A Texas Holiday Reunion

by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

  “When will you tell her about Juan?”

  “After Maryann and Duncan leave.” Dad lowered his voice even more. “If they find out, they’ll cancel their cruise. I’m just glad you can stay and fill in for him. She’ll have a lot on her plate.”

  Given a choice, she’d probably take letting one of her inexperienced hands attempt to run the ranch. Do without a foreman rather than work with him. But during this forced nearness between them, maybe keeping her ranch running smoothly would in some small measure make up for the way he’d hurt her six years ago.

  Colson just needed to bide his time here, get his head and heart together. Once this gig was over, he could go back to Kingsville. Back where nothing mattered but Cheyenne.

  * * *

  “None of your usual antics.” Dad jabbed a finger at Emmett.

  Resa loved her brother, but he was so transparent. He’d never step foot in the office or ranch during their absence.

  “Who, me?” Emmett raised his hands in surrender, his playful smile oozing charm.

  Bringing Emmett home to help had been Mom’s idea. She hoped these three weeks would give him stability, teach him responsibility. But Resa didn’t see it happening. The doubt reflected in Dad’s eyes said he didn’t, either.

  “You’re here to lend a hand. Not to flirt. Be a help to your sister, not a hindrance.”

  “We’ll be fine.” She gave each of her parents a reassuring hug. “Don’t worry, have fun, and get out of here or you’ll get held up at the airport and miss your flight.”

  “Are you certain you’ll be all right? I hate for you to be alone through the Christmas rush.” Mom twirled a strand of Resa’s hair between her fingers. “We should have stopped taking orders months ago to cut your workload while we’re gone.”

  “I’m fine. It’s only a few weeks. Juan can handle the ranch, Mac’s got the store. Emmett’s here to help and y’all will be back in time for Christmas.” She tried to sound convincing, and plastered on a smile. “You’ve looked forward to this trip your entire marriage.” She picked up a suitcase, handed it to Dad. “Now go.”

  “You’re right.” Dad kissed the top of her head. “You’ve got this, with or without Emmett.”

  “Hey.” Emmett glowered. “I came when you called, didn’t I? Don’t I get credit for that?”

  “I’ll get a full report when we return.” Dad frowned. “No trifling with our employees. It’s against company policy.”

  “If you trust me so little, why did you call me?” The hurt in Emmett’s tone was backed up by his wounded gaze.

  But Dad didn’t soften. “Here’s your chance to show me what you got.”

  “Stop worrying.” Mom clucked her tongue. “Emmett’s not a kid anymore. He’ll be fine.” She checked her watch. “We really should be going.”

  Another round of hugs and Resa managed to hold the tears threatening to spill.

  “Your mother made me promise not to check in,” Dad whispered. “But you’ll call if anything goes wrong?”

  “I will. But it won’t.”

  Mom tugged him out the door.

  “You’re not coming back, are you?” Resa murmured to Emmett, just loud enough for him to hear.

  “Of course not. You don’t need me hanging around. You got this.”

  True. But just once, it would be nice to be able to count on her brother.

  “I’ll be back for the Christmas open house this weekend, and then the night before their return.” Emmett followed them out, stashed their suitcases in the trunk of his Ferrari and helped Mom into the back seat.

  Standing on the porch, Resa waved until they rounded a curve on the wooded property and were out of sight.

  Guests began to disperse and she thanked each one for coming.

  As soon as the last one exited, she crossed the lobby to help Landry, her friend and owner of the dude ranch, clean up.

  “Resa, we need to talk.”

  Mac.

  She turned around to face him. There was Colson by his dad’s side.

  “It’s business.” Mac gestured to the paneled door by the check-in counter. “Your friend said we could use the office.”

  “Sure.” Why include Colson? He hadn’t been involved with the stores in six years. Resisting the urge to suck in a big breath, Resa crossed the foyer. Inside, Juan, the ranch foreman, waited in a nailhead wingback chair.

  Mac settled on the leather sofa, with Colson flanking Juan in a matching chair.

  “There you are.” The slight Mexican man straightened his left leg out in front of him. He’d always been kind and treated her with fatherly care. But today, his smile was jittery.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Have a seat.” Mac gestured to the sofa.

  Nerves pinging—from Colson’s presence and Juan’s tone—Resa perched on the edge. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

  “Just tell me.”

  “As you know, I saw my doctor Friday.” Apology was thick in Juan’s voice. “He wants to do a knee replacement.”

  Her jaw dropped. Please not until after Christmas. Not now. She couldn’t deal with not having a foreman. Not until Dad was here to fix it.

  Stop being selfish. Focus on Juan. “Rest assured, I’ll take care of anything your insurance doesn’t cover.”

  “I appreciate that, Miss Resa. It’s terrible timing. I wanted to tell you, but I knew if your folks knew, they’d cancel their trip.”

  And they would have. It was just like Juan to know that. To worry about it.

  “You just do what you need to do. When is the surgery scheduled?” Her ranch hung on his response.

  “My doctor had a cancellation, so he can get me in Thursday. Or I wait for three months.”

  Breath clogged in her chest. As in four days away. “I know how much pain you’ve been in. I don’t want you to put this off.”

  “I need to go on leave as of now. Doc wants me to take six weeks afterward. I’m so sorry, Miss Resa.”

  For a total of seven weeks, starting now. And what if the surgery wasn’t a success? What then?

  But she tried not to let her distress show. “We’ll figure it out.”

  “I took the liberty of doing that for you.” Juan turned to Colson. “I called Mr. Mac when I got the news.”

  And that had what to do with Colson?

  “Colson has agreed to fill Juan’s spot until your folks return. And if needed, until Juan can come back.” Mac’s tone was confident. As if all her worries were taken care of.

  Colson. In Bandera. At her ranch. For three weeks. Maybe more. Her heart took a nosedive.

  This could not be happening. She couldn’t let it.

  Chapter Two

  Resa’s mouth opened, clamped shut, opened again. “But what about your job?”

  Colson was certain her anxiety came from being stuck with him for the foreseeable future.

  “I’m on leave.” He tried for a reassuring tone. “King’s Ranch can handle my absence.” But could she handle his presence?

  Curiosity sparkled in her eyes, her question clear—why was he on leave? “There’s no need for you to come here.” The muscles in her throat worked overtime. “Don’t we have a hand who can take care of things, Juan?”

  “They’re not ready, and we need to move fast while prices are down and invest in more cattle. I planned to make the trip to Fredericksburg next week. We need someone who knows good stock when he sees it.”

  “The timing is perfect, with Colson’s experience as a foreman at the largest ranch in Texas for the last two years. And he’s available.” His dad focused on Resa, probably pondering her panic.

  “Are you on medical leave?” Her gaze bounced back to Colson’s. “Because if that’s the case, we can’t put you to wo
rk here.”

  “No. Nothing like that.” The horse Felicity had died riding flashed through his mind. The one he’d supposedly broken. After the incident, memories of her death had caused him to be constantly distracted and that inattention had almost cost a ranch hand his life when Colson had underestimated a longhorn. “My boss thought I needed some personal time.” To get his head and heart together.

  “Oh.” Compassion was mirrored in the blue depths of her eyes. Clearly, she thought he was still grieving Felicity. More like wallowing in guilt.

  “But where will you stay?”

  “Since Mac and his wife, Annette, will be house-sitting while your folks are gone—” Juan stretched his leg, as if he couldn’t get comfortable “—Colson could stay with them.”

  Resa’s eyes went wide, empathy obviously forgotten.

  “I can get a room here at the dude ranch if you prefer.”

  “Nonsense.” Juan flexed his knee. “There’s plenty of room at the big house.”

  “Good thinking.” Dad tapped his chin. “Colson can help keep an eye on the place while I’m at the store.”

  “But I don’t need anyone to keep an eye on things,” Resa fisted her hands.

  “I won’t bother you or disturb your space.” It was the least he could do. Watch out for her.

  “All right. I guess.” Uncertainty hung in her words. “But once my parents return, Dad can handle the ranch while I see to the store. Can you stay and continue in the workshop until Juan’s return, Mac?”

  “Whatever you need me to do.”

  “Good.” She focused on Colson. “You’re only here for the next three weeks then.”

  “Give or take a few days.” The muscle in his jaw flexed. Obviously she didn’t want him here any longer than he had to be.

  “I need to go help take down decorations.” She stood.

  His dad rose to his feet, as did Juan and Colson.

  “You go home and rest that knee.” Resa pointed at Juan. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

  “Yes, Miss Resa.” He bobbed his head and hobbled out of the room.

  “I’m so glad you’re here, Mac.” Resa hugged the older man. She was so at ease with everyone—except Colson.

  “If anything goes awry while your folks are gone, we’ll figure it out together,” his dad said.

  “I’ll take you up on that.”

  He gave Colson a warm hug next, with lots of back clapping. “You be a blessing here, son.”

  “I will.” At least he’d try. If Resa would let him. “I’ll walk out with you.”

  “I remember where I parked. Help Resa with cleanup.” Dad exited.

  Resa shot from the room as if bloodhounds tailed her.

  Colson followed her to the great room. All the chairs, pillars and candles were gone. Boxes full of red roses and ribbons lined the area.

  There was a steady buzz of a vacuum, which Resa manhandled from another woman, taking over the chore.

  “Can you help me move the furniture back in?” A familiar-looking man gestured toward a side room.

  “Sure.”

  “Great. Follow me.” He stopped after a few paces, turned and offered his hand. “Sorry. Chase Donovan.”

  “As in Chasing Eden Dude Ranch. I remember you and your sister from high school. You were older than me and your sister was younger. Is she still around these parts, too?”

  His mouth tipped down. “Eden died a year and a half ago.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  “You’re Colson Kincaid, right? Your dad’s a business partner of the McCalls?”

  “Right. I’m filling in as ranch foreman while Juan has knee surgery.”

  “Nice. Need a place to stay?”

  “I’m staying at the McCalls’.”

  The man’s eyebrow lifted.

  “Not with Resa. At her folks’ house. My dad and stepmom are house-sitting while they’re gone.”

  He noticed Chase visibly relax at that explanation. “You’ll have to forgive me. Resa and Eden were friends, so I’m a bit protective of her. Good to know she won’t be rambling around alone over there. Your dad’s a stand-up guy.”

  “Is Emmett not staying?” Colson held his breath.

  “Headed back to Dallas as we speak.”

  He let out a lungful of air. If Emmett had stayed, there would’ve been no way Colson could have.

  “I’m not sure why her mom thought he’d stay. But I guess moms only see the good in their children.”

  Not his mom. She hadn’t seen anything in him worth staying for.

  Colson surveyed the feminine room stuffed with wall-to-wall furnishings. “What needs to be moved?”

  “Everything frilly stays. My grandmother decorated this room. And my wife insists it stay this way. Grandpa did the rest. Everything rustic goes back into the great room.”

  “So which lady is your wife?”

  “The strawberry blonde in the green dress is Landry.”

  “Did she go to our school?”

  “No, but she, Eden and Resa were college friends. Not from around here. Didn’t you get married?”

  “To Felicity Birmingham. But she...” Guilt jabbed him in the gut, the way it always did when he was forced to talk about her.

  “That’s right. Sorry to hear it.” Chase lifted one end of the sofa as Colson grabbed the other and backed into the great room.

  Leaving Colson to ponder what Chase had heard about Felicity’s death, exactly.

  They deposited the bulky cowhide piece against one wall and Landry directed them on placement. Chase’s smile turned sappy at his wife’s nearness.

  Oh, brother. How long would their bliss last?

  A dozen more trips and the great room was put back together.

  “Thanks for all your help.” Landry flashed him a grin.

  “No problem.” Colson glanced at Resa. “If we’re done here, I’ll head to the house.”

  She ignored him.

  “Um, I’m not sure if that’s where Dad went.” And Annette had mentioned taking Cheyenne out for ice cream. “I might need a key.”

  “Oh, of course.” Resa grabbed her purse from a small closet, dug around in it and handed him the key.

  Their fingers grazed. His pulse kicked up a notch. And just for a moment, he wished she’d look at him the way Landry did Chase. But Colson had ruined that possibility six years ago and he didn’t need to fix it, because women couldn’t be trusted. Even if a few stuck around, it wasn’t worth taking the chance. Especially with his daughter in the equation.

  For the next three weeks, he had to help Resa with the ranch. Buy livestock, stay on top of upkeep and make sure everything ran smoothly. But that was all. He couldn’t let himself get involved with her on a personal level. His heart was reserved for Cheyenne. And after what he’d done to Felicity, he had no right to anything more.

  * * *

  As the door shut behind Colson, Resa relaxed.

  “Do tell.” Landry was on to her.

  Resa shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “You might as well spill.” Devree sealed the last box of silk flowers with a screech from the strapping tape dispenser. “My sister won’t leave you alone until you do.”

  “She’s right.” Chase pecked his wife on the cheek. “I’m off to do something manly to make up for all this wedding fluff.”

  “You know you love it.” Landry shot him a wink.

  “No. But I love you.” He blew her a kiss and exited.

  Maybe Landry would go all to mush and forget about Colson.

  “So?”

  Wishful thinking. “His dad is my parents’ business partner. We went to school together. He was a year ahead of me.”

  “I
s he the friend you mentioned once?”

  Why did Landry have to have such a good memory? “We were friends once.”

  “More than friends?”

  “I thought we were. But it turned out he wasn’t who I thought he was.”

  “Really? He seemed so nice.”

  “Yeah. I thought so, too. But I learned my lesson.” After he left third-degree burns on her heart.

  “Hmm.” Landry huffed. “I take it back. I don’t like him at all. But you’ll have to tell me why I don’t like him someday.”

  “Trust me. Not everyone is destined for happily-ever-after.” Devree rolled her eyes.

  “Says the hardened wedding planner.” Landry tsked as if there was no hope for her sister.

  “I can’t change the facts.” Devree dragged the tape across a box of twinkle lights with another screech. “I bet out of all the weddings I’ve done, only a dozen couples, maybe less, are still married.”

  “That doesn’t mean you should give up.”

  “It means why bother?” Resa held her hand up for a high five and Devree slapped it.

  “Well, while you two spend your lonely evening bemoaning the state of happily-ever-afters, I have a wonderful husband to cuddle up to.” Landry smirked.

  The very thing Resa had once dreamed of. But her dream had died. A slow, painful, tormented death. And now she was stuck with Mr. Dream Killer himself.

  “That’s it.” Landry stashed the last of the boxes in the closet.

  “The ceremony was perfect and I never could have done it without you, Devree.” Resa hugged Landry, then crossed the foyer. “I’ll see you soon.”

  The waning sun greeted her as she stepped outside. She was bone tired. The chore of keeping this day secret for months, while contacting her parents’ friends and relatives without letting Mom find out, had been daunting.

  For the next three weeks, she’d have her hands full overseeing the store and the ranch, plus her designs. Dealing with Colson only added to her chores. If someone had told her this morning that she’d spend half her day with him and end up with him as a neighbor at home and work, she’d have laughed. And possibly cried.

  Surely once Dad returned, he’d agree to cut Colson loose and let Mac stay until Juan could come back. Maybe she’d move her work to the store in the meantime.