It's a Christmas Thing (The Christmas Tree Ranch #2)(71)

Since Francine was busy catering holiday parties, Tracy had arranged to drop off Ginger at the B and B tomorrow. But she was expecting Daniel to come and get Tiger today. He called at 1:30 to make sure she was home. “You’re welcome to come now, Daniel,” Tracy told him. “I’ll have Tiger ready for you.”

A few minutes later, Tracy looked out the front window and saw a small Toyota pull up to the curb. Daniel had mentioned that his father would be driving him. But she was surprised to see a young woman at the wheel. Tracy got a better look at her as the two of them came up the walk. She was slim and pretty in jeans, a pink sweater, and a flowered jacket. Her striking eyes were dark, her long hair tied back in a ponytail.

“Come on in and have a seat.” Tracy ushered them into the living room. By then she’d realized there was something familiar about the young woman. Where had she seen her before?

“This is my sister, Megan,” Daniel introduced her. “She lives in Nashville.”

“I’m pleased to meet you,” Megan said. “Daniel’s been so excited about giving Katy this kitten. Thank you.”

The voice triggered a flash of recognition. “Oh, my goodness!” Tracy exclaimed. “You sang with the band last night! You were terrific!”

“Thanks.” Megan laughed. “That was the other me. This is the real me. And in case you’re wondering about that coat, I bought it for fifty dollars at a thrift shop.”

“So you live in Nashville,” Tracy said. “Are you a singer there?”

“Only when I can get a gig,” Megan said. “The rest of the time I have a day job. I teach kindergarten. Sam, the bass player with the Badger Hollow Boys, is the father of one of my students. When he heard that my family lived in Branding Iron, he invited me to come along and sing with the band.”

“Will you be here long?” Tracy asked.

“I’d like to be. I’ve barely had time to spend with my parents and Daniel. But I’m singing at a club tomorrow night, so I need to leave soon, probably tonight.”

Too bad, Tracy thought, remembering that Conner had been interested in the singer. But after what had happened with Rush, when would she get the chance to talk to Conner again? Those fun-filled days with friends at the ranch were over.

“I’ll get the kitten.” Tracy walked back to the laundry room and found Tiger. The little female tabby was a charmer. When Tracy placed her in Daniel’s arms, she settled right down and began to purr.

Daniel grinned. “Katy will love her,” he said.

Tracy took time to give Daniel some pointers on taking care of a cat, including a call to Dr. Rushford when she was old enough to be spayed. Then Megan and Daniel thanked her and carried Tiger, along with the canned food, out to the car.

Tracy stood at the window, watching them drive away. The sky was a dark, muddy gray, the dry wind blowing snowflakes as fine as dust. Rainbow jumped onto the windowsill and rubbed her head against Tracy’s arm. Tracy stroked her silken fur. The Christmas holiday loomed ahead of her, as bleak as the weather outside.

But she’d survived worse, Tracy reminded herself. A cheery fire, a good book or two, plenty of snacks, and a stack of DVDs from the library, and she would be fine. She’d be back on the bench in January before she knew it.

Wouldn’t she?

The phone rang again. Her pulse leaped—but no, she knew better than to think it might be Rush. He wouldn’t be calling her anytime soon.

She picked up the phone. The caller was Maggie.

“Hi, Tracy,” she said. “I know you’re busy, so I won’t keep you long. I was thinking of having a little dinner party at my place on Christmas Eve. Just a few friends, including you and Rush, and Clara. I hope you can make it. Nothing fancy, just—”

“Hold on,” Tracy said. “Rush and Clara might be glad to come. But I can’t be there. Rush and I just broke up.”

Maggie gasped. “Oh, no! You two were perfect for each other. What happened? Do you need to talk about it?”

Tracy gulped back the lump in her throat. “There’s not much to talk about. His ex-wife’s getting a divorce. Rush is going back to her—for Clara.”

Maggie muttered something under her breath. “I can’t believe this. Did you show him the document you printed out?”

“There was no point in showing it to him. Why complicate things? He’s going back to Sonya. End of story.”

“And you didn’t even try to change his mind?”

“He’ll be getting his family back, Maggie. So will Clara. How can I argue with that?” Tracy could feel her emotions spilling over. “If I don’t get off this phone, I’m going to lose it,” she said. “Enjoy your dinner party.”

Tracy ended the call, sank onto the couch, and buried her face in her hands.

*

Rush had arrived home from checking the injured bull’s barbed wire cuts to find that Clara was still mad at him. Now it was midafternoon, and she was still pouting, refusing to smile at him or let herself be hugged. Maybe the little princess took after her mother in that respect.

Rush knew he shouldn’t be surprised. He deserved to be in the doghouse for letting Bucket chew up her beloved toy. But now another issue had arisen, one he didn’t know how to handle.

“Why can’t I go to Tracy’s house?” she demanded for maybe the fourth time. “I want to play with the kittens. If I could hold Snowflake and pet him, I wouldn’t be mad anymore.”