Читать книгу A Last Chance Christmas - Vicki Lewis Thompson - Страница 13

3

BEN WASN’T SURE what to do about his instant attraction to the impish woman descending the staircase beside him. He tended to go for tall and curvy. Molly was short and on the skinny side. He’d never finished college, which didn’t matter for his saddle making, but he’d steered away from dating scholars because he wasn’t sure how to talk to them. Molly was a college professor.

And yet she didn’t act much like one, or the way he thought a college professor would behave. He didn’t have a lot of experience to go on, but he’d had no trouble talking to her. He liked talking to her, in fact. She was so full of energy, so happy. He imagined that he could see her glowing, and not just when she blushed because she’d put her foot in her mouth.

That was part of why she charmed him. Apparently he flustered her, which made him want to fluster her more just to see the pink bloom on her cheeks. But that didn’t explain the visceral tug he’d felt when she’d walked down the hall toward him, or the surge of desire he’d felt when she made a slow turn, allowing him to view her from all sides.

She hadn’t done it in a suggestive way, as if trying to showcase her body. Yet he’d had the almost irresistible urge to get his hands on her. He still had that urge. He had no trouble imagining what she’d feel like beneath him, a small but explosive bundle of heat. He had a hunch she’d drive him crazy.

Maybe he was drawn to her because of the advance billing. He’d been curious to meet the woman who had no problem pestering all three Chance men for what she wanted. After watching his mother’s mouse-like behavior for years, he admired any female who stood up for herself. He might never marry, but if he did, it would be to someone who refused to be intimidated by anyone, especially him.

“So, where are you from, Ben?”

Her question brought him back to reality. He’d already pictured them in bed together and she didn’t even know where he lived. “Sheridan.”

“Really? That’s fabulous! Maybe you can help me track down two of my relatives, an aunt and a cousin.”

“Maybe. I’ve lived there for seven years.”

“I hope so. It’s not a huge place. My aunt’s married name was Heather Marlowe. At least, that’s what it was last time we heard from her, although that was a long time ago. She was in Sheridan then.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“My cousin’s name is Cade. His dad was a bull rider, Rance Marlowe, although he’d be too old to do that now. From what I’ve heard, he wasn’t a very nice guy. Aunt Heather might have divorced him, but nobody knows because she stopped writing or calling.”

“Sorry, but I don’t think I’ve met anybody named Marlowe.”

Molly sighed. “It was worth a shot. I’ve investigated online but I got nowhere. Rance followed the rodeo circuit and was never in one place for long. My aunt trailed after him and brought little Cade along, too. Well, he’s not so little anymore. He’d be the same age as I am, twenty-eight.”

He considering pointing out that she was still little, even at twenty-eight, but he figured she’d probably had her fill of short-person jokes. “So they might have had some tough times financially along the way?”

She paused at the foot of the stairs and turned to him. “I wouldn’t be surprised. Why?”

“They might have made use of social services there. I know a retired social worker. Maybe she’d remember something, or could ask around.”

“That’s a great idea. I didn’t think of that, but it gives me another avenue. Thanks!”

“She lives not too far from Sheridan at a place called Thunder Mountain Ranch. I—” He caught himself right before he screwed up. He’d been about to announce that he’d made a couple of saddles for Rosie and Herb, but his profession wasn’t supposed to be common knowledge yet. “The Padgetts are good people. He’s a retired equine vet. For years they also took in foster boys, but they don’t do that anymore. Anyway, Rosie knows a lot of people in town. She might have information.”

The tension eased from her eyes and she smiled. “I’d run out of ideas, so I’m thrilled to have a new lead. My family always wondered what became of Cade, especially my grandpa.”

“The harmonica player.”

“Yes. Losing touch with Aunt Heather and Cade made him sad. And of course Heather’s my dad’s sister. I think he’s resigned to the idea that she doesn’t want to hang around with the Gallagher family anymore, but he’s told me that he wonders where she is. When I started working on this family tree project, tracking them down was one of my goals, especially because my dad still thinks about them.”

“Then I wish you luck with it. Now that I know what names to listen for, I’ll pay more attention once I get back home. Maybe I’ll stumble across somebody who’s heard of them.”

“Excellent! I’ll give you my phone number in case you find anything. You’ll be my man in Sheridan.”

He couldn’t help grinning. “Okay.”

Her cheeks turned that wonderful shade of pink again. “That didn’t come out quite right.”

“It came out fine as far as I’m concerned.”

Her blush deepened. “Um, well...I didn’t mean to imply that I considered you my...” Then she groaned. “I’m going to stop now before I make this worse than it already is. Sarah’s going to wonder what the heck we’re standing here yakking about. Let’s go get us some drinks.”

“Works for me.” Still smiling, he walked beside her into the living room. She was not a flirt by any stretch, and yet she was clearly interested in him. Earlier he’d wondered what to do about his attraction to her. He might not have to do a damned thing except wait and let nature take its course.

The ranch’s beautiful setting wouldn’t hurt, either. The living room looked like a scene out of a Christmas card, with pine boughs and ribbons everywhere, plus candles on the mantel. Flames danced in the big stone fireplace, and a ten-foot Scotch pine in the corner glittered with lights, ornaments and garlands.

Sarah and Pete both got up from their leather armchairs. Through Ben’s cursory internet research, he’d discovered that Sarah’s first husband, Jonathan, had died several years ago and she’d since married Pete Beckett. Pete was tall, like Sarah, and lanky, with gray hair and gentle blue eyes. He was a philanthropist who’d dreamed up the Last Chance’s summer program for disadvantaged kids. He had the relaxed air of someone who’d found his place in the world. Ben wondered if that time would ever come for him.

Sarah put down her wineglass. “I thought I heard you two out in the hall.”

As Sarah made the introductions, Ben stepped forward and shook hands with Pete, who’d been one of the biggest contributors to the saddle fund. “It’s a pleasure.”

Obviously Pete wasn’t about to give anything away at the zero hour. “I admire your can-do spirit.” He raised his glass in Ben’s direction. “I’m not sure I’d drive all the way from Sheridan to look at horses in this weather.”

“I’m used to the weather and I had some free time. Jack promised I wouldn’t be in the way.” Ben had been prepared to like the guy, and Pete’s casual friendliness didn’t disappoint him.

“Heck, no,” Pete said. “Always room for one more at a party. Right, Sarah?”

“Absolutely. The more the merrier. It isn’t every day a girl turns seventy.”

Pete gasped and placed a hand over his heart. “You’re that old?”

“Stuff a sock in it, Peter.” Sarah laughed. “I’m still younger than you. Now, please get Ben something to drink while I pour Molly a glass of wine. I already know that’s what she wants.”

“Yes, I sure do. That’s a terrific red wine. I’m stocking up on some when I get home.”

Pete turned to Ben. “What can I get for you?”

“Jack and I each had a bottle of dark beer this afternoon. Can’t remember the brand. I wouldn’t mind another one of those if you have it.”

Pete set his glass on a coaster. “Let’s mosey down to the kitchen and find out if there’s a cold one in the fridge. If Jack likes it, we probably have a supply.” Once they were in the hallway and out of earshot, Pete lowered his voice. “I had a chance to talk to Jack and he raved about the saddle.”

“Good. I’m glad he’s happy.”

“I want to see it, but I haven’t come up with a good excuse to go out to the tractor barn without making Sarah suspicious.”

“Nick and Gabe have looked at it, and they seem satisfied.”

“Damn. My curiosity is killing me. I wish everybody who chipped in could be here tomorrow for the big reveal, but several couldn’t come for both her birthday and Christmas. So they asked her when she’d rather have them arrive, and she picked Christmas.”

“So, who won’t be coming tomorrow?”

“Jack’s two half-brothers, Wyatt and Rafe Locke and their wives will wait and come for Christmas. I’m pretty sure their mother Diana also will be here then. She’s Jack’s mother, too, of course, but it’s hard for me to think of her that way.”

“Hang on. Sarah isn’t Jack’s biological mother?”

“No. She adopted him after she married Jonathan. I don’t blame Jack for procrastinating on that family tree project of Molly’s. His part is complicated. His biological mother, Diana, divorced his dad when Jack was a toddler. She left Jack here, ran off to San Francisco and married this guy Locke. They had twin boys, Rafe and Wyatt.”

“That must have been tough on Jack.”

“Yeah. Having his mom leave was bad enough, but he didn’t know she’d had two more kids until Wyatt showed up here one day, a couple of years ago.” Pete led Ben through the large dining room and into the kitchen, Mary Lou Sims’s domain.

Ben had met her earlier when he and Jack had come into the kitchen looking for beer.

Mary Lou closed a door on the double oven and turned, her fly-away gray hair curling in the moist heat. “Hi, guys. Let me guess. Ben wants another beer like the one he had before.”

“That’s right,” Pete said. “We got any more?”

“You know we do.” Mary Lou crossed to the commercial-sized refrigerator. “Jack sees to it.” She took out a bottle. “Want a glass, Ben?”

“No, thanks. The bottle’s fine.”

Mary Lou twisted off the cap and smiled as she handed the bottle to him. “I’ve been hearing great things about that saddle. Everybody says it’s gorgeous.”

Pete rolled his eyes. “And everybody needs to quit talking about it. Sure as the world, Sarah’s going to overhear one of those conversations and figure out what’s up.”

“Aw, we’re all being careful.” Mary Lou waved a dismissive hand. “We have less than twenty-four hours until the unveiling. It’ll be fine.”

“I hope you’re right. How soon before dinner’s ready?”

“Give me another thirty minutes or so.”

“Will do. Thanks, Mary Lou.” Pete put an arm around her for a quick hug. “You’re the best.”

She laughed. “Yes, I am, and don’t ever forget it.”

“I wouldn’t dare. Sarah would kick me out. Come on, Ben. Let’s go join the women.”

Ben had been sorting through what Pete had told him about Jack and his biological mother. “Is Diana Native American?”

“Half-Shoshone, half-Caucasian, which is where Jack gets his coloring.”

Ben nodded. “I wondered about that. So, Jack has two half-brothers on his mother’s side, Wyatt and Rafe, and two on his dad’s side, Nick and Gabe. That’s wild. How does Sarah feel about Diana coming around?”

Pete smiled. “I think the first time was awkward, but she’s...amazing. She’s forgiven Diana, even though the woman left her kid and never looked back.”

“Wow.”

“That’s not all. Diana also kept his existence and her former marriage a secret from her new family for years. But when Sarah realized how miserable Diana was about it all, she accepted her as part of the family. I don’t know if Sarah’s forgiven Nick’s mother, though.”

“You mean Sarah isn’t Nick’s mother, either?”

“Nope. After Diana left Jonathan, he went sort of crazy and had an affair with a free spirit who was just passing through. She kept her pregnancy to herself and had Nick without notifying Jonathan. When Nick was six months old, his mother died in a sky-diving accident. Baby Nick arrived in a cab with a lawyer, and Sarah took the little guy in and raised him as her own. But she doesn’t have kind words for Nick’s mother.”

“I’ll bet not. Sounds like one flakey lady.”

“One who paid the price for it.” As they neared the end of the hallway, Pete lowered his voice again. “Regarding the saddle, I figure we’ll just leave it on display in the living room until Christmas. I doubt the weather will be good enough for her to try it out, anyway, and everyone can see it when they walk in.”

“Sounds good. Oh, and don’t be surprised if I end up buying a horse. I asked Jack to show me some prospects this afternoon.”

Pete laughed. “You did? That’s terrific. Everything’s working out great, isn’t it?”

“Looks like it.” They entered the living room and he noticed Sarah sitting alone, sipping her wine and gazing into the crackling fire. “Where’s Molly?” He hadn’t realized how much he’d anticipated seeing her until she wasn’t there.

“She told me your suggestion about her cousin Cade, and I thought she should call right now. After dinner might be too late, and tomorrow it’ll be a zoo around here. She could get sidetracked and forget. So she went to look up the place online to see if she could get the number.”

“That’s great.” Ben hadn’t expected Molly to act on his suggestion this fast. He had the number saved in his phone, but no doubt she’d found it online by now.

Which meant she was already calling. If she mentioned that she’d heard about them from him, they could easily tell her that he’d made a couple of saddles for them. That, in itself, wouldn’t be bad unless she came down and asked about his saddle-making business in front of Sarah.

If Sarah learned what he did for a living, she’d probably put it all together. His only hope was that if Molly got the information from the Padgetts, she’d figure out the secret and keep it to herself.

Pete sat in the chair next to Sarah’s. That left one empty chair and the sofa. Ben noticed Molly’s wine glass on the coffee table in front of the sofa, so he sat there, too, hoping to be next to her. Close proximity would give him more options if he had to suddenly keep her from saying something incriminating.

“What’s this about Molly’s cousin?” Pete picked up his drink.

Sarah combed her silvery hair back with one hand. “She wants to pick up his trail in Sheridan, which was the last address they had for him and his mother. It’s a happy coincidence that Ben is from there. You’re sure you don’t know anybody named Marlowe, Ben?”

“I’m still thinking, and I’ll keep my ears open once I get back, but the name doesn’t sound familiar.”

“I haven’t paid much attention to rodeo stars over the years,” Sarah said. “So I wouldn’t recognize the name Rance Marlowe even if he had been well-known.”

Pete shook his head. “Me, either. Did Molly ask the boys?”

Ben got a kick out of Pete’s reference to three grown men as boys, but the Chance brothers would probably always be the boys to Sarah and Pete.

“I’m sure she asked them.” Sarah chuckled. “That girl is like a quiz-show host when it comes to questions. She has a million of them. And she loves to dig into what she calls archives. I let her look through Jonathan’s old trunk full of papers and souvenirs, which she adored, and then I let her read my mother-in-law’s diaries covering all the years she and Archie lived here. You’d have thought I’d offered Molly a sack of gold.”

“She’s fun to have around,” Pete said. “I’m going to miss her when she leaves on Monday. But getting back home for Christmas is important to her. She’s really big on family.”

“I gathered that,” Ben said.

“Well, so am I.” Sarah took another sip of her wine. “I’ll admit when I married Jonathan I didn’t realize how important the whole concept of family would become to me. I’m an only child, so my original family consisted of three people. Now I find myself surrounded with an entire clan and it’s wonderful.”

“And I’m lucky enough to be part of that clan,” Pete said. “I’m so thankful that Sarah agreed to let me into the club.”

Ben felt as if he’d stumbled into a foreign land where he could barely speak the language. He’d heard people talk about the importance of family, but he’d never understood it on a gut level. His experience growing up had taught him the destructive nature of family ties.

Sarah glanced over at him. “Speaking of that, do you have any siblings, Ben?”

“An older brother in Colorado.” He never knew what to say when such questions came up, or how to answer them so the questions would stop. But in this case, with all the talk about bonding, he might have a way out. “We’re not close.”

Sympathy flashed in Sarah’s blue eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Ben shrugged and used Molly’s earlier response, one he’d thought was brilliant at the time. He’d keep it in mind for any future conversations regarding his family. “That’s the way it happens sometimes.”

“I know it does, but...” Sarah hesitated. “I hope being in the middle of this crazy group doesn’t bother you.”

“Not at all.” This much he could say with conviction. “I like it.”