Chadwick Ranch, Book 1: Winter Holiday Romance

by Bonnie Marlewski-Probert

  Mary laughed heartily as she pushed a tray overflowing with beautifully-decorated Christmas cookies towards him as he sat on a barstool at the counter, “Dig in. By the way, Buck will come around. In his usual gruff cowboy way, Buck has been complaining about my decorations since I got started. He even yelled at Bear for going with me to pick out the tree. But I know he'll come around. He may never say so, but I can see it in his face when he comes in at the end of a hard day that he appreciates how the house is filled with Christmas spirit.”

  “You sound pretty confident that he's going to come around.” Carter studied her as she made them each a hot cocoa with marshmallows on top and inserted a peppermint stick for stirring.

  Mary pulled up a stool on the other side of the bar so they could share the tray of Christmas cookies as they chatted. “I've lost a lot in this lifetime already, and what I learned from those losses is that the person with the most tenacity always wins. You pick a goal, you stick to the goal no matter what happens and you'll always win.”

  “So, what's your goal?” Carter asked with sincere curiosity.

  “I have a lot of goals, but the one that is specific to the Chadwick brothers is that I want you all here under the same roof on Christmas morning. I want you all to remember how much love is built into the walls of this house. I want you all to remember that the most important people in your life, the people you can always count on no matter what, are your brothers. You don't have to like them, you just have to know that no matter what happens, they'll always have your back. That's my goal and I’m warning you now that you fancy lawyers in New York City and your three idiot brothers can't hold a candle to the level of my tenacity, when I set my mind to something.”

  “You're a very special woman Mary. I only hope that someday I'm fortunate enough to meet a woman as good as you who would have me.”

  “You'll find her, and when you do, she'll see what a good man you are. And if she’s too blind to see that, let me know and I'll straighten her out. Now, Adam is supposed to arrive tonight, and since Buck is already here, the only stray from the Chadwick herd is Billy. If we can drag him out of the Silver Dollar in time for Christmas Eve, I’ll make a wonderful dinner for the Chadwick brothers and your guests.”

  “How do you know Adam is coming tonight?”

  “I called him and asked that he be here today. I told him that your packages had already arrived and that you were expected to be here on the twenty-third, and that it would be really special if he could be here in time for Christmas too. Since he’s not dating anyone on the East Coast and he has no family there, he said he was originally planning on just going to faculty cocktail parties, but I promised him that Christmas at the Chadwick Ranch would be much better. So he agreed to come tonight.”

  Again, Carter was staring at Mary with newfound respect, his smile stretching from ear-to-ear. “Is there anything Mary Ferris can't make happen?” Her eyes locked on his for a moment and he could see the light in her eyes change suddenly to sadness.

  “There are just a couple of things I can't make happen. I wish I could take away Beau’s sadness. I wish I could somehow have back the happy little boy that was there before his daddy died. Those are the big things that I'm still working on. So you see, making Christmas special for the Chadwick brothers is a cakewalk in comparison.”

  “I'm so sorry. You're the last person who deserves to carry that kind of burden and sorrow. It's not fair. If there’s anything I can do to help, just name it. As far as I'm concerned you’re family, and I'll have your back. And I know my brothers will always have your back,” Carter got up from his barstool and walked around the bar to hug Mary. Just then Buck entered the kitchen.

  “Are you trying to romance our housekeeper?” Buck asked bluntly.

  “I'm giving it my best shot, but it doesn't look like it's ever going to work,” Carter said, chuckling. Mary joined him with a good laugh. “It's good to see you Buck, how are things on the ranch?”

  “Were heading into calving season so things are getting pretty hectic around here. I hope you're ready to work,” Buck warned, trying his best to be stern, but both he and Mary could see that Buck was glad to see Carter.

  “Thanks for the warm welcome, brother. There's a couple of things I need to talk to you about before Adam or Billy get here. Can we go for a walk?”

  “Let's go,” Buck said, grabbing a couple of Christmas cookies from the tray before turning to leave the kitchen.

  “Mary, thanks for everything,” Carter said sincerely.

  “It was nothing.” She smiled as the two brothers exited the kitchen, grabbing their jackets before heading out the front door.

  “I just had a conversation with Mary. The holidays are especially hard for her since she lost her husband. She said she's making the Chadwick brothers a special Christmas Eve dinner. I want to talk to you about inviting Mary and her son to join us for dinner and again for Christmas morning, if you're okay with that.”

  “Bear and Wynona are coming to Christmas Eve dinner along with Crystal. Having Mary and her son there would be okay with me. Mary's never said anything to me about the holidays being hard on her,” Buck replied with concern in his eyes. “I never invited her because I figured she’d had her fill of being on the ranch and would rather be home with Beau.”

  “I don't know if you've noticed this, but you're not the easiest guy to talk to,” Carter remarked as the two headed for the cow barn.

  “I don't want her to be sad. She's a good woman, but she's also a very proud woman. If you think she'd agree to join us for dinner and Christmas morning, I don't have any problem with that. I just can't understand why she never told me how she felt,” Buck said with genuine surprise.

  “I get information out of people for a living so it’s no surprise that she would speak to me,” Carter said and this time it was Buck looking at him with a puzzled look on his face.

  “You’re a soulless, cold-hearted lawyer from New York who doesn’t give a damn about anyone but yourself and you think Mary was more likely to speak to you before me?”

  “The difference, big brother, is that even though I may be a heartless New York lawyer who doesn’t give a damn about anyone but myself, I am capable of listening and for most people, that’s all they need; someone to listen to them. You, on the other hand, are like a conservative, stick-in-the-mud brick wall who won’t listen to anyone about anything. So, my heartless New York lawyer trumps your conservative brick wall attitude any day of the week. Besides, there is the other obvious difference, I’m much better-looking and women find me irresistible.” Carter and Buck both laughed as they entered the cow barn. Bear was working down the aisle.

  “Hey Bear, good to see you and Merry Christmas,” Carter said approaching Bear and shaking his hand.

  “Merry Christmas to you too.”

  “Bear and Wynona are going to be at Christmas Eve dinner at the house tomorrow night,” Buck said.

  “That’s great. Mary tells me it’s going to be quite a feast. How’s Wynona doing?” Carter asked.

  “She’s beautiful and working hard running the Silver Dollar,” Bear said with pride.

  “How long have the two of you been together now?” Carter asked.

  “Nearly twenty years now,” Bear said. Buck watched their interaction with curiosity. He and Bear had worked together, side-by-side, for at least twenty years and they hadn’t exchanged that many words in an entire day. It made him start to wonder if possibly Carter was correct in his explanation as to why people spoke openly with Carter but didn’t do the same with Buck.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing her tomorrow night. How are things going here on the ranch?” Carter asked.

  “We’re heading into calving season in the next few weeks so things are going to be crazy around here. At last count, there were about one hundred first-year heifers calving this season.”

  “Hell! That’s sure to mean a lot of assisted calvings and don’t they always happen in the middle of the nigh
t?” All three men laughed because Carter was right; it seemed that first-year heifers who would ultimately need help calving always held out until the middle of the night and usually picked the coldest, wettest night they could.

  “Let’s hope not!” Buck said. “We used a bull that has a track record for low birth weights, so I’m hoping the calves are small enough to come out easily without any help from us. Once they hit the ground, we can always fatten them up.”

  “I sure hope you’re right, since we’re all going to be on night watch rotations for the next month or more,” Bear said.

  “Well, I’m heading back up to the house. It’s getting cold out here,” Carter said.

  “See you tomorrow night,” Bear said.

  “Will do,” Carter said before leaving the barn.

  It was two hours later when the delivery truck arrived at the Chadwick Ranch. The driver made several trips from his truck to the house, delivering the many packages. “What's all this?” Carter asked as Mary was stacking the packages inside the front door. Buck was helping the driver unload the truck.

  She picked up one of the smaller packages to see the return address and discovered they were all from Adam. “Well, Mr. Fancy New York Lawyer, it looks like you’ve started a trend. Adam sent gifts ahead as well,” Mary said with delight. “I'm so excited to see the Chadwick brothers are getting into the Christmas spirit!”

  “He certainly went all out! Looks like he bought out the store. I can't wait to see what he sent.” As the final packages were delivered to the front door, Buck joined them.

  “One of the boxes has an envelope on the outside of it, why don't you open it and see if he left a note,” Mary suggested.

  Buck removed the envelope from the exterior of the box, opening it only to find a handwritten note from Adam that said, “Please leave everything in its original box until I arrive on the evening of the twenty-third. I want this to be a surprise for everyone.”

  “Well, our college professor has a few tricks up his sleeve,” Carter smiled.

  “Who would've guessed?” Buck said with a small smile. Mary knew that every smile Buck shared was a hard-earned smile and it warmed her heart to see it on his face.

  Chapter 6, Adam at Home

  Friday, December Seventh

  Before Adam left the university to fly to Texas for his father's funeral, he was inundated with well-wishes from fellow professors, administrators, alumni, and his current students. After the will was read and he learned that he would need to stay on the ranch for six months, he flew back to the East Coast and scheduled a meeting with the head of his university.

  “Sir, I received some disquieting news after my father's death and I need to discuss that with you today.”

  “Anything you need Adam, we’ll do our best to accommodate.”

  “I hope you're serious because I have a tremendous request to ask of the University.”

  “I'm listening,” he said cautiously.

  “The codicil my father's will requires that all four brothers live on the family ranch for a period of six months or the entire facility will be donated to a local charity.”

  “I can only imagine that came as a shock to you and your brothers.”

  “That would be the understatement of the century. In order to keep the ranch in the family, I will have to be there by January first, and I won't be able to return home until the end of June. That essentially means that I will not be here to teach through the winter or spring sessions. What I'm hoping is that you can grant me a six-month sabbatical with the understanding that I would return for the fall session next year. I'm hoping this will not jeopardize my tenure.”

  “I'll be frank with you Adam that is a tall order. I’ll need to get approval from the board, but based on your history with us, I’m cautiously confident that they’ll agree. However, I can't promise anything until I speak with them in the next few days. In either event, I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can. Again, I’m sorry for your loss and I hope that we can figure out a way to make this work for you, for your brothers and for your career. May I make a suggestion?”

  “Of course,” Adam replied already relieved that he hadn’t delivered a flat-out ‘no’ to Adam’s request.

  “Since you’re leaving academia for six months and heading into a completely different world, you might consider writing an article or even a book about this journey. It would be good for your career and keeping a journal of the experience could well be something you look back on with great value in the years to come.”

  “I hadn't considered that option, but I appreciate the suggestion. I'll certainly give it some thought.” Adam stood from his chair, extending his hand to the administrator, “Thank you for your understanding and I’ll wait to hear back from you after you have spoken to the board.”

  Adam left the meeting feeling relieved and cautiously optimistic about his future on the East Coast, even after fulfilling his duty to his brothers. As he walked across the campus heading for the parking lot he was greeted by several of his students, extending their condolences for the loss of his father and welcoming him back to the campus. This campus had been his home for several years, and he knew he would miss it while living in Texas. Always the optimist, Adam decided that it was only six months out of his life, which was a small price to pay for the future of he and his three brothers. He committed that he would make it work and be back on campus by the Fourth of July.

  When he returned to his small home, he noted that there was a message waiting for him on his home phone. “Adam, this is Mary Ferris, calling from the ranch. Carter has made arrangements to arrive on December twenty-third, and I'm hoping you can arrive on the same day, so all four Chadwick brothers can celebrate Christmas together for the first time in a very long time. Carter sent gifts ahead for everyone. I've decorated the house so you can all enjoy a real Chadwick Ranch Christmas like you used to have as kids before your mom passed. I put up a giant pine tree and Beau and I have unearthed boxes and boxes of family Christmas decorations. The house looks beautiful and it smells like Christmas and I really want you to be here on the twenty-third if there's any way you can do it. I'm making a big Christmas Eve dinner for the four of you. Even if the four of you spend six months together, this'll be the only Christmas you're guaranteed to spend together if you can make it by the twenty-third. I hope you can. I'm looking forward to seeing you … Bye.”

  Adam leaned against the arm of his couch as he listened to her message again. His first instinct was to delay his arrival for as long as possible but after listening to Mary’s message a couple of times he realized she was right. This would be the only Christmas that the four Chadwick brothers would be guaranteed to spend together. In that moment he vowed to make the most of it. He was also aware that the woman he’d had a crush on since high school had personally asked him to come home for the holidays. Spending more time with Mary was enough incentive for him to decide.

  He had so much to accomplish and so little time to get it all done. The first thing he did was call the airlines to see if he could book a ticket that would get him to the ranch on the 23rd. Once he had his reservation made, he called the ranch to speak with Mary.

  “Chadwick Ranch, Mary speaking,” she said.

  “Mary, it's good to hear your voice. This is Adam Chadwick calling.”

  “Hi Adam I'm glad you called. Are you going to be able to be here in time for Christmas? Tell me you are!”

  Adam laughed before saying, “you are a hard woman to say no to.”

  “I've been told that more than a couple of times,” she laughed. “So you'll be here on the twenty-third?”

  “Yes, Mary, I'll be there. My flight comes in around noon so I should be there by four in the afternoon.”

  “Do you want me to pick you up at the airport or have one of the ranch hands pick you up?”

  “I don't want to bother anybody. It's a long drive. I'll just pick up a rental car at the airport.”

  “Okay then. I'm so h
appy you're going to be here in time. This is going to be a very special Christmas for the four of you, I'll make sure of it!”

  “Of that, I have no doubt. Has anybody told you recently you are very special woman?”

  “You just did and I thank you. Did you need to speak to Buck?”

  “No, you're the only person I wanted to speak to. I'll see you on the afternoon of the twenty-third,” Adam said.

  “I can't wait. This is going to be such a special Christmas for the four of you. Bye Adam. Safe travels.” Adam heard the phone hang up on the other side.

  Now that he had his plane reservations made, and he had spoken with Mary, Adam decided he was also going to go do a little Christmas shopping. If the cold-hearted soulless lawyer in the family thought to do Christmas shopping for his brothers, I can certainly do the same, he decided.

  After spending an entire afternoon browsing in the shops in town, Adam was getting more and more excited about spending the holidays on the ranch. He knew that he still had details to sort out concerning his house, furniture, mail and responsibilities at the university but making sure that he honored Mary's efforts to make this Christmas special for him and his brothers was his top priority.

  Chapter 7, Adam Arrives at the Ranch

  Sunday, December Twenty-Third

  At 4:30 in the afternoon of the 23rd, Adam Chadwick arrived at the ranch. It was a typical cold, gloomy, wet, Texas December day and he couldn't have been more thrilled. As he exited his rental car pulling his large suitcase from the back seat, he noted that Mary was eagerly waiting for him at the front door.

  “Welcome home,” she said sincerely, calling out to him from the front door, her arms wrapped around her sweatshirt-covered chest to ward off the damp cold as she stood with her kitchen apron tied around the waist of her blue jeans. “Do you need a hand?”