The Cowboy's Family Christmas

However Reuben didn’t give the poor guy another week. Chad seemed like a decent fellow but he needed someone who was able to take the time to help him out and show him the ropes. George would never be that guy. Leanne might, but he guessed any extra time she might have was taken up with Austin.

There was no way they could keep this ranch going.

This isn’t your problem, he reminded himself. You’re on your way out of here. Stick to your plan.

But as he walked back to the house, George and Leanne walking ahead of him, he couldn’t shake the idea that the Bar W’s time was done.

George and Leanne really needed to sell the place.

* * *

“So this job of yours. What will you do?” George was asking Reuben.

“I’ll be contracting for a large engineering firm,” Reuben replied, his voice even and measured in spite of the antagonism in George’s voice. “This job will get me opportunities all around the world.”

Leanne concentrated on her food, exhaustion clawing at her. The day had been emotionally and physically taxing. Devin’s quitting had created a huge problem she wasn’t ready to deal with. And while Reuben’s help was appreciated, his presence wasn’t.

She couldn’t deal with all this right now. She wanted nothing more than to retreat to her room, but she was determined not to let Reuben know how much he got to her.

“I can see why you’d like that job. Moving around. Just like you’ve always lived,” George put in, annoyance edging his voice as he scooped up some of the casserole Shauntelle had dropped off.

Leanne had never been so happy to see her friend. She wanted to fall into her arms, tell her all her current struggles, but she couldn’t. Only Tabitha knew Leanne’s secrets, and her sister had been so busy the past couple of days that Leanne hadn’t had a chance to connect with her.

“Dirk liked staying in one place,” George continued. “He would have stuck around. Helped on the ranch.”

In spite of her own frustration with him, Leanne felt a touch of sympathy for Reuben. As long as she’d known Dirk and Reuben, it was obvious George favored the son of his first wife. His beloved Joelle.

Didn’t matter what Reuben accomplished, it was either wrong or not as good as anything Dirk did. After Dirk died, George grew more bitter, railing against everyone and everything and, for some reason, Reuben most of all.

“So where is this amazing job based?” George continued.

“California. The company has contracts all over the world,” Reuben said, pushing his food around his plate. “It’s a great opportunity. A chance to make good money and be independent. And travel.”

Leanne shouldn’t have been surprised that Reuben would take this job. His constant moving around had been one of those important issues they had planned to discuss when they decided they would be together. She had hoped he would come and work on the ranch, but Reuben had been adamant that his father would never want him back or give him any share in the Bar W. Dirk was the favored son, he would be the one inheriting and Reuben had no desire to put himself through more humiliation.

“And no more rodeo?” his father asked.

Reuben glanced over at Leanne just as she looked at him. She ducked her head, focusing on the plate in front of her.

Leanne was thankful that in spite of George’s antagonism to Reuben, he carried the conversation. She couldn’t make idle chitchat with a man who had let her down so badly. Treated her so poorly.

A man she’d thought, at one time, she would be spending the rest of her life with.

And right now, sitting with him only a few feet away, with Austin sleeping upstairs, her own feelings were in such turmoil, she wasn’t sure what she would say to him.

“Well, whatever works,” George said, taking a drink of his water. “You’re not in a saddle anymore but you’re still running around, aren’t you?”

“Haven’t found a reason to settle down yet.” Then Reuben turned to Leanne. “This is a great supper. Thanks so much for having me.”

His polite smile and impersonal comment created a clench of dismay that surprised and frustrated her. All through the meal he’d been unfailingly polite, asking George questions about the ranch, the hired hands, the community. He didn’t bother asking anything of her.

Or about Austin, which cut deepest of all.

“You’re welcome,” she said, keeping her voice cool. “It was the least we could do after you helped us out.”

He shot her a frown, clearly picking up on the faint note of sarcasm that had crept into her voice.

“It was the right thing to do. So what are you going to do now that Devin has quit?” Reuben asked, his gaze fixed on Leanne, as if daring her to answer his question.

Leanne glanced at George, who glowered, tapping his fingers on the table.

“I don’t know,” George said finally. “Sometimes I think we should let it all go.” Then he glanced at Leanne. “But then I think of Austin and know we should keep going.”

His words created a low-level panic in her. Though Leanne knew, when it came right down to it, her father-in-law would never sell the ranch, he had floated the idea a couple of times. And she had simply let him talk, hoping he would change his mind.

He always did.

“We’ll keep going,” she said, giving George an encouraging smile. “We’ll advertise for another hand. That’s how we got Devin and he knew his stuff.” She didn’t add the fact that George had been the one to drive him to quit, but she lived in hope that they would find someone who was able to ignore George’s bluster and do the work.

“This Chad guy. Where did you find him?” Reuben asked.

“Word of mouth,” Leanne said, glancing over at George who had gone quiet, staring off into the middle distance. Leanne caught him doing this more often the past while. As if he was ruminating on life. Looking back into a past he couldn’t change and the losses that had caused him so much pain.

“He seems like a good guy, but not too experienced,” Reuben said.

“He’ll learn.”

“But you’re still shorthanded. And you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you getting the rest of the cows processed and the calves weaned.”

Leanne was wondering why he was giving her the third degree. What did he care about what was happening on the ranch? He never had cared about it before.

Or about other things.

“We are shorthanded,” George said to Reuben, jumping into the conversation. “But you could help us out. You said you don’t have to go back for a couple of weeks. You could help Leanne get the cows down from the upper pastures. Help us wean them.”

“We can find someone else,” Leanne chimed in. There was no way she could handle Reuben being at the ranch all day. “And besides, Reuben said he was leaving town.”

“I can stay, help out around here,” Reuben said.

Leanne could only stare at him. “Why?”

“My dad asked if I could, and I can,” Reuben said, his tone even. Measured. As if he was challenging her. “And I know you won’t find anyone to help on the ranch on such short notice.”

Leanne pressed her lips together, struggling for self-control. She was the new secretary of the Rodeo Group. And when she’d found out Reuben would be doing the assessment on the arena, she figured it would only require seeing him for a couple of meetings and then he would be done.

But to have him here? Every day?

“Good. Then that’s settled,” George said. “We’ll see you on Friday.”