Ann Roth - A Rancher's Christmas

She scoffed. “I learned to drive in that truck.”

“No kidding! So Lucky gave you driving lessons?”

When she nodded, Zach shook his head and chuckled, a nice sound that brightened up the gray morning. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

“The man was hell on wheels, pushing the truck so hard, it’s a wonder he didn’t burn up the engine he took such care with. I was picturing you with the pedal to the metal and the truck churning up clouds of dust. I’ll bet Lucky got a big kick out of that.”

“Especially when I pushed the speed up to sixty—which was about as fast as the old truck could go.” She smiled at the memory. “I was fourteen, too young for a driver’s license, but Uncle Lucky said I needed to learn in case of an emergency. He took me out on a few deserted roads where the sheriff wouldn’t spot us and there were no other cars for me to hit.

“I spent most every summer with him while my parents worked at fairs around the state, trying to drum up business,” she added.

“I’m surprised your dad didn’t want to ranch.”

“He, Uncle Lucky and Uncle Redd grew up on the Lucky A, but only Uncle Lucky stayed. Uncle Redd left to run the agricultural department of Spenser’s General Store, and my dad went to work at my grandfather’s farm equipment business. He said he liked getting paid regularly, but I don’t remember that ever happening. But I mentioned that the other night.”

“Yeah. That must’ve been tough.”

“I was born into it, so I didn’t know any better. But my parents did, and their money troubles definitely took a toll on their marriage.” Gina didn’t like to think of those times. “That’s why I left home and why I work so hard at my job.”

For no reason at all, her eyes teared up.

The concerned look Zach gave her only made her feel worse. “You miss him, don’t you?”

She nodded and tried to blink back the tears. In vain.

“Uncle Lucky kept asking me to come back and visit,” she said. “He said he had something to say to me in person. Now it’s too late, and I’ll never know what it was. Why didn’t I make the time to come back?”

Chapter Three

Gina hunched her shoulders and wiped her eyes, and it was obvious that she was racked with guilt for not visiting while Lucky was still alive. She also seemed tormented over not knowing what he’d wanted to tell her. Zach knew, and this seemed a good time to enlighten her.

Even now she was beautiful, her eyes a soft green through the bright sheen of tears. She bit her bottom lip, and then freed it. Full again, it looked pink and soft and warm....

Zach tore his gaze away. He had a job to do, and he wasn’t going to think about his strong attraction to her. She was mired in the corporate world and he wanted to stay as far away from that as possible.

He handed her a paper napkin to blow her nose. “Don’t beat yourself up over what you can’t change,” he said, giving her the same advice Lucky had given him. “Your uncle knew you loved him, and that’s what counts.”

“But I’ll never know what he wanted to talk to me about.” She brushed crumbs from the tabletop into her hand and dumped them on her plate.

“I think I do.”

“Oh? Tell me.”

Her mouth opened a fraction, and from out of nowhere, Zach had the crazy urge to taste those lips. Down, boy. He raised his gaze and gave her a level look. “Lucky wanted to talk to you about his decision to leave you the Lucky A.”

She blinked in surprise. “That can’t be right. Uncle Redd is his brother. The ranch is supposed go to him.”

“Lucky and Redd discussed it, and they both felt it should pass to you.”

“But Uncle Redd never said a word about that over the phone or last night. I think you misunderstood.”

Having sat in on the conversation, Zach shook his head. “I know what I’m talking about, but if you don’t believe me, you’ll find out when you meet with Matt Granger this afternoon.”

“But I don’t want this ranch,” Gina said, looking stricken.

“All the same, it’s yours.”

“What am I supposed to do with it?”

Zach figured that was a rhetorical question, and in the silent moment that passed, he could almost see her mind work—and it worked fast.

“I guess I’ll sell it,” she said.

Not if Zach could stop her. “That’s one option, but Lucky wants—wanted—to keep it in the family.”

“Then he shouldn’t have left it to me,” she muttered, pushing her hair behind her ears. “I’ve had a lot of good times here, but I saw my uncle struggle every year. I know how hard it is to work from dawn to dusk, sometimes longer, all the while praying that Mother Nature behaves so that you can make a profit and survive another year. Sorry, but I’ll pass.”

She wore a stubborn look that reminded Zach of Lucky. With that and the defiant lift of her chin, Zach knew she’d made up her mind. Still, he had a promise to keep. “At least think about it for a few days. For Lucky.”

“You’re playing the guilt card. That isn’t fair.” Once again, she caught her lip between her teeth. “Even if I wanted to keep the ranch, and believe me, I don’t, I don’t see how that’s possible. I live in Chicago. That’s where my job—my life—is, and where I want to be. I’m a city girl now. Lucky’s known for years that I wasn’t coming back here.”

“He left you the ranch anyway.” Zach let the words hang there for a moment. “Ranching is good, honest work,” he added.

“And for the most part, ranchers are good people—I know that. But it doesn’t pay, not for the Lucky A. I don’t have to look at my uncle’s bank statement to know that he doesn’t have two dimes to his name. He always struggled to keep his head above water. I decided long ago that this wasn’t the life for me.”

“Lucky used to talk about how you helped with the chores around here and how you enjoyed taking care of the animals and being outside.”

“When I was little, I did.”

Zach tried a different tack. “Can you honestly say you’re happy with your life?”

“What are you, my psychiatrist?” she quipped, but she looked like a deer in headlights. “I’m a creative person, and I get to use that creativity in my work.”

She hadn’t answered the question, which in itself was an answer. “You didn’t look like you were being creative when you walked off the plane last night,” Zach said. “You looked ready to drop.”

“I don’t mind the long hours because it means that I’m successful and productive. And FYI, I happen to thrive on stress and a big workload.”

Having been there, Zach understood. He also knew that that kind of adrenaline never resulted in long-term satisfaction. “So you enjoy life on the human hamster wheel.”

“Sometimes it does seem like that, but... You couldn’t possibly understand.”

“Because I’m a ranch foreman.” Stung, Zach crossed his arms. “You don’t know anything about what I understand. You don’t know anything about me.” He considered explaining about the company he’d once owned, the things he’d done for the bottom line and the terrible price he’d paid. But that was his business. Besides, it was behind him now.

The starch went out of her spine. “That was rude, and I apologize.”

Zach nodded. She angled her head and really looked at him. “You’re right. I know very little about you, except that you’re from Houston. There are ranches all over Texas. How did you end up at the Lucky A in Saddlers Prairie, Montana?”

“I needed a change.” Which was all he was going to say. “You should know that I made a promise to Lucky that I’d convince you to keep the ranch.”

“You’re trying to change the subject. Don’t tell me—you left Houston because you’re a criminal.” Her eyebrows arched and her eyes twinkled, lighting her whole face.