Katherine Garbera - One Hot Christmas

“It is, and you know it. There’s a secret connected to that guy. There has to be, and it has something to do with my birthday. I just hope it’s not a horse. I love Bertha Mae and I don’t need another one. But I don’t think that’s it. He didn’t haul a horse trailer in here, just his pickup with a camper shell on the back.”

Molly laid a hand on her arm. “My advice is to stop thinking about it.”

“Oh, I intend to. But I had to test you and see if you were in on it, whatever it is. You definitely know what’s going on. Maybe that’s why you’ve been avoiding Ben all morning. You’re afraid to talk to him for fear you’ll give something away. Is that it? Did I guess?”

“I’ll plead the Fifth.”

Laughing, Sarah glanced out the window. “Sun’s shining. If you want to take a walk, you could touch base with my husband and Ben and plot some more. I’ll be in the kitchen with Mary Lou so I won’t be able to hear a word you say.”

“So you really aren’t going to pry into this?”

“Nope. That would spoil the fun. I know better than to do that with this family. They do love their surprises.”

“Then maybe I will walk down there.” She thought it would be safe enough, even if temptation lurked in the form of Ben Radcliffe. He’d be with Pete, and ranch hands would likely be around, too. “I haven’t spent much time at the barn. According to Nelsie’s diary, she and Archie and my Grandpa Seth lived in it for a few months.”

“Yes, they did. They were hardy, those two. I wish I could loan you her diaries to take home for your research, but I don’t dare let them out of this house. The boys would kill me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of borrowing them, either. They’re too precious. I feel lucky that I was able to read them, and I took copious notes and a few pictures of certain entries with my phone.”

“The one where she mentioned you, I’ll bet.”

“Absolutely. I texted that one to my folks because I knew they’d get a kick out of it. I kind of remember her, but not very well. I was pretty young when she and Archie made their last trip to Arizona.”

“That’s too bad, because you would have loved her. I did.” Sarah got a faraway look in her eyes. “When I first met her, she was younger than I am now. Hard to believe.” She shook her head and scooted back her chair. “Enough of that. Go take your walk and don’t let on that I suspect a thing.”

“I won’t.”

“It doesn’t matter if I do, anyway, since I have no idea what they could possibly be up to.” She stood. “I have everything in the world a woman could want.”

Molly stood, too. “Just remember that they love you and want you to know it.”

“Oh, I do know it.” She smiled. “They demonstrate how much they love me all the time and I return the favor. Life’s too short to live any other way, don’t you think?”

“Yes.” Molly gave her a hug. “Thanks for letting me be a part of things for a few days, Aunt Sarah. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.”

“You’re more than welcome. Now, go put on your coat and get some fresh air. We might not get to keep this weather much longer. I heard there’s a storm moving this way.”

“See you in a few hours.” Molly left the dining room and hurried upstairs. First she popped in her contacts. She probably wouldn’t get to kiss Ben behind the barn, but she didn’t know that for sure.

Then she put on her winter gear. She’d given the mittens their outing and was back to her leather gloves. She checked the weather app on her phone. Sarah was right about the approaching storm. With luck, the storm would blow through before Monday, when her plane left.

She had confidence it would. And Christmas Eve wasn’t until Wednesday. Surely the storm, if it hit, would be over in time for her to spend the holiday with her family. She didn’t intend to break a perfect record.

Dressed for winter, she bounded down the stairs and out through the front door. Someone had scraped the snow and ice from the porch, and the steps were clear, too. Sunlight glinted off the snow. She pulled on her gloves and shaded her eyes as she glanced toward the barn.

Ben and Pete stood by the fence watching Calamity Sam romp through the drifts in the pasture. The air was still cold enough that she could see her breath, but the sun helped warm her as she followed the path toward the barn.

A Paint horse running through snow proved to be a dramatic sight. As he frolicked, the white part of his coat blended into the background. If she squinted, she could almost see disembodied gray spots dancing in the air.

Mesmerizing though that was, Molly was more interested in studying Ben. She could get away with it because he had his back to her. The tilt of his Stetson, the sheepskin coat stretched across his broad shoulders and the booted foot he’d propped on the bottom rail of the fence all branded him as a cowboy, even though she’d never seen him ride. He made Western saddles and was thinking of buying one of the Last Chance horses. She figured he could ride.

She easily pictured him investing in a small ranch and adding a little horse breeding to his saddle-making operation. Like her, he was full of energy and ideas. He seemed to love life as much as she did. But she couldn’t help thinking about his decision not to have children. If she and Ben were only destined for a brief affair, it shouldn’t matter to her if he liked kids. She had no right to question his choices, either. Their relationship was based on sex, and she’d told him she was fine with that.

Except she wasn’t. He’d already become more than a sex partner. His good nature and cheerful willingness to help out with the party preparations had impressed her. She was beginning to care about him and hated to think he was closing himself off from certain aspects of life out of fear.

His tenderness with her indicated he was a kind man, and she found it hard to believe that he’d mistreat a child. She also hadn’t forgotten the emotion he’d put into his harmonica rendition of the theme from Beauty and the Beast.

Then there was his artistic side. He wouldn’t have been able to create that magnificent saddle unless he had an empathetic, sensitive nature. His contradictions fascinated her. She wanted to know what made him tick and why he nurtured some dreams while rejecting others.

He’d said that he’d come from an unhappy home and didn’t want to repeat the pattern. Tonight she’d watch how he acted with Sarah’s grandchildren. If he was abrupt with them, she’d know that his concern was legitimate and he was right not to want kids.

As she stood there contemplating this puzzle of a man, he turned, along with Pete, and walked toward her.

Pete called out a greeting. “Coming out to see Calamity Sam strut his stuff?”

“Sort of. Mostly I just craved a little fresh air.”

As she drew closer, Pete lowered his voice. “Ben said you know about the surprise.”

“I do. The woman I called in Sheridan mentioned that Ben made saddles, and I knew that had to be the reason he was here.”

Pete gazed at her. “Do you think Sarah has guessed?”

“No.”

“That’s a relief. Ben and I mostly came out here to discuss how to get the saddle into the house without her noticing.”

“Did you figure it out?” She had wondered about the logistics.

“I think so. I’ll keep Sarah busy in the bedroom while...wait, that didn’t come out right.”

Molly grinned. “Whatever it takes, Uncle Pete.”

He looked a little flustered. “What I meant to say was that I’ll distract her and keep her out of the living room for the ten minutes it’ll take for a couple of guys to carry the stand and saddle into the house.”

“We moved it to the front of the tractor barn first thing after we left the dining room,” Ben said.