by Janet Dailey
* * *
When Conner came into the kitchen the next morning, Travis was standing by the open stove, warming his backside. His eyes were bloodshot, his clothes rumpled, his jaw shadowed with stubble.
“You look like hell,” Connor said.
“I feel like hell.” Travis had made coffee. Conner poured a fresh mug.
“When did you get in?”
“Maybe twenty minutes ago. Too late to think about going to bed. I let Bucket out. It’s cold and he hasn’t been fed, so I figure he’ll be back soon.”
As if in response to his words, there was a scratching at the door. Conner opened it for Bucket, who came romping in, tracking snow and shaking it off his fur. Conner filled the empty dish with kibble. “Rough night?” he asked his partner.
Travis muttered a curse. “You might say that. I spent half the night arguing with Maggie, and the rest of it sleeping on her damned hard couch because she wasn’t in the mood to cuddle, and I was too tired to drive home.”
“Arguing with sweet Maggie? I can’t imagine that,” Conner said.
“Then you don’t know her. When she gets her mind set on something, sweet Maggie can be as stubborn as an undertaker’s mule.”
Undertakers didn’t usually have mules, but Conner got the idea. “I’m listening if you want to talk,” he said.
For a long moment, the only sounds in the room were the crackle of the fire in the stove and the crunch of Bucket wolfing down his breakfast. At last, Travis spoke.
“All I want is to get married,” he said. “The less time and fuss involved, the better. Hell, for all I care, I could elope tonight, fly to Vegas, and get married by an Elvis impersonator, or maybe just walk into City Hall and ask Tracy to do the honors.”
“Let me guess. Maggie wants a proper celebration,” Conner said.
“You got it. She wants a big whoop-de-do for the whole town. A church wedding with a walk down the aisle, followed by a reception for everybody, with a fancy cake and dancing to live music—the whole works. She’s even got the money saved up to pay for it—like she doesn’t need me except to stand there and put the damned ring on her finger.”
“I’m surprised the two of you haven’t worked this out before now. Most brides have their weddings planned months in advance.” Conner recalled Ronda May, who’d figured out the whole production, except for the groom.
“Well, you know how it is.” Travis massaged the kinks in his lower back. “I’ve been busy running the ranch, and Maggie’s had a full-time job as mayor. In the little time we’ve found to spend together, we’ve had better things to do than talk about the wedding. I assumed we’d . . . you know . . . just get married and be done with it. Now, last night, Maggie dropped the whole damned three-ring circus on me. She’s even got the church reserved and the invitations ordered. And I’ll have to rent a tux—so will you, if you’re going to be my best man.”
“When were you going to ask me?”
“I’m asking you now, I guess. I hadn’t even thought about it until Maggie brought it up. You know, I remember Rush and Tracy’s wedding last summer. That wasn’t a big affair. Just a few friends, Tracy in a pretty dress, Rush in a suit. Rush’s little girl holding the bouquet. It was nice. I’d go for something like that.”
“Tracy was a widow,” Conner said. “A big, fancy wedding wouldn’t have been fitting. But this will hopefully be Maggie’s only wedding, and she’s waited a long time for it. Why not just give in and let her enjoy it? What’s the harm in that?”
Travis poured more coffee and sat at the table, staring down into the steaming mug. In the silence, Conner tried to imagine what lay at the root of his friend’s unease. Six years ago, after a trial that had made statewide headlines, Travis, then a highway patrolman, had been sentenced to three years in prison for shooting a suspected kidnapper. Travis had emerged from the ordeal a bitter man who fiercely guarded his privacy. Maggie and his partners had done wonders in bringing Travis out of his shell. But now, even at a happy time, the idea of being the center of attention, surrounded by crowds of people, having to talk to them and answer questions, had struck a layer of buried pain that would always be part of Travis. It might not be rational. But it was very real.
“I know that you love Maggie,” Conner said.
“I do.”
“And I know you’d do anything to make her happy.”
“I would. That goes without saying.”
“Then let me offer you a piece of advice.”
“Since when are you offering advice?” Travis asked. “I’ve never known you to stick with a woman long enough for marriage to become a question—unless you count Ronda May trying to lasso you and drag you to the altar last year. And then all you wanted was a clean getaway.”
“Point taken,” Conner said. “But I know a lot about women. Deny Maggie her perfect wedding day, and she’ll never forget it. It’ll come up in fights you have ten years from now—if the two of you last that long.”
“But if I can talk some sense into her, maybe some kind of compromise—”
“Don’t be an idiot, Travis. Just bite the damned bullet and let her have her big wedding. If you can’t enjoy it, just keep reminding yourself that it’s only for one day. You can put up with anything for one day. After that, you’ll have lovely Maggie as your wife for as long as you both shall live.”
Travis put down his cup, pushed back his chair, and stood without a word of reply.
“Think about it,” Conner said. “Give her everything she wants that day. Maggie’s earned it. She deserves that much.”
“I’ll think about it.” Travis sounded unconvinced. “Right now, we’ve got chores to do.”
Conner glanced out the front window, where the sun was rising on a day that promised to be clear. “Where’s Rush? He’s usually here by this time. Did he have an emergency?”
“Rush told us at dinner,” Travis said. “He’s flying to Phoenix this morning to pick up Clara.”
“Clara’s coming? That’s great news!” Last year, Rush’s stepdaughter, then four years old, had stayed at the ranch over the holidays. Conner had never thought much about becoming a parent, but being around that charming, wise little girl had made him wonder what it might be like to have children of his own.
“I guess you weren’t listening to Rush last night,” Travis said. “You were too busy paying attention to that pretty new friend of yours. How did it go, by the way?”
“Good and not so good. We’ll see what happens.” Conner didn’t feel up to rehashing his evening with Megan. He only knew that he wanted to see her again and dreaded the thought that she might say no the next time he asked her out.
“For the record, I was impressed with her,” Travis said. “Maggie and Tracy liked her, too, I could tell. Hey, buddy, she just might be the one—unless you’re still stuck on that hot singer, who might not even show up again.”
“No comment. Just drop it, okay?”
Travis shrugged. “Okay. Come on, let’s get to work. We’ve got horses to feed and trees to haul. Besides that, we need to get the sleigh rigged and ready to start the weekend rides. If the weather stays clear, we could even take it out with the horses today for a dry run.”
“Not a bad idea.” Conner’s mind was already working on a plan. Megan might say no to a date. But maybe she’d say yes to a sleigh ride.
* * *
Megan sat at the kitchen table with Daniel, poring over the pages of the Texas Driver Handbook. It wasn’t easy going. Her brother could read the words, but most of the concepts behind those words needed to be explained. Megan had brought a yellow pad to the table. On its pages, she diagrammed situations like changing lanes, yielding right of way, passing, stopping, and parking. The visualization seemed to help. But it would take hours of review before Daniel could even consider taking the test.
Megan had searched online for any special requirements that a driver with Down syndrome might have to meet. She hadn’t found much specific information. Evidently
, any person who could pass the written test would be eligible to get a learner’s permit and take driving lessons from a professional instructor—in Daniel’s case, an instructor trained to work with disabilities. To get a license, he would have to prove that he could safely manage a vehicle on the road. The bottom line—if Daniel really wanted to drive, he would have a long, hard road ahead of him, with the chance of failure lurking all along the way.
But Daniel had never been short on determination.
By now, they’d been working most of the morning. Megan could tell that her brother was getting tired. So was she. She was about to suggest a break for lunch, but her cell phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, she took a deep breath before answering. She’d told herself she was immune to Conner’s charm. But she couldn’t stop her pulse from skipping a beat.
“Hi.” She kept her voice neutral.
“Hi.” He sounded almost bashful. But no—she couldn’t imagine that Conner, the small-town Romeo, had ever had a bashful moment in his life.
“You called,” she said.
“I said I would. And I’m a man of my word.” He paused, as if waiting for her to speak. When she didn’t, he continued. “It’s a nice day out, and I’ve been getting our sleigh spruced up for the holidays. We need to take it for a trial run with the horses. I was wondering if you’d like to come along.”
“With you?”
“Yup. With me. On an old-fashioned sleigh ride. You know, horses, sleigh bells, dashing through the snow, just like the song. It wouldn’t be like a date, just getting together for some fun. And I can promise you some hot chocolate after we’re done.”
A sleigh ride does sound like harmless fun, Megan thought. But she’d be playing right into his hands. This morning, in the cold, sensible light of dawn, she’d made up her mind not to give in to the man’s charm. Now it was time to stick to her guns.
“Thanks for the invitation,” she said, “but I came to Branding Iron to spend time with my family. Today I’m busy helping my brother study for his written driver’s test.”
“Hey, good for Daniel,” Conner said. “I’ll be cheering him on. But I’m betting you’re ready for a break. Why not come and bring him along? You know he’d love it.”
By now, Daniel had caught enough of the conversation to realize that it involved him. He was watching Megan, listening intently. “What’s going on?” he asked.
With no way to back out, Megan surrendered. She moved the phone aside for a moment. “Conner’s invited us on a sleigh ride, Daniel. Do you want to go?”
“Wow!” Daniel’s face lit in a happy grin. “You bet I do!”
“You heard him,” she said to Conner. “What time?”
“I’ll pick you up in an hour,” Conner said. “If Daniel wants to invite his girlfriend, we can make room.”
Megan passed the message to her brother, who shook his head. “Katy’s working today.”
“Too bad,” Conner said. “But maybe we can take her later. Bundle up. The sleigh will have blankets, but it’s still going to be cold.”
By the time Conner’s Jeep pulled into the driveway, Megan and Daniel had eaten a quick lunch and were dressed in layers of warm clothes, including woolen caps, gloves, and extra socks in their boots. Their mother was napping. Not wanting to disturb her, they’d come out on the porch to wait for Conner’s arrival.
Megan watched as he climbed out of the Jeep and walked toward them, his face wearing a two-hundred-candlepower smile, his eyes bluer than the sunlit sky overhead. Conner Branch was a man who could melt a woman’s heart with a glance—and the rascal knew it.
“Take a chance.” His seductive message came back to her, almost as if he’d whispered the words in her ear. But she was wise to him. A romantic fling with Conner would be a roller-coaster ride of thrills and bumps, going nowhere, ending with a stop and an abrupt exit at the bottom. It would be nothing more than a distraction, the last thing she needed.
“Let’s go!” He opened the passenger door and helped Megan into the seat. Daniel climbed into the back, to be greeted by wags and licks from Bucket.
Daniel laughed as he scratched the dog’s scruffy ears.
“Hey, he’s the Santa dog, isn’t he? The one who rides in the parade. Where’s his Santa suit?”
“He only wears it for the parade. But he loves sleigh rides. He’ll be coming with us today.” Conner started the Jeep and backed out of the driveway. “Have you ever been on a sleigh ride, Daniel?”
“No. It’ll be fun. But I want to know other things. Was it scary, riding bulls? What’s the meanest bull you ever rode?”
Daniel peppered his idol with questions, keeping the talk lively as they drove to the ranch. Megan was grateful to be spared an awkward conversation with Conner. The man was too smooth and confident, too capable of turning her insides to quivering jelly. Whatever had prompted him to invite her on a sleigh ride, it wasn’t going to work. At the end of the ride, she would thank him for a nice time and break off the budding relationship.
Outside, the weather was clear and sunny. Snow glittered diamond bright beneath a sky of blinding blue. The weather would be perfect for sleigh riding.
They turned off the highway where a sign marked the road to Christmas Tree Ranch. Minutes later, Conner swung the Jeep through an open gate and pulled up to a weathered frame house with lights strung from the overhang of the porch. Fresh Christmas trees, propped on racks, filled the front yard. Conner’s partner Travis was unloading more trees from a flatbed trailer. He waved as Conner helped Megan out of the Jeep.
“Where’s the sleigh?” Daniel asked.
“Around back, by the barn. Come on. It should be all ready to go.” With Bucket tagging along, Conner ushered them around the house.
“Oh, wow!” Daniel gasped as he saw the old-fashioned sleigh, its brass hardware polished, its steel runners gleaming against the snow. The huge, gray Percherons waited in their traces, shifting impatiently as if eager to be off. Beneath their sturdy leather harnesses, their coats gleamed like antique silver. Megan had glimpsed the two horses from a distance, in last year’s parade. Only now, seeing them up close, did she feel the impact of their size and power. They were magnificent.
Daniel stared open-mouthed at the horses. “They’re so big,” he said. “Do they have names?”
“Chip and Patch.” Conner was checking the harness buckles. “Stand back and look at their faces. That’s it. Not too close. Can you guess which one is which?”
Daniel studied the horses a moment, then laughed. “I bet Patch is the one with the white spot. A white patch.”
“Good guess. You’re right.”
“Can I pet them?”
“Hang on a sec. Let me stand next to you. These horses can be nervous with strangers.”
Megan stood watching as Conner guided Daniel close to one horse and showed him how to stroke its neck with the flat of his hand. “He’s so smooth!” Daniel grinned with joy and wonder.
Megan hadn’t expected this—Conner taking her brother in hand, talking with him, teaching him, making him feel important. Emotion surged in her, so powerful it almost brought tears to her eyes. She remembered their old city apartment, how the neighborhood kids had bullied Daniel and called him names, crushing the boy’s vulnerable spirit. She’d feared that Daniel’s life in a small town would be no better than it had been in the city. But her fears had been unfounded. Here in Branding Iron, he had found work, friendship, and even a girl to love.
Now, as Conner offered him a new experience, Megan could see her brother responding. And despite her reservations, she found herself warming toward Conner. Her feelings had nothing to do with his kiss or his none-too-secret crush on Lacy. Like Daniel, she was responding to simple kindness.
“Everybody into the sleigh,” Conner said. “Let’s go.”
The sleigh was a large one, built in a traditional way, with a bench for the driver in front, and an ample, padded seat in back for the passengers. Conner helped Megan
climb into the back. She made herself comfortable, covering her legs with the thick quilt that was provided. Bucket jumped up to settle against her side. A word and a pat let the dog know he was welcome.
There was plenty of room left for Daniel, but when Conner offered him a hand, he shook his head. “I want to sit up front, with you,” he said. “Please let me.”
Conner glanced back at Megan, as if needing assurance that it would be all right. The bench, set high to give the driver a view of the path ahead, was just that—flat and backless, with nothing to hold on to except an iron grip handle at either end, to aid in getting up and down. There was a footboard in front, but Daniel’s short legs wouldn’t reach far enough to brace, and his balance wasn’t the best. Megan couldn’t help worrying. But in the end, his eager face won out over her caution.
“Promise me you’ll be careful, Daniel,” she said. “No standing up or showing off. And if the ride gets rough, promise you’ll hold on tight.”
“I promise.” He was grinning beneath the thick wool cap that came down to his eyebrows.
“And it’s all right with you?” Megan asked Conner.
She sensed an instant’s hesitation. “Sure. Don’t worry. I’ll look out for him. Come on, Daniel. I’ll give you a boost.”
* * *
Conner helped the young man climb onto the seat. Before getting up himself, he went around to the back of the sleigh and rocked it slightly to free the runners from the ice. The route would follow the road made for hauling Christmas trees, over the pastures to the hollow where the trees grew, around in a wide circle and back the same way. By now, the snow was solidly packed, a perfect surface for the sleigh.
He checked the horses one more time. Either of the huge beasts could have pulled the sleigh alone, but they had worked side by side all their long lives. They were a superbly trained team, calm and steady, each one supporting the other.
On this, the first run of the season, Conner wanted to make sure there’d be no unpleasant surprises, especially for the horses. Special coverings had been fastened to their massive hooves to keep them from slipping on the ice. Conner inspected all eight to make sure none of them had come loose. The brass jingle bells had been strung over the harness, not under, to ensure that they wouldn’t press against sensitive skin. Conner checked each string to make sure nothing was going to swing or drag. All good.