Her Cowboy Till Christmas

Ryder held the front door open, and she nodded her thanks. She would enjoy this long-overdue visit with Nan, return to Santa Ana after Christmas and, in the meantime, pray the bank would call with the good news that her line of credit had been approved. A spot in a strip mall would be vacant in January. She had enough cash to pay for some of the renovations, but it would take several months to attract enough students to cover all her expenses.

If the bank turned her down, she’d have to reinvent herself, because she couldn’t keep doing this anymore. Years of working odd jobs to pay off her student loans and save for the studio had taken their toll.

She hurried to Ryder’s rental car and momentarily turned back to look at the house.

Mason glowered through the front window.

Well, at least she knew how he felt about her.

Some things never changed.

He’d handled that badly.

Mason collapsed onto the sofa and let his neck fall back into the cushion. What was he supposed to do now? He didn’t know what upset him more—the fact he had an identical twin he’d never heard of or that Brittany had been the one to introduce them.

He’d been rotten to them both.

Well, what had they expected? If he would have had some warning, some time to process it...

He thought of all the emails and calls from Brittany he’d ignored.

He hadn’t known she had anything important to tell him. Still, maybe he’d been wrong not to answer her. She hadn’t exactly tried to contact him in ten years. Not once.

Which was fine. She hadn’t really cared about him the way he’d cared about her. It probably should have affected how he felt about her grandmother, but it didn’t. Nan—Ada Rhodes—lived a mile down the road from him in this secluded corner of Rendezvous. After Ma and Pops passed, Mason found himself checking on her more often. She’d been slowing down for a while now, so for the past year he’d stopped in every weekday afternoon to see how she was doing and to feed the barn cats. On Saturdays, he and Noah popped over to her place to bring her groceries.

Nan was as close to a mother or grandmother as Mason had now. And he couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to her, either.

He pulled out the card Ryder had handed him, gave it a cursory glance and flicked it onto the end table.

Lies. So many lies.

Ma and Pops had to have known he had a twin brother. Not once had they mentioned it. Wouldn’t they think he’d want to know he had a sibling?

An identical twin. Ryder.

His heart raced.

He wasn’t ready to think about him. Not yet.

And what was with Brittany coming here to introduce them? Especially since he couldn’t remember the last time she’d visited her own grandma. She didn’t appreciate Nan. While she romped around California, Mason was the one taking care of her sweet grandmother. Not that he minded checking on Nan. He didn’t.

The ticktock of the kitchen clock echoed through the house.

He’d give about anything to have Mia here right now. She’d know what to say. She’d rub his shoulders and ease the gnawing sensation gripping every muscle in his body.

He missed her so much.

The first year after she died, he’d strained to hear her laughter. He’d wake up in the dead of night, reach over to touch her and his lungs would seize when he realized he was alone. He’d find himself catching his breath as he entered the kitchen, knowing she wouldn’t be there, but somehow expecting her to be rolling out dough for cinnamon buns. The second year after she died, his in-laws, Bill and Joanna Page, had begun to cling to him and Noah even more, and his memories of Mia had grown fuzzy. Last year, the third year, Mason could no longer hear the echoes of her gentle laugh. Worse, he was drowning under Bill’s expectations of him. Mason itched to create a sliver of distance from his in-laws, and they were just as determined to keep him glued to their side.

His cell phone’s loud ring made him jump. “Hello?”

“You’re not going to believe this.” His friend Gabby Stover managed Mountain View Inn, and every Tuesday night he met with her and his sister-in-law, Eden Page. They’d formed their own support group to deal with the tragedies they’d experienced. He and Eden were still trying to piece their lives back together after Mia’s death, and Gabby’s sister had recently died of a heart attack after giving birth to a baby girl. Gabby was now raising little Phoebe as her own daughter. Thankfully, Eden babysat Noah and Phoebe for him and Gabby while they worked. He didn’t know what he’d do without them.

“I don’t want you to freak out.” Her words tumbled out quickly.

Gabby must be working tonight. It hadn’t occurred to him to warn her Ryder was on his way to the inn.

“I already know. I have an identical twin.” Saying the words out loud made them seem real. How had he made it twenty-nine years without knowing he had a twin? Maybe he’d better stop wondering and start coming up with a plan for what to do about his long-lost brother.

The sound of her gasp came through the line. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just found out myself. He stopped by.”

“What do you mean he stopped by? How did he find you? Did you know you had a twin? Why isn’t he with you now?”

Sometimes Gabby was the bossy older sister he’d always wanted. Not tonight, though. “An old...er...friend of mine ran into him in California and figured we should meet.”

“California? Who?”

“Brittany Green.”

“Wait—Brittany? The name sounds familiar. Do I know her?” He could hear computer keys tapping in the background. “Couldn’t she have called first?”

“She’s Nan’s granddaughter. And she did call. I didn’t answer.”

“Nan’s...oh, that’s right. Why wouldn’t you answer? And I’m surprised you let Ryder come to the inn. Why is he staying here and not at your place?”

He suppressed a groan. Of course Gabby would assume he’d invited Ryder to stay. She was like that—welcoming to all. Well, not cowboys. She had an odd aversion to them.

“I didn’t ask him.” Should he have asked him to stay?

“Why not?”

“Seeing him was a shock. I needed time to process.”

“No doubt. For what it’s worth, he seems nice.” A moment of silence stretched between them on the line. “You are going to talk to him more while he’s here, right?”

Yes. But what if it opened a can of worms he’d rather be left shut? What else had Ma and Pops lied to him about? How much of his past was true and how much was false?

“I think so,” he said.

“Good. This is your family. You should get to know him better.”

“Yeah. It’s a lot to take in.” A lifetime of wanting a sibling pulled hard on his heart. What if he got to know—and love—his brother only to lose him the way he’d lost his grandparents and Mia? Nothing good stuck around his life for long.

Except Noah. Mason trusted God would always take care of his son.

“I’ll pray about it, and you should, too.” Muffled sounds came through the line. “Prepare yourself, though. Babs saw him on the way to his room and thought it was you. He set her straight.”

A sinking sensation slid down to his stomach. Babs O’Rourke was the owner of Mountain View Inn and could only be described as a busybody. In her early seventies, she had flaming red hair, talked a mile a minute and noticed everything—and everyone—in Rendezvous. The entire town would know he had a twin before dawn.

“Can I let you go?” Gabby asked. “I’m being summoned.”

“Sure. Talk to you later.”

He got up and poured himself a glass of water. Gabby was right. He needed to pray. Between juggling single fatherhood and managing his ranch, he was full up on problems. This fall he’d had to make tough decisions about his cattle herd. The payment plan for Mia’s medical bills didn’t allow any wiggle room in his budget. Until he paid them off, he needed the ranch to bring in more income than it currently was.

And now this...

Maybe his tattered baby book would have some answers. Or the boxes of old photos in the attic might hold some clues.

One thing was certain—whatever he decided to do about Ryder, he’d be doing on his own. As far as he was concerned, he’d had enough of Brittany Green for another ten years.

Chapter Two

Rendezvous was a middle-of-nowhere town where dreams died. That’s what her mother had always told her, anyway.

The next morning, Brittany slipped her feet into fuzzy slippers and padded into Nan’s kitchen for a cup of coffee.

Rendezvous hadn’t always been the dream killer her mother claimed. Until Brittany graduated high school, it had been more like a welcoming hug—a place to catch her breath each summer. But she couldn’t deny her mom’s words. One of her dreams had died here a decade ago. And the others had no shot at coming true in these parts. A small town in Wyoming wasn’t the place to put together an elite competitive dance team, that was for sure.

California had been the right choice ten years ago.

The kitchen window revealed a pastel glow in the early dawn sky. After scooping grounds into a coffee filter, she filled the carafe with water and pressed the On button. Nan wasn’t up yet. Strange. Her grandmother had always been an early riser. She must be more tired than usual.

Brittany had rearranged her schedule to spend two weeks here—just until after Christmas. It had been a long time since she’d been back. A year at least. Maybe two.

Had it been three years since she’d visited?

She listened for sounds of her grandmother. Silence. Maybe she should check on her.

She peeked into the bedroom where Nan slept peacefully. She looked...older, smaller than Brittany remembered. When had Nan gotten so frail?

Brittany used to call her every Sunday, but Nan’s hearing wasn’t the greatest, so she’d been skipping the calls to write letters instead.

She shouldn’t have stayed away so long.

After closing the door carefully, she padded back to the living room. Gurgles from the coffee maker told her it wasn’t finished brewing. Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, she ticked through a mental list to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything back home.

It had been hard to juggle her schedule and finances to make this trip. For as long as she could remember, she’d been working three jobs. Besides the diner gig and freelance data entry work, she rented rehearsal space in an established studio to teach classes. The arrangement didn’t allow her to hire more teachers, expand her class offerings or put together a competitive dance team, though. So far all but one bank had turned down her application for a line of credit to open a studio in Santa Ana’s expensive market. She’d be hearing from them soon.

A window overlooked the porch of Nan’s weathered one-story house. Jagged reddish mountains with thin, horizontal white stripes jutted in the distance. The snow-covered prairie seemed to whisper, and clumps of bare trees dotted it here and there.

This land was quiet, unforgiving—and breathtaking.

Like Mason.

She’d fallen hard for him as a teen. Actually, she’d had a crush on him for years. Not surprising, since they’d been inseparable every summer.

The minute she’d arrived in Rendezvous after graduating from high school, she knew something had changed in their relationship. The glint in Mason’s eyes had set her heart pounding wildly. A sweet kiss had sealed it. The rest of the summer had been spent holding hands, hiking, hanging out, laughing and talking.

And the longer it went on, the guiltier she’d felt.

No one had known she had a boyfriend back home. For months she’d been hoping Parker would take the hint and end things with her, but he wasn’t a take-the-hint kind of guy. She should have broken up with him before coming to Rendezvous.

Why hadn’t she?

Because Mom had actually approved of him, and her mother never thought much of anything Brittany did.

Ancient history. She tossed the blanket off her shoulders. What was taking the coffee maker so long? And why was she thinking about that summer, anyhow? She must be in caffeine withdrawal.

But the memories kept coming. The final night here was seared in her memory like a scarlet A. On Nan’s front porch, Mason had asked her to stay in Wyoming instead of going back to California. She’d stood there in silence trying to figure out how to explain. She was going to become a professional dancer. He knew she’d already been accepted into UCLA’s dance program. How could she do those things in Rendezvous?

Then disaster had rolled up in a Porsche. Her boyfriend, Parker, sick of her avoiding his calls, had shown up at the worst possible time. Mason’s face had said it all. He’d looked her in the eye and told her he never wanted to see her again. She’d never been so ashamed in her life. And she’d unintentionally made good on his wishes until yesterday.

The coffee maker rumbled. Finally. She returned to the kitchen, grabbed her favorite mug and poured herself a cup of joe, focusing on the good memories. Endless hours with Nan. Hugs and bedtime prayers. Failed summer reading plans and successful baking sessions. Feeling loved and cherished by her grandmother.

It really was good to be back.

Footsteps made her turn. Nan smiled, holding out her arms for a hug. Brittany embraced her, noting how thin her body was under the cotton nightgown and robe. “How did you sleep?”

“Good. It’s wonderful to wake up to your smiling face.”

“Want a cup of coffee?” Brittany turned to the counter.

“Yes, lots of sugar. Lots of cream.”

“You got it.” She found a container of store-bought pastries and put them and some chocolate chip cookies on a plate. Then she poured Nan a cup of coffee and settled in with her at the table.

“I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve visited.” She reached over and covered Nan’s hand with her own. Her bony fingers felt fragile.

“Oh, honey, you’re busy.” Nan patted her hand. “No need to apologize. I would have come to California for Christmas, but I...” A lost expression flitted through her eyes.

Nan used to come visit for Christmas, but it had been a few years. Her vibrant grandmother was fading. How had she not picked up on it before?

“I’ve always wanted to spend Christmas here with all the snow.” She just never could get the time off in the past.

“Plenty of snow here.” Nan took a sip. “Did you try out for the dance team?”

Try out? She drew her eyebrows together. “Nan, I did try out in college, and I made the Spirit Squad my sophomore year. Don’t you remember?”

A flicker of concern crossed Nan’s face. “Oh, that’s right. I remember you saying something about a dance team. I get my dates mixed up sometimes.” She pushed the plate Brittany’s way. “Cookie?”

“Yes, please.” She selected one bursting with chocolate chips and bit into it. Mmm...

“Mason and Noah bring these every week. Have you seen the baby yet? He’s a darling child.”

“No, I haven’t.” The cookie suddenly tasted like ashes.

“And what about you?” Nan asked. “Are you thinking of marrying the banker?”

Banker? What banker? She couldn’t mean Charles, could she? “Charles and I broke up a long time ago.” Four years, if memory served her right.

“You did? I thought you’d marry him.”

“Nope. We weren’t meant to be.” Within two months Charles had apparently decided she wasn’t serious girlfriend material. He’d dumped her and started dating a marketing executive shortly after.

She sighed. The story of her dating life.

“Have you been feeling okay?”

Nan took the tiniest sip of her coffee, a faraway look in her eyes. “Yes, things are fine.”

Things didn’t seem all that fine. Maybe she was just forgetful since it was so early in the morning. Memory lapses were a normal sign of aging, weren’t they?

“Mason will be here in a little while,” Nan said. “You two can run off and play the way you used to every summer.”

“Does Mason come here often?”

“Oh, yes.” Her shoulders poked through her thin cotton robe. “That reminds me...what day is it?”

“It’s Saturday.” It didn’t surprise her that Mason would stop by now and then. He’d always been fond of Nan. Brittany took another bite of cookie.

“Shopping day. I’d better make my list. You can go with him.” Nan padded over to a kitchen drawer. She returned to the table with a pen in one hand and a small notebook in the other. With shaky movements, she wrote milk, eggs and bread on the list. Then she stared into space.

“Why don’t you and I go to the store together?” Brittany asked. She and Ryder had flown into the nearest major airport, and together they’d driven to Rendezvous in his rental car. He was driving back to the airport tomorrow to catch his flight, and she figured she could borrow Nan’s truck to get around during her stay. “I’ll drive you to town if you don’t mind me borrowing your truck.”

“You can borrow it anytime. But Mason always does the shopping.”

Always? When had Nan stopped doing her own shopping? No matter what Nan said, Brittany highly doubted Mason would stop by with her being there.

“He might not be over today.”

Nan brightened. “Oh, no. He’ll be here.”

Nan had been confused about a few things this morning. Brittany hoped she was wrong about this, too.

But Mason was nothing if not dependable. Something told her she’d be seeing him sooner rather than later.

“Nan’s!” Noah jumped up and down, clapping his hands. His brown eyes sparkled and his blond hair was mussed. His cheekbones were all Mia’s. Mason wished she could see Noah now. “After cookies, we feed the kitties, Daddy.”

Mason loved the kid’s enthusiasm. His son loved Nan, and every day it was the same request—have a cookie, then feed the cats in Nan’s barn. But after a sleepless night wrestling with the fact he had a twin and a frigid morning feeding and working the cattle, Mason had no plans to visit Nan, even if it was shopping day. Brittany could take care of it.

But would she? He raised his eyes to the ceiling. Probably not. She knew nothing about Nan’s needs. And if Ryder was leaving tomorrow, Brittany would be heading out with him.

After the early-morning chores, Mason had called Ryder and invited him out to the ranch. Ryder was dealing with an unexpected work emergency but said he’d be over this afternoon.

Anticipation wound Mason up tighter than a lassoed calf. He was eager to learn more about his brother, to find out what else they had in common, but what if it poured gasoline on his happy childhood memories? He didn’t want his entire past to go up in flames.

“We’re not going to Nan’s today.” His shoulders tensed as he waited for the inevitable meltdown. He couldn’t exactly tell his son the truth—that his ex-girlfriend had rattled his nerves and he’d rather jump in the ice-cold waters of Silver Rocks River than run into Brittany again.

“Yes we are, Daddy. We go to Nan’s every day cuz we love her.”

No tantrum? That was a first. His conscience whimpered at his own words being repeated back to him. He pulled on his cowboy boots. “That’s right, but her granddaughter is in town visiting. We’ll give them some space.”

“But, Daddy, what about the kitties? And the food? We have to buy Nan’s food.” Noah tried to step into his own small cowboy boot and almost fell over. “I don’t wanna be on the naughty list.”

“Why don’t you sit next to me on the bench and pull on your boots, buckaroo?” He patted the bench. “And you won’t be on the naughty list. Remember why we celebrate Christmas?”

“Jesus’s birthday.” He clutched the boots to his chest and hoisted himself onto the bench as one boot clattered to the ground. Mason picked it up and helped him tug it onto his foot. The other went on quickly. “But Nan’ll miss me, Daddy.”

“You’ll see her Monday.”

He screwed up his face, his chubby cheeks puffing out in confusion. “When’s that?”

Mason held up two fingers. “In two days.”

“Two days? No! Too long. I want Nan today!” His little face grew red.

“Noah,” he warned, giving him a stern look. A text came through his phone. He almost groaned when he saw it was from his father-in-law, Bill.

What’s this I hear about you having a twin? Joanna and I are coming over to discuss it.

Acid reflux burned his throat. Thanks to Babs, the news of Ryder had likely spread through town like the bubonic plague. Mason had already received several texts from locals. He’d ignored the phone calls. The thought of discussing the situation with Bill and Joanna right now gave him heartburn.

He didn’t want to talk to anyone about Ryder until he’d had a chance to speak with him more in-depth. Figure out why on earth they were separated and how anyone could justify keeping them apart.

Without wasting a second, he texted Bill back.

I just found out myself. Noah and I are out shopping for Nan, and we have plans this afternoon. I’ll fill you in later.

He slipped the phone into his pocket. If a few minutes in Brittany’s presence was the price to pay for avoiding his in-laws, he’d pay it. He’d dealt with worse punishments in his life.

“Okay, buckaroo. We’ll pop in to get Nan’s list. But we aren’t having cookies or checking on the cats because we don’t want to interrupt her visit. We can buy a doughnut in town instead.”

“With sprinkles?”

“You got it.”

Five minutes later, Mason’s truck rumbled up Nan’s drive a mile down the road from his. The peace of the white prairie and distant mountains always made him say a silent prayer to thank God for letting this beautiful spot be his home. After parking, he got out of the truck, nudged his cowboy hat into place and unbuckled Noah from his car seat before setting him on the snow-covered ground. The boy took off running toward the front porch yelling, “Nan! I’m here!”

She opened the door and clapped as she bent to greet Noah. He took her by the hand and went inside. The sight of white-haired Nan in her saggy pants and embroidered sweatshirt holding hands with his little boy always made Mason smile.

He followed them into the entry, took off his hat and froze. Brittany stood only a few feet away, her blue eyes locked with his. He blinked away the connection. Noah had climbed onto a chair at Nan’s table and was already helping himself to a cookie.

“We’re here to get your list.” Mason crossed over to give Nan a hug.

She patted his cheek, but confusion wrinkled her forehead. “List? Oh, right! Now where did I put it?” She began moving around the kitchen, then meandered down the hallway. Mason was used to it. She usually forgot where she put it and would find it a few minutes later.

“Who are you?” Noah peered up at Brittany.

“I’m Brittany. Nan is my grandma.”

“She is?” Noah’s mouth was full of a cookie. “I love Nan.”

“I do, too.”

“Can we go see the kitties, Daddy?”

“Not today. As soon as Nan finds the list, we have to head out.” He held his breath, hoping Noah wouldn’t throw a fit.

“Can I pwease see the kitties, Daddy? Pwease?”

“No.” Mason craned his neck down the hallway. Come on, Nan, find your list already!

“I can take him out there for a minute.” Brittany smiled at Noah.

“Yay!”

“I said no.” It came out more harshly than he intended. But he didn’t want her around his son at all.

“Mason, I forgot about the water softener,” Nan called from the back of the house. “Do I need more salt?”

“Really, I don’t mind.” Brittany pushed her hair behind her ear. She wore black leggings and a long heather-gray sweatshirt with the word Sunshine written in cursive across the front. Her lack of makeup gave her a freshly scrubbed air. It reminded him of what she’d looked like as a teen and, unbidden, brought the warm feelings he’d had for her then with it.