A Rancher's Christmas (Saddlers Prairie) (11 page)

“Harvey was a fine man, Gloria. So was my Tony.”

“I know that, Sophie—I’m just trying to make a point.” With a devilish look on her face, she gave an exaggerated nod toward Gina.

They expected a rise out of her, but the best she could manage was a shrug.

“You don’t seem your regular self, cookie,” Sophie said. “All this sorting through Lucky’s things has worn you out.”

That was partly true, but Gina was also worried sick about her job. If Evelyn Grant asked to work with someone else in the firm, or worse, decided to leave Andersen, Coats and Mueller...

But no, Gina wasn’t going to think about that now or share her uneasiness. Zach, her family and her friends in Saddlers Prairie all thought she was riding high, and she wasn’t about to tell them otherwise.

“Or maybe you’re not ready to go back to Chicago just yet?” Sophie went on. “Your visit certainly has flown by.”

“Land sakes, Sophie, don’t go sending her off early. It’s only Thursday, and she’s here until Sunday morning.”

“I know that, Gloria! All I’m saying is that I’ll hate to see her go.”

“Excuse me, but I’m right here,” Gina said. Tired of their bickering, she hastily changed the subject. “I found something interesting the other day that I want to show you—after we’ve all had our dessert and coffee.”

“I hope it isn’t another secret we supposedly kept from you,” Gloria said. “But then, I don’t think there are any more of those.”

Sophie smiled. “On that, dear sister, we agree.”

Chapter Eleven

Redd set down his pie fork and blew out a breath. “My mouth wants more, but I can’t eat another bite. What’d I tell you about Gina’s cooking, Zach?”

“She’s great.” Zach sat back, rubbed his belly and grinned. “I’m in the same boat.”

After finishing his chores this morning, he’d sucked it up and called his father. The stilted conversation had been worse than the one with Jim, but then he’d expected as much. He’d come to the house in low spirits, but his mood had quickly done a one-eighty.

“I’m glad you liked the meal.” Gina smiled. The shadows in her eyes had completely faded, and she looked as relaxed as Zach felt. “I like to cook but never get much of a chance at home.” She glanced from Zach to her uncle. “You two say you’re full, but I’ve seen the way you eat,” she teased. “In a few hours, you’ll be hungry again.”

“Watching football always makes me hungry.” Redd raised a hopeful eyebrow at Zach. “Ready for another game?”

“No way, Jose.” Gloria shook her finger at him. “One game per holiday, remember? Besides, Gina wants to share something with us—something of Lucky’s she found the other day,” she added, looking pained.

“Dear Lord above.” Redd put the back of his hand to his forehead. “Don’t tell me she’s uncovered another
secret.
”

“It
is
a secret, of sorts.” Gina pushed to her feet. “Wait’ll you see the box I found in Uncle Lucky’s closet.”

“Box?” Gloria frowned. “That sounds intriguing.”

Zach thought so, too, but he was more fascinated by the length of leg he glimpsed as Gina climbed the stairs. He’d never seen her in a skirt until this afternoon. Her calves were every bit as shapely as he’d imagined. She was wearing hose and he wondered if she wore a garter belt or maybe thigh highs.

He itched to run his hand up her leg and find out. His body stirred, and he nearly groaned out loud.

Redd and the cousins were shooting him curious looks, and he realized he was staring at Gina as she disappeared up the steps. He tore his gaze away and stood to clear the dessert dishes.

“Leave those,” Redd said. “Let’s sit by the fire and wait to see what Gina found.”

When Gina returned, she set an open shoe box on the coffee table.

“Those are letters.” Redd squinted at the pile. “Who are they from?”

“A woman named Corinne from Red Deer. According to the letters, she and Uncle Lucky were involved for three years.”

Gloria and Sophie exchanged baffled looks, and Redd shook his head. “I never heard of any Corinne. Lucky would’ve said something.”

“I read every letter,” Gina said. “He and Corinne were definitely involved.”

Not once in the three years Zach had known Lucky had the old rancher been with a woman, but he’d enjoyed looking at and talking about them. Zach was glad that at one time his friend had done more than talk.

“I certainly never guessed,” Sophie said.

“Nor did I.” Gloria shook her head and chuckled. “And all this time, I worried that he was a closet homosexual.”

Sophie looked shocked. “Gloria!”

“Well, the man never dated or any of the other things men are prone to do. You know what I mean, Zach.”

About to sip his coffee, Zach choked. He shared a look at Gina, and they both bit back laughs.

Half an hour and another piece of pie later, Redd yawned. “I’m ready to go home and sleep off this meal. Girls?”

Sophie and Gloria looked equally sleepy. They both nodded.

“We’ll be back tomorrow night for leftovers,” Gloria said. “Of course you’ll join us again, Zach.”

He glanced at Gina, waiting for her okay. She nodded. “I’ll be here,” he said. “The roads are pretty icy tonight. Let me drive you in my truck.”

Redd frowned. “I can’t leave my car here. How would I get it in the morning?”

“No problem,” Gina said. “I’ll drive it to your house. Zach can follow me in his truck and bring me back. If that’s okay with you, Zach?”

“Sure.”

She gave him a look that warmed him from the inside out and filled his head with fantasies straight out of high school—making out in the dark truck and fooling around. It wasn’t gonna happen, but it sure was fun to think about.

* * *

A
FTER
ESCORTING
S
OPHIE
and Gloria up a treacherous walkway and safely into the house, and then dropping off Redd and his car, Zach was alone with Gina.

“I’m glad they’re all home safe,” she said as he pulled away from Redd’s place. “The roads really are bad tonight. And the walkway here and at my cousins’ place...I worry that someone will slip and fall.”

Zach shared her concern. “I’ll stop at both houses in the morning and scrape and salt the walks and front steps.”

“Okay, but we both know that the snow and ice will only come back again.”

“True, but at least they’ll be able to get to the house for leftovers.”

For a few moments they rode along in silence, with only the headlights lighting the dark highway. Aware of black ice, Zach made his way cautiously toward the ranch.

“My family is something else,” Gina said as they crept along.

He wasn’t about to risk taking his gaze off the road, but he sensed she was smiling. He shook his head and grinned. “They’re characters, all right, but good people.”

“And yet so irritating. The bickering between Sophie and Gloria drives me crazy.”

“I’ll take them over my relatives any time. My family is too stiff and formal to bicker, but they excel at sarcasm. Every holiday meal is like a competition.” Just talking about it put a bad taste in Zach’s mouth. “I used to get indigestion without taking a single bite of food.”

“That doesn’t sound fun.”

“I’d rather have a root canal.”

“But you talk to them on holidays?”

He nodded. “Some things you have to do. I don’t miss being there.”

“I don’t miss being in Chicago, either.”

She’d never said that before. Zach tore his gaze from the road to glance at her. “I thought you were anxious to get back.”

“I am, but I really enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving with my family.”

Zach considered the Arnetts family. But they weren’t, not really. He was on his own. Driving in the darkness, he felt truly alone—or would have without Gina beside him.

“I had a great time today, too,” he said.

“I needed the break.”

“You’ve been working hard.”

“Not hard enough.”

Her bitter tone surprised him. He figured she’d talk about it, but she flipped on the radio instead.

In no time, he drove under the Lucky A sign.

“Are you hungry again?” Gina asked when he pulled to a stop at the back of the house.

“I could eat. You?”

“I hate to say this, but yes.”

She looked so pained about that that Zach chuckled.

“Why don’t you come in and have some leftovers?” Gina said. “There’ll still be plenty for tomorrow and the day after that.”

Not relishing returning to his trailer just yet, Zach readily agreed.

Inside, he added another log to the fire. He helped Gina unload the dishwasher and put away the clean dishes.

“Now I’m getting really hungry,” she said. “Let’s make turkey and cranberry sandwiches.”

“We can use the dinner rolls for bread.”

“You liked those?”

He nodded and licked his lips. She laughed again, making the day that much more perfect.

Sitting side by side on the sofa, they dug in, the fire crackling merrily.

“Do you know why Corinne broke things off with my uncle?” she asked after a while. “She wanted to get married, and he wouldn’t commit. I think that’s so sad. He could’ve had a child—someone besides me to inherit the ranch.”

She almost sounded regretful. Zach couldn’t help but wonder if she was beginning to have second thoughts about selling the ranch. He wasn’t about to push her by asking. “Some guys just aren’t wired for marriage,” he said.

“What about you?”

He shrugged. “I was engaged once.”

“Really?” she said, clearly surprised. “What happened, if you don’t mind my asking?”

The man who’d bought the Horton Company from Zach had started dating his ex-fiancée. A year later, they’d married. Gina didn’t need to know about that—she’d only ask questions Zach wasn’t going to answer. “She didn’t like the direction my life was taking and married someone else,” he summarized.

The sharp look she gave him could’ve cut glass.

“What?” he said.

Gina smoothed her napkin. “Was it because you were a ranch foreman?”

“There’s nothing wrong with what I do, but back then, I didn’t even know what a ranch foreman was.”

“Where did you work?”

“It’s not important. Turns out, I like being single.”

Zach saw that she had more questions. Before she could voice them, he asked one of his own. “What about you, Gina? Are you a commitmentphobe?”

“Not at all, but I’ve been so busy working that I really haven’t had time to date. I thought things might work out with my last boyfriend, but it turned out that we didn’t have much in common. We didn’t have great chemistry, either.”

“You and I have chemistry.” Zach took her plate and set it aside. “Lots of it.”

When he leaned in for a kiss, she didn’t stop him. One kiss wasn’t enough—for either of them. He was already hard and aching, but then, just looking at her aroused him.

He cupped her soft, full breasts. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples and felt them sharpen, heard her suck in her breath and release it in a sweet, low moan.

He wanted to hear that again. Wanted her under him, begging for more. He unbuttoned her blouse. She was helping him get rid of it when he heard the landline ring.

Gina frowned. “Who’d call at ten-thirty on Thanksgiving—and on the landline? Nobody uses that except my family....” Face paling, she shrugged back into her blouse and jumped up. “Oh, God, I hope nothing’s wrong.”

She hurried to the kitchen, buttoning the blouse on the way. Zach was right behind her.

Reaching across the counter, she snatched up the phone. “Hello? Uncle Redd—hi. Is everything okay?” She sent Zach a worried look. “You think you’re having a
heart attack?
”

Please, not Redd, too.

“Did you call Dr. Mark?” She listened. “That’s good. I’m relieved that the medics are on their way. You wait for them and don’t move an inch. Zach and I will be right over.”

By the time she hung up, Zach had his coat on and his keys in hand.

* * *

S
OME
FIVE
HOURS
later, Gina let out an exhausted yawn and tucked Uncle Redd into his own bed. “I’m awfully glad you only had indigestion. No more overindulging, okay?”

He gave a sheepish nod. “A fifty-mile round-trip drive to Flagg Memorial hospital in Elk Ridge is no fun, especially late at night. Sorry I bothered you and Zach.”

She glanced at Zach, standing back out of the way. His eyes were hot and his expression intense, and she knew he was remembering what they’d been doing when her uncle’s call had come in.

Zach’s mouth on hers, his hands... If not for the interruption, she might have done something she regretted. “That’s okay, Uncle Redd. You get some sleep, all right? Zach and I will be back in the morning to check on you and clean your walkway.”

“Okay, honey. I still get to come to dinner tomorrow night, right?”

“Of course, but you’re only allowed a small sliver of pie. Sleep tight.” She kissed his whiskery cheek.

She and Zach left. “I’m sure relieved he’s okay,” he said as he pulled away from the curb.

So was Gina. “I’m glad I was here for him. Can you imagine going through all those tests alone? Sophie and Gloria don’t drive in the dark, and I wouldn’t want them to.” She’d phoned her cousins several times, first to tell them what was happening and later with the results of the tests. “I don’t ever want to be away again during a family emergency.”

“If and when something happens, the only way you can be sure of being here is by moving back to Saddlers Prairie,” Zach said.

He was right, but she was happy living in Chicago. “You don’t quit, do you?”

“As the poet said, ‘I have promises to keep.’”

“I’m not going to live here, but I do intend to visit more often.” She would come back in the spring to check on the ranch—if it hadn’t sold by then—and again next Christmas. Though the thought of celebrating a family Christmas somewhere besides the Lucky A was unbearably sad.

At almost 4:00 a.m., it was already Friday. Only two more days until she flew back to Chicago. She would miss everyone, including Zach. Especially him.

Want to or not, she liked him. A lot more than she should.

She was silently chiding herself for letting him kiss her and more when he pulled up close to the back door and set the brake. With country music softly playing on the radio, he kissed her—a long hot kiss that erased all rational thoughts and left her aching for more.

He pulled back. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes.

“Sleep tight, Gina,” he said in a low, throaty voice that stroked her like a caress.

Her whole body quivered. “You, too,” she managed, doubting that she’d calm down enough to sleep for a long time.