A Rancher's Christmas. Ann Roth

Against the backdrop of the blue sky, his hair looked almost black and his eyes were the color of liquid silver. His heavy parka was unzipped, revealing a flannel shirt tucked into jeans.

      “Morning,” he said, his breath fogging in the cold air. “I finished the chores and thought you might want company.”

      How had he known?

      “Sure.” She widened the door. “Come in.”

      After wiping his boots on the mat he stepped inside, bringing a whiff of fresh air with him. “It’s cold out there,” he said, blowing on his hands.

      “It’s nice and warm in here.”

      As Zach shrugged out of his parka and hung it on one of the hooks along the wall near the door, Gina couldn’t help admiring his broad shoulders, narrow hips and long legs.

      He caught her staring. His mouth quirked and he raised his eyebrows.

      It was a good thing she didn’t blush easily. “I was wondering whether I should offer you coffee,” she said. “Lucky’s coffeemaker is older than I am, and this stuff tastes pretty bad. But there’s plenty to eat if you’re hungry.”

      Zach glanced at what was left of her toast. “That looks good.”

      “I’ll slice some for you.”

      She started to stand, but Zach gestured for her to stay seated. “Relax—I’ll get it myself. I met the woman who made that bread when she brought it by yesterday. Her name is Cora Mullins, and she went to grade school with Lucky.”

      He pulled a plate from the cupboard as if he was family. From the way Uncle Lucky had sung his praises, she knew he’d thought of him that way.

      “May as well try the coffee, too,” he said, grabbing a mug.

      A few minutes later, he joined her at the kitchen table. He sipped cautiously. “Compared to the sludge Lucky makes—made—this isn’t half bad.”

      He made a face that coaxed a smile from Gina. “Believe me, I tasted his coffee several times,” she said. “I’m surprised I didn’t sprout hair on my chest.”

      Zach’s gaze darted to her breasts. Interest flared in his eyes and her body jumped to life. Maybe he wasn’t her type, but she sure was attracted to him.

      He glanced at her pad and paper. “Don’t tell me you’re working.”

      “I was trying to revise what I want to say at the funeral.” She bit her lip. “But thinking about that makes me sad.”

      “Talk about Lucky’s coffee. That’ll get a smile out of everyone.”

      She hadn’t thought of using humor. “Smiling through the tears—I like it.”

      Zach wolfed down the bread, obviously famished from whatever he’d been doing outside. “Before I forget, here’s the key to Lucky’s truck.” He raised his hip and set the key and her uncle’s rabbit foot keychain on the table. “He logged over a hundred and seventy thousand miles on it but maintained the engine beautifully. It runs great, but it’s a stick shift and doesn’t have power steering. Think you can handle that?”

      She scoffed. “I learned to drive in that truck.”

      “No kidding! So Lucky gave you driving lessons?”

      When she nodded, Zach shook his head and chuckled, a nice sound that brightened up the gray morning. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

      “The man was hell on wheels, pushing the truck so hard, it’s a wonder he didn’t burn up the engine he took such care with. I was picturing you with the pedal to the metal and the truck churning up clouds of dust. I’ll bet Lucky got a big kick out of that.”

      “Especially when I pushed the speed up to sixty—which was about as fast as the old truck could go.” She smiled at the memory. “I was fourteen, too young for a driver’s license, but Uncle Lucky said I needed to learn in case of an emergency. He took me out on a few deserted roads where the sheriff wouldn’t spot us and there were no other cars for me to hit.

      “I spent most every summer with him while my parents worked at fairs around the state, trying to drum up business,” she added.

      “I’m surprised your dad didn’t want to ranch.”

      “He, Uncle Lucky and Uncle Redd grew up on the Lucky A, but only Uncle Lucky stayed. Uncle Redd left to run the agricultural department of Spenser’s General Store, and my dad went to work at my grandfather’s farm equipment business. He said he liked getting paid regularly, but I don’t remember that ever happening. But I mentioned that the other night.”

      “Yeah. That must’ve been tough.”

      “I was born into it, so I didn’t know any better. But my parents did, and their money troubles definitely took a toll on their marriage.” Gina didn’t like to think of those times. “That’s why I left home and why I work so hard at my job.”

      For no reason at all, her eyes teared up.

      The concerned look Zach gave her only made her feel worse. “You miss him, don’t you?”

      She nodded and tried to blink back the tears. In vain.

      “Uncle Lucky kept asking me to come back and visit,” she said. “He said he had something to say to me in person. Now it’s too late, and I’ll never know what it was. Why didn’t I make the time to come back?”

      Chapter Three

      Gina hunched her shoulders and wiped her eyes, and it was obvious that she was racked with guilt for not visiting while Lucky was still alive. She also seemed tormented over not knowing what he’d wanted to tell her. Zach knew, and this seemed a good time to enlighten her.

      Even now she was beautiful, her eyes a soft green through the bright sheen of tears. She bit her bottom lip, and then freed it. Full again, it looked pink and soft and warm....

      Zach tore his gaze away. He had a job to do, and he wasn’t going to think about his strong attraction to her. She was mired in the corporate world and he wanted to stay as far away from that as possible.

      He handed her a paper napkin to blow her nose. “Don’t beat yourself up over what you can’t change,” he said, giving her the same advice Lucky had given him. “Your uncle knew you loved him, and that’s what counts.”

      “But I’ll never know what he wanted to talk to me about.” She brushed crumbs from the tabletop into her hand and dumped them on her plate.

      “I think I do.”

      “Oh? Tell me.”

      Her mouth opened a fraction, and from out of nowhere, Zach had the crazy urge to taste those lips. Down, boy. He raised his gaze and gave her a level look. “Lucky wanted to talk to you about his decision to leave you the Lucky A.”

      She blinked in surprise. “That can’t be right. Uncle Redd is his brother. The ranch is supposed go to him.”

      “Lucky and Redd discussed it, and they both felt it should pass to you.”

      “But Uncle Redd never said a word about that over the phone or last night. I think you misunderstood.”

      Having sat in on the conversation, Zach shook his head. “I know what I’m talking about, but if you don’t believe me, you’ll find out when you meet with Matt Granger this afternoon.”

      “But I don’t want this ranch,” Gina said, looking stricken.

      “All the same, it’s yours.”

      “What am I supposed to do with it?”

      Zach figured that was a rhetorical question, and in the silent moment that passed, he could almost see her mind work—and it worked fast.

      “I guess I’ll sell it,”