My Kind of Christmas (The Christmas Tree Ranch 1)

The men fell to eating. Maggie chose the smallest slice of pizza and nibbled on it while she sipped her Coke. Just then a family walked in—two parents, a little girl, and a boy who appeared to be about twelve. Maggie didn’t recognize them, but she surmised they must not be local. If they were, the children would be in school at this hour. Maybe they were traveling.

They had just seated themselves when the boy started staring in their direction. Suddenly he jumped out of his chair and, before his parents could stop him, raced over to where Maggie, Travis, and Conner were sitting.

“You’re Conner Branch, aren’t you?” His eyes were wide with wonder, his young face split in a wide grin. “I’ve seen you on TV. You’re the best bull rider ever! I want to be just like you!”

Conner gave him a friendly smile. “Then I hope you don’t get hurt like me,” he said.

“I know. I saw you get hurt. I cried when they said you’d never ride again.”

“I cried, too.” Conner reached past Maggie and laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I’m right pleased to meet you, son. What’s your name?”

“Jamie. Jamie Foster. Can I please have your autograph?”

“Sure. My pleasure.” Conner took a fresh napkin from the dispenser, lifted the pen from Travis’s hand, and scrawled a brief message and a signature on the napkin.

“Wow! Thanks! I’ll keep this forever!” The boy took the napkin and scampered back to his family. Conner gave them a smile, tipped an invisible hat, and turned his attention back to his lunch companions.

“Heavens, we’ve got a celebrity in town,” Maggie joked. “I’m sorry I never saw you ride.”

“What you’ve got is a washed-up has-been struggling to become something else,” Conner said. “But as long as you’re here, Maggie, I have a question for you. How do we go about getting a business license?”

“The county clerk’s office should be able to help you with that,” Maggie said. “What kind of business do you have in mind?”

Conner grinned. “You’re never going to believe this, but we’ve found a—”

“Actually, we’re keeping it under wraps for a while,” Travis said, cutting him off. “You’ll find out soon enough, but for now, it’s a secret project.” He glanced at his friend. “Right, Conner?”

“Uh, yeah. Right.” Conner gave Maggie an awkward smile. “So don’t even ask.”

Maggie took her cue. “Well, I need to get back to the office,” she said, rising. “Is it still all right for me to come and get the Santa costume?”

“Anytime,” Travis said. “If nobody’s home, just take the box.”

“Will do. Thanks for sharing your lunch.” Maggie made her exit. Walking back to her car, she saw that Bucket was still in the truck bed. She stopped long enough to scratch his ears and tell him he was a good boy. Then she got in her car and headed back to work.

Something was up with Travis and Conner—something that Travis, at least, didn’t want her to know about. She couldn’t help being curious. But Travis had made it clear that it was none of her business. For now, she had little choice except to respect his wishes.

* * *

“So she’s the one!” Conner chuckled as the door closed behind Maggie. “I don’t know about you, but a woman like that could use me any damned way she wanted to.”

“What makes you think she’s the one?” Travis growled.

“Are you kidding? The way the two of you were looking every which way but at each other—polite strangers don’t behave like that.” Conner finished his beer. “Man, she’s a goddess. Do you know who she reminds me of ?”

“I can hardly wait to find out.”

“Did you ever see the TV show Mad Men? That gorgeous redhead? Christina Hendricks—that’s the actress who played her. Do you know who I mean?”

Travis did. But he wasn’t ready to admit it. “I didn’t watch much TV in prison,” he said.

“Your Maggie’s even got the same figure.”

“Cut it out, Conner. And she’s not my Maggie.”

“Oh? You could’ve fooled me. I’d have hit on her myself, but I got the feeling she only had eyes for you.”

“I said cut it out. We’re not in high school anymore.”