Holding Out for Christmas (The Christmas Tree Ranch #3)(6)

“I know the man who helped you,” Daniel said. “That’s Conner Branch. He was a champion bull rider. I even saw him ride on TV. But he had to quit because he got hurt. And now he lives right here in Branding Iron. He even gives me high fives when he comes to Shop Mart.”

As her brother chatted on about Conner, Megan finished her chocolate, licking the sticky marshmallow off her upper lip. So her rescuer really was a local celebrity. Interesting, but not her concern. As she’d reminded herself earlier, a man that attractive was sure to have some woman’s brand on him. Besides, there was Derek, back in Nashville. They’d met when he was hired as principal of the school where she taught. They’d been dating about six months, and things were getting serious. The last thing she needed was another complication in her life.

“You must be exhausted after that long drive,” her mother said. “We should give you a break and let you go to your room.”

“Thanks. I really am tired.” Megan stood, yawning.

“I’ll take your suitcases.” Daniel grabbed both bags and carried them down the hall to the room that was kept ready for Megan. She needed to visit more often, she told herself as she kissed her parents good night, picked up her purse, and followed him. Branding Iron was a long day’s drive from Nashville, but there were holiday and seasonal breaks from school when she’d have time to make the trip. Unfortunately, those were the times when Lacy had the best chance of getting gigs.

Daniel had left her bags on the bed. All Megan really wanted to do was put them on the floor, then crawl under the covers and sleep. But first she would force herself to unpack both suitcases. In the morning, it would be nice to wake up and have the job already done.

First she unpacked her regular things, putting the folded shirts, jeans, and underclothes into the empty dresser drawers; then she hung up her quilted down coat, her woolen sweater, and the one dress she’d brought. Her snow boots and low-heeled pumps went into the closet, along with the sneakers she’d worn for the drive.

That done, she opened what she’d come to think of as Lacy’s suitcase. The fringed, beaded leather jacket went onto a padded hanger in the back of the closet, along with the low-cut black silk blouse and the distressed stretch-denim jeans. The knee-high, stiletto-heeled boots went into one corner, the long brunette wig, with its inflatable stand, on the top shelf of the closet. Next to it, she placed her weathered felt Stetson and the box that held her stage makeup, complete with false eyelashes, lush red lipstick, and the collection of cheap silver rings that Lacy wore on her fingers.

At last, the unpacking was finished. Lacy would be ready to perform when her friends, the Badger Hollow Boys, showed up for the Cowboy Christmas Ball. Until then, Megan could relax and enjoy the season with her family. With luck, she might also find some time to get out her old guitar and work on the original song she was writing.

With a tired yawn, she stowed the empty suitcases under the bed, brushed her teeth, changed into flannel pajamas, and climbed into bed. Tomorrow, if she could trust his word, Conner Branch would be back to help her with her car. In spite of her misgivings, she looked forward to seeing him again. She wasn’t interested in romance, but she was intrigued. The fact that Daniel seemed to almost worship the man only sharpened her curiosity.

Warm under downy quilts, Megan was already beginning to drift. As she sank into sleep, lulled by the wind, images swirled and faded, leaving only one that lingered—a shadow-cast face with clean-cut features and impossibly blue eyes.

*

Inching through whiteout conditions, Conner took almost forty-five minutes to make the short drive back to the ranch. By the time he drove in through the gate and parked the truck under the open shed, the fallen snow was up to the rims of the oversized tires. It was as fluffy as eiderdown, blowing in drifts around Conner’s feet, covering his tracks as he crossed the yard to the front porch.

He was stomping the snow off his boots when Travis opened the door. “What? You didn’t bring pizza?” he asked.

“You’re kidding, right?” Conner closed the door firmly behind him and bolted it. “It was all I could do to find the road. We can have pizza tomorrow night.”

“We can have pizza tomorrow night. But the next night Maggie’s invited us to her house for dinner, along with Rush and Tracy.”

“Great!” Conner shrugged out of his coat, fending off Bucket’s overly enthusiastic welcome with one hand. “Sometimes I wish I’d been sharp enough to take that woman away from you and marry her myself.”

“You tried, as I remember. In fact, you told me that if I didn’t propose to her, you were going to step in and take over.” Travis walked to the counter, filled Conner’s coffee mug, and handed it to him. “Did you rescue our sign?”

“It’s in the bed of the truck. You can help me bolt it back up tomorrow. It’ll take two of us to do the job. But there’s another thing.” Conner took a seat at the table, sipping the hot black coffee.

“Let me guess,” Travis said. “You didn’t just rescue the sign, did you?”

“Tomorrow, after we put up the sign, I’ll need to borrow your truck and that tow chain in the shed to pull a car out of a ditch.”

“All right. But you owe me the whole story.” Travis gave him a knowing wink. “A blonde, brunette, or redhead?”

Conner groaned. “Damn it, you think you’re smart, don’t you?”