A Rancher's Christmas (Saddlers Prairie) (6 page)

Marsha had also called with the names and numbers from the past two days’ calls and let Gina know she’d contacted them.

Outside, darkness had fallen. Gina checked her watch. The funeral, reception and spreading the ashes had taken longer than she’d imagined. In Chicago it was after five and the Friday before Thanksgiving to boot. The office was already gearing down for the holiday and upcoming short workweek, and Gina doubted that anyone would be there now. All the same, she left a message for Carrie.

She also tried Carrie’s cell, but her assistant didn’t pick up. Well, she had that dinner date tonight. Gina left a message that ended with, “First thing Monday morning, you and I need to talk. Expect my call at nine a.m. Chicago time.”

Having done all that she could for now, she stood. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Somehow, her makeup had disappeared, and she looked all washed out. If only she’d realized sooner. Wanting to look better for her family, and yes, for Zach, she freshened up her makeup and ran a comb through her hair. There.

She looked better, but between the funeral and worrying about Carrie, she felt as if she’d been through the wringer.

Needing the comfort of her family and Zach, she headed downstairs to rejoin them.

Chapter Six

A roaring fire crackled in the fireplace, as if this were a normal November evening at the Lucky A. It wasn’t. Uncle Lucky had been a huge presence in Gina’s life, and his passing left a big hole in her heart. That he wasn’t here to tease her and make her laugh put a definite damper on things, but Zach and her family were good company.

Having consumed one of his delicious hot toddies before dinner and two glasses of wine with the meal, she was finally relaxed. Zach and Uncle Redd had brought up a set of old TV trays from the basement and they’d eaten in front of the fire, polishing off a whole casserole, most of a chocolate cake and two bottles of wine—with numerous toasts to Uncle Lucky.

Uncle Redd set down his cake plate and patted his belly. “That was real tasty,” he said, stretching and yawning. “It’s been a long day, and I’m ready to go home.” He gestured at Sophie and Gloria. “Get your coats, girls.”

Too full and comfortable to move just yet, Gina scrutinized her uncle from her chair. “It’s stopped snowing, but there are at least a few more inches on the ground. The roads are sure to be slippery, and you’ve had quite a bit to drink. Plus it’s dark. Why don’t you stay here? There’s room for all of you.”

Uncle Redd shook his head. “We’ll do that at Christmas. I can’t leave the dogs alone overnight. I’m not driving more than a few miles and I could do it blindfolded, so the dark isn’t a problem. Besides, I only had the one hot toddy and half a glass of wine, and you saw how much food I put away tonight. I’m as sober as I was when I got up this morning.”

He shot a wry look at Sophie and Gloria, who’d helped Gina and Zach drink the wine. “I can’t speak for your cousins, though.”

The women glanced at each other and giggled. Slightly drunk herself, Gina smiled.

In no time, everyone was in the kitchen, Gina and Zach helping the older ones into their coats.

After all they’d been through today, Gina felt very close to her family. She hated to see them go and dreaded spending the night alone in the house. But she wasn’t going to admit it.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” she asked after she hugged and kissed each of them.

Gloria shook her head. “Probably not, honey. Saturday is the day Sophie and I do our house cleaning. Besides, you’ll be sorting through Lucky’s papers and things, and we’d probably just get in the way. Why don’t you come to our house Sunday night for dinner? We’ll plan our Thanksgiving meal.” She smiled at Zach. “It goes without saying that you’re invited again this year—both for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

“I appreciate that,” Zach said. “Count me in.”

Without Uncle Lucky, both holiday celebrations were bound to feel dreary. Gina half wished she could come back at Christmas.

Redd opened the door to leave. “Don’t stay up late, you two.” Winking, he closed it behind them.

“They couldn’t be more obvious about pushing us together.” Gina shook her head in disbelief. “I love them all dearly, but sometimes—make that a lot of the time—they drive me crazy.”

“They aren’t so bad.”

“That’s because they’re on their best behavior when you’re around. You should hear them nag and question me about when I’m going to get married. They’re worried that if I don’t get married and have kids soon, the Arnett family line will die out.”

“What do you tell them?”

“That I’m barely thirty and I have plenty of time. I’m not even dating right now.”

“Too busy working?”

“That, and I’m also picky.”

“Let me guess, you’re looking for a CEO to come along and sweep you off your feet.”

She laughed. “He doesn’t have to be a CEO as long as he’s ambitious. My family doesn’t understand at all.”

Zach was silent and his expression was unreadable. Gina wished she knew what he was thinking. “Men don’t have the same kind of pressure as women,” she added.

“Sure we do, but in different ways. You have a choice of whether or not to make your name in the world. We don’t have that choice.”

“Your family puts that kind of pressure on you?”

“Every man’s does.”

“And you’re rebelling.”

For a moment he looked puzzled. Then his eyes narrowed a fraction. “You mean because I’m a ranch foreman. You’re a white-collar snob.” He snorted and headed back to the living room.

She was offended. “I am not! I just... You’re really smart, Zach. What you said about Uncle Lucky at the funeral today was eloquent and moving. You have all this potential, and...” By his grim expression, she saw that she’d only made things worse, and she let the words trail off.

“You’re wondering why I don’t do what you do? Put in eighty-hour workweeks chasing after the next deal? That’s an empty life I don’t choose to live.”

None too gently, he began to stack the dessert plates.

She’d really hit a sore spot. “You’re going to break something, Zach.”

He set down the dishes and slapped the folding TV tables shut. “I’ll take these back to the basement.”

“I can do that later.”

Tight-lipped, he hefted the five folded tables and strode toward the kitchen.

Those tables were heavy, yet he toted them as if they weighed nothing. Gina followed him, jogging to keep up. In the kitchen, she shot around him to open the basement door and flip on the lights down there.

His footsteps thudded down the wooden steps, each one sounding like a scold. Feeling terrible for insulting him, she chafed her arms.

Uncle Lucky’s portable dishwasher was still hooked up to the kitchen faucet from after dinner. The cycle was finished, and she unhooked and wheeled it to its place against the wall.

She was about to put the clean dishes away when she heard Zach come up the stairs.

Her heart pounded. Twisting her hands at her waist, she met him at the top of the steps. He looked surprised. “What’s wrong?”

“I just— Don’t be angry, Zach.”

“Damn straight, I’m mad. I don’t like being judged, especially when you know nothing about me.”

She was wearing flat ankle boots tonight, which gave him a height advantage of at least four inches. Looming over her with a dark expression, he was intimidating, but she met his gaze. “Not for lack of asking. You won’t tell me anything.”

“My past is my business. It’s over and done with, and I don’t talk about it.” He crossed his arms as if daring her to say one more word about the subject.

Frustrated, she offered something of an apology. “I won’t bring up your past again, all right? But don’t blame me for making assumptions. They’re all I have to go on.”

That didn’t make him any happier, and she threw up her hands. “You should probably just go home,” she said, hating the thought of his leaving like this, of being alone for the rest of the evening.

“I’ll stay until the dishes are done. You empty the dishwasher and I’ll bring in the stuff from the living room.”

“That’d be nice. Thank you.”

* * *

N
OT
IN
THE
best of moods, Zach turned and headed back to the living room. Of all the nights to have words with Gina. He didn’t want to argue with her or leave things unsettled. The second he’d caught sight of her in the airport baggage claim, he’d known they were as mismatched as a cowboy boot and an expensive pump.

The problem was that every time he saw her, he wanted her more.

He shouldn’t have kissed her yesterday, but he wasn’t sorry he had.

The plates clattered loudly as he stacked them. Then he remembered Gina’s warning to be careful. He collected the utensils and glasses with more care and brought them to the kitchen.

Gina was putting away the clean silverware and acknowledged him with a curt nod.

Time for an apology. He set the dirty dishes in the sink and waited for her to look at him. Her wary expression tugged at something in his chest. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you,” he said.

“I’m so sorry for what I said—what I implied.” She swallowed loudly, her eyes filled with remorse. “That was rude and completely uncalled for.”

“It was, but I overreacted. We’ve both been through a lot, especially today, and feelings are raw.”

“It isn’t just losing Uncle Lucky.” She bit her lip. “I’m worried about things at work.”

“Ah.” She kept reminding him that work was her main priority, and he kept forgetting. Unable to think of a decent reply, Zach shook his head. “I’ll grab my coat and let you get back to it.”

“Tonight I don’t want to do anything remotely work related,” she said. “I don’t even want to think about my job, but I’m so stressed out that I can’t help it. Carrie, my assistant, isn’t doing what she promised. She’s supposed to take up the slack and handle the accounts while I’m here. I’ve only been gone three days, and already she’s fallen behind. My clients expect blue-ribbon service. I can’t risk losing them because of her.”

Zach understood. “Ask a colleague to step in and help.”

“I’m going to have to,” she said. “But everyone is trying to clear off their desks before Wednesday, when we close for the long Thanksgiving weekend.”

“Have you talked to your boss?”

“Not yet.” She sighed. “It’s a bit of a mess. My assistant and I both assured him that she was up to the responsibility. He isn’t exactly the compassionate type and I worry that he’ll question my ability to manage. Even if I do find someone to step in, I’ll have to take the time to explain what needs to be done. Which means I’ll be stuck spending more time on work when I’d rather focus on the things I need to do here before I leave. Like sort through Uncle Lucky’s papers and his personal effects and figure out what to keep and what I can toss. How am I supposed to get it all done?”

“Winter is a slow time for ranchers. I’ll do what I can. Other people have offered to help, too. We can’t sort through Lucky’s papers for you, but we can get rid of the newspapers and old magazines and clean out the basement. You just need to ask.”

“Thanks. I’ll sort everything out and let you know.” She gave him a small smile. “Sorry for dumping on you like that.”

“No problem.” Zach felt for her. “I remember when my grandfather died. My family put what we didn’t want or need immediately into storage. It was years before anyone looked through that stuff. You already have Lucky’s financial papers. You could go through the rest of his things some other time.”

That stubborn look crossed her face. “I don’t want to put it off, Zach. I don’t think Uncle Lucky would want me to.” She pulled the last of the cutlery from the open dishwasher and put it away. “I feel bad enough that I didn’t come home more often while he was alive. The least I can do is take the time and care to sort through his things now.”

Her shoulders slumping, she fiddled with the knob on the silverware drawer and avoided his gaze. She was easy to read. Guilt was weighing her down.

Having been there himself, Zach knew how heavy that load was. He moved toward her. “Letting the guilt eat you alive won’t do you or Lucky any good,” he said. “Like he used to tell me, don’t beat yourself up over things you can’t change.”

Her curious expression told him that she wondered what he’d beaten himself up about. But Lucky had been the last person to hear about that, and Zach was not going to revisit his sorry past ever again.

“My uncle gave you good advice, but I don’t know that I can follow it.”

“If I did, you can. You look like you could use a hug,” he said, surprising himself.

He opened his arms, and she walked into them.

Without her heels, she barely reached his shoulder. As strong a woman as she was, her bones were fine and delicate. Zach tucked her against the hollow of his shoulder and rested his chin on the top of her head.

After a few moments, he felt the tension drain out of her, felt her relax. Perfume and the womanly scent underneath filled his senses. “That’s much better.”

Closing his eyes, he kissed her head. She wriggled closer, her softness teasing his body to life.

Now who was tense? Zach loosened his hold on her and started to back away.

“Don’t go.” Hanging on tight, she looked up at him, her green eyes round and pleading. “I need you tonight. Kiss me, Zach.”

All day he’d wanted to do exactly that—and more. But wanting her was wrong for them both, and kissing her was dangerous.

He should walk away now, while he still could. But she laced her arms around his neck and pulled him down, and he was lost.

Her lips were sweet and eager. He slid his tongue inside her mouth and explored. He sat her on the cutting board top of the dishwasher and stood between her long legs.

One kiss blended into another, each one burning into him. His body went hard with desire. Wanting to taste more of her, he ran his lips down the column of her neck. She liked that, especially when he nibbled the place where her neck met her shoulder.

Mindful of the tiny gold hoops in her ears, he gently tugged her earlobe with his teeth. She liked that, too.

Hands on her hips, he scooted her forward and moved in closer. Big mistake.

She stiffened. “No, Zach.”

What was he doing? He was supposed to convince Gina to keep the ranch, not fool around with her.

He straightened and stepped back. Gina hopped down from the dishwasher and tugged her sweater over her hips. The soft wool stretched tight across her breasts.

Zach swallowed. “It’s time for me to go.”

He grabbed his coat and let himself out.

* * *

U
PSTAIRS
, G
INA
STARED
at herself in the bathroom mirror. With her slightly swollen lips and her flushed cheeks, she looked as if she’d been thoroughly kissed.

And she had been. Closing her eyes, she replayed the thrill of Zach’s demanding mouth on hers and the way his strong arms had felt around her.

She’d enjoyed his kisses all too much, had wanted more. Which was exactly why she’d stopped him. She wasn’t into casual sex, nor was she about to get involved with Zach—even if he was intelligent and not at all the hard cowboy she’d first thought. She wanted a man with the drive and ambition to be more than a ranch foreman.

None of that stopped her from thinking about him.