A Christmas Homecoming (Bar V5 Ranch)

by Melissa McClone

  “You’ve only been here what? Three days?”

  “Not the reply I was expecting.” A wry grin formed on his face. “You keep surprising me.”

  “What did you think I would say?”

  “I knew you’d like it.”

  “Well, I did know, but I thought that might take longer.” The rhythm of her steps soothed her nerves and kept her feet from speeding up again. “Are you okay walking?”

  “Doing great, thanks to you.”

  His words made her feel like she’d been named rodeo princess. She’d wanted to help Josiah and had. Just not in a way she’d planned. “We’ll be back at the main house in a few minutes.”

  “I have a feeling I’m going to like our walks.”

  Josiah sounded as happy as she felt. Well, except for her guilt over wanting more kisses. But she didn’t feel that bad because he looked better now than before she’d kissed him. His face had more color, and he stood taller. “Walking agrees with you.”

  “Among other things.”

  I’ve never felt better. And I don’t want this feeling to end.

  Neither did Ellie.

  But she felt conflicted. Forgetting about their kiss was the smart thing to do. Except the memory played on a continuous loop in her brain, making her want more.

  “You’re being quiet,” Josiah said.

  “Enjoying the outside.” Liar. Right now she’d rather be scrubbing toilets with a toothbrush or mucking out horse stalls. Okay, she’d much prefer kissing him. That meant she needed to find a toothbrush or shovel.

  “Still have the mistletoe?” he asked.

  “In my pocket.” Where the sprigs would stay until she could burn them in the bunkhouse’s fireplace.

  Idiot.

  She was an idiot. After everything that happened with Tanner Quincy, she had not only kissed another guest, but she wanted to kiss Josiah again. He wasn’t any guest either, but a billionaire staying for a month, one who was volunteering with Buck’s Place and friends with her boss.

  What would Nate think? He’d come to her defense in August, and she didn’t want to let him down.

  I-D-I-O-T-I-C.

  She glimpsed the door to the mudroom. Thank goodness. They were almost there.

  “We’ll do this again tomorrow,” he said.

  Which part? The walking or the kissing? She wanted to do both. No, she corrected. Only the walk.

  “Remember the storm. We may have to be flexible.” She cringed. Her mind must be in the gutter because of kissing. So not good. “With our plans,” she added, not wanting to look Josiah in the eyes.

  “Are you coming inside?” he asked, sounding like he was trying not to laugh.

  Yes, no, maybe.

  “I-I’m going to swing by the bunkhouse.” Ellie should see him in, but she couldn’t. Any second she might beg forgiveness for the thoughts running through her brain or kiss him again. “We have guests checking in this afternoon. I have so much to do. I also need to see if Britt needs help with dinner tonight. Rachel’s working at the bakery today. And the stroll is Saturday.”

  The words poured out like water from a broken faucet, making a wet mess, but she couldn’t stop. Silence might be the death knell.

  Josiah’s brows drew together. “You okay?”

  “Take off your pants when you get inside.”

  His eyes widened.

  Shoot me now. She couldn’t believe she’d blurted those words. On second thought, she could. “You don’t want to catch a cold from the wet fabric,” she clarified, but no doubt the damage had been done.

  “I will.” Wicked laughter lit his eyes. “You’d better change into dry clothes, too.”

  Josiah must think she was crazy as a loon. No doubt, she was. “I’m going to do that right now.”

  Chapter Eight

  Ellie bolted, leaving Josiah standing in front of the mudroom door. She didn’t look back or wave or say goodbye. She hurried down the path to the bunkhouse, accelerating with each stride. Her heavy steps sounded more like an eight-foot Sasquatch than a five-foot-seven-inches housekeeper.

  She ran into the bunkhouse. The interior smelled like lavender, but Siena’s essential oils couldn’t calm Ellie’s out of control pulse and spiraling anxiety. She closed the door so hard the cabin shook. “I kissed him.”

  A gray four-month-old kitten named Pewter sat on the edge of a chair watching Siena mix oils for massages.

  “Sounds like an interesting morning.” Siena with long, dark hair and olive skin looked over. “Who’d you kiss?”

  “Tracer.”

  Her roommate drew back with an odd expression on her pretty face. “Brooklyn’s horse?”

  Ellie nodded. “Then I kissed him.”

  “The horse again?”

  “No, Josiah.” She rubbed her aching forehead.

  “The billionaire?”

  Another nod. “Now all I can think about is kissing him again. I’m such an idiot.”

  “A horse and a billionaire, this sounds a little kinky.” Siena shook her head. “That’s not you at all.”

  “I kissed Tracer goodbye, but my scarf got caught on a fence post, and I fell. Then Josiah tried to help me up, but fell on top of me, and I kissed him. Tracer was watching the entire time.”

  “Voyeur horse, but I’d be watching, too.” Siena led Ellie to the couch. Pewter followed, bouncing and sliding on the floor. “Sit down. Back up. And tell me everything.”

  Ellie told her friend what had happened. “I didn’t plan on kissing Josiah. The thought never entered my mind. Well, not today.”

  “So you’d thought about kissing him?”

  “Imagined it. Maybe daydreamed once or twice.” Pewter climbed onto Ellie’s lap, kneaded her paws, then curled into a ball and purred. “In my defense, Josiah has really nice lips.”

  “I know what you need.” Siena picked up a box from Sage Carrigan’s Copper Mountain Chocolates on Main Street. “Take one.”

  Ellie did, but eating the delicious chocolate didn’t help. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “When Josiah fell, he looked so...defeated. My heart ached for him. When I pulled my hand from my pocket, a sprig of mistletoe was attached to my mitten. I thought it was a sign that I should kiss him.”

  “Wait.” Siena took a chocolate. “You were carrying mistletoe in your pocket? I thought you were on a kissing hiatus.”

  “I am. Was. Will be again, but I was hanging mistletoe in rooms and cabins for the new guests arriving.”

  Disbelief flashed across Siena’s face. She ate the candy.

  “I was.” Ellie reached for another chocolate, careful not to disturb the gray fur ball asleep on her lap. “This was not a premeditated mistletoe kiss.”

  “Was Josiah upset you kissed him?”

  “Not at all.” The smile on his face had taken her breath away. Of course, his falling on her had accomplished the same thing. But she hadn’t minded. “He seemed...happy.”

  “Whereas you were freaking out.”

  Her friend knew her well. Living and working together didn’t leave many unshared secrets. Ellie cherished the women she’d gotten to know at the Bar V5. She’d had few friends growing up. “On the inside, yes, but he couldn’t tell.”

  Siena’s brows lifted. “You’re good at hiding your emotions, but I don’t know if you succeeded in this situation.”

  “Maybe he could tell. I have no idea. I don’t want to know.” Ellie buried her face in her hands. “I should have never kissed him.”

  “You were trying to help. That’s what a caring, kind person who puts others’ needs before her own does,” Siena said thoughtfully. “And let’s be honest, Josiah’s hot. Kissing him makes total sense.”

  Ellie held up her hand. “Stop.”

  “What? You said he was good-looking the first night he arrived. Gorgeous might have been your exact word.”

  “I meant in an eye candy way. Look, don’t touch. He’s a guest, and you know what happened the last time.”

 
Siena’s smile thinned into a narrow line. Her eyes darkened. “That wasn’t your fault. No one knew Tanner Quincy was married. He seemed like a great guy, up until he accused you of going fatal attraction and blackmailing him. Josiah’s different. He isn’t a stranger. He knows Nate and knew you.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Ellie’s cheeks warmed. “I told him to take off his pants.”

  Siena burst out laughing. “Because?”

  “They were wet from the snow.” Ellie sighed. “He said I should do the same since my clothes were wet, too.”

  “So you’re both taking off your pants, but alone.” Siena shook her head. “Wait until Charlie and Caitlyn hear this.”

  The corners of Ellie’s eyes stung. She loved her former coworkers and bunkmates. They were her closest friends along with Siena. Charlie aka Charlotte Randall worked at a horse farm and was engaged to Zack Harris, one of the Bar V5 wranglers. Caitlyn Butler Sullivan was a pre-school teacher, who ran the ranch’s kids’ program in the summertime, and had married Noah Sullivan, a local vet, last Christmas. But the thought of them—or anyone—finding out what had happened with Josiah tied Ellie in rodeo champion worthy knots.

  “Please don’t tell them.” Her voice cracked. She wasn’t above begging. “Charlie will tell Zack, and Caitlyn will tell Noah. Everyone will find out, but I don’t want anyone to know. It was bad enough people knew about Tanner.”

  “Hey. I won’t say a word. I promise.” Siena hugged Ellie. “You don’t need to worry about what happened with Josiah. It was a mistletoe kiss. No big deal.”

  Ellie wanted to believe that. Except...

  What happened between her and Josiah felt like so much more than a kiss under the mistletoe.

  Ever since Ellie’s kiss six hours ago, Josiah had been smiling. He walked to his room. No bounce to his step, but he moved quicker and felt lighter. Nothing would spoil his good mood.

  So what if eight more guests were now here and more were arriving tomorrow? The ranch was a big place. He may have been disturbed three times during his hour on the computer in the study, but picturing Ellie made everything better. And thinking about her kiss...

  He wanted another taste.

  She’s not some plaything to keep you from being bored while you’re here.

  Josiah hadn’t forgotten what Nate said. But mistletoe kisses wouldn’t hurt anyone. Ellie had agreed they were a fun Christmas custom. She wouldn’t take the kisses the wrong way.

  Hell, she’d been the one to kiss him.

  More kisses would help Josiah survive his month in exile. If only he could find a way to help Whit Tech during his absence...

  One of the new guests, a guy named Roger wearing a New York Giants jersey, blocked the hall. “I’ve been looking for you, Joe.”

  “It’s Josiah.”

  “Oh, right.” But the man’s gaze said whatever. “Christmas karaoke starts in fifteen minutes. You avoided the fun earlier. Be in the great room, or we’ll start calling you Ebenezer.”

  Laughing, the guy walked away, no doubt to round up singing victims.

  Josiah had one thing to say. “Bah, humbug.”

  “I heard that.”

  Ellie. The hammering of his heart increased with each passing second. Her vanilla scent surrounded Josiah, made him lightheaded, but he didn’t mind. He wanted to be closer, feel her warmth and softness. “I didn’t hear your bell.”

  “I’ve been practicing my stealth techniques.”

  “I haven’t seen you around.”

  “I unpacked for a couple guests, and now I’ve been delivering welcome trays.”

  “Busy.”

  “Thursdays and Fridays usually are. Lots of arrivals.”

  His gaze lingered on her lips, the desire to kiss her strong, but he didn’t want to push, especially with no mistletoe in the hallway. Instead, he would appeal to her nurturing instincts.

  He ducked behind her. “Save me from the Christmas madness that’s overtaken the ranch.”

  “That bad?”

  “Buying out the Bar V5 for the rest of December sounds like a bargain. No Christmas fanatics to bother me. I wouldn’t have to share the study or you.”

  Her cheeks turned a rosy pink. “Nice for you, maybe, but canceling reservations would be bad for business.”

  “You’re right. I’ll have to remember that for next time.”

  “Planning to return already?”

  “I... You never know.” Josiah couldn’t think straight when he was around her. That should bother him more than it did. “But not at Christmastime again.”

  “That explains the ‘bah, humbug’.”

  “The other guests are catching on to my avoidance techniques. Locking myself in my room will be my only option tonight. So far they’ve played Christmas trivia and bingo. Karaoke is next. I fear pin baby Jesus in the manger will be coming up.”

  She laughed, the sound resembling music, not the Christmas kind. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, you’re not. You love this stuff.”

  “I do. I’m all about kisses. I mean, Christmas.” She blew out a puff of air. “All about Christmas.”

  He liked her slipup. “I like kisses. Especially mistletoe kisses with you.”

  “Me, too, with you.” Her gaze softened, and then she looked down. “But you’re a guest, and I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

  He raised her chin with his finger. “I’m glad you did. You made me feel good, a way I haven’t felt in a long time. There’s nothing wrong with what you did. Not at all.”

  “But we-I can’t do that again. I need this job, and Nate went out of his way to help me the last time I got involved with a guest. I’m not going to put him through that again.”

  “I understand. But I’m not some stranger staying here. We go way back.”

  “Because of Buck.”

  “Yes, but it’s you and me now.” The longing in her eyes about ripped Josiah’s heart out. He swallowed. “If mistletoe happens to be nearby, I will be taking advantage of that.”

  “If there isn’t mistletoe...” She fingered her bell.

  The words not a plaything echoed through his mind. He might not need a reason to kiss, but Ellie did. “No mistletoe, no kisses.”

  Gratitude filled her eyes. A smile brightened her face.

  Ellie’s happiness brought a sting of rejection. That was a crazy reaction. Whit Tech was the only thing that mattered to him. Whatever happened at the Bar V5 was temporary, a way to survive his time here. Nothing more.

  “I need to get back to work,” she said. “Don’t stay locked in your room the entire night. Britt is cooking a delicious dinner.”

  With that Ellie walked away, her bell necklace jingling.

  As he headed to his room, the sound faded.

  This afternoon, his thoughts had been focused on Ellie. Whit Tech hadn’t entered his mind. Not good. Josiah liked her kisses, but he couldn’t get sidetracked. Asking Nate to hang mistletoe in the study and hallways wouldn’t be smart.

  He might be over a thousand miles away, but he needed to stay focused on his company. More of Ellie’s kisses would be too...distracting.

  On Friday, the storm hit. Ellie stared out a window in the great room. The blanket of white on the ground grew taller by the hour. Snowflakes danced in the wind, making the backyard look like a real life snow globe. Only this one had trees, the river, and snowcapped peaks in the distant.

  So pretty.

  Snow was a winter favorite—from flurries to whiteouts. She sang the first line of the song Let It Snow.

  “It does look frightful out there.”

  Ellie jumped. She glanced over her shoulder to see Josiah behind her. He looked handsome in his navy Henley and jeans. His hair was mussed as if he’d been taking an afternoon nap.

  No mistletoe was above her. Darn. “Where did you come from?”

  “The study.”

  “You can’t sneak up on people.”

  “I wasn’t sneaking,” he said matter of fact. “You
’re so focused on whatever you’re doing, you don’t see or hear anything else.”

  His insight surprised Ellie. She’d been wondering what type of guy she liked. Turned out her type was Josiah. Too bad he was off-limits. Well, without mistletoe around. “You should come with a warning system.”

  “You think?”

  She nodded. “You need a bell. A couple barn cats wear them on collars because they’re always getting lost, stuck, or locked in places they shouldn’t be. This helps us find them.”

  “Smart call for cats, but I’m not the bell type.”

  “Are you sure?” She took off her necklace and held the cord open to fit over his head. “You can try this one out.”

  “No, thanks.” He brushed her hand away. “You’re not going to trick me into wearing a Christmas accessory.”

  “I’m not trying to trick you. Though that would be a good idea,” she joked. “This is more for the jingle, jingle, jingle.”

  “One jingle is too much.”

  Ellie tried not to smile. She didn’t want to encourage his anti-holiday behavior. There had to be something other than mistletoe that would change his mind about Christmas.

  Her gaze lowered from his eyes to his lips. Probably not the best thing she should be looking at. “I left a rope in your room.”

  “A rope.” He sounded amused. “Taking the game of Clue literally?”

  “You could use the rope as a murder weapon, but this one is for practicing your roping technique.”

  “I was kidding about the garbage can.”

  Yeah, Ellie had thought so. “This might be fun for you. You used to enjoy roping. Practicing will give you one more thing to do when you aren’t on the computer or out walking.”

  “Or helping you with Buck’s Place.”

  Ellie walked to the coffee table to clean up mugs and dessert plates left by guests. “When you go home, you’ll be able to impress everyone with your lassoing.”

  “Looks like I have a new hobby.”

  Ellie stacked the dishes. “If you need pointers, talk to Dustin. He won about every award a cowboy can win before retiring.”

  “Why isn’t he still on the circuit?”

  “Rodeoing is dangerous work.” Ellie pulled out a cloth from her back pocket. “Dustin’s got enough pins and screws inside him to make an airport scanner act like a slot machine. Gotta love those boys for what they do.”