Christmas at Blue Moon Ranch

“And dishware?” Lili lifted a stack of plates out of a box. “Do you have your own?”

He shook his head. “You really shouldn’t have—”

Lili waved away his objections. “We didn’t expect a bachelor to have much in the way of provisions. So we brought some basics. And some frozen meals, to get you started. Those are already in the freezer.”

The freezer, Daniel saw when he opened the door, was filled with neatly labeled packages. “Your lasagna,” he said weakly. “That was really good.” He’d been eating peanut butter sandwiches since that one great lunch at Willa’s house.

“And, of course, you’re welcome to any meal at our house,” Lili said. “Even breakfast, if you want to drive down that early. You don’t have to call—just arrive and we’ll feed you.”

“Thanks.” Daniel could just imagine Willa’s face if he showed up for breakfast, or any other meal, unannounced and uninvited by her.

“Now, we’ll get the sheets on your bed.” Rosa headed for the bedroom. “And some towels in the bath.”

“Ladies…” Daniel trailed after them. “I can make the bed. You really don’t have to do all this work.”

Again, his protests fell on deaf ears. The sisters set up his bed and bath to their satisfaction, all the way down to unwrapping the bars of soap for sink and shower. When they started eyeing the boxes, however, Daniel took charge.

“No,” he said firmly, “you aren’t going to unpack for me. I couldn’t live with myself if I let you work so hard. You’ve already done too much.”

“Nonsense.” Lili allowed him to escort her back to the living room. “You’ve saved Toby twice, now—we couldn’t possibly do too much.”

“Then we’ll call it even.” Daniel surveyed them both. “But it’s getting late and you’ll want to be back home before dark.”

He was able to help them into the wagon one-handed, and then stepped back. “Thank you for everything. You’re welcome to visit anytime—come empty-handed, though!”

They laughed and beeped the horn. Daniel watched them out of sight down the road before going back into his house.

His well-provisioned house, now that the Mercado sisters had been there. Between the luxury of choosing whether to enjoy beef stew or meat loaf for dinner, the prospect of a good night’s sleep on cool, smooth sheets and a swig from one of the beers Rosa had stowed in his refrigerator, Daniel felt as if he’d finally come home.

He raised his bottle in a toast. “To the New Moon Ranch,” he said aloud. “Willa, my dear, you’ll just have to learn to like losing!”

TOBY WANTED HIS MOM NEARBY while the doctors examined him, but Robbie and Susannah were told to remain in the waiting room.

“I hope he’s not really hurt.” Susannah hunched her shoulders and hugged her arms around her waist.

Robbie propped his elbows on his knees and stared at his hands. “Yeah, well, he deserves it, pulling a stunt like that.”

“What stunt?”

“You are so gullible.” He threw his sister an impatient look. “He made Patches rear, then deliberately fell off.”

“Oh.” She was quiet for a few seconds. “Why would he do that?”

“’Cause he’s all excited about Major Daniel Trent from the U.S. Army. He wanted that Trent dude to come to the rescue.” He used a sissy voice to make the title sound as silly as possible.

“He’s a nice man, Robbie. I like his smile.”

“You would.”

She punched him in the shoulder. “I’m not stupid.”

“Sure you are,” he said, just to make her mad. Then he grinned, so she’d know he didn’t mean it.

After she stuck out her tongue at him, Susannah said, “Why do you think Toby’s so interested in Major Trent?”

“Duh? Because it’s like Dad coming back again?”

She didn’t say anything. When he looked around, she’d bowed her head over her arms, and he saw a tear splash on her wrist. After a minute, though, she sniffed and straightened up. “So you think Toby wants Major Trent to take Daddy’s place?”

Robbie shrugged one shoulder.

“Marry Mom, and everything?”

“Don’t make me gag. Mom doesn’t need another husband. She’s got us to take care of her.”

“She’s pretty lonely. So maybe—” Susannah stared at him, her eyebrows wrinkled. “Would that make him our dad?”

“Nope.”

“And would he run the ranch? Would he…would he own it, once he married Mom?”

“I—I don’t think so.” Robbie could still hear in his head what his dad had said, kneeling in front of him just before he got on the plane. “I’m counting on you, son. Take care of your mom. And take care of the Blue Moon.”

Susannah tugged on his sleeve. “Robbie, are you sure?”

Robbie realized he’d closed his eyes. He opened them wide and saw his mom and Toby emerge from the examination area across the room. “The Blue Moon belongs to the Mercados, Suze.” He made his voice strong, so she’d believe him. “Always has, always will.”

He’d make sure of that, somehow. For his dad’s sake.

NIGHT HAD FALLEN BY THE TIME Willa pulled her truck into the driveway at the house. She cut the engine, climbed out and went to help Toby off the high seat.

“I don’t need help,” he complained, but then leaned heavily on her hand as he came to the ground.

“I know you don’t. But humor me—moms like to help when their kids have cracked ribs.”

“Okay.” He pulled free soon enough and walked into the house under his own steam, but with a tired slump to his shoulders.

“He doesn’t feel good.” Susannah came up on Willa’s right. “Maybe they should have put him in the hospital.”

“He’s just begging for sympathy,” Robbie countered. “You watch—he’ll want extra dessert because he’s hurt.”

“I think he’s sore,” Willa told them. “But maybe he’s learned a lesson.” They both looked at her in question and she shrugged. “My guess is he tried to fall off…and succeeded better than he expected.”

Susannah held out her hands in a helpless gesture. “But why?”

“I told you. ’Cause he wanted to stay with his new hero,” Robbie said with disgust. “He’s all hung up over the Trent guy.”