On a Snowy Christmas Night (6 page)

And you?
The words teetered on Shea’s lips but this time she managed to keep it to herself.

Annie opened a metal trash can, dipped in a scoop and scattered feed for the chickens. “Not me, though. Another time, another place, and oh, yeah,” she said, a touch of wistfulness in her voice, unmistakable even to Shea. “I’m not looking for a relationship. This place keeps me busy enough.” She replaced the lid. “But good to know Jesse is circulating. I should talk him and some of the other guys into a bachelor auction for a fundraiser. That would keep this place in grain and feed for the winter. Don’t say anything to him. We might not see him again.”

She didn’t have to tell Shea twice. She couldn’t imagine Jesse’s reaction to being auctioned off like a prize bull in front of a room full of salivating women.

“So where did you go on your ride?” Annie asked. “Toward Mount Edith?”

“I don’t recall that name. We stayed in the foothills, I think, but it was beautiful. I wish I was a better rider.”

“You can practice all you want here. It’s not a requirement, but the permanent volunteers take turns exercising the horses. You’re welcome to climb into a saddle anytime.”

“Thanks.” She followed Annie outside. The sky had lightened up considerably. Behind them the sun was rising over the distant rolling hills and she could see a fenced-in area where horses gathered in small groups. Closer to the barn there were more goats. “How many acres belong to Safe Haven?”

“Almost two hundred, all donated.” She indicated a small cabin Shea hadn’t noticed before. “There’s coffee inside. I’m ready for a cup. How about you?”

“Definitely.”

They took the short walk in silence, while Shea mentally debated if another question about Jesse would be inappropriate. It wasn’t anything personal so she didn’t see the harm. “What exactly does Jesse do for the shelters?”

“He flies rescue flights for injured animals, especially if time is critical or they’re found in the mountains and it’s too difficult to get to them. He also transports animals to no-kill shelters and foster homes. Or say someone in Wyoming sees a picture of a potbellied pig online from a Montana shelter, Jesse would fly the pig to a Wyoming shelter that would facilitate the adoption. He’s in demand because he can fly both a Cessna and helicopters. He even has access to an old cargo plane for the big animals.”

“Does he own them?”

“No. That would cost a small fortune. The bigger shelters contribute to fuel and maintenance, and there’s a small airfield not too far from the Sundance that donates the hangar space. Jesse does the upkeep and the flying.” She stopped at the door and scraped the bottom of her boots on a thick bristly rug.

Shea followed suit and immediately smelled the coffee as she crossed the threshold. The place was tiny. Basically it was one room with wooden floors and a loft. What passed for the kitchen appeared to be a short counter hosting a microwave and a coffeemaker that flanked a sink. A pair of worn tan leather recliners shared a narrow oak table that was stacked with books. Behind it was a goose-neck floor lamp, and a fire blazed in the wood-burning stove, keeping the room quite toasty.

“In case you couldn’t tell, this is where I live,” Annie said, indicating the personal items scattered around. “I’m not usually this messy but I’ll be damned if I could find the backup can of coffee I swore I bought last week.”

Shea accepted the chipped blue mug of coffee Annie passed her, then shook her head to the small pitcher of milk. “I can pick some up in town on the way to the Sundance.”

Annie hesitated. “I haven’t checked under my bed yet,” she said, her gaze going to the stairs leading to the loft.

“It’s not like it’ll go bad.”

“No...” The reluctance was still there.

Shea took her first sip of the sadly weak brew and instantly understood. “Consider it my donation.”

A smile lit Annie’s face and she clinked Shea’s mug with hers. “I won’t turn it down.”

Ridiculously pleased that she could do something that mattered to this woman, Shea drank her coffee. First Rachel, then Jamie and now Annie—it was crazy, but these women somehow seemed like friends. Using the term loosely, of course, because Shea didn’t easily forge relationships with anyone much less people she’d just met.

Mahler’s Adagietto suddenly jolted her out of her reverie. It took a moment to realize the classical music was coming from Annie’s cell phone. She dug it out of her jeans pocket, her brows dipping into a frown as she answered the call.

“Yeah, Russell, what’s up?” Annie paused and listened. “Is he injured?” she asked, and Shea’s heart sunk to her stomach. “Okay, so you’ll be here in about an hour?” Annie’s gaze went to the plain white wall clock. “No problem, really, it’s okay,” she said, disconnected the call and sighed heavily. “I lied. We have a problem.”

6

S
HEA
HAD
ALWAYS
considered the notion of love at first sight silly. Her parents were proof the idea held no merit. But the minute she saw Caleb, the beautiful two-year-old roan being led by Annie from the horse trailer, Shea experienced a wash of emotion for which she had no words. Holding her breath she stared at the magnificent creature of her childhood dreams. The long pinkish-blond mane was tangled and his light chestnut body too lean, but he was still a superb horse.

She felt as if she were ten years old again, kneeling at her bed on Christmas Eve, palms pressed together, head bowed, praying with all her might she would awake to find a miracle on her front lawn.

“Easy, boy,” Annie whispered when the horse’s hooves hit the ground and he danced restlessly to the left.

“You need help getting him to the stables?” Russell came around from the front of the truck with a rope in his hands. He was a friend of Annie’s who worked for the government in controlling the mustang population. It was pure luck that he’d found Caleb, who’d been abandoned.

“No, I’m good. I’ve already called Doc Yardley for an evaluation. He should be here within the hour.”

“I hated springing this on you, Annie.” The stocky man in his mid-forties raked a hand through his hair. “Shitty time of year, I know.”

“You’ve bailed me out plenty of times. Don’t worry about it. Go home. Get back to Butte and be with your wife and kids.”

“He was a little skittish when I loaded him. Don’t know when he ate last so I gave him what little feed I had in the truck. Let me take him while you sign the paperwork.”

Annie’s gaze never wavered from Caleb as she backed up, bringing him with her. “You have it ready?”

“Right here.” He pulled it out of his back pocket. “Hopefully I can get you some reimbursement for his upkeep ’til we move him.”

As if he understood what was being said, Caleb suddenly planted his forelegs and refused to budge. Sides heaving, his velvet nostrils fluttering in distress, he nickered low and deep.

“What spooked him?” Annie murmured.

“I don’t know.” Russell stood at the ready.

“May I try?” Shea asked.

Annie darted her an astonished look. “Leading him?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea... Careful,” Annie said sternly when Shea moved to stroke his neck.

Caleb seemed to relax and turned his head toward Shea, his ears pricked forward with curiosity.

“You want to come with me, you sweet boy?” She slowly reached for the lead.

Annie was hesitant to release it, which Shea totally understood. She sent her a brief beseeching look, anyway. But the deal wasn’t sealed until Caleb took a calm step toward Shea.

Her heart nearly pounding through her chest, she felt the lead being pressed into her hand and she gingerly moved in the direction of the stables. “You’re safe now, sweetie,” she whispered to him, aware that Annie was shadowing her closely. “I’ve got you.”

Shea understood Annie’s concern, though she herself wasn’t worried one bit. Of all the places she could’ve chosen to spend Christmas, this was why she’d come here. Who knew Montana was the place she’d finally feel at home?

* * *

J
ESSE
WAS
WORKING
late in the barn when he saw headlights turn down the driveway. He hoped it was Shea because if it wasn’t her, he’d end up calling Annie to see what the hell was going on. And man, he did not want to get involved, but Shea should’ve been back by now.

It wasn’t just him. Rachel was worried, too. When she’d called him inside for dinner an hour ago, he’d thought she might’ve heard from their guest. Failing that, he figured he could count on his sister to make the call. But she hadn’t, and he’d refused to say a word, and now that the sun had been down for two hours, it was colder than shit and if that wasn’t Shea’s car, then he’d have to...

He didn’t know what he’d do because he had no business thinking about her at all. Yesterday it had been crystal clear to him that she was someone he needed to stay away from. She was...complicated. So what was he doing? Why was he worried about her? She was a big girl. Maybe subconsciously he was looking for a distraction. But that wasn’t like him.

The motion detector lights he’d put up after the horse trailer was stolen a few months earlier, flooded the driveway and glinted off her silver rental as it got closer to the stables. He was more relieved than he had a right to be, he wouldn’t deny it...certainly not to himself. Now he couldn’t decide if he should walk out to meet her or go back into the barn, act as if it was just a fluke that he’d been standing in the entryway.

Muttering a curse, he tossed the rag he’d been using to clean out a distributor cap and grabbed his hat off the workbench. He settled the Stetson on his head, then tugged down the brim to keep the floodlight’s glare out of his eyes.

Apparently Shea hadn’t seen him yet. She slipped out of the SUV, went around to the back and lifted the hatch.

“You need help carrying anything?” he asked.

She jumped, her hand going to her throat. “You startled me.”

“Yeah, I see that. Sorry.”

Her hair was a wild mess, as if she’d been riding in the wind, her cheeks flushed pink and her eyes alive with excitement. “I’m glad you’re here. I have a question for you.” She reached into the back of the SUV, still talking. “I bought this for Caleb and I want to make sure it’s all right to stay in the car overnight.”

Jesse’s attention snagged on the curve of her nicely rounded backside and it took him a second to process what she’d said.

“Caleb?” So she’d met someone. He didn’t recognize the name. Had to be a fellow volunteer. Well, good for her, he thought grimly.

“Yes.” She backed up, each arm wrapped around large cans of Colombian coffee.

He frowned, not sure what she expected him to say. “What is it, a Christmas present?”

“What?” She stared at him as if he were the one being weird. Then she glanced at the cans in her arms and laughed. “No, not the coffee...that.” She managed to point inside the SUV but almost dropped everything.

He caught one of the cans, drawing close enough to her to get a whiff of vanilla-scented skin under the familiar smell of hay.

“Thanks,” she said. “I should’ve put these in the backseat. Mind opening the door for me?”

“Sure,” he said and watched her grab yet another can of coffee. He tilted his head to the side to see what else she’d bought and caught a glimpse of a fourth can, along with stacks of fifty-pound bags of corn and oats. Jesse smiled. “Caleb’s a horse.”

She nodded, her eyes shining. “A gorgeous strawberry roan. He’s only two years old and so beautiful and sweet-tempered. You have to see him, Jesse. You just have to. I can’t imagine how someone could’ve abandoned him.”

The temptation to touch her soft smiling lips caught him off guard and he moved back a step. “The coffee isn’t for him, I hope.”

Shea laughed, hugging the cans to her breast. “These are for Annie. She’s down to her last dregs so I thought I’d surprise her.” Her expression sobered. “Safe Haven operates on such a shoestring I think she’d use her last dollar on the animals before she’d buy anything for herself.”

“You’re right about that.” He scooped up the last can and went to open the back door. “Did you wipe the Food Mart out of coffee?”

“Almost. I left one on the shelf out of guilt when I heard they can’t restock for two days.” She waited until he’d stowed the can he held, then handed him the other two. “I hope I don’t offend her by bringing these.”

“Nah, when it comes to the shelter, Annie has no pride. She’ll take all the help she can get. That includes plying the volunteers with coffee.”

“Oh, shoot.” She wrinkled her nose. “I should’ve picked up cream and sugar for the others.” She didn’t move, just stared into space, trapping him against the open car door and giving him no room to maneuver. “I leave too early to stop in town tomorrow.”

This wasn’t good—her standing so close and the light from the stables shining in her face. Her skin, her lips...she looked so soft it made him itch to touch her. “My mom keeps a hefty supply of sugar on hand. She can help you there. Don’t know about the cream.”

“Oh, that would be great, then I can replace it.”

He waited for her to move. Finally, he touched the back of her arm.

“Sorry, sorry.” She scooted back, far back. Shoving the tousled hair away from her face, she gave him a sheepish smile as he walked around to the rear of the SUV.

“You had a question about the feed?”

“Will these bags be all right left out here? I know the temperature will drop below freezing tonight.”

“They’ll be fine,” he said carefully, not wanting to make her feel like an idiot by pointing out the obvious. Feed was always kept outside. What concerned him was that Annie had taken in another horse. He knew she had little money left to feed the animals she currently housed and had made the painful decision to refuse new rescues until she obtained more funding. The other thing was, the oats and corn wouldn’t go far and hay was cheaper. “Did Annie ask you to pick up those bags?”

“No. It was a last-minute impulse when I stopped in town. I wanted it to be a treat for Caleb.”

Jesse chuckled. “I see.”

Her chin went up defensively. “Mr. Jorgensen at the feed and hardware store explained that Annie needs more hay—the alfalfa kind—so I placed an order. He thinks he can have it delivered in a couple days.”

“You’re paying for that?”

“Yes, I already wrote him a check.” Her defensiveness rose. “Safe Haven accepts donations.”

“Hey, I’m not criticizing. Annie’s going to be thrilled.” So was Jorgensen. Business had been bad for everyone the past few years. Jesse wished the Sundance could contribute more hay to Safe Haven, but they’d already done what they could for the season. He liked that Shea had stepped in. Somehow her generosity didn’t surprise him.

“I have the money,” Shea said, shrugging, then closing the back hatch. “That’s not a problem. As long as the weather cooperates, the delivery should come before Christmas Eve.”

He looked up at the dark sky—lots of stars, a few clouds. A light snow was forecasted for tomorrow night, but not enough to worry about. “It’s real nice what you’re doing. Times have been tough for Safe Haven. If Annie needs help unloading, Trace and I will drive out there.”

She gave him a long thoughtful look. “I heard you do a lot for them.”

“Nah, not that much.” He wondered what Annie had said about him. He knew people talked since he’d returned home. They all had an opinion about why he wasn’t the same old Jesse, though Annie didn’t strike him as the type to gossip. He nudged his chin toward the house. “We had fried chicken and mashed potatoes tonight. Rachel’s keeping a plate warm for you.”

Shea’s expression fell. “I wish she wouldn’t do that.”

“Feed you?” He smiled when she carelessly shoved her hair away from her face and rolled her eyes. “What kind of reputation will the Sundance have if we starve our guests?”

“I’m sure you have a stellar reputation. Your whole family is wonderful,” she said, then glanced away. “Jeez, I say I don’t want to be a bother and then I keep you out here in the cold.”

“Such a hardship.”

She slid him a hesitant look, saw he was teasing and a small smile tugged at her lips.

Dammit, he had the sudden urge to kiss that shy, sexy mouth. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the house.”

“You don’t have to—” They’d already moved in that direction, but she stopped, eyes wide, lips parted in awe. “That Christmas tree, it’s beautiful.”

Jesse followed her gaze to the ten-foot pine he’d helped Rachel put up in the foyer. White lights glittered from the branches, five hundred of the tiny suckers—he happened to know because he’d bitched about having to string them. But looking at Shea’s unadulterated delight made the chore worth it.

“It’s huge and so perfect. I’ve never seen one like it before.” She swung her gaze toward him. “That couldn’t have been there last night.” She paused. “Was it?”

“That would’ve been pretty hard to miss.”

“Trust me, I can overlook an elephant in the middle... Never mind.”

“I cut it down this morning.”

“You?”

“Yes, me. I’m not as scrawny as I look.”

“I didn’t mean—” The instant she saw he was teasing she smiled, something she didn’t do nearly enough. Not a real smile like this one that showed off her straight white teeth, or the pretty shape of her pink lips. She turned back to the tree, her face lit as if she were a kid who’d been visited by Santa. “Where did you find it?”

“Not far from the trail we took yesterday. It’s McAllister land so it’s legal.”

“I have mixed feelings about cutting down something so glorious.” She sighed. “I’m a hypocrite. I love being able to see it every night.”

“If we don’t thin out the forest, nature will. We’ve had some bad lightning strikes that have taken down acres of trees. Had a wildfire this past August that wiped out half a hill of spruce and pine.”

She stopped a few feet from the porch, hands shoved deep into the pockets of her jacket, and just stared at the tree even though she’d started to shiver. “I like the red ribbons and candy canes.”

“We used up the ornaments on the trees in the den and living room. Mom and Rachel tend to get carried away this time of year.”

“Were the other trees up last night?”

“Have been since the day after Thanksgiving.”

“Oh, I’d love to see them sometime.” She shivered and hunched her shoulders. “If that would be all right.”

“Come on before you freeze. The tree looks just as pretty inside as it does out here.” He took her by the elbow and gently urged her toward the steps before he did something stupid like wrap his arms around her.

“I’m kind of hoping it snows for Christmas,” she said, pulling a hand out of her pocket to hold the railing.

“We’re supposed to get some tomorrow night. Not much, only three or four inches.”

“That sounds like a lot.”

“You have four-wheel drive.” He glanced over his shoulder toward her car. “You’ll be okay.” Something unpleasant occurred to him and he stopped in front of the door. “You do know how to drive in snow?”