The Cowboy's Family Christmas Read online

  And he had accomplished that. In two weeks he would be starting with a company that promised him prestige and financial independence.

  He thought he had put Leanne out of his mind for good, but seeing her now, even more beautiful than he remembered, created an unwelcome hitch in his heart.

  In the uncomfortable silence that lingered, a bird warbled, and the wind rustled through the trees sheltering the house beyond them. No one said anything more.

  “Well, just thought I’d stop by and say hi.” He looked away from his father and Leanne, then crouched down in front of Austin. “And I thought I would get to know you, little guy. I’m your uncle Reuben.”

  Austin pursed his lips, frowning slightly, as if he didn’t believe he had an uncle.

  The idea that his only nephew didn’t even know who he was cut almost as deep as Leanne’s chilly attitude.

  “Wooben,” Austin said finally. “Uncle Wooben.”

  “That’s right.”

  Austin stared at him then pointed at Reuben’s hat, then his own, looking proud. “My hat. I have my hat.”

  “It’s a pretty cool hat,” Reuben agreed.

  But then Austin looked up at Leanne, no longer interested in his uncle. “Firsty, Mommy.”

  “We’ll get something in a minute, sweetheart.” Leanne hesitated, then glanced over at Reuben, her eyes barely skimming over him. “Would you like some tea?”

  “He might not have time,” his father said, as if Reuben was no more than a salesman whom George felt he had to be polite to.

  Reuben pushed himself up, glancing from his father back to Leanne. He guessed her invitation was more a formality than anything. That his father could be so cool to him he fully understood. Nothing new there.

  But Leanne? The woman he had, at one time, thought would be his?

  “No. I should get going,” Reuben said, fighting down his own resentment and anger.

  Good thing the opinion of other people had never mattered to him. Otherwise this could have been a genuinely painful moment.

  “Will you be coming by again?” his father asked.

  “I’ll have to see how things go” was all he would say. No sense in pushing himself on either his father or his sister-in-law if he didn’t have to.

  George turned to Leanne. “I’m going back to the house.”

  Then without another word to Reuben, he walked away, shoulders bent, head down.

  He looked much older than the last time Reuben had seen him, and in spite of his father’s lack of welcome and veiled animosity, Reuben felt the sting of remorse that he’d stayed away so long.

  It wasn’t your fault.

  Maybe not, but he should have been the bigger man. Should have set aside the old hurts and slights. In spite of how George treated him, he was still Reuben’s father.

  He set aside his regrets for now and looked to Leanne, guessing he would get neither handshake nor hug from her. Not the way she stared daggers at him. As if she had any right.

  “So we might see you around?” she asked. The chill in her voice almost made him shudder.

  But then, to his surprise, she held his gaze a beat longer than necessary and once again the old feelings came back.

  “I’m sure. It’s a small town,” he returned, then he turned to Austin and gave the little boy a quick grin. “So, I’ll see you again,” he said to his nephew.

  “Bring a present?” Austin asked.

  “Austin, that’s not polite.” Leanne gave her son’s hand a gentle reprimanding shake.

  “I should have thought of that,” Reuben said with a light laugh. “After all, I am your uncle and uncles should come with presents.”

  “I like horses. My dad liked horses.”

  Reuben’s heart twisted. Once again his and Leanne’s eyes met.

  “I never had a chance to tell you how sorry I was to hear about Dirk,” he said, thumbing his hat back. As if to see her better.

  “He was your brother too.” Leanne’s voice held a thread of sorrow and for a moment they acknowledged their shared grief.

  “He was a good brother. And I’m sure he was a good husband.”

  Leanne released a harsh laugh. “I hardly had the chance to find out. We were only married two weeks.” She pressed her lips together and Reuben took a quick step toward her. Before he even knew what he was doing he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, tightening it enough to let her know that he understood.

  She stayed where she was a moment, but then jerked back, her features growing hard. She turned to Austin. “I’ll get you a drink, sweetie, but first we should put your horse away.”

  Then she left, Austin trailing alongside her, her head held high, back stiff, exuding waves of rejection.

  “Bye, Uncle Wooben,” Austin called out, looking back.

  Reuben waved goodbye. It was time for him to leave but he waited, watching Leanne as she walked down the grassy path toward the corrals where a horse stood, waiting patiently. She told Austin to stay where he was as she climbed over the fence.

  He wanted to ask her why she thought she had the right to be so angry with him when she was the one who’d run back to his brother as soon as Dirk came back into her life. Ask her what happened to those promises they made to each other in Costa Rica. When she had told him that she’d always cared for him.

  Had they all been lies?

  He spun around, striding back to his truck. That duty was done. He wished he had listened to the realistic part of himself and simply driven past this place and the two people who didn’t want him around.

  Reuben slipped his sunglasses on and climbed into his truck. He started it up and, without a backward glance, drove off the ranch that had been his home for years.

  He and Leanne were over. He had to look to his own future.

  And as he drove, he second-guessed his plan to work in Cedar Ridge for the Rodeo Group.

  He glanced back at the ranch as it grew smaller in his rearview mirror.

  Why should he put himself through this on purpose?

  He would talk to Owen Herne. Tell him he wasn’t taking on the job. He had no reason at all to stay in town.

  Tomorrow he’d leave and Cedar Ridge would only be a memory.

  Chapter Two

  “I know I put you on the spot, but I don’t have much choice.” Reuben rolled his coffee cup back and forth between his hands, looking everywhere but at his cousin Cord and his Uncle Boyce sitting across from him at the Brand and Grill. “I can’t do this job.”

  The muted hum of conversation and the occasional order called out by Adana, one of the waitresses, filled the silence that followed his pronouncement.

  Cord Walsh lifted one hand, his green-grey eyes narrowed. “You said you were willing,” he said. “We could have gotten someone else, but you said you could do this. We don’t have much time to get this done.”

  “I know that, but I also know what I can and can’t do.”

  “Did your other job get moved up?” Boyce asked, swiping his plate with the last bite of toast. “That why you changed your mind?”

  “No. It still doesn’t start for a couple of weeks but...” He hesitated, wondering what to say without sounding like some heartsick loser. “I don’t think coming back was a good idea.” He pushed his coffee cup away from him and sat back, as well. He didn’t want to say any more than that in front of his uncle, George’s brother.

  Boyce was busy taking one last swig of his coffee. But Cord held his gaze for an extra beat as if delving into Reuben’s thoughts.

  If anyone knew Reuben’s history, it was his cousin. Cord knew most of Reuben’s secrets. Most, not all. The only other cousin who understood where Reuben was coming from was Noah. He also had to deal with a father who was never satisfied.

  “O
kay, then,” Cord said with an air of resignation, glancing at his father. “I’m guessing we can’t change your mind with our Walsh charm or appeal to your Walsh heritage.”

  Reuben chuckled. “Probably not. I’m immune to those tactics.” Then he reached into the pocket of his denim jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He pushed it across the table to Cord. “Here are the names of a couple of other guys you could get. They haven’t made any firm commitments and they won’t be available for a month or so. But they’re good too.” After his disastrous visit to his father’s ranch, Reuben had made a few calls from the motel to some other engineers he knew. He got a couple of vague commitments from some old classmates. It was the best he could do under the circumstances.

  “So tell us about this job you’re starting,” Boyce said, looking up as Cord pocketed the note. Clearly his uncle wasn’t going to try to convince Reuben to stay. “I haven’t heard anything about it from George.”

  Reuben wasn’t surprised. He knew George didn’t talk often about him. “It’s a good position with a prestigious international engineering firm. I’d be my own boss, which is what I’ve been looking for since I graduated,” Reuben said, thankful for his uncle’s switch in topic. He didn’t want to expound on the real reasons he was leaving. Leanne and Austin, the visible reminder of her betrayal of Reuben. “I’ll be making good money and I’ll be traveling around the world doing some big jobs. What’s not to like?”

  “And there’s no one in your life right now who would object to all the moving around?” Boyce asked.

  Reuben shook his head. “Nope. Haven’t met anyone who created any sparks.”

  “I get where you’re coming from,” Cord said. “I think Ella and I had sparks the first time we met.”

  “Didn’t help that Adana had just quit as your nanny and you were ticked off,” Boyce said with a laugh.

  “There was more than that going on.” Cord grinned and then his phone dinged. He glanced at it, then back at Reuben. “I gotta deal with this. Are you leaving today?”

  Reuben nodded. The sooner the better.

  “Then I’ll say goodbye.”

  “I’m heading out too,” Boyce said, “Though I wouldn’t mind sticking around and talking more, I sense you want to get a move on.” He gave Reuben a rueful smile, which, more than anything either of them had said, made Reuben second-guess his decision.

  But then he thought of Leanne’s anger and his father’s lack of affection, and he knew he wasn’t ready to put himself in that vulnerable position.

  “Much as I’d like to connect with some of the other cousins, I feel I should get going.”

  Cord got up the same time Reuben did and pulled him close in a quick, man hug then stepped back, holding his gaze. “You stay safe and don’t be a stranger.”

  “I won’t,” he said.

  Then Boyce dropped some bills on the table to pay for breakfast, got up and gave him a tighter hug than Cord had. “I’ve been praying for you,” he said as he pulled back. “You and your father.”

  Reuben felt a twinge of guilt at the sentiment. After Dirk’s funeral and Leanne’s betrayal, he had kept his distance from God. Only in the past few months had he realized how much he missed his faith and started attending church again.

  “Thanks. I probably need it,” he said, keeping his tone light.

  “You’ll be back for my wedding, won’t you?” Cord asked as they made their way out of the restaurant.

  “I hope so. I’ll have to see what my new work schedule is. I’ll be needing to impress some big investors.”

  “This job sounds serious,” Boyce said as he slowly made his way down the few steps out of the café. “And important.”

  “I’ve got a lot riding on it and the pay is amazing.” This job was his chance to prove to himself that he had value. Worth.

  “Well, you know, it’s a cliché but money isn’t everything,” Boyce said.

  “No, but it’s a fairly universal measuring stick. One that your brother, George, understands.”

  Cord gave him a curious look but Reuben wasn’t delving deeper into the past. He had a promising future ahead of him and in spite of feeling bad that he had let his cousin and his uncle down, he had to move on. Staying in Cedar Ridge wasn’t an option.

  “Well, you take care. Stay in touch and don’t be such a stranger.”

  Reuben nodded as he buttoned his denim jacket closed. The wind still held a chill. It was cooler than yesterday and as he walked down the street to his truck, he shivered as he thought of California, where he would be headquartered.

  It would be warm there. No snow and no winter. Just sun and warmth and work.

  Boyce and Cord said goodbye and left.

  Reuben watched them leave and felt a twinge of melancholy when they both laughed at something Cord had said. How often had he longed for a relationship like his cousin and uncle shared?

  He shook off the feelings, walked to his truck, drove down Main Street, then headed to the highway out of town.

  But as he drove away from Cedar Ridge, he tried not to think that he might not be back for a very, very long time.

  His father’s ranch was on his way out of town, and as he came nearer he was tempted to keep going. Drive on into his future and leave the past behind. But he knew guilt and second thoughts would follow him all the way back to Calgary, so he slowed as he came to the wooden and stone archway leading to the ranch. Hanging from the cross bar was the ranch’s brand, stamped on a metal disc. The Bar W. And with it hung the weight of the Walsh legacy and their prominence in the community of Cedar Ridge.

  This was driven home when he drove up to the imposing bulk of the ranch house once again. It was built to impress and easily fulfilled that promise. The house spread out and upward, two stories high. The main part of the house, directly in front of him, held the main living area. Kitchen, great room, family room, formal dining room, kitchen nook. Two wings stretched out from the main house. One wing held the master bedroom, a media room, an office and a guest bedroom. The other was where Reuben and Dirk had slept and also had an extra bedroom.

  Reuben’s mother had often said that the family rattled around in the large space. She was right, but the space also gave Reuben places to retreat to after his mother left. Away from George’s steady criticism.

  Reuben parked on the cement pad in front of the large, four-bay garage, guessing that Leanne and George’s vehicles were inside.

  He stayed in the truck a moment, taking a breath, readying himself to face them again. At least this time he was prepared.

  He got out of the truck and strode to the house. But when he rang the doorbell no one answered. He put his head inside and called out, but again, only silence.

  Puzzled he walked past the house and the gardens Dirk’s mother had started, surprised to see them all cleaned up and obviously cared for. His mother had never cared for them and they had been taken over by weeds and neglect.

  Leanne must have revived the garden. He remembered how she had often wished she could fix it up when she and Dirk were dating.

  He stopped again, listening for voices. Maybe they were all gone. He went a little farther and as he came over the rise separating the ranch house from the corrals, he heard the distinctive lowing of cattle and the bawl of baby calves.

  He walked around the grove of trees between the garden behind the house and the cow corrals lying in a hollow tucked against the hill the house stood on.

  The sound of shouting and the bellowing of cows grew louder as he got closer. Some cows stood in the pasture along the rugged fence, bawling for their calves, which had been separated from them in another large pen.

  The rest of the cows were on the other side, milling about, creating a cloud of dust as they waited to be processed.

  That’s when he saw her. Leanne was
mounted on a large palomino, wearing a down vest, her hair tied back. Her hat was shoved on her head and she waved a coil of rope as she pushed the horse into a crush of bawling animals, cutting some away.

  What was she doing? That was dangerous work. She could be hurt. There were far too many cows in the pen. Why was she working with them?

  An unfamiliar man stood by a gate connected to another smaller pen. Clearly his job was to open the gate when enough cows were cut out of the herd. A younger man sat astride a horse, a ball cap clamped over his dark hair.

  “Devin, get over there,” he heard his father yelling. Big surprise. Dad’s default emotion was anger. “Stop being so ridiculously lazy and help out,” he bellowed again from his position on the raised walkway by the fenced-in alley adjacent the pen.

  He sounded so angry. If George wasn’t careful, he would have a heart attack someday. Reuben hurried his pace to see if he could help out. Leanne shouldn’t be doing what she was.

  She was on one edge of the milling cattle, keeping them moving; Devin was working his way through the herd.

  But when George yelled again, the young man pulled his horse to a stop, leaning on his saddle horn as if making a decision.

  “Get in there,” his father shouted, looking ready to climb over the fence and help out himself. “Get those cows moving.”

  The young man named Devin kept his horse where it was, then finally he made a move.

  Only it wasn’t into the cattle to help Leanne cut some out. It was in the other direction. Away from the cows.

  Toward the gate leading out of the pen.

  As he came closer, Reuben easily saw the angry set of the young man’s jaw, the determined way he urged his horse toward the large metal gate separating the cows from one of the pastures. He dismounted and unlatched the gate, ignoring Leanne’s cries and George’s fury. His movements were rushed and jerky, the chain clanking against the gate. It was as if he couldn’t contain himself any longer.