Christmas on the Ranch--A Clean Romance

by Julianna Morris

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll set up camp at least two hundred feet away from a water source, not on a game trail, away from dead trees that could drop a limb on me and I’ll find a site well before sundown.”

  Danger whined, looking back and forth between them, obviously sensing the increased tension in Gideon.

  “Then take Danger with you.”

  Alaina laughed. “He’s a terrific dog, but he’s noisy. I’d never get any wildlife photos with him around.”

  “If you tell him to be quiet, he won’t make a peep unless there’s a threat. And if you keep an eye out for where he’s focused, you might see something you wouldn’t otherwise. Give him a chance. I’ll make it up to you if he spoils any of your pictures.”

  Alaina didn’t know how Gideon could make it up to her if she lost a great photograph, or how she would prove it in the first place. On the other hand, it might be nice to have Danger’s company. He and one of the barn cats had gotten into the habit of coming over in the evening for a love fest. Obviously the German shepherd’s first devotion was to Gideon, but he seemed to like her well enough. And the cat was a complete charmer, with a purr that practically rattled the windows.

  “Don’t you need Danger to help with the cattle?” she asked.

  “We aren’t in the middle of working them for any special reason, so it’s no problem.”

  “I don’t have anything to feed him,” she said, still stalling.

  “No problem.” Gideon went to his horse and removed a fluorescent orange contraption from one of the saddlebags. “This is a dog backpack with a two-day supply of water and kibble in bear bags, along with other items that might be useful. I usually don’t put it on him except when we’re involved in a search-and-rescue operation. But since that can crop up at any time, I stay prepared.”

  He called Danger over and fastened the straps around him. The German shepherd’s tail wagged furiously. He obviously saw the pack as part of a great game.

  “Uh, all right,” Alaina said, aware she was being railroaded into having the dog’s company, along with a two-night limit put on her outing because she’d never let him go hungry. Still, Danger was a nice animal and probably knew the ranch as well as Gideon. Maybe better.

  The important thing she needed to accomplish wasn’t even taking pictures, it was getting used to camping by herself. It was one thing to stay in a crowded campground, another to be high in the mountains all alone. Surely accepting Danger’s company didn’t mean she wasn’t being as independent as she wanted to be.

  * * *

  GIDEON WASN’T HAPPY as he watched Alaina continue climbing, but at least Danger was at her heels. He’d given Danger the Guard command, though it wasn’t necessary. The German shepherd had been schooled as a working dog by the finest trainer in Bannister County. Danger understood that since Alaina lived on the ranch, she was now a member of his pack. And you protected the pack, it was as simple as that for him.

  Grandpa Colby hadn’t been able to do ranch work in his last years, but he’d continued training dogs for ranchers around the area. Gideon suspected that Colby Westcott had wanted to leave an animal he’d specially trained to his great-grandson, so had picked Danger from a neighbor’s litter of puppies and encouraged them to be friends.

  Few people outside the family had understood Colby. To the world he’d been an aged taciturn man who possessed an uncanny skill with horses, cattle and dogs. His family had known someone entirely different.

  With a sigh, Gideon finally turned Brushfire and headed toward his herds on the upper range of the ranch. He didn’t want Alaina to think he was following her, so he rode east a mile, before turning again to continue climbing the mountain slopes. As a rule, his cattle ranged to an elevation just above where whitebark pine started growing and he automatically assessed the health of the trees as he rode. Cold winters were necessary to control pine beetle infestations and he was hoping this next winter would be especially chilly.

  Movement to the east caught his attention and he lifted his binoculars. It was a mother grizzly bear and her cubs. She was digging in the ground, probably for glacier lily bulbs or cow parsnips, while her babies played. He watched for a moment, relieved they weren’t close to the route Alaina had appeared to be taking, or near any of his herds.

  As the summer progressed, bears often climbed higher, following the snow melt for easier forage, but sometimes they tried for easier pickings from his cattle.

  An echo of something Alaina had said came back to Gideon...about masses of people spreading across the planet, and the chance that photographs might be all that was left of the wild spaces someday.

  His jaw hardened.

  He refused to let that happen to the Double Branch. There might be easier ways to raise cattle and much easier ways to make a living, but this life was in his blood and he wasn’t going to give it up.

  CHAPTER SIX

  THAT NIGHT ALAINA lay in her sleeping bag, listening to the sounds coming from all directions, both familiar and unfamiliar.

  Okay, she was nervous.

  It was dark except for a shimmer of starlight and she was miles from other human beings. Every rustle in the brush or clatter of rocks from the nearby slope seemed magnified.

  This is what you wanted, her conscience reminded her.

  She lifted her head to look at Danger, who was lying nearby. He rose to his feet and padded over.

  “Good boy,” she murmured, combing her fingers through his thick fur.

  Alaina put her head down again and gazed skyward, thinking about the flash of awareness she’d felt when she and Gideon were talking on the trail. And all because of a smile in his eyes that hadn’t even reached his mouth.

  She’d enjoyed going out with her old high school buddy while on visits to Port Coopersmith, despite just doing it to make her parents stop worrying. Scott had kissed her good-night each time, but they’d finally agreed there weren’t any sparks between them.

  Scott had a terrific smile, so why hadn’t she responded to him instead of Gideon?

  A sudden noise made Alaina bolt upright. Danger was focused on the dark perimeter of the campsite, but he didn’t show any signs of being alarmed. She tried to slow her rapid heartbeat and watch without panicking. After a minute, a large porcupine crossed in and then out of view.

  She rolled her eyes and lay down again.

  Fine.

  Maybe Gideon had a valid point about her inexperience with solo backpacking and camping, not that she’d ever admit it to him. But at the very least she could admit it to herself and be grateful he’d maneuvered her into taking Danger along. There were limits to what survival and other courses could teach.

  Touring the backcountry with Gideon would help her get acquainted with the area and become more at ease. And since she was paying him, she could look at the tours the way she’d see any training class.

  Except with a class, her pride wouldn’t be on the line as much.

  Danger rested his muzzle on her shoulder while Alaina’s thoughts kept circling around his owner. There wasn’t any harm in acknowledging Gideon’s appeal, though she’d be wise to remember his more annoying qualities.

  Like the assumption she couldn’t saddle a horse.

  She couldn’t, but how would he know that? However silly, she wanted to prove him wrong. There must be videos on the internet that could teach her the basics, and after she returned to the Double Branch, she could ask Libby to help her practice. Preferably when no one else could see them.

  Alaina yawned and wiggled to get more comfortable.

  Danger made a small snuffling sound, but didn’t stir. Surely if he was relaxed, she had little to be concerned about. Besides, thousands of people went backpacking each year. Rarely did anything happen to them.

  It was that reassuring thought that finally followed her into sleep.

  * * *


  JUST AS ALAINA had hoped, Libby was delighted to help her learn to saddle a horse.

  “Let’s go to the barn right now,” she said when Alaina finished explaining. “Gideon and the cowhands are gone for the day. I told him I’d start putting the horses in the paddock and cleaning the stalls, so I need to go over, regardless.”

  It was the first time Alaina had been inside one of the Double Branch barns and she looked around curiously. There was a big difference between this building and the stable where her parents had taken her as a child. It was to be expected; Gideon’s barns supported a working ranch, while that one had been a professional riding school.

  Libby opened one of the stall doors and led out a tan horse with a white blaze on its face. “This is Nikko. Gideon mentioned he’d be showing you around and that he thought Nikko would be the best horse for you to ride. He’s a gelding and very easygoing.”

  Nikko nudged Alaina’s shoulder and she froze, instantly on edge.

  “He just wants you to rub his nose,” Libby explained.

  Alaina cautiously stroked Nikko and he nickered. The other horses stretched their heads over the stall doors, tossing them as if to say, I want some of that. All except one. At the end of the barn there was a dark brown horse who seemed totally disinterested. Alaina had noticed him before. While the other horses clearly enjoyed each other’s company in the paddock, he kept apart from them. Apparently Gideon had even built a special covered area where he could drowse on hot days, because he refused to join his paddock mates in the shade of the trees.

  “Stay with Nikko while I take the others outside and put hay in their feed trough,” Libby said, tying the end of Nikko’s lead rope to a post.

  Nikko didn’t strain on his halter when the other animals walked out past him. He seemed nice...as nice as the horse that had thrown her when she was a kid.

  Ironically she hadn’t gotten hurt because of something the animal had done. Rather, the saddle band had been too loose and the saddle had slid to his underbelly, taking her with it. After months of begging her parents to arrange riding lessons, a freak accident had put an end to them on the very first day.

  But as she’d told Gideon, she’d found ways to exert her independence, ones that might have turned her mother and father prematurely old if they’d known.

  “You’re grinning, what’s so funny?” Libby asked when she returned.

  “Nothing important. The last horse you took out seems sad. Do horses get moody?”

  Libby sighed. “That’s Grizzly. We think Griz is still grieving for my great-grandfather. You’re welcome to try making friends with him. Carrots are his favorite treat. Gideon buys them in bulk for the horses. There’s a supply over by the shelf.”

  Alaina promised to think about it.

  She wanted to get more comfortable around the large animals, and the process might be easier with one who wasn’t as sociable as the others. It was one thing when a cat demanded attention, another when a thousand-pound horse did it.

  The funny thing was, she hadn’t been bothered when the moose tried to stick its head in her SUV, and he’d been even bigger than Nikko. The only thing she’d worried about was getting down on the ground where he could step on her foot.

  Alaina wiggled her toes inside her boots; she liked them the way they were. Getting them crunched would put a serious damper on her plans to hike all over the area, whether a moose or a horse was responsible.

  “Um, should I get different boots for riding?” she asked.

  “Riding boots are best.” Libby came over and measured her feet against Alaina’s. “You know, I have several pairs over at the house from when I used to stay with Grandpa Colby every summer. They’re too small for me now, so they might fit. You’re welcome to them.”

  Alaina was touched. “That’s nice of you.”

  Libby smiled. “No problem. Let Gideon think they’re yours. He’ll assume you have loads of riding experience.”

  “Okay,” Alaina agreed, though she wasn’t sure how wise it was to keep too many secrets from Gideon. He was smart enough to know when he was being misled.

  “This is the tack room,” Libby explained, taking her into a separate area at one end of the barn. “Most of the riding gear is stored in here.”

  Alaina blinked. There were quite a number of saddles sitting on racks. Curious, she went over and looked at the embossed leather on several of them. Best All Around Cowboy was tooled on the leather flaps, followed by Shelton Rodeo and a year.

  “Did Gideon win all of these?” she asked.

  “Yup. Our hometown holds an annual rodeo and Gideon usually won top honors before moving down here. And he won at other Montana rodeos, too.”

  “They seem like nice saddles.”

  Libby nodded. “The ranch association donates them up in Shelton. The rodeo used to be pretty small, then a rodeo champion married one of my cousins two years ago. He bought a ranch in Shelton County and runs a rodeo training school there, so the rodeo has turned into a big deal. It’s good for the town, but I liked it better before.”

  “I’d feel the same way. But who needs this many saddles? They can’t wear out that often.”

  Libby chuckled. “Not if you take care of them, which Gideon does, but he uses a different saddle for each horse. That one is for Nikko.” She gestured to a rack along the wall.

  “That makes sense. I’ve been watching an internet video on how to saddle horses, so is it okay if I try on my own? Then you can tell me how I did and what to fix.”

  “Good idea.”

  * * *

  LIBBY WATCHED AS Alaina put a saddle blanket on Nikko, smoothed it carefully, then lifted the saddle over his back. She was intensely focused and seemed to be counting to herself. Each step was completed meticulously.

  She finally turned around. “How is that? Did I get the girth tight enough?”

  Libby checked everything and smiled her approval. “You did great. You just need practice to get faster. Mom and I are going to the farmers’ market in Bannister this morning, but we can work on it later after I’ve cleaned the stalls. You understand horses, which is a big help.”

  “I’m not a horse person,” Alaina said, shaking her head.

  “I don’t know about that. You kept talking to Nikko and you adjusted the cinches properly.”

  Alaina made a face. “Since you said this was his saddle, I looked for wear marks on the leather straps to figure out where they’re usually buckled.”

  “Smart.”

  Though the open barn door, Libby saw Deke drive in and park near the house. It was the second time he’d been there since they’d talked in town.

  “We have company,” she told Alaina. “Deputy Hewitt. I’ll go out and distract him.”

  “Uh, okay. I’ll unsaddle Nikko and put his tack away.”

  “Thanks.” Libby walked out to the deputy sheriff vehicle. “Hey, Deke.”

  His smile widened. “Good morning. Was that Mrs. Wright I saw in the barn?”

  “I was trying to talk Alaina into riding with me, then I remembered the farmers’ market this morning,” Libby said, hooking his elbow in hers and drawing him toward the porch steps. “She offered to unsaddle my horse when you got here.”

  “I don’t want to disrupt your day. Or hers.”

  Or hers?

  “If you’d prefer, I could ask her to come out and take care of Nikko myself,” Libby suggested, trying not to feel miffed. She didn’t suffer from a lack of confidence about her appearance, but she was honest enough to know that Alaina had her beat when it came to sheer looks. Worse, Alaina didn’t even seem aware of her otherworldly beauty. It would be irritating, but how could you resent someone who was so nice?

  “No need. I presume everything is turning out okay with Mrs. Wright’s stay at the Double Branch.”

  “Mom and I have to keep telling
Gideon to give her a chance, but other than that, it’s fine.”

  Deke hiked an eyebrow. “Give her a chance?”

  Libby shrugged, guiltily pleased that he hadn’t shown any interest in seeing Alaina.

  “Gideon is a worrywart. He’s fussed about whether she can cope on her own and that sooner or later he’ll have to send a rescue party out for her,” Libby explained. “But Alaina returned last night from a two-day camping trip and didn’t mention having any trouble. I’m sure he’ll be more relaxed about it after he’s shown her around the area.”

  * * *

  DEKE NODDED.

  On his last visit to the Double Branch, Gideon had explained about the upcoming tours he’d be conducting, though not how they had come about. With another friend Deke might have teased that he was making moves on Alaina by offering to be her guide, but teasing Gideon about women wasn’t a good idea.

  “Maybe he has a good reason to be concerned,” Deke suggested, though he didn’t want to discuss a virtual stranger. While Alaina Wright seemed nice enough, it was Libby that he wanted to know better. “We’ve teamed up several times to search for missing day hikers and backpackers.”

  She shook her head. “I think it’s something else, but you never know with Gideon. He changed after moving to Bannister.”

  “It was probably his divorce. But he’s a private guy and I doubt he’d appreciate being talked about.”

  Libby gave him a long considering look and Deke wished he understood what was going on behind her sparkling blue eyes. The women he usually found attractive didn’t have Libby’s intensity. Whether that was good or bad, he hadn’t figured out.

  “So, why are you here?” she asked, tipping her head in challenge.