She'd done it now.
Amelia Hughes stared out the windshield at the blowing snow
and thought about her rash decision to drive into town in
spite of blizzard warnings. She had thought she could outrun
the storm. In her haste to get back to the ranch, she had
hit a slick spot, and the truck had slid off the snow-packed
road onto the soft shoulder.
"Mom, we got stuck!"
"We don't know that for sure," she said, wondering
what her penance should be for lying to a five-year-old boy.
In an attempt to right her wrong, she eased her foot onto
the gas peddle causing the tires to spin and the back of the
truck to slide further off the road.
Great. With a sigh, Amelia stopped her attempt to regain
traction, and turned to meet her child's wide brown-eyed
gaze. His stocking cap covered a head full of
whiskey-colored curls, and light freckles dusted his small
nose and rosy cheeks. Jesse Thomas Hughes was her everything.
Somehow she had to get them out of this. After all, she'd
lived in rural western Montana all her life. She came from
sturdy, frontier stock. Her great-grandparents mined this
land, finally turning to ranching. They never gave up, nor
would she.
She gripped the wheel and went back to work. Yet, no matter
what direction she turned the wheel, or how gently she
worked the gas peddle, she couldn't get the old truck to
move forward. She finally stopped to save fuel. They might
need heat if they had to spend the night here. No, she
refused to think about that. They had hours of daylight left.
"Boy, Aunt Kelley is going to be mad."
"No, Aunt Kelley won't be mad." Another lie just
rolled off her tongue. "But maybe we shouldn't tell her.
She has a lot to worry about with taking Grandma Ruby to the
hospital."
Jesse nodded. "Okay. Maybe if we wish really hard
someone will come by and save us."
Amelia wasn't so sure that was going to work, either. There
wasn't much reason for anyone to be on this road. Everyone
else was at home heeding the storm warning. She'd only gone
out to buy supplies before they'd gotten snowbound.
Normally the Hughes household was prepared for bad weather,
but the December storm caught them off guard. With Gram's
illness, everyone had been distracted getting her into
Helena and the hospital.
Jesse turned to her again. "Maybe we should call Aunt
Kelley. She'll know what to do."
Amelia didn't doubt it. Her older sister pretty much ran the
cattle operation, while Amelia handled the household. It
wasn't that she didn't love taking care of the family, but
she'd also like her sister to listen to some of her ideas
for the ranch. Kelley hadn't even trusted her to handle
things while she was in Helena, and made arrangements to
hire a ranch hand to help out.
The last thing Amelia wanted was for her sister to know
she'd already messed up things in her absence. But what was
more important, she needed to get herself and her son out of
this weather.
She pulled out her cell phone. "I've got a better idea.
I' ll call the sheriff."
Boone Gifford was a Texas boy, born and bred.
He had never been crazy about cold weather or snow. Now he
was in the middle of a blizzard outside of Rebel Ridge,
Montana. He'd only come here because he'd given his word.
And Boone never went back on his word. So the sooner he got
to the Rocking H, the sooner he could leave for a warmer
climate.
He swiped his gloved hand over the windshield to clear away
the condensation. It didn't help. Visibility was nil. Even
reducing his speed to a crawl hadn't helped much. He wasn't
even sure where he was.
Absently he rubbed his sore shoulder, reminding him of his
last job on the off-shore oil rig and the accident that
nearly took his life. He'd survived, but he would never
forget the men who'd died that day. Especially one.
He shook away the memory to concentrate on his task. Not an
easy one, either. The wind gusted again, continuing to make
it difficult to keep his vehicle on the road. His grip
tightened around the steering wheel. If he had a brain, he'd
never have attempted to get to the Hughes ranch today.
No, he needed to finish this, once and for all. He needed to
see Amelia Hughes, then he could move on with a clear
conscience.
Boone kept his gaze sharp as his new four-wheel-drive truck
crept along the dangerous terrain. Lucky for him, his tires
could handle mud and snow. Suddenly he saw flashing
emergency lights up ahead. As he got closer, he realized it
was a truck parked at a funny angle along the shoulder.
So he wasn't the only crazy person out here. He stopped in
the middle of the road, then, pulling the collar up on his
coat, he climbed out. Fighting the sharp wind, he made his
way to the embankment and the truck cab.
"Hey, is there anyone in there?" he called, and
banged on the window.
He blinked the snow from his eyes as the window came down
and a woman's face appeared. "Oh, thank God you came by.
My son and I went off the road and we're stuck. If you could
just help us to our ranch? It's just up the road a few
miles."
"The Rocking H?" Boone asked.
"Yes." The pretty woman smiled, lighting up her rich
green eyes. "Oh, you must be the hand from the Sky High
Ranch. I'm Amelia Hughes."
So he'd found her. As Russ had described, she was a pretty
brunette. Not wanting to stand here and give her an
explanation, he gave her a quick nod. "Boone Gifford.
Look, we need to get out of this, and my truck seems to be
our best bet." He pulled open the door and helped the
woman out of the truck, then behind her he saw the small boy.
"My son, Jesse," Amelia called, fighting the wind.
The boy slid across the seat. His eyes were wide along with
his smile. A sudden tightness gripped Boone's chest.
"Hey, kid."
"Hi." The boy cocked his head to the side and
grinned. "Are you my Christmas wish?"
The normal ten-minute trip had taken nearly thirty by the
time Boone pulled the truck up to the back door. Amelia
finally released a breath. She climbed out of the truck and
carrying two grocery bags, trudged her way to the porch.
Boone Gifford swung Jesse up into his arms and followed her.
"We made it," Amelia cried as she stepped into the
big kitchen. She set down her groceries on the long table.
She wanted to drop to the floor and kiss it. She didn't want
to think about what could have happened if they had been
left out there.
"Yeah, we made it," Jesse mimicked as he came into
the room.
Boone put her son down, but Jesse wasn't leaving his side.
Amelia noticed the child's budding hero worship.
She pulled off her hat and shook out her long hair. "How
about some coffee, Mr. Gifford?"
"Please, call me Boone." He took off his cowboy hat
and unwrapped the scarf from his neck. "Yes, please, I
wouldn' t mind a cup to warm up."
"Can I have some hot chocolate, Mom?"
Amelia took her son's coat and hung it on a hook beside the
mud room door. "Yes, you can, but I want you to go
change out of your jeans into some warm sweats."
He tugged off his cap, revealing his curly dark hair.
"Ah, Mom. I want to talk to Boone some more."
That was the problem. She had to nix this before her son
drove the ranch hand crazy. "You can when you get back,
but right now there's a storm coming and we need to take
care of the livestock, too."
"'Kay," he murmured and walked out of the room.
"I apologize for all my son's questions on the way
home."
"Not a problem. He seems like a good kid."
"I think so, but I'm a little biased." She smiled
and he smiled back before he turned away to the window.
Boone Gifford wasn't what you'd call classically handsome,
but you took notice of the man. His ebony eyes were deep
set, his jaw was chiseled with a shadow of a beard. His
thick hair was coal black with a slight wave and long enough
to brush the back of his collar. He was tall, well-over six
feet, with shoulders so broad it made the room seem crowded.
Boone turned back toward her, catching her looking at him.
"Looks like this storm is going to be a rough one,"
he said, his gaze holding hers. "I should get out to the
barn while I have a chance."
She cleared her throat, but couldn't remember what she
wanted to say. She nodded, then went to the counter and
began making coffee. "Good idea."
"Okay, you have anything special you need done?"
"My sister, Kelley, left written instructions in the
tack room. And your sleeping quarters are right next door."
He nodded. "I'll go check out things and be back
shortly." He started for the door, then stopped.
"What did your son mean when he asked if I was his
Christmas wish?"
She froze. "Oh, you know how kids are. It's only two
weeks before Christmas and he has his list of what he wants.
I'm sorry if he bothered you."
"It's not a problem." He paused again. "What
exactly is he asking for?"
Jesse walked into the room. "I want a Dad."
Boone hurried into the barn and forced the door shut against
the bitter cold wind. He was a coward. He'd had the perfect
chance to tell her the real reason he was here. Instead he
let her continue to think he was the ranch hand who'd been
hired to help out. Why not? Amelia Hughes needed help, and
he could at least hang around until the other guy showed up.
Boone walked down the center aisle to find everything neat
and orderly. There were nearly a dozen stalls lining the
walls, four with horses. He found he was a little envious.
Back in Texas his barn had looked a lot like this one. He'd
taken pride in all the work he and his dad had put into the
Last Dollar Ranch. The house had been far from a showplace,
because they put every penny into the care of the stock.
Then, after the bank took over, the ranch fell into total
neglect. But not for long. Thanks to the financial
settlement from the accident, he had the money and the
opportunity to get it back.
Just as soon as he paid his other debt.
Suddenly a big chocolate Labrador appeared and began
barking. "Hey, fella. Where'd you come from?" Boone
held out his hand and the animal approached, then began
wagging his tail. Once the dog relaxed, Boone petted him. He
noticed the animal's full flanks. He grinned after further
examination. "So you're a gal and a mother-to-be. And by
the looks of it, you don't have long to go."
The dog barked in agreement.
Boone stood. "Come on, show me around?"
They headed toward the immaculate tack room and the dog's
bed lined with blankets. He also found the list of boldly
printed instructions. The next room was the sleeping
quarters for the hired hand. A single bunk and a dresser,
plus a wall heater. This wasn't meant for him. And before
the real ranch hand showed up, he'd best tell Amelia the truth.
His thoughts turned to the pretty woman with the rich green
eyes. She had a full, tempting mouth that caused his body to
tighten, making him realize how alone he'd been the past six
months.
He shook off the wayward thoughts. What would Amelia Hughes
do when she realized he hadn't been exactly truthful? He
rubbed the back of his neck. Maybe he should just hand over
the envelope addressed to her and head out.
The wind howled outside. He wasn't going anywhere right now,
and maybe not for a while.
And there was Jesse. He needed to know about his daddy,
especially since Russ Eldon had died before he got the
chance to come and meet his son.
Now all Boone had to do was tell a little boy he would never
get his Christmas wish.
Amelia paced the kitchen, occasionally glancing out the
window at the blowing snow. She couldn't see a thing. And
according to the forecast, the weather wasn't going to
improve for at least three or four days. How bad was it
going to get? She looked toward the barn, barely able to see
the red structure. Suddenly, she was happy Boone Gifford had
showed up.
The phone rang and she picked it up on the second ring.
"Hello."
"Amelia. It's Kelley."
"Kelley, hi. Is Gram okay?"
"Yes. I got her settled in her room and she's resting
right now."
"That's good." Amelia knew how hard it had been to
convince seventy-five-year-old Ruby Hughes to have this
procedure done.
"Well, the doctor had to sedate her so she'd be
relaxed." There was a pause. "How are you and Jesse
doing? I'm worried about this storm, Amelia. It's going to
get bad."
Amelia glanced outside again. The wind was blowing heavy
snow. "We'll be fine, Kel."
"But what if you can't get out?"
"I have help."
"Oh, good. So Joe sent over the hand from Sky High
Ranch."
She wasn't going to tell her sister that he had already
rescued her and Jesse. "Yes, he's moving his things into
the barn and checking on the horses."
"I'm glad you're not there alone."
So was she, but she'd never tell Kelley. "I know you
don't think so, but I can handle things. I've lived out here
as long as you have."
"I know, but I can't help being worried."
"Don't, because then Gram will worry, too. She's got to
be your only concern right now. Mine is the ranch and
Jesse." She went to the high counter that divided the
kitchen from the dining room and glanced further into the
great room to find her son sitting in front of the
television watching a video.
Kelley still wasn' t convinced and rattled off a list of
instructions. Amelia heard the back door shut and turned as
Boone walked into the kitchen. His dark eyes met hers, and
her throat suddenly went dry.
"Amelia… Amelia. Are you there?"
She shook away her wandering thoughts and turned back.
"Yes, I'm here. Look, Kel, Jesse needs me so I better
go. Call after the surgery tomorrow. Bye."
Amelia hung up the phone before her sister gave her more
things to do.
"I came for that coffee." He removed his hat and
coat revealing a dark-green flannel shirt.
"Sure." Amelia swung away from the distraction and
went to the freshly brewed pot and grabbed two mugs. After
filling it, she placed them on the table. "Cream or
sugar?"
He shook his head. "No, black's fine, ma'am." The
large brown dog lumbered into the room.