The Rancher's Christmas Song

The boys exchanged looks, their foreheads furrowed as they considered her request. She caught some furtive whispers but couldn’t hear what they said.

While she waited for them to decide, Ella wondered if she was crazy. She couldn’t believe she was actually considering this. What could these boys teach her, really? She was about to tell them she had changed her mind about the riding lessons but would still teach them the song when Trevor spoke for both of them.

“Sure. We could do that. When do you want to practice? How about Saturday?”

“We can’t!” Trevor said to his brother. “We have practice Saturday, remember?”

“Oh, yeah. But maybe in the afternoon, when we’re done.”

Why was she even considering throwing one more thing into her packed schedule? She couldn’t do it. Ella wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt. “We can forget this. It was a silly idea.”

“Why?” Trevor asked, his features confused. “We want you to teach us how to play and sing a song for our dad’s Christmas present and you want to learn how to ride a horse better so you don’t fall off. We can teach each other.”

“It will be fun. You’ll see. And maybe you could even buy one of our dad’s horses after you learn how to ride again.”

That was pushing things. Maybe she first ought to see if she could spend five minutes around horses without having a panic attack.

“So can you come Saturday afternoon?” Trevor asked.

“Our dad won’t be home, so that would be good. Then he won’t need to know why we’re teaching you how to ride horses. Because otherwise, we’d have to tell him it’s a trade. That would ruin the surprise.”

“I...think I can come Saturday.” Oh, she was crazy.

“Yay! This will be fun. You’ll see.”

She wasn’t so sure. Before she could come up with an answer, the door to the barn opened and Beck came striding out with that loose-limbed, sexy walk she always tried—and failed—to ignore.

He had someone else with him. Ben Caldwell, she realized, the veterinarian in town whose wife, Caidy, had a magical singing voice. She barely noticed the other man, too busy trying not to stare at Beckett.

Her hands felt clammy again as she opened her car door, but this time she knew it wasn’t horses making her nervous.

Chapter Four (#u83727562-b011-56e3-bc2a-1808e3c56726)

“You know, it might be time to say goodbye.”

Ben Caldwell spoke gently as he ran a calming hand down Frisco’s neck. “He’s tired, he’s cranky, he can’t see and he’s half-lame. I can keep coming out here and you can keep on paying me, but eventually I’m going to run out of things I can do to help him feel better.”

Beckett was aware of a familiar ache in his gut. He knew it would be soon but didn’t like to think about it. “I know. Not yet, though.”

The vet nodded his understanding but that didn’t make Beck feel any less stupid. No doubt Dr. Caldwell wondered why he had such a soft spot for this horse that nobody had been able to ride for five years. Frisco had always been bad-tempered and high-spirited, but somehow Stephanie had loved him, anyway. Beck wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye yet.

He shook the vet’s hand. “Thanks, Ben. I appreciate you coming by.”

“You got it.”

Sal, one of Beck’s border collies, waddled over to them, panting a welcome. The veterinarian scratched her under the chin and gently patted her side.

“She hasn’t had those pups yet.”

“Any day now. We’re on puppy watch.”

“You’ll call me if she has any troubles, right?”

“You know it.”

He had great respect for Ben. Though Beck hadn’t been too sure about the city vet when the man moved to town a handful of years ago, Dr. Caldwell had proved himself over and over. He’d also married a friend of his, Caidy Bowman, who had gone to school with Beck.

They were finishing up with Frisco when he heard a vehicle pull up outside. Beck’s heartbeat accelerated, much to his chagrin.

“You expecting somebody?” Ben asked.

“That would be Ella Baker. I, uh, forgot to pick the boys up from rehearsal at The Christmas Ranch and she was nice enough to bring them home for me.”

“That Christmas program is all the buzz at my place, too,” Ben said. “My kids can’t wait.”

Ben had been a widower with two children, a boy and a girl, when he moved to town. Beck sometimes had Ben’s daughter babysit the twins in a pinch.

The two men walked outside and Beck was again aware of his pulse in his ears. This was so stupid, that he couldn’t manage to stop staring at Ella as she climbed out of her SUV.

Ben sent him a sidelong look and Beck really hoped the man didn’t notice his ridiculous reaction.

“I’ll get out of your way,” Ben said. “Think about what I said.”

“I will. Thanks again.”

Ella and the boys both waved at the veterinarian as they climbed out of her vehicle.

“Hey, Dad! Hey!” His boys rushed over to him, arms wide, and he hugged them, wondering if there would ever come a time in his life when they didn’t feel like the best damn thing that had ever happened to him.

He doubted it. He couldn’t even imagine how much poorer his life would be without Trevor and Colter. Whenever he was tempted to regret his ill-conceived marriage, he only had to hug his boys and remember that all the rest of the mess and ugliness had been worth it.

“Hey, guys. How was practice? Did you behave yourselves?”

“Um, sure,” Colter said.

“Kind of,” his brother hedged.

Which meant not at all. He winced.

“We’re gonna do better,” Colter assured him. “We promised Miss Baker. Me and Trevor thought maybe we could run around the building three times before we go inside to practice, to get our energy out.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

It was a strategy he sometimes employed when they struggled to focus on homework at night, taking them on a good walk around the ranch so they could focus better.

“I’m starving,” Trevor said. “Can I have a cheese stick?”

“Me, too!” Colter said.