Holding Out for Christmas (The Christmas Tree Ranch 3)

Outside, the weather was clear and sunny. Snow glittered diamond bright beneath a sky of blinding blue. The weather would be perfect for sleigh riding.

They turned off the highway where a sign marked the road to Christmas Tree Ranch. Minutes later, Conner swung the Jeep through an open gate and pulled up to a weathered frame house with lights strung from the overhang of the porch. Fresh Christmas trees, propped on racks, filled the front yard. Conner’s partner Travis was unloading more trees from a flatbed trailer. He waved as Conner helped Megan out of the Jeep.

“Where’s the sleigh?” Daniel asked.

“Around back, by the barn. Come on. It should be all ready to go.” With Bucket tagging along, Conner ushered them around the house.

“Oh, wow!” Daniel gasped as he saw the old-fashioned sleigh, its brass hardware polished, its steel runners gleaming against the snow. The huge, gray Percherons waited in their traces, shifting impatiently as if eager to be off. Beneath their sturdy leather harnesses, their coats gleamed like antique silver. Megan had glimpsed the two horses from a distance, in last year’s parade. Only now, seeing them up close, did she feel the impact of their size and power. They were magnificent.

Daniel stared open-mouthed at the horses. “They’re so big,” he said. “Do they have names?”

“Chip and Patch.” Conner was checking the harness buckles. “Stand back and look at their faces. That’s it. Not too close. Can you guess which one is which?”

Daniel studied the horses a moment, then laughed. “I bet Patch is the one with the white spot. A white patch.”

“Good guess. You’re right.”

“Can I pet them?”

“Hang on a sec. Let me stand next to you. These horses can be nervous with strangers.”

Megan stood watching as Conner guided Daniel close to one horse and showed him how to stroke its neck with the flat of his hand. “He’s so smooth!” Daniel grinned with joy and wonder.

Megan hadn’t expected this—Conner taking her brother in hand, talking with him, teaching him, making him feel important. Emotion surged in her, so powerful it almost brought tears to her eyes. She remembered their old city apartment, how the neighborhood kids had bullied Daniel and called him names, crushing the boy’s vulnerable spirit. She’d feared that Daniel’s life in a small town would be no better than it had been in the city. But her fears had been unfounded. Here in Branding Iron, he had found work, friendship, and even a girl to love.

Now, as Conner offered him a new experience, Megan could see her brother responding. And despite her reservations, she found herself warming toward Conner. Her feelings had nothing to do with his kiss or his none-too-secret crush on Lacy. Like Daniel, she was responding to simple kindness.

“Everybody into the sleigh,” Conner said. “Let’s go.”

The sleigh was a large one, built in a traditional way, with a bench for the driver in front, and an ample, padded seat in back for the passengers. Conner helped Megan

climb into the back. She made herself comfortable, covering her legs with the thick quilt that was provided. Bucket jumped up to settle against her side. A word and a pat let the dog know he was welcome.

There was plenty of room left for Daniel, but when Conner offered him a hand, he shook his head. “I want to sit up front, with you,” he said. “Please let me.”

Conner glanced back at Megan, as if needing assurance that it would be all right. The bench, set high to give the driver a view of the path ahead, was just that—flat and backless, with nothing to hold on to except an iron grip handle at either end, to aid in getting up and down. There was a footboard in front, but Daniel’s short legs wouldn’t reach far enough to brace, and his balance wasn’t the best. Megan couldn’t help worrying. But in the end, his eager face won out over her caution.

“Promise me you’ll be careful, Daniel,” she said. “No standing up or showing off. And if the ride gets rough, promise you’ll hold on tight.”

“I promise.” He was grinning beneath the thick wool cap that came down to his eyebrows.

“And it’s all right with you?” Megan asked Conner.

She sensed an instant’s hesitation. “Sure. Don’t worry. I’ll look out for him. Come on, Daniel. I’ll give you a boost.”

* * *

Conner helped the young man climb onto the seat. Before getting up himself, he went around to the back of the sleigh and rocked it slightly to free the runners from the ice. The route would follow the road made for hauling Christmas trees, over the pastures to the hollow where the trees grew, around in a wide circle and back the same way. By now, the snow was solidly packed, a perfect surface for the sleigh.

He checked the horses one more time. Either of the huge beasts could have pulled the sleigh alone, but they had worked side by side all their long lives. They were a superbly trained team, calm and steady, each one supporting the other.

On this, the first run of the season, Conner wanted to make sure there’d be no unpleasant surprises, especially for the horses. Special coverings had been fastened to their massive hooves to keep them from slipping on the ice. Conner inspected all eight to make sure none of them had come loose. The brass jingle bells had been strung over the harness, not under, to ensure that they wouldn’t press against sensitive skin. Conner checked each string to make sure nothing was going to swing or drag. All good.

“Ready?” he called up to Daniel.

“Yes, sir!” Daniel gave him a military salute, probably something he’d learned from a movie. Conner dismissed a tug of misgiving. Maybe he should have refused to let Megan’s brother sit with him on the driver’s bench. But Megan had allowed it. Besides, the kid looked so damned happy.

It will be all right, Conner told himself. Last year, in the Christmas parade, Rush’s little girl had sat beside him, in that very spot. She’d been just fine. Daniel would be fine, too.