The Rancher's Holiday Hope

by Brenda Minton

  “Yes, you’re right. People have been so good to me since...” She hesitated. “Since the accident. I don’t know what I would have done without our neighbors.”

  Max left the women to talk because he suddenly felt out of place. The children followed him and helped as he pulled the pieces of the fake tree out of the tub. They weren’t a lot of help in putting it together.

  Sierra appeared several minutes later and started to pull out strands of Christmas lights, checking to make sure they would light up when plugged in. Sierra was relaxed, joking with the children, sharing stories with Patsy.

  But the stories were all about her recent past. As if her life began the day she arrived at Mercy Ranch.

  Teddy grabbed his attention away from the puzzle that was Sierra Lawson. The little boy held up a snowflake decoration with a family picture in the middle.

  “Do you want to put this on the tree?” Max lifted the boy and, with pudgy, clumsy toddler hands, Teddy managed to hang the ornament on a branch at the top of the tree.

  Patsy glanced their way and he saw tears in her eyes. It was their first Christmas without her husband. Max loved his family and could not imagine losing any of them. They’d lost his grandfather when he’d been young, too young to remember how that loss had felt.

  At the end of the evening, Patsy looked around her trailer and smiled as she hugged her children. “I can’t begin to thank you both for this night. Again, I thought I was going to repay your kindness and instead the two of you have stepped in and changed our lives with your friendship. It doesn’t just look like Christmas, it feels like it.”

  “You’ve changed our—my life, as well.” Sierra stumbled over the words, giving Patsy and then her children quick hugs. “I’ve enjoyed being a part of your family tonight.”

  Soon Max and Sierra were standing on the porch with the bare bulb making a halo of bright light that illuminated their way down the steps and to their cars.

  Patsy waved a final goodbye and closed the door.

  The air was cold with an early December bite. Sierra pulled her jacket a little closer and then dug in her purse for her keys. She pulled them out and then tried to hide the pink-haired troll keychain.

  “Did you get that in your kids’ meal with chicken nuggets and apple slices?” he teased.

  She held the troll out in her hand. “If you must know, I’ve had it since I turned sixteen. A friend gave it to me. It actually squirts glitter.”

  She gave the troll a squirt and glitter flew from its nose. And then she laughed.

  What kind of woman carried a glitter-spraying troll keychain? He never would have suspected the serious Miss Lawson of something so juvenile. He wouldn’t admit it, but he felt a little bit of a crush on her as she stood there smiling up at him, the glittery troll in her hand.

  “Don’t look so surprised. I was a teenager once. I just... This friend wanted me to laugh...”

  “Because you didn’t laugh often?”

  “I guess not.” And just like that, she shut down again. “I should go.”

  He walked with her to her car because it seemed the right thing to do. Actually, it seemed like the only thing to do. He took the troll keychain from her hand and unlocked the door with a push of a button. Then he stood there, not sure what to do. Sierra stood next to him, her reserve pulled around her like a cloak. He glanced from her to the glitter troll in his hand and, before he could second-guess, he squeezed it and glitter wafted into the cold night air. It sparkled in the security light and then fell over her head like a gentle rainfall.

  For a moment, she looked shocked and then she laughed. “Did you seriously just do that!” she said.

  “I did.” He was surprised by her laughter and that he wanted to kiss her good-night. But he knew that it would be a mistake to kiss her. They were standing under a full moon on a cold December evening and pink glitter clung to her hair and cheeks.

  Grabbing hold of his common sense, he pulled back, but not before he brushed a bit of glitter from her cheek. His hand lingered there just briefly.

  “I should go,” she said in a way that made him wonder if she felt the pull between them, too. The look in her eyes said she did.

  “Yes,” he agreed. He opened the door of her car and she took back the glitter troll.

  He closed the door and stepped away from the car, away from the crazy mix of emotions she’d stirred up in him. As she drove off, he told himself it had been the moonlight and glitter, nothing more.

  He wasn’t so sure.

  Chapter Seven

  The wedding chapel looked like a Christmas forest and not a Christmas wonderland. Next to Sierra, Glory made a “hmm” sound.

  The younger woman had returned the previous day and Sierra was glad to have her back. She was a good worker with a keen eye for detail. She was also a decent roommate.

  “I don’t like it,” Sierra said for the second time.

  Glory pushed back her fall of curly blond-brown hair and studied the situation through her thick glasses. “It needs something. Definitely not more trees!”

  “Yeah, a bulldozer. Maybe a lumberjack. It’s just too much. It needs less of everything.”

  “Could we move some of the trees out? Maybe with a less crowded forest, we could make it more artistic,” Glory suggested.

  “The bride’s family ordered two hundred trees for the chapel.” Sierra sighed as she surveyed the mess. “I have an idea. We leave the trees at the back, by the stage. We place the rest around the edges. Maybe have a forest of trees at the back of the chapel.”

  “Maybe. And then move the extras to the reception hall. A forest of trees in the reception hall makes more sense. Receptions should be all about twinkling lights, stars overhead.”

  “Okay, we’re going to need help with this.”

  “Help with what?” The voice came from behind her. She hadn’t even heard him approach she’d been so focused on figuring out the tree problem.

  “Hi, Jack.” She smiled at the older man as he stopped next to her. “We can’t see the forest for the trees.”

  “I can see how that would be an issue.” He shook his head. “Why can’t people just walk down the aisle of a church the way they used to do?”

  “Well, if they did, the Stable would be out of business.”

  He laughed. “Guess I can’t argue with that. So what do you need help with?”

  “We have to clear the forest. I know the family had an idea about the number of trees, but this is ridiculous.”

  “It certainly seems that way. I’ll send over a few men.”

  “But that isn’t why you wandered this far from the house, is it?” she asked. “Do we need to go to my office?”

  “Not really, but I would like to sit down, and I know you have the best coffee on the ranch. Even if you don’t drink the stuff.”

  “I’ll send Glory to start a fresh pot of coffee and we can go sit in the lounge.”

  Glory darted off without waiting for instructions.

  The younger woman, although she’d grown up in a dysfunctional mess, loved her job and loved proving herself. While she wasn’t the most effusive boss ever, Sierra hoped Glory knew she was appreciated. She made a mental note to tell her more often. Because people liked to be told they were doing a good job.

  The lounge was a sitting room across from Sierra’s office. The chairs in the lounge were comfortable. A big table in front of a fireplace gave families a place to look over different wedding themes, colors and decorations.

  Jack settled himself in one of the wingback chairs near the window.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  He steepled his fingers and studied her in such an intense way, she squirmed. Jack, founder of Mercy Ranch and a Vietnam veteran, served as a mentor, a boss and a father figure to all the veterans who lived on Mercy Ranch. When he studied a perso
n like that, it made you wonder what he saw or what he wanted.

  “Are you doing okay?” Jack started. “I think you are. You look happy. I like that look on your face.”

  “I’m doing well, Jack. No problems.”

  He paused as Glory entered with a cup of coffee, setting it on the table next to him. She looked from Jack to Sierra and back to Jack. “I’ll go find some work to do. Yell if you need anything.”

  She closed the door behind her as she left.

  “You didn’t come all this way just to see how I’m doing,” Sierra guessed.

  “Actually, I did. We haven’t talked in a while. You’re always busy and you rarely come to Sunday lunch.”

  “I’m sorry. I should. I’ve been meaning to.”

  “Don’t fib. I know you’re uncomfortable with big family events. You’re happiest in your kitchen, alone, making cakes or cupcakes that keep us all happy.”

  “Guilty as charged.”

  “Have you talked to your parents lately?”

  “I have. I’m fine with them, Jack.”

  “Sierra, I know working at the Stable isn’t your dream job. I’m here because I want you to start thinking about your dream. This is something to keep you busy. It isn’t your future, though. And I think you need to find it. Find what makes you happy. You’re ready for your next step.”

  “Jack, I’m happy here. I don’t have any desire to leave Mercy Ranch.” She hesitated, her heart sinking at the thought. “Do you want me to leave?”

  “No, no. This is your home. Always will be. You’re one of my kids. No, I just want to know that you’re pursuing your dream. The wedding venue has given you some mettle, some backbone. But it isn’t forever. Start thinking and praying about what God has in store for you next.”

  “I’ll do that. Thank you, Jack.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I don’t know where I’d be without you kids keeping me going.”

  She glanced out the window at the winter landscape, the brown grass, the trees devoid of leaves, the icy-gray sky. Why did clouds look so different in the winter?

  “Sierra, if you need a break, let me know. I know the Christmas event is a lot to put on you...”

  She continued staring out the window as she tried to come up with an excuse or explanation for her hesitance.

  “It isn’t that I don’t want to.” She shook her head at that. “No. The the truth is, I don’t want to take this on.”

  Jack started to speak but she held up her hand.

  “I don’t want to, but I need to. I could hide away in the safety of Mercy Ranch. I know my faults, Jack. I know that I tend to shut people out. It’s always felt safer than having to deal with people. But I’m learning something about myself, and isn’t that what you wanted? I’m learning that I do like people. I like to help others. I think I told myself I don’t like people or crowds because it felt safer than getting involved and getting hurt.”

  “I know it won’t be easy to figure this out.” Jack reached for her hand, clasping it in both of his. “But you’re one of the strongest women I know.”

  “Thank you.” She blinked against the sudden sting of tears in her eyes. “I mean it. For everything, thank you.”

  He patted the hand he held. “Oh, let’s not fool ourselves. Most of the time when you walk away from me muttering, you’re not being thankful.”

  She laughed at him. “You’re right about that.”

  He sat back again. “One more thing.”

  “Oh, what’s that?”

  “You’re not going to like it, but I want you to trust me. Kylie has a dog for you. Bub. He’s a Labradoodle.”

  “I told her I don’t want a dog.”

  “I know what you’ve told her. But I have a theory.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You don’t want a service animal. You don’t want a dog that labels you as injured because you think that will take away your strength. It will be admitting to human frailty.”

  “Ouch,” she said.

  “Yes, I know. The first time I walked into a twelve-step program, I felt the same way. A stronger man would have kicked the habit on his own. I finally had to swallow my pride and confess that I had an addiction and needed help.”

  “I’m not...”

  He waved a hand at her. “You’re not an addict, not to pills or alcohol. But to control. You are addicted to control. You don’t like to lose it. You want to rule everything in your life, including your emotions.”

  “You’re being particularly honest today. It’s painful.”

  He winked. “I like to make the most of the time I have on this earth. Take the dog, Sierra. Put a collar and leash on it. Just let it follow you around. There’s something else, too.”

  She buried her face in her hands. “I’m afraid to ask.”

  “I think you’re afraid to love a dog or to let the dog love you. And if you love a dog, what doors that might open up.”

  “If you stop talking, Jack, I’ll agree to take the dog.”

  He pushed himself to his feet, leaning heavily on his cane. “Mission accomplished. You’re going to work on finding your dreams. And Kylie will bring your dog to you.”

  She followed him out of the Stable. “Hey, Jack, you know that control thing I like so much?”

  “Yep.”

  “You’re the master.”

  “That I am, Sierra. But I only use my power for good, not evil.”

  She kissed his cheek. “Thank you. For caring about me.”

  “I want you happy and settled.”

  “I hope by ‘settled,’ you don’t mean married. I plan weddings, Jack. Other people’s weddings.”

  He headed out the door. “I just want to see you smile more often. You do that for me and we’ll be even.”

  He didn’t look back. Isaac was waiting to help him into the ATV they drove around Mercy Ranch.

  She smiled but it felt more like a grimace. Jack wanted her to work with Max St. James. He wanted her settled. She knew Jack well enough to know what he was up to. She also knew enough to keep herself from being dragged into his plans.

  All of this stuff about being settled, happy and finding her dreams was very suspicious.

  As she headed back to her office, her phone dinged. She pulled it out of her pocket and groaned as she read the text.

  Max St. James wanted to meet at Holly’s Diner.

  * * *

  Max reached for the door to Holly’s, remembering back to when he was a kid and this was the only place in town for a burger, a milkshake, a piece of pie. Now, because of Jack West’s expanding influence, there were other options. A restaurant attached to the resort at the edge of the lake, a tearoom in the old hotel on Lakeside Drive.

  The crowd inside Holly’s proved that competition didn’t necessarily hurt an established business. Sometimes more options meant more business for everyone. The renewed vitality of the city had brought in a decent tourism trade.

  He scanned the crowd, searching for Sierra.

  It had surprised him that she’d agreed to meet.

  “Hey, Max, looking for someone?” Holly, a few grades behind him when he’d attended school in Hope, headed his way.

  “Sierra Lawson?”

  “She’s in the back room. She didn’t say anything about meeting you, though.” Holly gave him a questioning look that bordered on suspicious.

  “She’s a private person,” he responded, wondering if he would always have to explain himself here, in Hope.

  “I promise, she knows I’m meeting her.” He sighed.

  Holly gave him a wry look, pursed her lips together like a mother hen guarding her chick, then beckoned him to follow. She led him through the main dining room to a small room in the back.

  “This is new,” he commented.

  “I w
anted a room for meetings and parties, something more private.” She nodded toward Sierra sitting near the window. “I’ll be back in a minute with water and menus.”

  “Thank you.” And then he stood there for a foolish moment, caught in a strange web of curious attraction.

  Sierra’s head was bent as she perused something on her phone. Rays of sun shifted through the window and caught strands of gold in her auburn hair. She looked up, catching him in that moment, and a smile faltered on her lips.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” he said as he took a seat across from her.

  “Not a problem. I’ve been working on details for the Christmas at the Ranch event. I’m assuming that’s why you wanted to meet?”

  “No, not really. But we can discuss it if you want. I know there are still a lot of details to take care of.”

  She lowered her gaze back to her phone, a hint of red spotting her cheeks.

  Holly returned with water and menus. “Do you need a minute?”

  “I know what I want,” Sierra said. “Chef’s salad and your vinaigrette dressing.”

  “Burger and fries for me.” Max handed back the menus.

  “When the others get here, send them back.” Sierra reached for her water, all innocent, like she hadn’t just dropped that information out of the blue.

  “We’re meeting with others?”

  Sierra stirred her water with the straw. “I invited Kylie because she has her finger on the pulse of the community. Also, our pastor’s wife, Tish. We are going to discuss decorations, the schedule for the event, workers needed for preparations and for helping the day of the event.”

  Suddenly everything became clear to him. “You don’t want to be alone with me,” Max said.

  She sat back, her eyes widening. “I’m not sure what that means. I’m here, aren’t I?”

  “Yes, you are. But why did you agree to meet me when it’s obvious you don’t want to be here alone with me? Not that we’re alone. There’s a whole diner full of people.”

  She trembled and reached again for her water. “It isn’t you.”

  “I want to think it isn’t.” He pulled off his cowboy hat and sat it on the chair next to him. He caught her gaze lingering on his face. “My grandparents were Christians in Iraq. They made a decision to immigrate to America, where they knew that they could have freedom to worship. They knew in America there were opportunities, not only for their faith but for jobs, for freedom, for a future without ever changing governments.”