A Last Chance Christmas

“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.”

4

MOLLY KEYED IN the number for Thunder Mountain Ranch with some misgivings. Despite what she’d told Ben, she was conflicted about what she might uncover with this phone call. If Rosie Padgett had no knowledge of Heather or Cade, then Molly was back where she started.

But if the woman had heard of them, that meant they’d contacted social services and very likely had struggled to make a life for themselves. Molly didn’t remember her Aunt Heather much at all, but her dad sure did. Heather was his sister, after all, and the news might not be very good.

A woman answered the phone. “Thunder Mountain Ranch.”

Well, she’d come this far. Molly took a deep breath. “Hi. I’m Molly Gallagher, and I’m looking for information on my cousin, Cade Marlowe, or his mother, Heather. A friend suggested I call and see if you knew anything about them.”

“Cade Marlowe?”

“Yes. His father’s a bull rider named Rance, but I’m sure he’s retired from that by now. The last letter my family got from Heather was postmarked in Sheridan, but that was years ago. I’m trying to find out if anybody remembers them or has a forwarding address.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know anybody named Cade Marlowe.”

“Oh.” In spite of her desire for information, she was relieved.

“But if you want to leave your number, I could ask around. Someone might have heard something.”

“Thank you. You must be Mrs. Padgett. The friend who suggested I call is Ben Radcliffe.”

“Oh, Ben!” The woman’s voice warmed. “Yes, I’m Rosie Padgett. Ben’s such a great guy, and when it comes to making saddles, he’s a real artist.”

“Um, yes, he certainly is.” Ben was a saddle maker?

As she gave her number to Rosie Padgett and said her goodbyes, she kept thinking about Ben’s profession. His odd timing for coming to look at horses coincided with Sarah’s birthday—a significant one, at that. She’d wondered all along why Jack would agree to host a potential customer during his mother’s big celebration. Jack didn’t strike her as the kind of man who put business ahead of family gatherings.

Ben could have come after Christmas, or he could have waited until the weather warmed. Yet here he was, staying in the bosom of the family and attending Sarah’s birthday party. But if he’d designed a custom saddle for Sarah, then his sudden appearance the day before her birthday made perfect sense. And of course he’d be invited to stay so he could see her reaction to it.

After booting up her computer, Molly searched for Ben’s saddle-making operation. Once she found the site and scrolled through the photos of his work, she was almost positive this was why he was here. And it was supposed to be a surprise.

Well, cool. She’d always loved uncovering secrets. Knowing that Ben was an artisan on a secret mission made him more intriguing than ever. She wasn’t the least bit artistic, but she admired those who were.

She knew Ben was good with his mouth because he played a damned fine harmonica. If he’d landed a commission from the Chance family to create a saddle for their beloved matriarch, then he must be good with his hands, too. Add in his fine physique, and it amounted to the sort of man very few women could resist.

She wondered where the saddle was hidden. Probably not in the house where Sarah might accidentally find it. He wouldn’t have left it in his truck where it would be difficult for her cousins to see it. The barn wasn’t a good spot, either, because Sarah might go down there. She loved taking bits of carrot to Bertha Mae, her favorite horse.

“Molly?” Sarah’s voice traveled up the stairs. “Are you having any luck? Dinner’s ready.”

“I’ll be right down!” She shut off her computer.

Then, because she could, she brushed her hair again and put a touch of blusher on her cheeks and the merest hint of gloss on her lips. She’d lived with two brothers, so she knew that most men didn’t notice subtle makeup. They just thought a woman looked good and assumed it was her own healthy color coming through.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Sarah was there holding a wine glass. “I thought you’d want to take the rest of your wine in to dinner.”

“Great! Thank you.” She followed Sarah over to the hallway where Pete and Ben waited for them.

“What happened with the Padgetts?” Ben asked. “Did you talk to them?”

“I talked to Rosie Padgett. Very nice lady. She didn’t know anybody named Cade Marlowe, but she took my name and number in case she can find out anything through her contacts with social services.” She couldn’t spend much time looking at Ben because she was liable to start smiling. She knew his secret, and it might show.

“Well, that’s something, anyway.” Ben sounded wary. He might be worried she’d spill the beans. “You never can tell. She might turn up some information that would help you.”

Molly wished she could reassure him that she wouldn’t reveal the secret. “She might, although I realized when I made the call that I had mixed feelings. What if she finds out something bad happened to my aunt or my cousin, or both of them? I’ve always assumed I’d find them and orchestrate a touching reunion with the rest of the family.”

“That’s because you’re an optimist,” Pete said. “Don’t ever apologize for that. It’s an admirable trait.”

“Yes, but given the fact that we’ve heard nothing from either of them in years, what are the odds that they’re both okay?” She saw the hesitation in each of their expressions. “See, maybe I don’t want to keep searching. Maybe I don’t want to know the truth.”

Sarah put an arm around her shoulders. “You could call that lady back in the next few days and tell her you’ve changed your mind. It’s nearly Christmas. I doubt she’ll start investigating until the New Year.”

“Thanks. I might do that. Hey, aren’t we supposed to head to the dining room? As I recall, Mary Lou doesn’t take kindly to people who are late for dinner.”

“She doesn’t,” Pete said. “And she told me to give her thirty minutes or so. It’s been forty. I think we’d better move it.” He started off with Sarah at his side.

Ben followed, but Molly put a restraining hand on his arm. When he turned to her, she mouthed the words I know.

His eyes widened.

“I won’t say anything,” she murmured before starting down the hall.

“Thanks.” Ben matched her stride and kept his voice low. “I was worried.”

“Don’t be.”

He let out a breath. “I’m so glad you have a brain.”

That made her laugh. “Me, too.”

They continued down the hall to the small family dining room adjacent to the larger one used when the hands gathered for lunch every day. Molly loved that meal, too, because the atmosphere was completely different. The main dining room had four round tables that each seated eight, and many days they were all filled.

The Chance brothers attended whenever possible, sometimes with their wives. Gabe’s wife, Morgan, often brought all three of their kids when she came, and Jack’s wife, Josie, would bring little Archie so he could play with his cousins. Nick’s vet practice sometimes kept him away, but his wife, Dominique, liked to be there if she wasn’t in the middle of mounting one of her photography shows. When their adopted son Lester wasn’t in school, he came to lunch, too. Add in the ranch hands, and the room became a noisy free-for-all.

Tonight, though, the room was in shadows and light beckoned from the more intimate family dining room through a set of double doors. A rustic metal chandelier hung over a linen-covered table set with china, crystal and silverware. Molly felt the family connection here, because gracious living had been a part of her heritage, too.

She’d researched her great-grandfather and great-grandmother Gallagher, parents of her Grandpa Seth and her Great Aunt Nelsie. The Gallaghers, it turned out, had traveled from Baltimore and had brought with them the customs of a genteel society. So when she sat at this table at the Last Chance Ranch and unfolded her cloth napkin, she thought about how the tradition of elegant dining had been passed down through three generations.

Hers was the fourth, and she already used cloth napkins in her small rental home. She was collecting silver and china. After she had her own family, she’d pull out all the stops.

Sarah and Pete sat across the table from Molly and Ben. While Mary Lou served the dinner, Ben asked questions about the breeding program at the Last Chance. He mentioned his interest in Calamity Sam and suggested he might begin a breeding program of his own in Sheridan. If Molly hadn’t known his actual mission had been to bring Sarah’s birthday gift, she’d swear he’d come for the reason he’d given.

Pete and Sarah discussed the horses with great enthusiasm. Molly was out of her depth when it came to horse breeding, so she spent a lot of time listening and watching. Mostly she paid attention to the interaction between Ben and Pete as they kept up the fiction that Ben was here as a buyer.

They were both playing their cards very close to the vest. Once or twice she caught a look that passed between them, but if Sarah noticed anything, she didn’t say so. Smart lady.

Sarah must have questioned Ben’s presence here the night before her birthday celebration. She might suspect he had brought some big surprise with him. But, if so, she’d probably decided not to ask any questions and risk spoiling whatever surprise her husband and sons had cooked up for her.

Now Molly was part of the charade, too, and she loved that. When Ben glanced over at her and gave her a wink, her toes curled. Nothing like a shared secret to bring two people closer together.

She enjoyed their current proximity, in fact. Having him seated within touching distance was quite arousing. His aftershave tantalized her and she found herself listening for the pattern of his breathing and imagining she could feel his body heat.

But she had to find out if the attraction between them was mutual. That meant spending some time alone with him. A bolder woman might walk right down to his bedroom tonight, but that wasn’t her style. She had something more subtle in mind.

They all lingered over dessert as the conversation turned to the party, which would begin at four the following day. Mary Lou came out with more coffee and stayed long enough to confirm tomorrow’s itinerary.

Sarah glanced at her. “I’ll be up by seven to help you bake cookies. Morgan and Josie will be over around ten with the kids.”

“Got it.” Mary Lou gathered up the dessert plates. “I’m off to bed so I’ll be rested up for that crew.”

Sarah grinned. “It’ll be fun.”

“It’s always fun, but it’s also exhausting. ’Night, all.”

Molly had been so focused on Ben that she’d forgotten tomorrow morning Sarah and Mary Lou were going to let the grandkids decorate Christmas cookies. After Mary Lou left, she turned to Sarah. “Will I be in the way if I come down to help?”

“Absolutely not! I was hoping you would. The more adults to help manage the frosting and sprinkles, the better.”

“Then I’ll set my alarm and be down by seven, too.”

“Great.” Sarah picked up her coffee cup. “Those kids always look forward to it, and then they’ll get to show off their work at the party.” She looked over at Ben. “I’m afraid it’ll be a little wild around here tomorrow. You might want to grab a book and hide out in the barn.”

“Actually, I’d like to help. I’m no good at decorating cookies, but if you need furniture rearranged, I can do that.”

“Then you’re hired.” Sarah smiled at him. “We have to move all the furniture against the walls to create space for dancing. With all the people coming, it’ll be crowded out there.”

“We’ll manage,” Pete said. “It wouldn’t be a Chance party if we didn’t dance.”

“But we might have to do it in shifts.” Sarah laughed. “Molly, you could make up an Excel sheet and assign us all time slots.”

“I could, but I think Jack would tear it up. He’s not the type to be assigned a time slot.”

Pete smiled. “No, he’s not. We’ll work it out. So we bump into each other. So what? We’re family.”

“I don’t have to dance,” Ben said. “I’m a guest, not family.”

“Nonsense.” Sarah frowned at him. “As our guest you most certainly should dance. But I guess I should ask if you even like to.”

“I do.”

“Then you’d better join in,” Pete said. “Jack is big on getting everybody out on the floor for at least a few numbers. He’s currently teaching all the kids. I guess you could say he’s the Last Chance’s dance master. If I hadn’t been able to two-step, I’m not sure he would have let me marry Sarah.”

“And we’ll have live music, Ben. A couple of our ranch hands play guitar.” Sarah brightened as if inspiration had just hit. “Did I hear you playing a harmonica earlier tonight?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll bet Trey and Watkins would love to have you add your harmonica to the mix, if you’re willing.”

“Uh, well...sure.” Ben looked pleased. “I’d like that. Sounds like fun.”

Sarah clasped her hands together. “I do love parties!” Then she beamed at Molly. “I’m so glad you could be here for this one. I wish we could magically transport your whole family up here, too.”

“Me, too, but then you’d have to knock out a couple of walls.”

“True. Your family’s even bigger than ours. I’m losing track of who’s who in the Gallagher clan. I remember you and your brothers very well, but I can’t tell you the names of their wives and kids without looking it up.”

“I know, and I’ll be better about sending emails and pictures from now on. I’m the one the family has put in charge of doing that. What a shocker.”

Sarah took another drink of her coffee. “I don’t know that we have anybody in that role. We should, though. Now that we can connect online, we should all be better informed about each other.”

“We can work on that, but I hope you and Pete are serious about flying down next spring. My folks would love it.”