bill. He’s rich, good-looking, and my dad loves him.”
“Your dad loves his bank accounts. You’ll be marrying into a prominent old family.” Missy touched Wendy’s arm, bringing them to a stop again. “Are you in love with him? Or are you doing this to please your father?”
Wendy started walking again. “I’m marrying him, aren’t I?”
Missy caught up to her. “Yes, but you’re not answering my question. Do you love him?”
They reached Wendy’s Mercedes, and she began to dig through her purse “I don’t not love him …”
Missy facepalmed. “What? Please don’t marry the guy if you don’t love him.”
“Like I have the option” Wendy unlocked the car. “My dad chases off every guy I date except Bill – and we both know why.”
“So you’re giving up, is that it? Because I can’t believe you’d give up that easily.”
“It’s not giving up, Missy. More like giving in.” She turned to her. “I like Bill. I’ve always liked him – we’re good friends.”
“But you don’t love him,” Missy said as she walked around to the passenger-side door and opened it. “Not that way.”
They sat and Wendy started the car. “We both know what Dad will do if I refuse to marry Bill.”
“Really? The man would disinherit you because you don’t want to marry the guy he likes?”
“It’s harsh, I know, but if I want my inheritance this is what I have to do.”
“That’s rotten of him to force you to marry someone for money. By the same token, it’s rotten of you.”
Wendy’s jaw dropped, but she couldn’t argue. She was used to money, had had it all her life, and hadn’t found anything important enough to make her part with it. “Fine, call me shallow.”
Missy flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder. “Soon I’ll be calling you Mrs. Shallow.”
That stung. Wendy put the car in gear and left the parking lot.
She dropped Missy off at her apartment then headed for her father’s office. She was supposed to have dinner with Bill later that night to discuss a few things, including their engagement. It hadn’t been announced publicly – truth be told, Bill had yet to actually propose. Her father did it for him, informing her that Bill would be happy as a lark to be her husband.
Bill was returning from a business trip to New York that afternoon. If she was lucky, he’d be too tired for dinner and she’d be off the hook. She didn’t think there would be room for Bill and her guilt at the table.
Missy was right – she was marrying for money. Not that she didn’t have plenty, but it wasn’t hers. She’d gone to college, received a great education in business but never got to use it. Every time she set out to create a venture of her own, her father stopped her. “What do you want to work for?” he’d asked. “Your mother doesn’t work and she gets along fine.” He controlled her mother, just as he controlled her. David worked for Dad too, and it was only a matter of time before the man molded his son into a mirror image of himself.
Wendy drove into the parking garage of her condo and cut the engine. At least she didn’t live with her parents. Most single people her age and social class did, because why let a ten-bedroom mansion go to waste? But she liked being on her own, liked the sense of freedom it gave her. Even though she was anything but free, as Missy had pointed out.
She checked her voice mail as soon as she walked through the door. “Wow, Dad, three messages. Bill’s plane must have landed.” She hoped she wasn’t supposed to pick him up. She decided to skip listening to them, instead going to the kitchen, grabbing a snack and retreating to her sofa. As she munched on her apple, she looked over her chic living room. She liked this space, liked having time to herself, but
at times like these, she was reminded how little she’d done with her life.
Missy had traveled to Europe to study historic architecture for a few months. The thought made Wendy cringe – her best friend had become an architect and was designing her own home. What had Wendy done besides spend her father’s money? She didn’t need a degree for that. Maybe it was time to try starting her own business again. At least if she married Bill, her father wouldn’t interfere. Or would he?
She set her apple core on a napkin and sighed. “Oh, Jack, what would our lives have been like if we had married?” How often had she asked herself that over the years? Would she be the wife of a simple Montana rancher? Probably. Would she have the money she’d had growing up? Not if her father had anything to say about it.
Her relationship with Jack was one of the reasons they’d left Cutter’s Creek and moved to Texas. The Prestons had always had money, it was true. It was also true her father didn’t want her to have anything to do with someone beneath their station, the snob.
But was she any better? Why else was she agreeing to marry Bill? Like she told Missy earlier, Bill had it all – looks and money. Unfortunately, he also had a Texas-sized ego. And while they did get along, no, she didn’t love him, and doubted if he loved her.
Wendy sighed again and reached for the TV remote. Anything to get her mind off Bill – or Jack, for that matter.
Chapter Three
“Wendy, are you listening to me?” Norman Preston asked.
Wendy raised her head. As soon as she entered her father’s office she’d plopped into the chair in front of his desk, and she’d been there ever since. She’d seen Jack less than twenty-four hours ago and hadn’t stopped thinking about him. His dark hair and warm brown eyes, the way he talked, the sound of his voice. Her mind was so muddled that she’d developed a horrible headache. It was a good thing Bill had cancelled their dinner date.