Holding Out for Christmas (The Christmas Tree Ranch #3)(43)

In the store, she took her time, picking out the cooking pot and some tasteful wedding shower wrap with a white ribbon, along with a pretty floral card. The last bridal shower she’d attended had been for a teacher at her school, with gifts of naughty lingerie and some silly fun constructing a wedding gown out of toilet tissue. She could hardly imagine a city judge planning a party like that for a former mayor, but maybe she’d be surprised.

After picking up a few basics in the food section, she passed by the bakery counter. Katy was just putting a tray of fresh gingerbread men into the display case. She greeted Megan with a smile. “How’s Daniel?” Katy asked.

“Almost better. If he rests today, the doctor says he can come back to work tomorrow.”

“Great.” Katy reached under the counter and took out a small paper bag. “These cookies are for him, with enough to share,” she said. “I made them special.”

Megan thanked her and continued on toward the checkout stands at the front of the store. With so many holiday shoppers, the lines were all long. Megan picked the one that looked shortest and wheeled her cart into it. She could hear another cart coming up behind her. She paid no attention until she heard a familiar voice.

“Well, if it isn’t Megan. How was the rest of your evening, honey? Did you get the wine out of your pants?”

Startled, Megan glanced around. Standing behind her, with a cart full of groceries and a sour expression on her face, was Ronda May.





Chapter 10


“Aperson who hurts is a person who is hurting.”

Her mother’s wise words came back to Megan as she scrambled to assess the situation. Ronda May already viewed her as the enemy. An angry or sarcastic retort would only worsen things between them. As a teacher, she’d broken up enough fights on the school playground to know that there was only one good solution to conflict: make peace.

“Hello, Ronda May,” she said. “You know, I’m thinking it could be a good thing that we both showed up here. We need to talk.”

Ronda May’s pretty blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I can’t imagine what we’d have to talk about,” she said.

“You might be surprised.” Megan gave her the barest hint of a smile. “Why don’t you unload your groceries in your car and let me treat you to coffee and pie at Buckaroo’s. Maybe we can at least clear the air.”

Ronda May looked hesitant.

“I can drive you and bring you back,” Megan said. “What have you got to lose except a little time?”

Ronda May frowned. “Okay. But I’ll drive myself. Then I can leave when I want to.”

“Fine,” Megan said. “I’ll get us a booth and wait for you there.”

Megan unloaded her purchases from the cart to her trunk and drove to the burger joint on Main Street. Buckaroo’s wasn’t crowded at this midafternoon hour. She ordered coffee at the counter, found a quiet booth, and sat down to wait.

Ronda May hadn’t seemed too eager to accept her invitation. Maybe she wouldn’t show up. But if nothing else, Megan could at least say she’d made the effort.

Ten minutes passed. Then another ten. Megan’s coffee had cooled to lukewarm. The Christmas songs on the antiquated speakers were on their second repeated loop. She glanced at her watch. Maybe it was time to give up and go home.

She was shrugging into her coat when Ronda May walked in the door of the restaurant. She’d evidently taken time to run home, put on a fresh pink sweater, arrange her blond hair into a twist, and dab on some lipstick. She was glancing warily around, almost as if she were hoping that Megan wouldn’t be here. Maybe that was part of the problem. Maybe she felt intimidated by a woman who was older, better educated, and better dressed. But then, she certainly hadn’t seemed intimidated last night, or earlier in the store.

Megan gave her a smile. “I’m glad you made it. Have a seat, and I’ll order us some coffee and pie.”

“No pie for me,” Ronda May said, taking a seat in the booth. “I’m trying to lose weight. Chuck told me he cheated because I was too fat.”

“Chuck sounds like a total jerk,” Megan said. “Okay, just a coffee for you and a refill for me.”

She gave the order to the server. Ronda May gazed down at the red Formica tabletop while they waited. “You told me you wanted to talk,” she said. “So talk.”

“Okay.” Megan took a breath. “First, about Conner. We’re friends, but we’re still getting to know each other. After last night, we agreed to back off until he’d settled things with you. So, has he?”

Ronda May dumped cream and sugar into her coffee, which had just arrived, and stirred it with a spoon. “I went to see him last night. Today when I saw you, I was going to tell you how hot things were between us, but we really just talked. He knows I still want him.”

“And does he still want you?”

Ronda May took a cautious sip of her coffee. “He told me I’d make a good wife and a good mother. But I don’t think he meant for him.” She dumped another packet of sugar into her coffee. Her eyes met Megan’s across the table. “What I think is, he’s in love with somebody else—not you, somebody he can’t have. We were doing fine until the Christmas Ball, last year, when this sexy singer came out onstage. Conner’s eyes almost fell out of his head. He couldn’t stop looking at her. It was like I wasn’t even there. After that, things were never the same between us. I was hoping he’d be over her by now. But I think maybe he’s waiting for her to come back. So don’t you get your hopes up, either.”