The Rancher's Christmas Bride

The sound of scissors slicing through hair brought her back to reality. She looked at the long chunk of hair in her hand and straightened to look in the mirror at the ghastly sight.

“What have I done?”

Next to her the dog whined. She glanced down at the beast stretched out at her feet. He looked up at her with soulful eyes and six inches of drool hanging from his mouth.

“Did I really do that?” she asked him. In answer he put his head on his paws and closed his eyes. Of course he didn’t have an opinion. She returned her attention to the rather uneven layers of hair.

She snipped away the longer pieces, shortening her hair by another two inches. She looked in the mirror and winced. Her hair was now just above her shoulders. It wasn’t the best cut in the world but it felt good to be rid of the weight. She brushed it out with her fingers and then tossed the long locks she’d cut in the trash and dropped the scissors back in the drawer.

Now to find her grandfather. She opened the front door and was greeted by a sunny December day. There was a hint of chill in the air and the smell of wet earth. And no sign of Dan. She stepped back inside, leaving the door open a crack.

The camper wasn’t big, maybe thirty feet in length. She walked to the hallway and peered into the empty bathroom.

“Dan? Are you here?” She took another cautious step. “Dan?”

And then she heard the coughing, the same as the previous evening, almost as if he couldn’t catch his breath. She knocked on the closed bedroom door.

“Dan? Are you okay?”

The coughing fit lasted a few more seconds. “I’m fine. Can’t you leave a man in peace?”

“Not if he sounds like he might need help,” she said through the closed door. “Do you need help?”

“No, I don’t need help. Not unless you plan to feed livestock for me.” Through the thin door she heard a raspy chuckle.

“Okay. I think I can do that.”

“You don’t know a cow from a bull.” He began coughing again.

“Do you need a doctor?”

“Call your folks and tell them to come get you,” he said at the end of the spell, his breathing sounding off, even through the door.

“I texted them yesterday but my phone didn’t charge last night.”

“Deliver me from nosy relatives and do-gooders,” he grumbled. But she thought he sounded pleased. Or maybe she wanted him to be pleased.

“You rest. I’ll figure out the difference between a cow and a bull.”

“Don’t get too close to that bull or you’ll be on the business end of his horns. City gals. Land sakes, they drive a man nuts.”

“I’ll yell if I need help.” She looked down at the wedding dress. She guessed it wouldn’t do any good to ask for clothes.

As she headed out the front door and down the steps, careful to avoid loose boards, something red and winged came flying at her. She jumped off the porch and ran but it kept up the chase. The dog began barking and joined the fray. Chickens scattered, squawking in protest.

The crazy thing jumped at her, claws ripping at her dress, and a vicious beak tried to grab hold. She headed for the beat-up old truck parked to the side of the driveway, and when the doors wouldn’t open, she climbed in the back, the dress tangling around her legs. She fell in a heap of white, but then she scrambled to her feet, grabbing a rake that had been left in the bed of the truck.

A truck eased down the drive and stopped a dozen feet from where she stood. Through the window, even with the glare of early morning sun, she could see the cowboy from the previous evening. His wide grin was unmistakable.

The rooster must have known she’d been distracted. He flew at her again. She was ready this time and gave him a good smack with the rake. He made a stupid chicken noise as he fell to the ground, squawking and fluttering his wings.

Alex Palermo got out of his truck, shaking his head and smirking just a little. She probably looked a sight, standing there in the bed of a truck wearing her wedding dress. He didn’t look like he’d slept on a sofa. No, he looked rested. As he took off his cowboy hat, she saw his hair was dark and curly. His ears really were a little too big. It was good to know he wasn’t perfect. He was compact with broad shoulders, wore jeans that fit easy on his trim waist and had a grin that would melt a girl’s heart. Any girl but her.

Her heart was off-limits. Out of order. No longer available.

“It looks like you’ve killed Dan’s rooster,” Alex glanced at the rooster and then raised his gaze to hers. “Want down from there?”

She peeked over the side of the truck, where the rooster had regained his footing. “The rooster looks very much alive to me.”

He flashed a smile, revealing those dimples again. “Yeah, I was teasing. He’s a little stunned. I doubt he’s ever been knocked out with a rake.”

“Stop,” she warned. “That rooster had it coming. And the dog is going down next.”

“What did Bub ever do to you?” He held out a hand for her. “Come on down now, you’ll be fine. I’ll protect you.”

But who would protect her from all of that cowboy charm? He was cute and he knew how to make a girl feel rescued without making her feel weak. She took his hand and managed to climb over the tailgate of the truck without getting tangled up in the massive white skirts. If she’d had her choice she would have picked a slim-fitting dress that didn’t overwhelm her five-foot frame.

“My grandfather is sick,” she told him once she was on the ground.

“Dan has emphysema,” Alex explained and then he held out a bag. “I guess someone will be here to get you today, but I borrowed some clothes from my sister. They’ll be a little bit big on you but I’d imagine you’d like to get out of that dress.”

“Thank you.” She held the bag and looked back at the camper. “I told him I’d feed his livestock.”

His eyes twinkled. “Did you now? And do you know how to feed livestock?”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“I don’t doubt that a bit. But I’ll help you. I usually try to check on Dan every few days, since he hasn’t had anyone else.”

Her grandfather didn’t have anyone. Of course he didn’t. She hadn’t even known about him until her grandmother passed away the previous summer. There were family secrets and hurt feelings. She got all of that. But Dan deserved family. He needed family.

“Oh, city girl, I wouldn’t get that look in my eyes if I were you.”

She glanced up at the man standing in front of her, watching her with his steady gaze. “What look?”

“The look that says you think Old Dan needs rescuing. He won’t take kindly to that.”

“But he...”

Alex held up a hand. “You just showed up and he has pride. He isn’t going to let you come in here and start prodding him into submission because you’re a granddaughter with a need to make up for lost time.”

“But he’s sick,” she sputtered. “And I am his granddaughter.”

“Right, I get that. I’ll give you some advice, before you ride in there on a white horse. Let Dan think he’s helping you.”

Her indignation died a quick death. “Oh.”

He pointed to the bag of clothes. “Go change and I’ll wait for you.”

For the first time she took a good look at the place her grandfather called home. The land was flat to a point and then it met rolling, tree-covered hills. The fences sagged and the barn looked as if it was at least a century old. The camper sat in the middle of it all, a relic from decades past. Behind that was a chicken pen, the door open and the rooster now inside getting himself a drink of water but still watching her with serious intent.

“Go on,” he said, and patted her shoulder. “I’ve learned that life has these little moments. I guess we learn from them when we can and we survive.”

She saw something in him she hadn’t noticed before. There was laughter on the surface, but in his dark eyes she saw pain. For a moment it was so intense, that flash of sadness, she wanted to comfort him. She shook free and stepped back. His easy smile was back in place and he winked, making her think she’d imagined it all.

* * *

Alex scrounged around in the shed, found the chicken feed and scooped out a can. As he exited the building, Marissa came out of the camper. She was dressed in his older sister’s—Lucy’s—jeans and a T-shirt she’d tied at the waist. Probably to keep it from hanging to her knees. The jeans were tucked into the boots he’d borrowed from his little sister, Maria.

He wondered if he should comment on her hair. Having been raised with two sisters, he kind of doubted it. Even though it was a little short and uneven, he liked it.

“So, you might not be a country girl, but dressed like that you could fool some people.”

“Because I put on jeans and boots?” She shook her head and kept walking.

If he had to guess, that fast walk of hers was intended to help her outrun an argument with her grandfather. He paused for a few seconds, and sure enough the door of the camper flew open and Dan, in overalls, muck boots and a straw hat, appeared. His gray hair stuck out from beneath the hat and his face was scruffy with a few days’ growth of gray whiskers.

“I don’t need no pity from long lost relatives,” Dan squawked, sounding a lot like that bad-tempered rooster of his. “Now call your folks and tell them to come get you. After all these years...”

He had a coughing fit and didn’t finish. And even with the tongue lashing, his granddaughter hightailed it back to his side and told him to take it easy. She might be a city girl but she had a determined side.

Alex didn’t want to like her too much. In his experience, women like her didn’t last in his world. And they were too expensive for his bank account. It didn’t matter what he told himself about her being a city girl, or his bank account or any of the other mental objections he might have; he liked her.

A woman like her, if she stayed around long enough, could make a guy start thinking about forever. Even if he hadn’t planned on having those thoughts. Ever. “I’m asking you to let me stay because I need a little time before I go back and face the embarrassment.” She looked at her grandfather as determined as that old rooster had been. “Just a week or two. Please.”

Dan reached into his pocket for an inhaler. After a few puffs, he shoved it in the front pocket of his bibs and gave his granddaughter a once-over.

“Nope.” He went on down the steps, holding tight to the rail. “You call your folks and you go on back to Dallas. I don’t need a keeper. And you don’t need to hide from what happened.”

“But...” She followed him. “I could help you out around here.”

Dan shook his head as he took the can of chicken feed from Alex. “I don’t need help. I’m just fine.”

“Dan, just let us feed for you today,” Alex offered. But at this point, if he had any sense, he’d hightail it back to his place and take care of his own life instead of wading knee-deep into Dan’s. “Give your granddaughter the chance to be a farm girl for a few days. She’s all dressed up for the part. Might as well introduce her to country life. Maybe we’ll even take a ride over to Essie’s for lunch. My treat.”

Dan looked skeptical, but even he seemed to know when to give in. He handed over the feed can and gave his granddaughter a sharp look. “Don’t be abusing my rooster. He’ll remember that and he’ll be waiting to get back at you.”

“He’s a rooster,” she said. “I doubt roosters plot vengeance.”

“Just you wait,” was his grumbled response as he headed back to the trailer. “I’m holding you to lunch, Palermo. You’re buying.”

“What do we do now?” the woman at his side asked Alex as they headed for Dan’s old farm truck.

Alex unlocked her door and opened it. “Well, we feed Dan’s cattle. In the summer he had plenty of grass, but this time of year we feed hay and grain. In years past that would have been more of a job than it is now. Dan’s been selling off some cattle recently. I’ve actually been a little worried about him.”

“Do you think he’s okay? I mean...” She hesitated and then got in the truck. “Dementia?”

He got in and turned the key, knowing it would take a few attempts to get the old truck started. Dan had a sedan he kept parked in a carport behind the camper, but he claimed it didn’t have a battery.

“No, I don’t think he has dementia,” he answered as the truck roared to life. “His health isn’t the best but I think it’s more. Something seems off and he won’t say much about it.”

“If he’ll let me stay, maybe I can figure it out.”

Alex thought the best thing she could do was head on back to Dallas. Dan’s old camper suited him but it wasn’t the life she was used to. Not that he knew about her life or what she was used to. But he guessed she didn’t know what it was like to live in an old piece of metal when the wind blew hard from the north.

“I don’t think he’s going to let you stay,” Alex told her as they drove toward the barn.

“Have you always known him?” she asked after he’d opened the gate and they’d driven through.

“All my life. He’s always been here.”

“So you grew up in Bluebonnet?”

He stopped the truck at the feed trough and got out. She followed, watching him, then watching the cattle heading their way. She moved to his side and stayed close as he tossed a feed sack over his shoulder, pulled the string to unseal the bag and poured it out, starting at one end of the trough.

“Did you?” she asked as he went back for the second bag of grain.

“Yeah, I grew up here.”

“You don’t sound happy about that.”

“Because I’m busy and you’re asking a lot of questions.” Questions about growing up were his least favorite. There were too many bad memories attached to his childhood in Bluebonnet. Not because of the town but because his father had tarnished childhood for Alex and his siblings in a way that should have been against the law. It probably was against the law.

“Do you have siblings other than your sister?” she asked.

He pulled off his hat, swiped a hand across his brow and shook his head. “You know a guy for five seconds and suddenly you need his life story.”

She started to protest but he stopped her. Holding his hand up to quiet her, he studied the cattle that were heading across the field. His attention shifted to the slightly damp ground. And tire tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Marissa asked as she moved to stand next to him.

He pointed to the tracks in the soft earth. “Someone has been out here. On four-wheelers. And I might be wrong but there seems to be a couple of cows missing. I wouldn’t usually notice that about Dan’s herd, but he had two black baldies that looked ready to drop their calves any day. And they’re gone. I’ll ask Dan if I need to go look for them. It’s possible they’re off having their calves. But I don’t know who would have been out here with an ATV.”

“Black baldy?” she asked with narrowed eyes and her nose scrunched up.

“A black cow with a white face.”

Her mouth formed an O. “Maybe he sold them?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

He tossed the empty sacks and headed for the truck. “We’ll ask him when we get back. And then I’ll head to my place. I’ve got to get some work done before more rain hits.”

“Work? Do you have another job, other than ranching?”

Another question. He motioned her into the truck. “I used to be a bull rider. Now I ranch and I’m starting a tractor-and-equipment-repair business. I also own bucking bulls.” He got in the truck and cranked the engine. “What about you?”

“I teach kindergarten.” She said it with a soft smile but also with a little bit of sadness that he didn’t like. She looked like the type of person who walked on sunshine and never had a bad day. But that’s what he got for judging a book by its pretty cover.

Everyone had bad days. Most people had secrets or a past they didn’t want to talk about. Those were the hard facts of life. He tried to stay out of other people’s business and leave them to their own past, their own secrets.

Marissa Walker caused a man to forget those simple rules for an uninvolved life. Rule 1: don’t ask personal questions.

They were nearing the gate and he slowed. “Why don’t you open that gate for me?”

She climbed out of the truck and pulled on the gate until she had it open. A couple of times she had to stop and tug up on the jeans Lucy had loaned her. He swallowed a grin as she got back in the truck.

“I hope you enjoyed that,” she muttered.

“I did.” He leaned over to brush her cheek. “You had something on your face.”

And just like that the humor died, and he was face-to-face with the greatest temptation of his life, a woman who just last night had sat in his truck and cried. A woman who wouldn’t be around long enough to know left from right when it came to Bluebonnet.

He leaned back in the seat and put his hands on the steering wheel of the old truck. The clutch was sticky and the gears grinded a bit. It was familiar, and right now he needed familiar.

As they pulled up to Dan’s camper, his passenger let out a soft gasp and reached for the door handle before he could get the truck stopped.

“Hey, at least let me stop before you...”

She was already out of the truck, the door wide-open. He hit the emergency brake and jumped out because Dan was leaning against the side of the camper and he didn’t look too good. Alex remembered those praying lessons the pastor had been giving him, because this looked like a moment to pray for some help, to pray for an old man to take another breath.

“Dan, are you okay? Here, let me help you sit down.” Marissa had an arm around him but he was fighting her off.

“I can get myself to the house.” He leaned, wheezing as he tried to draw in a breath. “Lungs don’t work like...”

“Dan, stop talking and let us help you. We’ll go see Doc Parker.” Alex put Dan’s arm over his shoulder. The older man was taller than him by a few inches and he was still solid. He leaned heavily on Alex as they headed across the dusty yard to Alex’s truck.

“I don’t need the doc.” Dan gave one last attempt. “Trouble. I knew when she knocked on my door that she’d be trouble.”

Dan’s granddaughter bristled at that. “Listen to me—”

“You old coot,” Dan said, finishing her sentence, in a somewhat mocking tone.

“I wouldn’t call you that.” She opened the truck door. “We’re taking you to the doctor, and like it or not, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Dad-burn-it.” Dan collapsed as they managed to maneuver him into the truck.

Alex gave her points for courage. She’d shown up on Dan’s doorstep like a rain-soaked kitten tossed to the curb. Today the kitten had claws and she wasn’t walking out on a grandfather who wasn’t going to make her visit easy.

Alex had to admit, if he wasn’t so tangled up in his bucking-bulls business, and in his past, a woman with her kind of spunk would be the woman to have in his life.

But he wasn’t anything close to solvent and she wasn’t the kind of woman who looked twice at a cowboy like him.

Chapter Three

The doctor’s office was in an old convenience-store building on the south edge of Bluebonnet Springs. Alex drove them there in less than five minutes, with Marissa’s grandfather arguing the entire time that he was fine and didn’t need that “quack doctor.” Alex had merely grinned during the rant. Marissa had tried to get Dan to calm down because his lips were turning blue from lack of oxygen.

They pulled up to the clinic, and Alex parked next to the front door. Thanks to a brief phone call, the physician waited outside for them. He had an oxygen tank on wheels, and as Dan argued, the doctor placed the tubing in his nose.

“Don’t fight me, Dan Wilson,” Doc Parker said, as they helped Marissa’s grandfather out of the truck. “I told you to keep oxygen at your house. Now you’re going to have to do what I say and maybe you’ll live a few more years.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Dan said, inhaling deeply. “You’ll scare the kids.”

Doc shot them a look, his eyes narrowed. “They’re young but they can handle reality. Where did you get this pretty young lady?”

“I reckon that’s my granddaughter. She showed up on my doorstep like a stray puppy and now I can’t get rid of her.”

Once they were inside, Doc got Dan to sit down.

“Did you feed her?” Doc asked, giving her a swift smile as he examined her grandfather. “If you feed them, they won’t go back where they came from.”

“I reckon I fed her a sandwich last night and she had a cup of coffee this morning. To repay me, she nearly killed my best rooster.”

Doc laughed. “That rooster had it coming, Dan. He tried to flog me when I was out there checking on you last week.”

The physician put a stethoscope to her grandfather’s chest, telling him to breathe, then moved it to the next spot. Dan obeyed, but he shivered from time to time, and Marissa could hear the wheezing even without the stethoscope. A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Alex moved to stand behind her. Briefly his hand touched her shoulder.

The comfort took her by surprise. Brief as it was, it untangled the emotions of the past twenty-four hours and brought an unexpected tightness to her throat.

Doc sat back and gave her grandfather a long look. “Now listen to me, you old coot, I’m sending you to the hospital. I called the ambulance before you got here because I figured that cold you’ve had finally knocked you down.”

“I don’t need the hospital.” Dan paused to take a breath. “And I’ve got animals to take care of.”

“You’ve got neighbors who will help.” Doc Parker looked at Marissa, his gray eyes kind. “Can you talk some sense into him?”

How did she talk sense into someone she’d just met? She looked at the gruff man who was her grandfather and she wished she’d had twenty-six years of knowing him. He was salty and rough but already she loved him.

“Granddad...” she began. He looked up, his eyes narrowing. She couldn’t back down. Not when it was something this serious. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay and take care of the animals. You go to the hospital and get better.”

“He’s trying to send me off to a nursing home,” her grandfather said quietly. “I’m not doing that.”

“No, he’s sending you to the hospital. And then you’re going back to your own place to tend to that worthless rooster.” Marissa put a hand on his arm. It seemed a natural gesture, but she was surprised by how easy it was to reach out to him.

“I’ll help her keep an eye on things.” Alex inserted himself into the conversation.

“Keep an eye on her, too. She doesn’t know a thing about cows.” Her grandfather paused again to breathe. The color was slowly seeping back into his cheeks. “Don’t you kill that rooster while I’m in the hospital.” And then he raised his gaze to Alex. “And no fox better get in the henhouse, either.” He took another long breath of the oxygen.

Doc rolled his eyes. “Dan, I’m sending you in for some IV antibiotics and a few tests. That’s all. You’ll be home in a few days at the latest.”

“You’re sure?” Dan asked.

“Pretty close to sure. And the ambulance is pulling in. Alex and your granddaughter can follow unless they want to ride with me.” Doc Parker helped her grandfather to his feet, then he gave Marissa his attention. “Do you need to call your family?”

It was a normal question, but this wasn’t a normal situation. Before she could answer, her grandfather waved his hand and stopped her.

“No, she won’t be calling family. She’s my family. My only family.”

Doc raised a questioning brow. “Is that so?”

Again, Dan answered. “It is if I say so.”

“Dan, you have to let her answer.” Doc glanced at her as he continued to examine his patient.

“Yes, I’m his family. But Granddad, I will tell my mother what is going on.”

“Bah,” he said, waving her away. As if she would go.

Suddenly, the paramedics entered. Alex stood with her as they readied her grandfather. Memories crashed in, and she closed her eyes against the pain that the images brought. It had been so long, but seeing her grandfather on that gurney, it seemed more like yesterday.