Racing Christmas

by Shanna Hatfield

  Brylee took both crutches in her left hand, clutched the banister with her right, and started hopping down the stairs on her left leg. Halfway down, she felt someone watching her. She lifted her gaze from her carefully-placed foot to an older man who bore a strong resemblance to Kash Kressley.

  “Good lands, darlin’. Let me help you,” the man said, hustling up the steps. Before Brylee could do more than blink, he had her crutches in one hand and his other braced around her back. “Just lean on me like I was a big ol’ crutch.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Brylee smiled at him. “You must be Kash’s father.”

  The man grinned and nodded. “That’s right. Frank Kressley at your service. And you’re Brylee Barton, barrel racer extraordinaire.”

  She laughed. “More like barrel racer, incapacitated. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Kressley. Thank you for allowing me to stay here a few days. I hope I’m not an imposition to anyone.”

  Frank smiled and helped her down the last two steps. “Not at all, honey. And please, call me Frank. Kash and Celia often have company and I like that just fine. Now that I’m semi-retired, it can get too quiet and lonesome around here with just me and Barb.”

  “Barb?” Brylee asked as she steadied herself when they reached the ground floor. She took the crutches from Frank and tucked them beneath her arms.

  “Our housekeeper and cook. She’s been with our family for a long time and honestly, she’s been more like a mother to my boys than anyone.”

  Brylee nodded. “How is Ransom doing? Did I hear he got married?”

  “That’s right. He moved to Portland to work for an arena football team and fell in love with a sweet friend of Celia’s.” He leaned closer and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Don’t tell anyone, but they just phoned yesterday to let me know I’m gonna be a grandpa right after Christmas.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful news, Frank. Congratulations!” Brylee smiled and followed the older man as he led her past a big living room. Open beams and a tall rock fireplace with a flat screen television mounted above the mantel gave the room an expansive yet rustic feel. Bookcases flanked the fireplace and a patio door opened to the side yard. Windows on each side of the door allowed plenty of bright morning sunlight to spill inside. Massive leather couches, accent tables made of reclaimed barnwood, and lamps fashioned of rope completed the furnishings.

  “That’s the gathering room. Feel free to make yourself at home there. Kash and Celia have a good collection of movies as well as books.” Frank pointed to the room then moved down the hall.

  Brylee glanced into a bathroom with barnwood walls and a slate floor. It would have seemed entirely masculine, but Celia had a vase of fresh flowers on the counter and a beautiful framed photograph of a field of wildflowers hanging on the wall across from the sink.

  Slowly making her way behind Frank, Brylee passed the ranch office. A bank of windows provided an amazing view of a pasture where bulls grazed on lush grass. A tall leather chair and two side chairs sat on either side of a large desk. The wall to the left of the desk was covered in photographs that bore testament to Kressley family history.

  Brylee loved old photographs and hoped she’d have the chance to study those hanging on the office wall before she left.

  “That’s the office. I still do a lot of the bookwork, so if you can’t find me, that’s a good place to look.” Frank waved a hand inside the room.

  He continued down the hall then stepped aside for her to precede him into a light, airy kitchen. Beams of knotty pine ran across the ceiling while windows flanking a deep double sink let in plenty of light.

  An older woman wearing a bright pink polka-dotted apron turned from the sink with a smile. “You must be Brylee. I’m Barb. If you need anything while you’re here, honey, just say the word. Welcome to the Rockin’ K.” The woman wiped her hands on her apron then crossed the room and gave Brylee a warm hug.

  Up until that moment, Brylee hadn’t realized how much she needed a hug. Unbidden, her thoughts drifted to the feel of being held in Shaun’s arms last night as he carried her to the pickup and then into the house and up the stairs. All too well, she recalled how those arms felt around her, how much she enjoyed being held close to his heart. Even all these years later, she could close her eyes and summon the walk-in-the-winter-woods masculine scent of him mingled with the aroma of horses and leather. And he smelled exactly the same last night.

  She was so, so close to achieving her goals. The last thing she needed was a distraction like Shaun messing with her head. A broken leg was bad enough, but it was something she could handle. The prods and pricks to her shattered heart that came with the mere sight of Shaun was something else altogether.

  Despite how much she loathed the man, he had been kind to her last night and incredibly helpful. If he hadn’t taken control of the situation, she had no idea what she would have done. Most likely, she’d have spent the night listening to Savannah tell her she needed to call her mother and go home to rest.

  That was definitely not going to happen. No more so than she’d allow Shaun Price to turn her head a second time. He’d burned that bridge of opportunity so completely, not even a speck of ash was left from their previous relationship.

  Aware that Barb and Frank were both looking at her, Brylee yanked her thoughts in line and smiled at the housekeeper. “It’s lovely to meet you, Barb. Thank you so much for the hospitality and making me feel so welcome.”

  “My pleasure, honey. Now, I’m sure you must be starving. Would you like a big breakfast or just something to tide you over until lunch?”

  “Just a little something to eat now would be fine.” Brylee glanced at the clock and saw it was almost ten. The throbbing in her leg suggested it was past time for both an ice pack and a pain pill, but she couldn’t remember if the doctor had given her any extra medication.

  “You sit down at the table, and I’ll bring you something along with ice for your leg. Shaun said the doctor ordered you to stay off it for the next few days and to ice it every little bit. He’s going to pick up your prescription on the way home from church.”

  “Church?” Brylee asked as she took a seat at a big square table that sat off to the side in front of another set of windows. From her chair, she could see a hulking red barn and a pasture with horses in the distance.

  “Yep. Kash, Celia, Jason and Shaun, and some of the others headed to church in Twin Falls,” Barb said, pouring Brylee a glass of milk and bringing her a plate with a raspberry muffin and a little cup of fresh fruit.

  Brylee glanced from Barb to Frank. “I’m so sorry. You both must have missed going because of me.”

  “Don’t give it a thought, honey,” Frank said, pouring a glass of iced tea and taking a seat across from her at the table. “Kash called the vet to come out to check on one of the bulls, and I volunteered to stay behind so he and Celia could go to church together.”

  “Is the bull okay?” Brylee asked as she broke open the muffin, amazed by the moist texture. Maybe Barb would be willing to share the recipe.

  “He’s fine. Just got into a little shoving match last night while they were unloading. Other than a few scratches, he’s dandy.” Frank took a gulp of his tea then smiled at her. “We had the vet look at your horse while he was here, just to make sure Rocket was fine. The vet said he’s in great shape.”

  Brylee sighed in relief. She’d been worried about Rocket, concerned he might have an injury she hadn’t immediately spotted. “That’s good news. Please, let me know what I owe you for the vet bill.”

  “Don’t worry about it. He was out here for the bull anyway.”

  “Mr. Kressley…” At his frown, she smiled. “Frank, I really do feel like I’m taking advantage of you all. Please, let me at least pay the vet bill.”

  Frank took another long gulp of his tea then shot her a grin. “We’ll talk about it later. After you finish your breakfast, if you want, I’ll take you out to see Rocket. Then I think you probably better rest up that leg.”


  “Thank you. That would be great.” Brylee offered a silent prayer of thanks not only for the meal, but also for the kind people who’d taken her into their home.

  Frank smiled at her. “If you’re anything like my bunch, you’re probably far more worried about your horse than your leg.”

  Brylee gave the older man a guilty grin. “Yes, sir, I guess I am.”

  Barb shook a spoon at them both. “Don’t you encourage that girl, Frank. I think she should stay on the couch with her leg up all day, but I’ve been around you and Kash enough, and even Celia, to know better than to suggest it.”

  “That you have, Barb.” Frank winked at Brylee and took the half of muffin she held out to him. She didn’t want to eat too much and miss out on whatever fantastic thing Barb was making for lunch. The smell of roasting meat and yeasty bread filled the kitchen with a tantalizing scent.

  After she ate her breakfast, Brylee followed Frank out the back door and waited while he drove a utility task vehicle up to the end of the back walk. He hopped out of the UTV that looked like a beefed up big-brother to a golf cart and hurried her direction. He grabbed a cushion off a chair near the door then stayed close by as she made her way down the steps and out to the vehicle.

  “I’ve seen these UTVs but never ridden in one,” she said, sliding onto the seat.

  Frank took her crutches and set them in the back, then placed the cushion so she could rest her leg on it, propped against the dashboard. “I got this one last fall. We’ve got four-wheelers, but this way, I can haul a little more stuff on it when I need to buzz around doing chores. If I’m careful, I can even get two small bales of hay in the back.” Frank sat down behind the wheel and started the machine.

  He pulled away from the house and answered her questions about the ranch. She knew the Kressley family owned the rodeo stock company, but she had no idea they had so many head of stock or such a big ranch near the Idaho and Nevada border.

  Impressed, she loved the rugged beauty of the landscape as Frank drove her past the barn and over to a set of small pens. Rocket was in one by himself, but a few mares were in an adjacent pen. They appeared to be getting along well if the way they stayed close to the panel separating them presented an accurate indication.

  “Looks like he’s charming the girls,” Frank teased as he turned around so Brylee was parked close to the pen.

  “Rocket is not shy,” she said with a laugh. “He loves attention of all kinds, even if he doesn’t like just anyone to touch him.” Brylee accepted the crutches Frank handed to her and stood.

  Rocket trotted over to the fence and stretched his neck out as he nickered. His ears moved forward, but he looked relaxed.

  “Hey, buddy. How are you doing?” Brylee asked, balancing on one crutch so she could reach out and rub a hand over Rocket’s face. He nuzzled against her, almost knocking her over. Thankfully, Frank was beside her and kept her steady.

  She smiled at the older man in thanks as she continued to pet Rocket. Someone had given him a bath and brushed him down. His coat shone in the sunshine and his mane looked better than her hair. “Did you get a bath, Rocket? Hmm? Did someone make you all pretty again?”

  The horse blew air on her, as though he tried to tell her exactly what happened.

  “Shaun took care of him this morning. Rocket wasn’t too keen on anyone else getting close to him, but he seems to like Shaun.”

  “Traitor,” Brylee whispered as she leaned her head against Rocket’s.

  “What was that?” Frank asked.

  “Oh, nothing. It was nice of Shaun to do that. I suppose I should clean my tack, too.”

  “Already taken care of.” Frank gave her a long look. “Shaun said if you asked to tell you it’s all stored in your trailer just like you like it, whatever that means.”

  Brylee nodded, unable to speak around the sudden lump in her throat. Shaun was the last person she expected to come to her rescue, take care of her horse, and clean her tack. But he had. At the very least, she owed him a heartfelt thank you for what he’d done. Even if she still despised him, he deserved that much. Then she could go back to pretending he didn’t exist.

  Somehow, she’d obliterate from her memory the feel of his hard muscles beneath her hands as he carried her upstairs, along with the light that glowed in his gray-blue eyes. His eyes were one of the first things she’d noticed about him when they’d met years ago. They held such warmth and humor, and openness. It wasn’t like Shaun to pretend to be something he wasn’t. He just happened to be a good-looking, muscled, happy-go-lucky cowboy who destroyed her heart one December day when she was too young and stupid to know better than to get involved with him.

  A few years ago, she’d been watching television with her mom and little brother when a commercial came on for a new western clothing company. Without a doubt, she knew one of the guys modeling in the ad was Shaun, even when the commercial never showed his face. No one had a caboose that looked quite like his. It annoyed her then that she’d so easily picked him out of the group just by the way his jeans fit.

  Not that she actively searched for the details, but she did discover he’d signed on as a model with the Lasso Eight brand. She’d just seen an ad in a western magazine last month with him and Chase Jarrett modeling shirts in an advertisement for the company.

  Even though they were both fully clothed, she couldn’t help but assume women all over the country were drooling over Shaun and the hunky bull rider. She was surprised Chase’s wife had agreed to allow him to continue modeling after they wed, but then again, the photos for the ad were probably taken long before the advertisement appeared.

  Brylee had met Jessie Jarrett a few times at rodeos and liked the quiet, soft-spoken woman. She was happy to see Chase so head-over-heels in love with his wife.

  He and Cooper James were two people she never expected to marry and settle down. Yet, they both seemed deliriously happy. Paige James and Jessie appeared to spend quite a bit of time traveling with their husbands. Maybe that was the secret to a successful rodeo marriage, sticking together.

  Brylee always wondered how couples managed when the rodeo athlete was gone all the time and left a family behind. She knew when her parents first wed, her dad spent a lot of time on the road as a team roper. But when Brylee came along, he hung up his rope and settled into life on the ranch her great-great-great grandparents had started back in the 1800s.

  Thoughts of the ranch and her reasons for returning to barrel racing drew her thoughts back to the present. Nothing was going to stand in her way of making it to the finals in December. Not a broken leg and most especially not the man who broke her heart.

  Brylee dug into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out the handful of baby carrots Barb had given her before she left the house.

  Rocket eagerly nibbled them off her palm. When he finished, she kissed his nose and smiled at Frank. “Thank you so much for bringing me out to check on him. I feel much better about things knowing he’s fine.”

  Frank nodded and helped her back into the UTV. “I figured as much. If it was me, I would’ve wanted to check on him before I could settle down and let Barb fuss over me while I pretended I didn’t like it.”

  Brylee grinned at him as they headed back toward the house. “Spoken like a true cowboy.”

  A snort broke out of Frank. They returned to the house and were making their way down the front walk when three vehicles drove in. Two of them kept going, although people waved from the open windows as they headed for the bunkhouse and trailers parked past the barn. The third vehicle pulled around the house into the garage.

  “That’ll be the kids, home from church. Let’s go on in and get washed up for lunch. Barb made pot roast and that’s my favorite.” Frank held open the front door as Brylee made her way up the wide porch steps.

  Cool air circled around her in a welcoming embrace as she moved inside. She hadn’t realized how hot it was outside until that moment. Then again, she’d been so focused on seeing Rocket, she ha
dn’t paid attention to much else.

  “Whew. It’s gonna be a scorcher today,” Frank said as he tossed his hat on a rack by the door then motioned for Brylee to lead the way down the hall. “Go on and get washed up then come to the kitchen. You’ll find we’re informal around here.”

  Brylee washed her hands and splashed her face then made her way to the kitchen where Kash set the table. Celia poured iced tea in glasses. Frank carried a bowl of mashed potatoes to the table. It didn’t escape her notice Kash set the table for eight. She wondered who else would join them, but hoped it wouldn’t be Shaun.

  Her hopes fell like a deflated balloon when someone tapped at the back door and then three men strolled inside. Shaun and his father were there with a man she recognized as one of the bullfighters she’d seen at several rodeos.

  “Hey, Brylee, sorry about your wreck last night. How are you doing today?” the bullfighter asked as he stepped around Shaun and made his way over to where she leaned on her crutches just inside the doorway.

  “I’m doing okay, Billy. Thanks for asking.” She gave him a friendly smile and took a step forward. In spite of how much it galled her to be civil to Shaun, she turned to him and his father and offered them a polite nod.

  “Got your drugs,” Shaun said, taking a pill bottle from the pocket of his shirt. “Doc said you should take one pill two to four times a day with your meal.”

  Brylee took the bottle from him and slipped it in her pocket. She’d been in need of relief from the pain ever since she got out of bed, but she wouldn’t admit it. “Thank you. Let me know what I owe you.”

  Shaun raised an eyebrow then turned away from her and walked over to where Barb carved a roast. “How’s my best girl today?”

  Barb blushed like she was a schoolgirl and gave him an indulgent look. “If you’re talking about me, then I’m just fine.”

  Jason moved close to Brylee and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It’s good to see you up and around, Brylee. If you need anything, be sure to let us know.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Price.”