Holding Out for Christmas (The Christmas Tree Ranch 3)

“Well,” Travis said. “At least you’ll be free for the Christmas Ball. Maybe you’ll hit it off with your dream woman.”

So Travis didn’t know the truth. And this was no time to tell him. “You bet me a hundred bucks that I wouldn’t get to meet her,” Conner said.

“I know. But it would be worth losing the money to see you happy.”

After the call ended, Conner walked to the window and gazed out at the storm. He was still holding out for the Christmas Ball, but for a different reason than before. This time, he could only hope that Megan would be singing—and that he’d have one last chance to win her back.

* * *

Megan waited until Daniel had gone to his room for the night. Then, bracing herself for an argument, she walked into the living room, where her parents had just finished watching a history program on PBS. They were sitting together on the couch, with her mother’s wheelchair pushed to one side.

“We need to talk,” she said, moving the rocker to face them before she sat down.

“What about?” Her father was instantly alert. “Have you decided to stay and take the teaching job—or maybe not?”

“I’m still working things out. But this isn’t about me. It’s about Daniel.”

“Not the driving thing again!” Her mother leaned forward, worry shadowing her thin face. “I’ve seen him studying that driver’s handbook. But there’s no way he could pass the test. And I’d never trust him to handle a car.”

“But what if he could?” Megan persisted. “What if he could learn to pass the test and to drive safely, maybe with restrictions, but at least well enough to get to work and run errands around town?”

“I don’t know that he ever could,” her mother said. “But the last thing I want is for you to get his hopes up and then have him hurt when it doesn’t happen. Don’t you see? It would be cruel.”

“And how cruel would it be to treat him like a child all his life, to never let him be a man?”

Her mother’s shocked expression told Megan that she might have pushed too hard. “He’s twenty-four, Mom,” she said. “He wants to be an adult. He’s in love with a wonderful young woman, and they want to get married. He’s already got a job, but to be independent, he needs to be able to drive.”

“That’s enough, Megan.” Her mother folded her arms across her chest, a gesture that meant the subject was closed. “Not another word. I won’t have your brother hurt.”

“Wait a minute.” Ed, always the peacemaker, spoke up. “If Megan has something in mind, it won’t hurt for us to listen. We can always say no.” He glanced at Dorcas. “All right?”

She sighed. “All right. Go ahead, Megan.”

Megan told her parents about the driving school. “He’d be taught by a specialist, a person trained to teach people with disabilities,” she said. “He’d get help with the test and with learning to drive safely. The course would last until Daniel got his license, however long that might take.”

“You say the driving school’s in Cottonwood Springs,” her father said. “How would he get there? I’m too busy working and helping your mother to drive him to classes.”

“That’s where I come in,” Megan said. “If you’ll agree to this, I’ll stay in Branding Iron and be available to take him wherever and whenever he needs to go. When I’m not with him, I can help around here.”

“But what about the teaching job?” her father asked. “If you take it, you’ll be busy, too.”

“I’d have to pass on the job, Dad. I’ve got enough money saved to last me for a while. And I can pay for Daniel’s classes, too. You and Mom wouldn’t have to do a thing.”

“You’d do that for your brother?” Megan’s mother dabbed at her eyes. “You’d put your singing career on hold, give up your teaching and your life in Nashville?”

“It wouldn’t be forever,” Megan said. “And right now, we’re talking about Daniel’s happiness, for the rest of his life.”

“No promises, but I’ll think about it,” her mother said. “Meanwhile, not a word to Daniel.”

“Of course not,” Megan said. “If it’s a yes, I’ll need to talk to his boss at Shop Mart to make sure he can get the time off. The next step will be to contact the driving school. When everything’s in place, we’ll tell him together.”

Her mother frowned. “No promises, Megan. I said I’d think about it. That’s all.”

* * *

Megan lay awake that night, listening to the sound of windblown snow battering the windowpane. Her mother was still capable of saying no to the driving-school plan. She was a stubborn woman, fiercely protective of her vulnerable son. She would agree only if she could be made to understand that Daniel’s happiness mattered as much as his safety.

And her own happiness? That question was on hold for the foreseeable future. She’d thought she’d found it with Conner. But she knew better now. She’d stepped into a fairy tale, complete with a handsome cowboy prince. But the ball was over and her coach had turned back into a pumpkin. End of story.