A Season to Celebrate

by Fern Michaels

  “Kitchen’s fine with me. It’s my natural habitat.”

  He walked her through to the kitchen and pulled out a chair for her. “I’ll be back in a minute; make yourself at home. Ruth’s out looking at the pigs with Roy. I’ve never met a ranch foreman who loves his pigs more than his horses before.”

  When he returned, Bella was sitting at the kitchen table rummaging in her large purse. She looked up as he entered and took out her phone.

  He smiled at her. “I’m all clean now so we can shake hands.”

  “No kisses today?” she joked.

  “I’m good either way.” He went over to the ancient refrigerator. “Would you like iced tea or something warmer?”

  “Coffee if you have it.” She mock shivered. “It’s getting cold out there.”

  “Yeah, the Sierra passes are closing up and won’t be open until late spring.”

  He poured them both a mug of coffee from the pot, gathered up some cream, and brought everything over to the table.

  “So what can I do for you today?” Billy asked as she stirred cream into her coffee. “Do you need my help in the bar?”

  She made a face. “I’m still shorthanded if that’s what you mean, but I’m not here to offer you a job.” She hesitated. “I didn’t want to say anything the other day until I cleared it with Jay, but he and Erin got married last month.”

  Billy blinked at her. “Really? That’s great, isn’t it?”

  “Well, yes and no, seeing as they did it in Vegas without anyone being present.”

  He registered the hurt behind her smile and instinctively reached over to take her hand. “That’s kind of sucky.”

  She sighed. “I know why they did it like that, and Jay did FaceTime me just before the ceremony so I could kind of be there with them while they said their vows, but it wasn’t the same.”

  “I wouldn’t be very happy if any of my kids did that to me either,” Billy confessed. “I’d be happy for them , and I’d never say a word, but inside? I’d probably feel hurt as well.”

  She squeezed his fingers. “Thanks for understanding. Jay knows I’m hurt, and he’s trying to make it up to me, and I’m trying to tell him it doesn’t matter, because it really doesn’t. . . .”

  “But it does.” Billy nodded. “It’s okay. I get it.”

  “So I thought maybe the best way to get it out in the open was to have a party for them,” Bella continued. “I’d invite Erin’s parents and family, and everyone here, and then we could all enjoy that and move on.”

  Billy stared at her for a long moment. “I think that’s a great idea.”

  “You do?” Her brilliant smile made him catch his breath. “Then that’s what I need to talk to you about. I don’t want to hold it in the bar because Erin’s parents aren’t that kind of people, but I thought they’d love it up here.”

  “When were you thinking about doing this?” Billy asked.

  “In the next couple of weeks?” She stared at him hopefully. “Or do you shut everything down between Christmas and New Year?”

  “We’ll be here, but we’re no longer taking guests over the holidays because it’s too much work.”

  “Oh, then never mind.” She bit her lip. “Maybe I can find another venue.”

  “Don’t do that yet,” Billy suggested. “I’ll talk to Ruth and Chase and see what we can do. How many guests are you planning on inviting?”

  “To stay over? Only Erin’s family. Everyone else is local. I doubt it will be above fifty in total.”

  “So it won’t be that much work,” Billy mused almost to himself. “Gustav, the guest chef, is off to Switzerland for a month, which means I’d have to do the cooking.”

  “We could do that together.” She raised their joined hands, kissed his knuckles, and laughed. “Now I’m getting ahead of myself.”

  “Be my guest,” Billy said. “I’ll talk to Chase and Ruth, and get back to you.”

  Confident that Billy would work something out, Bella gave him her cell phone. “Can you put your number in there for me, please?”

  “Sure. Maria taught me how to text last year, and now there’s no stopping me.” He winked at her. “Who knew teenagers could be so useful?”

  She stood up, and he walked her back to the mudroom so she could collect her boots and fleece.

  “Is it weird having a granddaughter already?” Bella asked impulsively.

  “It was something of a surprise to all of us,” Billy acknowledged. “Blue most of all. He had no idea he’d become a father at such a young age, but once he found out, he did the right thing and stuck by his responsibilities. We all love Maria very much.”

  Bella gazed up at him. In the confines of the mudroom they were very close, and his eyes were very blue. “That’s because you brought him up right.”

  His smile disappeared. “Not me. I wandered off in a drunken haze of grief, remember? Everything Blue became is down to Ruth.”

  She cupped his jaw, amazed at how soft his beard was under her hand. “I think you’re undervaluing yourself here.”

  “Nope, I’m really not.”

  “Yeah, you are.” Her thumb drifted to the corner of his mouth. There was a small scar on his lip. She couldn’t look away from his eyes....

  Behind her someone cleared their throat, and they jumped apart like guilty teenagers.

  “Hey, Dad, I just wanted to run some stock numbers by you, but I can come back later if you’re busy.” Chase Morgan stood there, his interested gaze on his father. “Is everything okay?”

  Bella grabbed her fleece. She wasn’t usually the kind of person who got flustered, but she was definitely blushing. “I was just going. Thanks for the coffee, Billy, and let me know about that other matter. There’s no need to come out with me.”

  “Bella . . .”

  Ignoring Billy’s outstretched hand, she bolted out the back door, ran down the steps, and got into her car. She pressed one hand to her hot cheek as she started the engine, and carefully backed out. She’d wanted to kiss him again. Would have kissed him if Chase Morgan hadn’t interrupted them.

  * * *

  After checking the time, Bella drove back to town and parked up close to the village store. Her best friend, Maureen, who owned and operated the shop, looked up as she came through the door.

  “Hey! I wasn’t expecting to see you until tomorrow at knitting club.”

  Bella glanced around the store, noting there was someone working at the checkout, and turned back to Maureen. “Have you got a minute?”

  “Sure! What’s up?” Maureen walked her through into the private part of the store. “You look kind of flustered.”

  Bella dumped her purse on the table and rushed over to check herself out in the mirror. She scrubbed at both her cheeks.

  “Maybe it’s hormonal? Yes! That’s got to be it! Maybe I’m just all confused right now.”

  “You’re not the only one who’s confused.” Maureen regarded her warily. “What’s going on?”

  Bella collapsed beside her old friend on the couch. “I wanted to kiss Billy Morgan.”

  “So?”

  “That’s all you’ve got?” Bella asked.

  “Well, he’s a good-looking guy, he’s a widower, and his son is a multimillionaire. What’s not to like?”

  “But I’m not looking for a man!” Bella said. “I’ve never wanted to kiss someone like that before.”

  “Not even your husband?” Maureen looked mildly curious now.

  “Of course I wanted to kiss him , but this is different!”

  “Why?” Maureen shrugged. “He’s a man, you’re a woman. It’s only natural.”

  “Not for me,” Bella said fervently. “What am I going to do?”

  Maureen just looked at her as if she was nuts, but maybe she was nuts. “It seems you have two choices here.”

  “Okay.”

  “You can kiss Billy Morgan, or you can not kiss him.”

  “That’s not really helping, Maureen,” Bella growled. �
�He’s my friend, he lives here, and I can’t spend the rest of my life avoiding him if everything goes wrong.”

  Maureen shrugged. “Then don’t avoid him.”

  “But what if I want to kiss him again ?”

  “You think you’ll want to do that?”

  “Yes.” Bella nodded.

  “Then maybe you should listen to your gut and kiss him until you no longer want to kiss him, and have fun with it.”

  “Fun?” Bella practically levitated off the couch. Sometimes she could see where Nancy, Maureen’s daughter, got her outspokenness from. “I don’t do fun, and you know it. I was always the sensible one while you and Beth Miller were being crazy. I drove you home, let you crash at my house, mopped up your tears.”

  Maureen grinned at her. “So maybe this is your time to cut loose and be the wild and crazy one?”

  “I’m over fifty!” Bella protested.

  “And so is Billy, which means it’s all quite legal,” Maureen pointed out.

  Bella sank back on the couch. “He might not want to be kissed either.”

  “Oh, come off it. You know when a man wants to kiss you. Did he run away screaming?”

  “No, he seemed quite interested in the idea.”

  Maureen patted her shoulder. “Look, I have to get back, but how about you talk it through with Billy? You know that thing we always tell our kids to do when they’re having issues with a relationship?”

  “Won’t he think that’s terribly presumptuous?” Bella asked.

  “Honey, you’re over fifty. Half your life has already been lived, and time is rapidly running out. How about you forget about your manners, and just have an honest conversation with the guy?”

  Bella rose from the couch and collected her purse. “I suppose you’ve got a point, but reminding me of my mortality seems a bit heavy handed.”

  “Maybe it’s the only way to get through to you.” Maureen poked her in the ribs. “Now, get along with you, and make sure you call and tell me all the filthy details if you do get it on with that fine figure of a man.”

  * * *

  “Glad you’re okay with what I’m suggesting.” Chase closed his laptop and smiled at Billy. “I’m great with company stocks, but not so good with the bovine version.”

  Billy shrugged. “You could’ve asked Roy or Ruth. They are way more knowledgeable than I am.”

  “But it’s your ranch,” Chase pointed out.

  “You know how I feel about that, son. Sure, it’s legally in my name, but Ruth is the heart of this place, and then it’ll be handed down to you guys.”

  Chase frowned. “You underestimate yourself. You grew up here, you’re a Morgan, and the land is in your blood.”

  “And I betrayed and almost destroyed that legacy,” Billy reminded his son. “I left Ruth bringing up my kids, and walked away.”

  “But you came back. That took some guts.”

  “Yeah.” Billy smiled at Chase. “It did. I wasn’t sure if you’d let me stay.”

  He remembered those first few weeks when his two oldest sons had viewed him with suspicion in Chase’s case, and outright hostility in Blue’s. He’d deserved it, but it had still been hard. The moment he’d stepped foot back on the ranch, he’d found his purpose, and his family again. The fact that they’d let him stay meant the world to him.

  “It’s your ranch,” Chase stated again. He wasn’t one to beat around the bush. “Ruth likes to threaten us all with changing her will, but now that you are back, the place, and its future, are in your hands.”

  “And you’re all doing a fantastic job of making sure the ranch survives well into the twenty-first century,” Billy replied, keen to change the subject. “Now, is there anything else you need to talk to me about, or can I ask you something?”

  “I’m done.” Chase checked his cell phone. “What’s up?”

  Billy explained what Bella had suggested, and Chase listened intently.

  “I don’t have a problem with it. Jay’s practically family, but run it by Ruth as well.”

  “I intend to.” Billy nodded and went to rise.

  “So what’s going on with you and Bella?” Chase asked, his gaze still on his cell.

  “Nothing at all, why?” Billy was glad he had a beard because he was fairly certain he was blushing.

  “Didn’t look like nothing,” Chase said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Neither of you even noticed I was there until I practically tapped you on the shoulder.”

  “That’s because I’m old and deaf,” Billy countered.

  “Who’s old and deaf?” Ruth came into the kitchen and stared at Billy and her grandson, one eyebrow raised. “I hope you’re not talking about me.”

  “Never.” Chase traced a cross over his heart. “I was talking about Dad getting up close and personal with Bella Williams in our mudroom.” He stood up, tucked his laptop under his arm, and winked at Billy. “Have a great day!”

  Billy turned to Ruth, who was watching him in some surprise, and tried to look unconcerned.

  “I have no idea what he’s talking about. The mudroom is pretty small, and we were just standing close together.”

  “If Chase noticed something was up, then there must have been something going on,” Ruth observed. “He’s usually oblivious.”

  “We were just talking.” Billy realized he sounded as lame as a teenager now. “She came up here to ask whether we’d be able to host a party to celebrate Jay and Erin getting married.”

  Ruth got herself some coffee and put on her apron. “When is the wedding?”

  “It’s already happened. They got married in Vegas last month. Bella wants to host a celebration party here at our ranch in the next couple of weeks. I explained that we were shut down for guests over Christmas, but I thought I’d sound you and Chase out about the possibility of doing it anyway.”

  “What did Chase say?” Ruth sat down at the table, her blue gaze fixed on Billy’s face.

  Billy shrugged. “He was fine about the idea.”

  “How big is this party going to be?”

  “Just Erin and Jay’s family, and a few locals. You’d only need to offer accommodation if the Hayes family can’t put guests up at the hotel.”

  “Gustav’s on vacation.”

  “So I’ll take over the kitchen.” Billy held Ruth’s gaze. “You won’t have to do a thing.”

  Ruth snorted. “Like I’d ever sit back and let that happen.”

  “You could, you know,” Billy encouraged her.

  “Sit back?” Ruth smiled at him. “And then what? Stay on the couch and watch TV all day? I’ll rest when I’m dead.” She sipped her coffee. “I have no objection to Bella hosting a party for her only son and his bride at our ranch.”

  “Great. I’ll give her a call, and then we can hash out the details.” Billy smiled at his mother. “Thanks so much.”

  “Bella didn’t mention she had been to Vegas for the wedding when I saw her at church last week,” Ruth murmured.

  “That’s because she didn’t know there was going to be a wedding until it was just about to happen,” Billy said. “And then she only got to watch it on a screen.”

  “If anyone in my immediate family did that to me, I wouldn’t be very happy at all,” Ruth observed.

  “Bella was quite upset, but she doesn’t want Jay to know that. It wasn’t about her. From what she said, it had something to do with Erin’s family being overprotective, and wanting to take charge of the arrangements.”

  “So you have been exchanging confidences with Bella Williams after all.” Ruth chuckled. “Chase was right.” She waved a hand at Billy. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to say anything; you’re a grown man who can take care of himself.”

  “Exactly.” Billy blew his mother a kiss. “Not that there is anything for you to worry about anyway.”

  “Get along with you. I’m not worried.” Ruth winked at him. “I’m enjoying the show.”

  Chapter Three

  Bella wiped a hand
across her brow and studied the mountain of plates, pots, pans, and silverware she’d left to pile up while she made sure every diner got fed. She’d originally had one of her servers to help out in the kitchen, but they’d had an unexpected rush of tourists, and she’d had to send him back out front. To make sure she got the food out, she’d decided not to clean up as she went, which was her normal practice.

  The thought of doing it all over again in the evening was almost making her weep.

  A knock at the back door had her spinning around to see Billy Morgan peering through the glass. She let him in and walked back into the kitchen proper as he took in the chaos.

  “Are you okay, Bella?” Billy asked.

  She let out her breath as he came toward her. “Barely.”

  “So I can see.” He took off his thick denim jacket and hung it on the back of the door. “I’ll start loading the dishwasher.”

  With a calm efficiency that startled her, he managed to help her bring order to her kitchen in a remarkably short period. By the time the dishwasher was humming and the pots were put back in their places, she’d regained her composure and they were working happily alongside each other.

  “What do you need to prep for tonight?” Billy asked as he cleaned down her work surfaces.

  She waved a hand at the refrigerator. “Just fruit and veg mainly. The bread’s here, the patties are made, and everything else comes out of the freezer.”

  “So the same as we did the other day?”

  “Yes, exactly,” she said, smiling at him. “But I’m good now, really . Jay will be in soon. He just had to take Erin to pick up her new car in Bridgeport.”

  Billy put his hands on her shoulders. “How about we do this? You go upstairs, get yourself some lunch, and I’ll come find you when Jay gets here?”

  “I’m fine,” Bella immediately protested.

  “Have you eaten anything substantial today?” His blue gaze captured her attention.

  “Not really,” she admitted.

  “Then go and fix yourself something.” He gently rocked her back and forth. “Take half an hour. I promise I won’t ruin your business in that time.”

  Despite her tiredness, he’d made her smile, and she really was feeling a bit wobbly.