Christmas on the Ranch--A Clean Romance

by Julianna Morris

  “You want three trees?” Gideon’s brow quirked upward.

  Alaina grinned. “Just making up for lost time. Mason and I spent most of our holidays on research projects.”

  “Surely wolf biologists don’t have to be in the field every minute.”

  She shrugged. “It varies, but Mason was determined to study wolf populations all over the world.”

  “Is that what you wanted?”

  Alaina hesitated. “In the beginning I was thrilled to be part of those studies,” she said slowly. “But living that way got old for me. It’s one of the reasons I wanted a home base to work from this year.”

  “And why you want all these Christmas decorations.”

  “Of course. Making up for lost time, remember?”

  “Then how about that one?” Gideon asked.

  Alaina regarded the tree, picturing it in the cabin. “Perfect,” she pronounced. As a kid she’d loved falling asleep in the light of a Christmas tree and hoped to re-create the magical feeling it had once given her.

  And, speaking of magic, what was she going to do about Gideon...

  Dear Reader,

  On my way to school I used to pass a beautiful dog that was remarkably sweet and friendly. I called her Misty and brought her ice cubes in hot weather, which she’d play with in her enclosure and carry around in delight. At the time I didn’t know much about dogs and thought she might be a husky. Then I learned she was a full-blooded Alaskan wolf, rescued as a badly injured puppy after a wildfire. I have been completely and utterly in love with wolves ever since.

  Because of Misty I’ve always wanted to tell a story in which wolves played a central part. So Christmas on the Ranch gave me the chance to pit a wolf-loving wildlife photographer against a bitterly divorced rancher who might not share her enthusiasm for these magnificent animals.

  I enjoy hearing from readers and can be contacted via my Facebook page, or if you prefer writing a letter, please use: c/o Harlequin Books, 22 Adelaide Street West, 40th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5H 4E3.

  Best wishes,

  Julianna

  Christmas on the Ranch

  Julianna Morris

  Julianna Morris still remembers being read to by her mother in a rocking chair, wrapped in a patchwork quilt. She learned to read herself at an early age and remains a voracious book consumer on everything from history and biographies to most fiction genres.

  Julianna has been a park ranger, program analyst and systems analyst in information technology. She loves animals, travel, gardening, hiking, taking photographs, making patchwork quilts and doing a few dozen other things. Her biggest wish is to have more hours in the day for everything she enjoys.

  Books by Julianna Morris

  Harlequin Heartwarming

  Twins for the Rodeo Star

  Harlequin Superromance

  Bachelor Protector

  Christmas with Carlie

  Undercover in Glimmer Creek

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  To my editor, Kathryn Lye

  Contents

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  EXCERPT FROM MONTANA WEDDING BY CARI LYNN WEBB

  PROLOGUE

  ALAINA WAS WONDERING if she’d missed a turn or if her GPS had malfunctioned. It felt as if she’d been driving forever.

  “In one hundred feet, turn left,” the electronic voice from the GPS finally intoned.

  Sure enough, there was a road marked with a sign for the Double Branch Ranch. She passed over two miles of grassland before reaching the first outbuildings, then finally drove into the ranch center and parked next to a mud-splattered late model pickup.

  The main house had two floors and an attic. It was solidly built from logs and surrounded by a broad covered porch. Her imagination instantly painted it with a large family and comfy outdoor furniture.

  Lovely.

  As Alaina opened the SUV door, a dog raced from one of the barns, barking. To some people he’d probably sound ferocious, but his ears were tilted with excitement, not aggression, and the barks were high-pitched, rather than deep with warning or anger. She’d learned a good deal about animal communication from the wildlife experts she had worked with over the years.

  “Danger, come back here.” A tall man strode forward to grab his collar. “Don’t be afraid. He’s protective, not vicious.”

  She stepped down from the SUV. “I wasn’t afraid. Hello, Danger. You’re a beauty.”

  Danger was mostly black and he swished his tail, his mouth open in a big doggy grin. He whined and tried to get away from the grip the man had on his collar.

  “I’m Alaina Wright,” she said. “Are you Gideon Carmichael by any chance?”

  “That’s right.” He gave her hand a perfunctory shake. “Am I supposed to know you?”

  “No, but I’ve heard about you and the Double Branch. You practice a traditional style of ranching and you’re relatively close to Yellowstone National Park. I’ve also been told you have a foreman’s house that’s going unused.”

  A wary expression crept into Gideon Carmichael’s brown eyes. “The place is more a small cabin than a house, but that’s correct, it’s empty most of the time. I was the foreman when I inherited the ranch, so there wasn’t any need to hire a replacement. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I have a business proposition. I’d like to use the hou...cabin, for a year. I’ll provide all my own supplies, including firewood, since I understand that while the building has electricity, it’s heated solely by a fireplace insert.”

  Gideon stared as if she’d sprouted wings and her skin had turned green. Her sister-in-law, a successful Manhattan lawyer, had suggested sending a letter first, but Alaina had wanted to get a feel for the area before committing herself, and then expedite the arrangement.

  “Oh, and I’ll pay you twenty-five thousand dollars,” she added, realizing she’d left out the most important part. “You’d keep the money, whether I remain the whole year or not.”

  He cleared his throat. “Why would you want to stay at the Double Branch? This isn’t a tourist location. You could rent a place in West Yellowstone or down in Jackson Hole, or even stay in the park itself. It would be a whole lot easier.”

  “I’ve been moving from one accommodation to another for the past six weeks, but I’m a wildlife photographer. Trying to be, anyhow. I can’t get the photos I want with excited tourists around me, and when summer comes it will only get worse. Working from a location like your ranch could help jump-start my career. You’re on the edge of an extraordinary wilderness area.”

  The furrows deepened in Gideon’s forehead. “Except in Yellowstone or the Grand Teton, you’d have park rangers to assist if there was a problem. I employ several ranch hands, but none of us have time to look after you.”

  “I don’t need to be looked after. You’d have no responsibility toward me beyond being my landlord,” Alaina assured hastily. She handed him the envelope from Janet’s law office. “Here’s the paperwork
, which includes a liability release for you, your ranch and your employees. If you agree, you’ll receive a certified check for twenty-five thousand dollars before I move in. That would also cover payment of the electricity I’d use.”

  He regarded the envelope as if it were a snake threatening to strike. She’d learned that he had inherited the ranch from his great-grandfather, who’d had a reputation for being the toughest, most humorless man in this part of Montana. A man of few words, except when he had a bee in his bonnet, according to her source. Perhaps Gideon took after the old guy. She’d hoped that he would be more open-minded because he was one of the youngest ranchers in the area, though based on the grim look in his eyes, she’d indulged in wishful thinking.

  How did someone live without a sense of humor? Laughter had been a lifeline during the worst times in her life.

  “I’ll take a look,” he said finally. “How do I reach you?”

  “My cell number is in there, or if you prefer, you can make contact through my attorney, Janet Whitcomb. At the moment I have a room at the Old Faithful Inn, so I’m not too far away. As the crow flies, that is, it’s a fair drive out of the park and around to get here.”

  He gave her a curt nod and Alaina took it as a sign that she should leave. Danger cocked his head and let out another whine as she got back in her SUV. Perhaps they could become friends if his owner agreed to let her stay on the ranch.

  Gideon Carmichael reminded her of a bull elk—stubborn, arrogant and the master of his universe. She’d have to go somewhere else if he didn’t agree to her proposal, but it would be a shame. The Double Branch was the best location she’d been able to find near Yellowstone to get the photographs she wanted to become known for taking.

  But one thing was sure, if he did agree, dealing with him would be one of her biggest challenges.

  * * *

  “WHO WAS THAT?” Gideon’s mother asked as she stepped out on the porch.

  His stepdad had passed unexpectedly a few months ago and she’d been visiting each of her children. Her doctor claimed her health was fine, but she’d lost weight and was sleeping poorly, so Gideon had asked her to stay for a longer visit at the ranch or to consider living there permanently. She’d spent her childhood summers here, so it was a place of happy memories. Surely being at the Double Branch would help.

  “Son?” Helene prompted as he continued to look at a letter in the packet that Alaina had given him.

  “It was a wildlife photographer who wants to live on the ranch for a year. She’s willing to pay for the service, and I’d keep the money, whether or not she lasts the whole twelve months.”

  Helene patted his arm. “And you hope she won’t.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to. I learned to read your poker face a long time ago, including when you claimed your black eye came from being tackled during football practice.”

  Gideon grinned wryly. “You knew I’d been fighting, then?”

  “I knew.” She kissed his cheek. “But Stewart thought we should let it go. He was sure you had a good reason.”

  A tight ache grew in Gideon’s throat. He missed his stepdad, though their relationship had been rocky in the beginning. Rocky? What an understatement. After his biological father deserted the family, Gideon had carried a chip on his shoulder the size of Montana. But Stewart had let time and patience do their work, and they’d grown close. Now it hurt like the devil to have him gone.

  “Dad was a wise man,” Gideon said. “A new kid was bullying the other students. He went after a smaller boy with his fists and I put myself in the middle.”

  “That sounds like you. It... I never told you how much it meant to Stewart when you boys started calling him Dad.” She squared her shoulders. “Now, what can you tell me about this photographer?”

  “Not much, except that she has twenty-five thousand dollars to throw around. According to the letter from her lawyer, she hopes to have everything settled by the first of June.”

  “You could give her credit for knowing what she wants and being willing to pay for it.”

  “She wants to take pictures, Mom. She claims she can’t get them in the park, but people have taken millions of pictures in Yellowstone. On the other hand, if I refuse, she’ll just offer the money to another rancher, so why not accept?”

  Helene nodded. “At least on the Double Branch you can keep an eye out to make sure she’s all right. From a distance, of course. You wouldn’t want to interfere with her work.”

  “Having to look after her is exactly what I’m worried about. I’m too busy to keep a tenderfoot out of trouble for a week, much less a year.”

  “Refuse if you have a bad feeling about the situation,” his mother advised.

  Gideon thought about the money Alaina Wright was willing to pay. The foreman’s cabin was going empty and a tenant’s electrical use would be minimal. He was doing well with the Double Branch, but the extra income would add a cushion to his cash reserves. So while his instincts said to refuse, he wasn’t going to.

  The offer was too good to pass up.

  CHAPTER ONE

  ALAINA RAN THROUGH her mental checklist.

  Food, fuel, camping gear, solar chargers, satellite phone, snowshoes, cross-country skis, axes, wedges...

  It went on and on.

  She sighed.

  Inevitably there would be something she’d missed, however carefully she prepared. But there was a small town not too far away where she could get some of what she needed, including fresh fruits and vegetables, which couldn’t be bought too much in advance, regardless. Ordering online was another tool she planned to use. Bozeman was close enough for occasional shopping, as well.

  Her trepidation grew as she turned onto the Double Branch ranch road. When she parked in the main compound, it was a case of déjà vu as Danger ran over, barking. She got out and crouched to give him a pet. His tongue lolled to one side and his doggy smile was irresistible. Danger’s dark fur, with few discernible German shepherd markings, reminded her of several wolves from Yellowstone’s old Druid pack, once one of the strongest wolf packs in the park.

  She looked into his golden eyes and tried to decide if any crossbreeding might have occurred. Not necessarily from the Druid pack—the Double Branch was well outside of what used to be their territory—but wolves had spread beyond the park since their reintroduction.

  “You shouldn’t do that,” Gideon Carmichael said sharply. “I told you, he isn’t used to strangers.”

  Alaina hid a smile. The forbidding tone in Gideon’s voice obviously hadn’t been sweetened by the twenty-five thousand dollar check he’d cashed. No fake smiles or pretense, which was somehow reassuring, because it meant she knew where she stood with him. Anyhow, if the ranch didn’t have that many strangers visiting, he might be justified to worry how his dog would react.

  “You said he was protective, not vicious, and he seems friendly. I love animals. Danger is an interesting name. Is it intended to warn visitors away?”

  “I can’t say. My great-grandfather named him. I inherited Danger along with the ranch a few years ago.”

  “I see.”

  “Gideon, don’t keep her standing around,” an older woman scolded as she joined them. She grinned. “Hello. I’m Helene Cranston and this tall overworked cowboy is my son. You must be Alaina Wright. Welcome to the Double Branch.”

  Alaina instantly liked her; she was on the fence about Gideon. “Thank you. It’s beautiful here. Montana is one of my favorite places.”

  Helene glowed. “The Double Branch used to be my grandfather’s spread and it was built by his grandfather before him, who rode with Theodore Roosevelt at the battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba. Mr. Roosevelt didn’t like being called Teddy, you know.”

  “That’s what I’ve read. Did he ever stay here?”

  “Oh, yes. He shot a grizzl
y bear, not two hundred feet from where we’re standing. He and my great-great grandfather, Jonah Westcott, met in the Dakotas when Mr. Roosevelt came out from New York after the death of his mother and first wife. In one of Jonah’s journals he wrote that he’d never seen a sadder man than Theodore Roosevelt, or one who tried harder to run away from it.”

  Alaina hadn’t known about the Double Branch’s historical connection to Theodore Roosevelt and now it seemed even more appropriate to have the ranch as her home base. Imagine living in a place where one of the most famous men in United States history had spent time.

  Her excitement grew. This was just what she needed.

  “That’s amazing. Do you still have the journals? I’d love to take pictures. If it’s okay,” she added quickly. “I’d be careful and would give you copies.”

  “The journals are on loan to the town museum, along with the letters Mr. Roosevelt wrote to the family, but I can arrange for you to have access. The head of the museum board is a former beau of mine.”

  Gideon looked startled. “Nels Hewitt is an old beau?”

  “Yes, son. We dated as teenagers when I stayed with Grandpa each summer. Nothing serious, other than him being my first kiss. It’s hard for a woman to forget her first kiss. Right, Alaina?”

  That was an easy question. “Right. I was a late bloomer. Mine was my husband. On our third date.”

  “Oh, then you’re married.”

  Alaina’s smile wobbled. “I was. But he... We were in a car accident two years ago.” Mason Wright had been the finest man she’d ever known. Despite a thirty-one year age difference, they’d suited each other perfectly. The irony was that Mason hadn’t died from an age-related illness—he’d been exceptionally healthy—but from injuries inflicted by a drunk driver.

  At least she’d finally stopped having nightmares about the crash. Her head throbbing. The endlessly flashing lights and sirens. Trying to help Mason, trapped behind the steering wheel. The few whispered words they’d shared before he died. Then waking up and knowing it wasn’t a nightmare at all, she’d simply been reliving the most terrible moments of her life.