Hannah picked up the box of decorations. “It’s not my mind that I’m worried about. It’s my heart. I’ll take these into the living room. Does Pat need anything else?”
“No. This is it.”
She nodded and left the office.
Brett held the handles of his box. By tomorrow afternoon, Hannah would have left the ranch. And he’d just blown his last chance to tell her he loved her.
CHAPTER NINE
On Friday morning, Hannah slid her paint easel into the back of her truck.
“Have you got everything?” Pat asked from behind her.
“I think so. But if you find any stray tubes of paint, you know where they belong.”
Pat wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. Nick will be surprised at the number of paintings we’ve collected.”
“And the quality. Each canvas is lovely, but some of them are amazing.” She rubbed Pat’s arm. “It’s too cold to be out here. You should go inside.”
“Nonsense. These old bones have been through worse winters than this one. Would you like to do one last favor for me?”
“Of course I will. What would you like?’
“Bring Claire out to the ranch on Christmas Day and have lunch with us. Mrs. Bennett will be here, as well as Thomas and Dave’s families. Mary-Beth, Brett’s sister, will enjoy seeing you again, too.”
“I don’t know, Pat. Christmas is a special time. I don’t want to intrude.”
“You wouldn’t be intruding, believe me. At least think about it.”
Hannah nodded. “I’ll call you after I’ve spoken to Claire.”
The front door opened and Brett walked toward them. “Sorry I’m late. We had to mend a fence on the far side of the ranch. Do you need anything else brought outside?”
Hannah shook her head. “No. I’ve got everything.” She looked at Pat and Brett. “Thank you for letting me stay with you. I enjoyed helping you.”
“I wish you would let me pay you,” Pat grumbled.
“Well, that’s one wish that definitely isn’t coming true.” Hannah smiled. “I’d love to know what Nick’s friend says about the painting.”
“I’ll let you know right away,” Pat assured her. He gave her another quick hug. “You’ll have to excuse me. I need to see Mrs. Bennett.”
Brett’s gray eyes didn’t leave her face. “We’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too. Pat invited Claire and me here for Christmas lunch. Are you okay with that?”
“I’d enjoy seeing you.” Brett brushed a strand of hair off her face. “It’s not going to be the same without you here.”
Hannah forced a smile. “It will be a lot quieter.”
Brett’s gaze dropped to her mouth.
She couldn’t kiss him, not again. It messed with her brain and made her wish her life could be different. “I’d better go. I don’t know what this weather is going to do.”
Brett stepped closer and her misbehaving body purred.
“I, um…” Hannah closed her eyes as Brett kissed the side of her mouth. “It’s getting late…”
She felt Brett’s lips curve into a smile. “It’s eleven o’clock in the morning.”
One kiss, a little voice whispered in her head. One kiss, that’s all she needed.
“Hey, boss. Are you going to stand there all morning or help us in the barn?” Thomas revved the four-wheeler he was riding. “Hi, Hannah. Are you coming here for lunch tomorrow?”
She leaned her head against Brett, before moving away. “I’m not sure, yet. I have to check with my sister.”
“My mom and sisters will be here. They’ve never met a real artist before. You could tell them about the paintings in Mr. McConachie’s house.”
Brett straightened. “You haven’t told anyone about the paintings, have you, Thomas?”
“No, sir. Mr. McConachie was plain blunt with us. We’re not to tell anyone.”
“That’s good. Is Dave still in the barn?”
“Yep. He’s waiting for you.”
Hannah touched Brett’s arm. “I’ll go. Good luck with whatever you’re doing in the barn.”
“Thanks. I’ll need every ounce of luck I can find. Drive safely.”
Brett opened the driver’s door and she slid into the cab. With a heavy heart, she started the ignition and left the ranch.
***
Brett didn’t know why, but Christmas morning always felt different than every other morning. He woke to the same radio station blaring the latest weather report to everyone. Henry still crowed like an out-of-control cuckoo clock and Mrs. Bennett would, as usual, be cooking an enormous breakfast.
But this morning was different for an entirely different reason. That old feeling of being unsettled, of knowing something bad was coming had resurfaced. For most of his life, Brett had followed his gut instinct. Today, that instinct was screaming at him to be careful.
Yesterday afternoon, Fletcher Security had installed the first stage in a high-tech security system. The next rollout of features would make it nearly impossible for anyone to enter the house undetected. If Hannah was right about the value of even half of Pat’s paintings, the full security system couldn’t arrive fast enough.
Brett hauled himself out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. After he’d had breakfast and fed the cattle, he would drive Pat into town to see Ida. They’d spend a couple of hours with her before high-tailing it back to the ranch for lunch.
He didn’t need any bad vibes clouding a day that would be busy and stressful.
By the time he walked into the kitchen, Thomas and Dave were already there, devouring bacon and eggs. Anyone looking at the two teenagers would think they hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“Merry Christmas, everyone.”
Mrs. Bennett kissed his cheek. “Merry Christmas, Brett. What would you like to eat?”
He pulled out a chair beside Thomas. “I can get my own breakfast. Sit down and enjoy yours.”
“Don’t be silly,” Mrs. Bennett insisted. “I like looking after you. Besides, you might have more luck than I will at keeping these rascals out of trouble. Dave has already sampled my sweet cherry pies.”
Brett looked at the plate of pies sitting on the counter. The palm-sized, golden-crusted desserts looked delicious. “I don’t know if I’ll be much help. What if I moved them into my office for safekeeping?”
Mrs. Bennett wiggled her spatula at him. “They’re for after we’ve had lunch. What would Hannah think if I told her my boys have eaten her favorite dessert?”
“She’d think she should have stayed here last night,” Thomas said around a mouthful of toast. “That way, she could have hidden them in her studio so that someone didn’t eat any of them.”
“I would have found them,” Dave said confidently. “Mrs. Bennett’s sweet cherry pies are the best I’ve ever tasted.”
“Well,” Mrs. Bennett said as she bustled around the kitchen, “if you keep up with those comments I might just make you some pies to take home.”
“That would be great. My mom and brothers would like that.”
“I’ll have them ready by the time you leave this afternoon.” Mrs. Bennett peered at Brett over the rim of her glasses. “What did you decide to have for breakfast?”
If he didn’t let Mrs. Bennett make his breakfast, she would wave the spatula under his nose and tell him to behave. “I’ll have what the boys are eating, thanks.”
Pat came into the kitchen wearing a red Santa hat and shaking a bell. “Ho-ho-ho. Merry Christmas.”
Thomas grinned. “You look awesome. Merry Christmas, Mr. McConachie.”
“Merry Christmas to you, too, young Thomas. Here’s a little gift to set you up for the day.”
Thomas’ eyes nearly popped out of his head. “For me?”
“Of course it’s for you. And here’s one for Dave, and Brett, and Mrs. Bennett.” Pat ho-ho-hoed his way around the room.
After everyone admired their gifts, Thomas and Dave p
ushed their chairs away from the table.
“Wait here,” Thomas said as he and Dave ran into the living room.
Within a couple of minutes they were back in the kitchen.
“We don’t have a Santa hat,” Dave said. “But we’d like to wish everyone a happy Christmas.”
“And thank you for letting us work at the ranch,” Thomas added. “You didn’t have to do that. We appreciate it a lot.”
They gave everyone a gift. Mrs. Bennett even got a kiss on each of her cheeks.
“Oh, my,” she said. “This is the prettiest perfume bottle I’ve ever seen.”
Thomas beamed with pleasure. “Dave and I decided to buy our gifts together. We found the bottle in an antique store in town. You like pretty things and you always smell nice.”
Mrs. Bennett gave each of them a hug. “Thank you. It’s a lovely gift.”
Thomas and Dave both looked at Pat.
“Well, look at this. It’s just what I’ve always wanted.” He pulled a gel pack out of its wrapper.
Brett had no idea what it was for. “What do you do with it?”
Pat held up what looked like a thick, woolen pillowcase. “You warm your gel pack in the microwave, then slip it into its case.”
Dave showed Brett the pictures on the outside of the box. “Mr. McConachie feels the cold, so we thought this would be perfect inside his tractor.”
“He sits on it,” Thomas said when Brett was still confused.
Pat pulled out a chair and demonstrated its usefulness. “I’ll have the warmest bottom this side of the Rockies.”
“We’ll never get you out of the tractor now,” Mrs. Bennett said with a smile. “You’ll be feeding the cattle before anyone else is awake.”
“I don’t know about that, but it is a wonderful present,” Pat said.
Dave looked at Brett. “You need to open yours now, boss. But be careful. It’s fragile.”
Brett pulled off the Christmas paper and held the small, square box to his ear. “It’s not ticking. Can I shake it?”
“No,” both boys said quickly.
“Open it from the top,” Thomas said.
Brett pulled the sticky tape away from the box and stared at the disc-shaped gift. “Is this what I think it is?”
“You always forget to recharge your phone,” Thomas said. “So we bought you a fancy recharger. All you need to do is lay your phone on top of the disc. The man in the store said they’re great.”
“We took it out of its box so you wouldn’t know what was inside.” Dave handed Brett the original packaging. “It’s got a twelve-month warranty.”
“Thank you. I’ll plug it in and try it after breakfast.”
Mrs. Bennett looked at the disc. “Maybe you should read the instructions first?”
Thomas grinned. “Instructions are for when you get stuck.”
Mrs. Bennett sighed. “Remind me of that when you can’t get it to work.”
“Have faith,” Brett said with a smile. “You have four intelligent males surrounding you. How hard can it be?”
“Harder than you think. Now, you boys need to finish your breakfast. You can open my presents after the dishes are done.”
Brett turned over the disc. “Mine, too. And then we’ll feed the cattle.”
Mrs. Bennett set a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Brett. “The recharger can wait until after breakfast.”
“But it’s Christmas.”
“Makes no difference. You know the rules. No electronic devices at the table.”
Brett left the recharger beside his plate and smiled. “Can I sample one of your pies for doing what I was told?”
Mrs. Bennett grinned. “We’ll see.”
Pat, Thomas, and Dave looked hopeful. If Mrs. Bennett only gave him one pie, he’d have to cut it into quarters.
He blinked as two sweet cherry pies appeared in front of him.
Mrs. Bennett wiped her hands on her apron. “I could see your mind working overtime. Half a pie each and that’s my best offer.”
“Your best offer is perfect,” Brett said. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Bennett.”
She patted his shoulder. “Here’s to a wonderful Christmas for everyone.”
Brett glanced at Pat and hoped his bad feeling about today was wrong.
***
Brett glanced in his rearview mirror. So far, their journey from Ida’s retirement village had been uneventful.
After a lot of discussion, Dave and Thomas had stayed at the ranch with Mrs. Bennett. It was probably the safest place for Dave, but Brett wasn’t happy taking any chances.
“Don’t worry. They’ll be okay,” Pat reassured him.
Brett had called Mrs. Bennett before they’d left Bozeman. Apart from a visit from his neighbor, Nathan Gray, nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
He checked the time on the dashboard. They’d spent longer at the retirement village than planned, but Ida had loved seeing them. It had been hard leaving her in Bozeman, but there was no way they could have cared for her at home. Even the journey back to the ranch would have been difficult.
Brett looked at Pat. It wasn’t like him to be so quiet. “Are you all right?”
“Did you know that next month, Ida and I will celebrate our fiftieth wedding anniversary?”
“I knew it must be getting close.”
“The years have gone by so fast,” Pat murmured. “Before she had her stroke, Ida and I hadn’t spent more than a week apart. The last two years have been difficult for both of us.”
Brett knew that Pat was struggling with not being close to Ida, but he hadn’t realized how hard it had become.
Pat stared through the windshield. “Ida’s parents never approved of me. I still remember her father taking me aside on our wedding day. He told me not to break his daughter’s heart. I always wondered what would have happened if Ida had been unhappy.”
“From the sound of it, you would have had her family chasing you out of town.”
“There were a lot of them, too. It wasn’t until we’d been married twenty years that Ida’s father told her she’d made a good choice.”
Brett smiled. “Sounds like high praise.”
“From him, it was. Ida and I have always supported each other, but I feel as though I’m letting her down.”
“You’ve done everything you could.”
Pat sighed. “It doesn’t make me feel any better. I want to ask you something. What did you have planned for the next thirty years?”
“Is that a trick question?”
“I wish it were,” Pat said quietly. “I never thought I’d leave the ranch, but it’s time I joined Ida at the village. I miss her too much to let another month go by without being with her.”
Brett glanced across the cab. “I know you’ve been thinking about moving into Bozeman, but I didn’t realize you wanted to do it so soon.”
“I should have told you before now, but I had to be sure it was the right thing to do. So, what do you think?”
“About moving into the retirement village?”
“No. About running the ranch on your own. You already do most of the work. If you have any questions, you could give me a call or come and see me.”
Brett gripped the steering wheel. “I don’t know what to say. Are you sure you don’t want to sell the ranch? The money would give you and Ida the kind of life you’ve never had.”
“We don’t need fancy cars and expensive clothes. All we need is each other. Besides, the ranch has been in my family for three generations. I’m not selling it to a stranger.”
“What if it weren’t a stranger?”
Pat frowned. “Our neighbors would probably be interested, but I’ve never wanted to add our ranch to someone else’s.”
“I didn’t mean our neighbors. I meant me. I can’t afford to buy the ranch outright, but we could work out some kind of payment plan.”
“Owning a ranch is a big commitment.”
Brett looked at the man who was closer t
o him than his own father. “I’m ready, Pat.”
“I know you are. But I don’t want to sell.”
“Will you let me know if you change your mind?”
“Of course I will.” Pat looked at his hands. “I don’t know what I’ll do in Bozeman, but I’ll find something to keep me busy.”
The phone in Brett’s truck rang. He glanced at Pat before answering the call. “Brett Forster.”
“It’s Nathan. How far away are you from the ranch?”
“Ten minutes. Why?”
“Dave was sent an email. It included photos of his family. Someone’s threatening to hurt his mom and brothers if they don’t pay his father’s gambling debts.”
“Have you called the police?”
“Already done. They’re about fifteen minutes away. The police are sending a patrol car to Dave’s family’s home, too. Mary-Beth arrived half an hour ago. She’s with us in the main homestead.”
“Tell Mrs. Bennett to activate the security system that Fletcher Security installed. As long as everyone stays inside the house, you won’t trigger the alarm. Has anyone called Thomas’ family and Hannah and her sister? They’re coming out to the ranch for lunch.”
“Hang on. I’ll check.”
Brett could hear Nathan asking Mrs. Bennett if she’d contacted them.
“Thomas’ family have just arrived at the ranch. She couldn’t get hold of Hannah,” Nathan said. “She isn’t answering her home number or cell phone. Do you want me to let the police know?”
“Tell them she was supposed to come out to the ranch. She wouldn’t have left Bozeman yet.” Brett didn’t think anyone would harm Hannah, but he couldn’t risk her getting hurt. “Let me know if anything else happens.”
“Okay. I’ll see you when you get here.”
Brett disconnected the call and handed his cell phone to Pat. “Can you try Hannah’s cell phone again? Her number is on my contact list.”
Pat quickly found the number, but she didn’t answer. “She could be visiting a friend.”
“I don’t know…” Brett remembered something Hannah had said about Emerald Lake. “Call Jacob Green. His number is on my phone. One of his neighbors is getting married soon and the bride-to-be is Hannah’s friend. She might know how we can contact her.”
The Gift (The Protectors Book 6) Page 11