Christmas with the Rancher

by Mary Leo

  She folded her arms across her chest, and stuck out a hip. “Apparently my dad hasn’t told anyone that he’s sold the inn. I’ve brought the paperwork he needs to sign to make it official, but that’s only a formality.”

  Travis felt as if he’d been sucker-punched in the gut. “That can’t be true. There’s some misunderstanding. Your dad wouldn’t sell his inn and not tell me. I’ve been repairing it—” That stopped him cold and he turned to face Nick. “You didn’t have me put in all that time, all that work so you could sell it, did you? What’s she talking about, Nick? You sold the inn? It can’t be true. You love this place. The town loves this place.”

  “It’s complicated,” Nick said and plopped down on the sofa, running a hand through his graying brown hair.

  Travis stood his ground. He had a lot invested in this Christmas and most of the planned events were his doing. He was not about to walk away and let hard-shelled Bella Biondi swipe everything away with her paperwork and city boots, no matter how fine she happened to look. He had a sinking feeling even a blowtorch wasn’t quite strong enough to get through to her. A flamethrower might be the weapon of choice.

  Travis walked right up to Bella, stared into those gorgeous smoky eyes of hers, turned on the charm as thick as molasses and said, “Define complicated.”

  Chapter Two

  “This is none of your business, Travis,” Bella said, looking straight into his eyes, as if she could see right through him. As if he was made out of cellophane.

  “None of my business? I just spent the better half of two months repairing this place. Not to mention the effort my entire family made to decorate the inn for this holiday, and my sister-in-law Maggie launched a huge ad campaign to drum up business. The place is booked solid for the next two months and you think it’s none of my business? I think I have a right to know what’s going on and if this ‘sale’ you two are talking about is true.”

  “Tell him, Dad,” Bella said turning to Nick who sat forward on the sofa as if it were his launching pad and he was about to take off.

  “It’s true. I agreed to sell the inn.” His voice squeaked like an old rusty door hinge. Travis had a sinking feeling even Nick didn’t quite believe his own words.

  No one spoke while Travis attempted to absorb the full effect of what was now finally sinking in as real.

  “Wow. I never saw this train coming. And to think I was excited about your visit.” He slid his hat back on his head then moved it forward again, something he seemed to do whenever he found himself staring down a problem of major proportions. This here certainly constituted one of those moments.

  “Can’t imagine why you would be,” she added, sounding as if his feelings didn’t matter.

  The statement lay on him like a wet blanket on a cold morning.

  He faced Bella. “A lot has changed since the last time I saw you.”

  “We grew up.”

  “Is that what you think this is?”

  “Some of us matured, like fine wine.”

  “Never could see all the fuss. I’m more of a beer man, myself.”

  She looked him over and he felt a bit naked. “It shows.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “You’re twisting my words.”

  “You’re twisting my heart.”

  “That would mean you still have one.”

  “Darlin’, the lack of a heart seems to be your affliction, not mine.”

  “There are no emotions in good business. It’s all about the bottom line.”

  He stared at her pretty face—those smoky eyes, those full lips—and realized she had not only grown up but she had turned into someone he no longer recognized or wanted to know.

  “You’re right,” he said, convinced now there was little hope of trying to understand the situation. “This is none of my business and I’ll be leaving you two to it.”

  He turned to leave.

  “Wait! Travis, don’t go,” Nick called after him, but Travis no longer wanted to play their game. She’d won this round and he simply had to learn how to cope with the facts. There would be no Christmas at Dream Weaver Inn this year.

  Travis headed straight for the front door, opened it and walked outside into the cold, gently closing the door behind him.

  * * *

  NICK STOOD. A look of anger crossed his face. Bella was prepared for anything he wanted to throw at her. She hadn’t flown all the way out here to be rolled over by her dad and Travis Granger. This was the biggest and most lucrative deal she’d ever put together. There were eight inns across the country involved in this sale, and TransGlobal intended to add five more in the near future. She had the paperwork for the first seven signed by the owners and ready to go. Her father’s signature was all that stood between her and the final sale. It meant everything to her—not only the promotion, but it also affected her credibility in the eyes of high-end clients. Then there was the commission. It was enough to move her into a penthouse on the Golden Mile in Chicago, something she had worked hard to achieve. Something her mom would have been proud of and something her dad obviously did not completely appreciate...yet.

  She was sure he’d come around once she had time to show him all this deal would mean both financially and emotionally to both of them.

  She’d have to educate him on the finer elements of business, something her dad had never been very good at.

  “Now maybe we can get these papers signed.”

  She deliberately sat down across from him on one of the well-worn leather club chairs, and straightened out the documents he needed to approve, then she pulled out her Princess Grace De Monaco Mont Blanc pen. It was a pricey present to herself for putting this deal together.

  The scent of pine from the blue spruce tree mixed with the aroma of the logs burning in the hearth exploded a memory that stopped her cold.

  She couldn’t have been more than four or five years old. It was Christmas morning and she, her mom and dad had walked into their living quarters up on the third floor to open presents. It was the year she’d gotten her first grown-up doll, one all dressed up in a black business suit, high heels and carrying a briefcase. She remembered how disappointed she’d been when she opened the box and how excited her mom seemed to be about the doll. Bella had wanted a grown-up doll dressed like a cowgirl, with tiny cowgirl boots, a cowgirl hat, carrying a lariat. She’d specifically asked Santa for that doll, and had cried for days over not getting it.

  That was the Christmas she’d stopped believing in Santa.

  “I’m not going to sign anything I haven’t read first.”

  Her father used his stern, unwavering voice, but it didn’t scare Bella. When she was a kid, that voice had always struck a chord of fear inside her and she’d instantly relent to his demands.

  But she wasn’t a kid anymore.

  “Don’t be silly. I have your best interest in mind.”

  “That’s your mama talking.”

  “She was right. You should have sold the inn years ago. It’s been nothing but a money drain. Because of this deal, you’re getting more than market value. You stand to make a very nice profit.”

  She placed her pen down in front of him. The tiny pink topaz stone on the clip caught the light from the fireplace and she thought about what a good purchase that pen had been, that she’d deserved to have something this pretty after all the long hours and hard work she’d put in. At least she’d learned perseverance from him, and for that she would always be grateful.

  “That may be true, but it’s my offer to read before I sign.”

  Agitation clawed at Bella’s stomach as a clock tick-ticked in the background, a truly annoying sound. “I don’t have time for this, Dad. We need to be on our way out of here in less than two hours.”

  “And who’s going to r
un my inn when I go running off to Orlando?”

  “Tampa.”

  “Whatever.”

  “You should have closed it weeks ago like I asked you to.”

  “I couldn’t. I have guests booked who are looking forward to their stay.”

  “That’s not your problem.”

  Her dad shook his head. “It’s Christmas, Bella. I can’t do that.”

  “Surely there’s someone on your staff who can take charge.”

  “Wouldn’t be fair to my employees. What you’re asking me to do is impossible. I can leave for one or two nights, but not like this. Not for good. And not a week before Christmas. They all have their own families to attend to. They can’t be doing my job as well as their own.”

  She rose and began pacing the wooden floor, each step echoing throughout the lobby. She walked over to the baby grand piano in the corner, then back again. There had to be a solution to this dilemma. She refused to stay in this town one more minute than she had to. Already she could feel her resolve waning, especially after her encounter with Travis. His very presence had tugged on her heart.

  The front door opened and a young couple walked in, smiling and nodding their greeting as they headed up the stairway at the back of the lobby, the old wooden stairs creaking as they climbed.

  Bella waited to reply to her dad until the guests were far enough away. Then she said, “Pay them time and a half for a couple days.”

  “I won’t be solving this by throwing money around. Besides, what’s the hurry? I might be able to get someone to take charge in a couple days at their normal pay once that person prepares for it, but not today. And didn’t you tell me this would be a smooth transition and my guests would never know the difference? Throwing them out only days before Christmas isn’t exactly a ‘smooth transition.’”

  She’d been having some emotional trouble with that aspect, as well. TransGlobal had decided to gut each inn in order to give them their own unique look. That would require shutting down Dream Weaver Inn during the renovations, something she wasn’t exactly ready to spring on her dad just yet. She had envisioned never telling him the details of the sale, figuring once he was settled in his fabulous new condo, enjoying the warm weather and the sandy beaches he’d never think about this silly inn again.

  She was counting on it.

  “Dad, this wouldn’t be a problem if you had cancelled all the reservations and told your guests the truth. TransGlobal is a customer-satisfaction company, meaning the customer always comes first. They pride themselves with five-star service and ambiance.” She hoped her logic and calmer disposition would have the effect she needed.

  “Well, then, taking their lead, there’s no rush to boot everyone out of here and make them uncomfortable.” He picked up the paperwork. “I’ll just take these here documents up to my room and start reading. We can meet tonight at Belly Up for a steak and I’ll hand over the signed docs. But first we should apologize to Travis. He put a lot of work into this place. TransGlobal’s getting a nice piece of property.”

  She wasn’t liking any of this, especially the part about kowtowing to Travis Granger. She didn’t want to see him again, much less tell him she was sorry for anything.

  “If you want to apologize, go right ahead. I still contend this is none of his business. And as far as my staying, that’s out of the question.”

  “You can go on ahead and leave if you want to. But you’ll be leaving without me or this deal.”

  She watched as he walked to the front door, slid his coat off one of the brass hooks and slipped it on completely ignoring her, and trumping her ultimatum.

  She let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine! I’ll change our flight, but it’s only for one more night as long as you can promise me I won’t have to see Travis again.”

  “That boy’s been a part of this family since he was a kid and I don’t want him feeling as if that’s changed none. Whether you see him again or not isn’t something I can control. It’s a small town.”

  She pulled in a deep breath and slowly let it out trying with everything that was in her not to simply walk out to her truck, start it up and never look back. She should get someone else to handle her dad. That would be the smart thing to do...the prudent thing...the best thing for everyone concerned.

  But she knew she couldn’t do that.

  “All right! Have it your way. I’ll stay overnight. In the meantime, I have no idea if we can get on another flight out of here tomorrow, but I’ll try.”

  “I’m sure you will. And if you can’t, we’ll fly out the next day or the next. I’m in no hurry.”

  “I have to meet with TransGlobal on Christmas Eve at my office in Chicago with all the paperwork signed. Nothing can get in the way of that.”

  He gave her a dismissive hand wave. “Not a problem. We have an entire week. Seven full days.” And he walked out the door leaving her to doubt herself for agreeing to spend the night in Briggs...where just about anything could happen.

  * * *

  TRAVIS BUSIED HIMSELF with securing a life-size reindeer to the bed of his pickup as Nick approached. He had hoped to get out of there without having to speak to Nick again, fearing he might say something to him he’d regret later. If only that darn reindeer had cooperated and Colt hadn’t partially secured it to the front lawn. When Colt did something, he made sure it was done right the first time.

  Dang him!

  “I’ve got nothing to say to you, Nick. So you might as well turn right around and head back inside and pack.”

  “Now hold on there, son. It’s not how you think.”

  Travis stopped pulling on the rope he was using to secure the reindeer and looked across the truck bed at Nick. “No matter what I think, it’s none of my business. Bella made that crystal clear.”

  “You can’t take what that girl says to heart.”

  “All I can go on is what she says, and so far it’s been nothing but grief.”

  “We need to give her time to readjust to Briggs, to me and to you. Right now she’s still running on big-city time. It’s all she’s known for the past fifteen years. It’s going to take a few days for all that citified haughtiness to disappear.”

  “And how does that work if you two are leaving today?”

  Nick smirked, and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. “That’s been put off.”

  Travis picked up his toolbox from the snowy ground and placed it inside the truck bed next to the reindeer’s head along with the now coiled rope and harness from the roof. He was ready to leave, but he knew Nick had other plans for him, plans he didn’t want anything to do with.

  “How’d you manage that? Tie her to the tree or something? She seemed pretty hell bent on leaving.”

  “Told her I had to read the paperwork before I’d sign anything.”

  Travis opened the door on the driver’s side of his truck. “Great, so that takes a couple hours.”

  “No, you’re not understanding.”

  “I think I understand everything just fine. You agreed to sell your inn to make your daughter happy even if it means you’ll be miserable. I get it. A parent will sacrifice everything for their kids. The thing I don’t get is why you didn’t tell me before I enlisted my family and half the town to help save your inn when you knew all along you were getting ready to sell it. That’s not like you, Nick.”

  “That’s not why you’ve got your spurs in a knot. You’re mad ’cause you had your heart set on spending this Christmas with Bella, like you did when you two were kids. And she can’t get out of here fast enough.”

  Travis always wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to Bella and anyone with half a brain could see it...except maybe Bella. Well, this time he wasn’t going to admit to those emotions. This time he wasn’t going to be made the fool.

  “There’s where
you’re wrong. I couldn’t care less if Bella stays or goes. It’s the inn I’m upset over.”

  Travis made himself comfortable behind the wheel of his silver pickup, turned over the ignition, ready to blow this mess. He’d had enough.

  Nick came around to his side. “That’s just it. I’m trying to save my inn, and show my daughter what she’s been missing here in Briggs. I thought a little welcome-home party at Belly Up might help.”

  “The state she’s in, she’d never agree to it.”

  “No need to tell her every detail.”

  “And when are you planning on hosting this little shindig?”

  “Tonight, around eight. It would mean a lot to me if you could be there to sort of help her transition along.”

  “What kind of transition are you talking about?”

  “The kind where she decides to hang around for a spell, rekindle her love for Briggs and realizes this here inn is part of her heritage and can’t be sold...at least not now.”

  “And how am I supposed to accomplish this miracle when she’s so bound and determined to get her way?”

  “Show her what she’s been missing. Country’s part of her soul no matter how citified she might be on the outside. All you have to do is help bubble it up to the surface.”

  “Like that’s even possible.”

  “I have complete faith in you. Besides, you’re my only hope.”

  Travis saw the desperation in Nick’s eyes. The man was like a second dad to Travis and he hated to see him in this pickle with his daughter.

  “I’m not saying I’ll do it or that I’ll show up tonight, but if I do, don’t expect miracles. She’s not the girl who left Briggs fifteen years ago. That girl’s been replaced with someone I don’t recognize. And frankly, I don’t much like.”

  “All you have to do is help me delay her a bit. Remind her of all the good things she loved about Briggs. Get her to lighten up a little. Maybe that’ll change her mind.”

  “There ain’t nothin’ gonna change her mind. She always did have a strong will. Just like her mama.”