by Marin Thomas
“You and your aunt Gloria,” he muttered. “Next time, ask for help.”
He wanted to both shake her and kiss her until they forgot her near accident. But that would be as reckless as her solo climb up the ladder. Besides, her nosy cousins were peering out the kitchen window.
He let her go and then scooped the lights from the snowy ground. “I’ll put these up. You hold the ladder.”
Gina didn’t argue.
By the time he finished he was calm again. “Let’s see if they work. Go ahead and turn them on.”
Moments later, twinkling lights outlined the roof of the house.
“They look so pretty,” Gina said. “And to think that I only decided to put them up to get out of the house for a while.”
“Let me take a wild guess—your cousins are getting on your nerves.”
“Ya think? They went at each other nonstop while I put up the tree this morning and I really needed a break. I’ve run out of errands that will get me out of here, and I’ve visited my friends so often that their kids are beginning to think I’m family.”
“Is Gloria feeling any better today?”
“A little. She’s determined to use the crutches despite her sore hand. She’s anxious to go back to her own house, but I can’t see her getting up and down the stairs for a while yet. It sure would be nice to have the house to myself. Between Gloria’s demands and complaints, Sophie’s nonstop chatter and their constant bickering, I’m about to lose my mind.”
Zach could just imagine. He glanced at them through the window, and they smiled and waved.
Gina followed his gaze and frowned. “Did you see that? Gloria just threw us a thumbs-up. I think she’s pleased to see us talking. The way she, Sophie and Uncle Redd keep singing your praises, it’s obvious what they want. Oh, brother.”
“They never have been subtle.”
Even though her cousins were out of hearing range, Gina lowered her voice. “If you can think of anything else to get me out of the house, let me know.”
Zach had some interesting ideas, but what he wanted was off-limits. “Maybe you should talk to your boss about working from here after all, and save your vacation days for something fun.”
She all but recoiled. “I don’t think I’ll do that.”
She didn’t offer an explanation and Zach wasn’t about to press her for one. As curious as he was, how she spent her time here was none of his business.
He shrugged. “If you want, you can give me a hand with some of the chores.” Not that he needed help this time of year.
“Sure. What do you have in mind?”
“Bert just let the horses out to pasture. Their stalls need mucking out, and someone needs to bring them in again and brush and feed them.”
Cleaning stalls was no fun, and he expected her to turn down the offer. Instead she jumped on it. “I used to muck out the stalls for Uncle Lucky. I’ll do it right now.”
“Seriously? You must be desperate.”
She shot a quick look at the kitchen window and winced. “More than you’d ever guess.”
* * *
GINA’S IDENTITY HAD been tied up in her job for so long. Without clients and projects to fill the days, she felt purposeless and restless, like a ship adrift at sea. She was also worried sick about her finances.
Caring for the horses was a godsend. The gentle animals didn’t judge her, and their blatant bids for attention made her laugh and took her out of herself. She’d convinced Zach and the other ranch hands to let her take care of them every day.
Often someone else was in the barn, mending harnesses, oiling saddles or loading the flatbed with hay for the cattle. Zach was always with one or more of his men, and she never saw him alone.
He was friendly but distant, which was safer for Gina. It was better that way. But she missed his warmth and their conversations.
Nine days after Gloria’s accident, on a cold, clear afternoon, Gina was standing on a rung of the wood corral fence, fretting about money and watching the horses frisk about, when Zach joined her.
“Need help bringing in the horses?” he asked, stepping up next to her.
She shook her head. “They’re having such a good time that I decided to leave them out a while longer. They’re fun to watch.”
A few of the animals nickered and started toward Zach. He grinned. “They can be real hams.”
Gina nodded at Lightning. “Do you think he misses Uncle Lucky?”
“Sure he does, but he seems to like you.”
“He likes you more.” The horse all but ignored her in favor of Zach. “They all do.”
“They know I have treats.” He pulled a baggie of sliced apples from his pocket. “Take some.”
Gina placed an apple slice in her palm, held out her arm and clicked her tongue. “Come here, Lightning.” The horse gently took the apple from her and chuffed his thanks.
“Do that every day, and he’ll love you forever,” Zach said.
She didn’t remind him that she wasn’t going to be here forever.
When the apples were gone, he stepped down, his boots crunching on the hard snow. “Let’s bring them in now.”
Gina opened the gate and the horses trotted toward the barn.
Compared to the frigid air outside, the barn felt warm. The smells of hay, horses and leather reminded her of her childhood and filled her with nostalgia for those days. Days she’d gladly left behind years ago—or so she’d thought. Now she actually enjoyed being here.
When had that happened?
Zach helped her brush the horses. While they worked, he seemed at ease, and they talked as they had before the tension between them had become like a wall.
“I need your help,” she said as they hung up the brushes.
“Don’t tell me—you want to string lights around the barn roof.” Zach’s lips twitched, and for the first time in days, she laughed.
“No, but this is about Christmas. There are only nine shopping days left, and I don’t have any idea what to get Redd, Gloria or Sophie.”
“Being here is enough.”
“Besides that. I’d like to give them each something they really want.” Nothing too pricey. Gina really had to watch her spending now. “I’m planning to drive to Elk Ridge tomorrow to go shopping, and I’m open to ideas.” The town had a mall with several decent stores.
Zach didn’t even hesitate. “I know something that doesn’t require driving or shopping. Keep the Lucky A.”
The longer Gina was here, the less she wanted to sell. But with her money troubles, she couldn’t even entertain the thought of holding on to the ranch. She needed the proceeds to pay down her debt. “I’m putting it on the market in January—you know that.”
“Then Elk Ridge, it is. I happen to be heading there in the morning to pick up a part for the tractor. Let’s carpool.”
She could easily take Uncle Lucky’s truck, but the way it guzzled gas... “Okay, but I have no idea what I’m shopping for, and I could be a while.”
“No problem—I need to pick up gifts for my family, too. We’ll leave right after the morning chores and get an early start.”
At the door of the barn, Zach plucked something from the hat he now considered hers. “Straw.”
“Why does that not surprise me? I probably stink like the stalls.”
He leaned in and sniffed. “I smell horse and hay but mostly flowers. I like that perfume.”
“It’s very high-end stuff called eau de shampoo.”
They both smiled. He glanced at her mouth and sobered. Gina recognized that intense look. He was going to kiss her.
Although her mind warned her that that was dangerous, every cell in her body strained toward him.
Zach cupped her face between his roughened hands and
kissed her, and she felt as if she’d finally come home. Grasping his shoulders, she leaned into his solid body.
One kiss wasn’t enough and neither of them pulled away. All the passion and feeling Gina had stuffed down deep inside bubbled up.
Sometime later, breathing hard, Zach rested his forehead against hers. “You don’t taste like horses, either.”
“That’s a relief.”
His silvery eyes shone with feeling. A warm glow started in her heart and spread through her. She wanted Zach, but what she felt was so much more than desire.
She was falling in love with him.
That scared her. She knew what she wanted—a meaningful career, a life free of financial struggle and a man who was as driven to succeed as she was. Zach wasn’t that man.
There was only one solution—to fall out of love with him.
Oh, that wouldn’t be easy. Impossible, as long as she was there and seeing him all the time. She may as well enjoy what time she had left with him. When she got back to Chicago, she’d lick her wounds, find a new job and move on.
She made a show of glancing at her watch. “I better go inside and make sure Gloria and Sophie haven’t murdered each other.”
Zach opened the barn door and gestured her out. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
* * *
ZACH HATED CHRISTMAS shopping and usually did most of it online. But after picking up the tractor part, he decided to join the hordes of frenzied shoppers at the mall. After depositing the gifts he’d bought for the Arnetts in his truck, he sat down in the crowded food court to wait for Gina.
Gina. She was never out of his thoughts. He hadn’t meant to kiss her yesterday, had fully intended to stick to his self-imposed distance. But she’d looked into his eyes with so much feeling and yearning that he hadn’t been able to stop himself.
The passion in her kisses had nearly knocked him to his knees and erased his already shaky resolve to stay away from her. He no longer cared that acting on his desire was dangerous. His every waking thought was of making love with her. Soon.
Spotting her across the way, he waved. A smile bloomed on her face, and she strode toward him.
“Success!” she said, setting her bags down and sliding into a chair across the table.
Her cheeks were pink with excitement and her eyes sparkled.
Drawn into her web of happiness, Zach grinned like a love-struck fool. “I found what I needed, too,” he said. “How about a quick bite before we head back to the ranch? I’m running on empty.”
Gina laughed. “Of course you are.”
While they dined on mall fare, he asked Gina what she got her family.
“Uh-uh.” She shook her head. “You’ll have to wait until Christmas morning. Show me what you got yours.”
“Can’t—I had them sent. I bought a Nerf basketball set for my nephew and a Play-Doh kit for my niece.”
“They’ll love those.”
“That’s what the clerk who sold them to me said.” He shrugged. “They get so much stuff they probably won’t even notice.”
“Of course they will—you’re their uncle. What did you get your dad and stepmom?”
“The usual—a fruit basket. I always get my mother perfume and I give my brother and his wife gourmet chocolate.”
Gina didn’t comment. She didn’t have to—her frown spoke volumes. He shrugged. “Hey, at least they won’t return that stuff.”
“Ah, they must be difficult to please.”
“In every way. My father thinks I’m wasting my life.”
Now why had he told Gina what he hadn’t even shared with Lucky? She angled her head, curious. Ready to rebuff any questions, he sucked in a breath.
She surprised him and said nothing. That was good. Real good, but instead of feeling relieved, he wanted to tell her about the mistake that had changed his life.
Which gave him pause. He didn’t talk about that.
Besides, right now she seemed relaxed and happy, and he didn’t want to ruin her mood. Deep down, he suspected she might side with his family, believing he’d done nothing wrong and that he was out of his mind for giving up his old life. Zach couldn’t handle that kind of condemnation, not from her.
He stacked their plates and stood to carry them to the trash. “It’ll be dark soon. We should head back or your family will start to worry.”
“They won’t worry. They’ll speculate, wondering what we’re doing together.”
Her laughter brought a smile to his face. Once again, he relaxed. By the time he pulled onto the highway, the sun had set.
Gina settled back in her seat. “Thanks for this. I really needed to get away for the day.”
“No problem.”
“Are you going to the Christmas party at the Dawson Ranch Friday night?” she asked.
“I go every year.”
“Good, then you can help with Gloria. She’ll have a fit if she misses it. What’s it like?”
“Noisy and crowded, but fun. Everyone in town is there.”
Neither of them spoke again. The warmth and darkness of the truck felt private and intimate. As Zach steered the truck toward home, he realized that he wasn’t ready to go to the ranch just yet. A few miles from the Lucky A, he pulled into a deserted lot and braked to a stop.
Gina frowned and glanced at the snow-laden, empty fields illuminated by his headlights. “Why are we stopping here?”
Leaving the engine idling and the heat on, Zach leaned across the bucket seats and kissed her the way he’d wanted to all day.
Pulling away, he shrugged out of his coat and climbed over the console to join Gina in her seat. She shed her coat, too. They reclined the seat back as far as it would go and made out like teenage kids, touching each other everywhere and breathing hard.
After a while, dangerously close to losing control, he pulled back. “I want to make love with you, Gina, but when I do, it will be in a bed, not here in the truck.”
“We could go to the house, but Sophie and Gloria are there. Let’s go to your place.”
The modest trailer wasn’t the custom-built, five-bedroom home Zach had once owned, but there weren’t any hotels in Saddlers Prairie, and it was the best option. He nodded. “After the party.”
“All right.” She leaned up and kissed him, a kiss filled with passion and promise.
Hard and aching, he returned to the driver’s seat and headed for the Lucky A.
Chapter Seventeen
“Your cell phone is ringing,” Sophie called out from the kitchen, where she and Gloria impatiently waited for Zach to take them to the party at the Dawson Ranch. Uncle Redd had hitched a ride with his next-door neighbor.
On her way downstairs, Gina frowned and hurried into the living room, where she’d left the phone. She knew at a glance that it was a from the credit-card company, reminding her that she was over her limit and late on a payment.
A payment she couldn’t afford to make until her paycheck came in next week. After that check, she had one more coming, plus her vacation pay. What would she do then?
Flooded with shame, she silenced the call and stuffed the phone into her purse.
“Who was that?” Gloria asked.
“Sales call.”
“Six days before Christmas? You’d think those people would give it a rest. You look very festive in that red sweater, by the way.”
“Thanks.” She hadn’t brought any Christmassy outfits with her and would have liked to buy herself something new for tonight. But with her money situation, that was out.
“Your hair is pretty, too. I’ve never seen it swept up that way. Zach will like that.” Sophie gave her a knowing look.
In the three days since the trip to Elk Ridge, her family had doubled the sly looks and bold comment
s without the slightest encouragement from Gina or Zach. She’d barely mentioned Zach’s name, and he hadn’t stopped by the house.
But she thought constantly of him and what they would do together at his trailer later tonight. She was playing with fire but couldn’t make herself stop.
Zach knocked at the door, and she let him in. His appreciative gaze flitted over her sweater and pleated skirt. “I like that outfit.”
Her heart rate bumped a few notches. “Thank you.” She took in the dark green sweater that lovingly hugged his broad shoulders and the black dress pants that emphasized his flat belly and narrow hips. “I like what you’re wearing, too. Green is nice and festive.”
His eyes warmed, filled with promise for the night ahead. “Red and green—you two look like a matched set,” Gloria quipped. “You can admire each other more later. Let’s get to that party.”
Zach turned his attention to her cousins. “You both look beautiful. Let’s go.”
He helped everyone into their coats. When he reached for Gloria’s arm, she sniffed. “Now that my hand is better, I’ve gotten pretty good with these crutches. I can do this myself.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Zach held up his hands and stepped back, far enough to give her space but close enough to catch her if she slipped. “After you.”
Tonight he was driving one of the ranch Jeeps, which was roomier than his truck. Gloria sat up front so that she could stretch out her leg, and Gina and Sophie sat in the back.
Over the past few weeks, Gina had been at the Dawsons’ house a few times for evening get-togethers with Jenny, Meg and other friends. She loved everything about the family home, which was generations old and spacious enough for the Dawson brothers and their families, yet warm and comfortable.
Gina hadn’t seen the tree, though. Standing in a corner in the great room, it had to be eight feet tall and was bright with lights and ornaments. Men, women and children filled every room on the main floor with conversation and laughter.
Gina helped Gloria sit down and made sure she had food and drink. Then she filled a plate for herself, taking it with her while she greeted friends.