A Cowboy's Christmas Proposal. Cathy Mcdavid

      “I’ll leave you to get unpacked.” Molly seized the chance to escape and inched toward the door. “Let me know if there’s anything you require. Extra towels or pillows. Assistance connecting to the complimentary Wi-Fi.”

      “Can we ride the horses?” Cody asked.

      Owen reached out and tousled his son’s hair. “We noticed the stables.”

      Molly gave an apologetic head shake, neatly slipping back into guest relations mode. “I’m afraid Moses and Amos are for carriage and hayrides only. But Powell Ranch is a half mile up the road, and they rent horses by the hour for trail rides and lessons. There are also plenty other family-friendly activities in the nearby area. They’re listed in the binder.” She pointed to the coffee table. “Hiking trails and the OdySea Aquarium. There’s even recreational bull riding at the Poco Dinero Bar and Grill.”

      “I’ve heard about that,” Owen said. “Maybe I’ll take a spin.”

      “You’ve rodeoed before?”

      “In my previous life. Before I became a marketing rep for Waverly Equine Products.”

      That was interesting. Despite his Western dress, Molly hadn’t pictured him riding bulls. Must be the pressed jeans. She’d pegged him as more of a weekend cowboy.

      “Daddy was a champion,” Cody announced. “He has gold buckles and trophies.”

      “I’m impressed.”

      “I made a living at it.” Owen shrugged. “For a while.”

      “What happened?”

      “Complications,” he said. “Mostly these three. Their mom didn’t like me being on the road every week.”

      “Understandable.”

      “The funny thing is I wound up traveling just as much with Waverly. Which is why I quit. More time to spend with this motley crew. It’s also why I agreed to help out Uncle Homer for a month. I plan on getting sick of their company.”

      “You’re not working?” Molly immediately wished she could take back the question. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me to ask. And none of my business.”

      “It’s all right. I’m not embarrassed. The fact is, I need to make some changes in my life, and now I have the chance. Don’t suppose you’ve heard of any places in the area hiring a former senior marketing rep who doesn’t want to travel much?”

      “Afraid not.”

      “I guess the good news is I brought my laptop and you have complimentary Wi-Fi.”

      Molly reached for the doorknob, more eager than ever to be on her way. “If you’ll excuse me, I have about a hundred tasks waiting for me at the house.”

      “We’ll be along shortly.”

      She barely heard his reply as she shut the door behind her and trotted down the steps. At the bottom, she wiped her brow.

      “That was close.”

      Owen was a charming man and potentially hard to resist. But going all soft inside at a man’s admiring glance had landed Molly in trouble before, causing her to fall blindly in love and miss the obvious indicators of trouble brewing.

      Besides, Sweetheart Ranch and its success were her priorities. She owed her grandmother that and more for giving her a second chance. Now wasn’t the time to act on any romantic sparks. Especially with a man who had his own important priorities that included taking care of three young children and finding a new job.

      * * *

      MOLLY STOPPED AT the clubhouse on her return from Owen’s cabin, making sure all was in order for the open house. When her cell phone suddenly started playing Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” on her way out the door, she jumped. Grandma Em returning her calls. Finally! With fumbling fingers, she whipped out her phone and answered.

      “Grandma. Where are you?”

      To her dismay, a sob caught in her throat—from relief and from sorrow at her grandmother’s abandonment. Not that her grandmother had abandoned her exactly. In the same way her father hadn’t exactly abandoned Molly when he’d died soon after her twelfth birthday. Still, she felt a keen loss whenever someone took off without warning and tended to react emotionally.

      “In Flagstaff,” Grandma said. “We stopped for gas.”

      “Okay.” Molly’s voice sounded small.

      “I’m sorry, sweetie. Please don’t think I bailed on you.”

      If she were a completely unselfish person, Molly would assure her grandmother that everything was fine, express her joy over the elopement, and wish her grandmother and Homer a safe and enjoyable trip.

      But Molly was too overcome with hurt to be completely unselfish. “You left without saying goodbye.”

      “It wasn’t an easy decision. Believe me.”

      “Then why?”

      “I knew if I told you, you’d have probably hog-tied me to the nearest chair.”

      “You make me sound like a bad person.”

      “No, no, sweetie. You’re a sensible person and any argument you made would have been too sensible for me to resist.” Grandma Em sighed wistfully. “I never dreamed I’d meet a man and fall in love. Not after all these years. Homer’s wonderful. Kind and generous and funny and thoughtful.”

      “Why couldn’t he have waited a couple months until the ranch was up and running before insisting you run away together?” Molly closed and latched the pool gate behind her before turning in the direction of the house.

      “He was more than willing to wait. I’m the one chomping at the bit.”

      “Grandma!”

      “I know it sounds stupid, and there’s a hundred reasons why we should have delayed. But I just didn’t want to go one more week without being Mrs. Foxworthy. I’m in love, Molly. Head over heels. Fallen off the deep end. Whatever other silly clichéd saying comes to mind.”

      “This isn’t like you.”

      “Actually, it is. At least, it’s like the person I used to be. Many years ago.”

      “Irresponsible?”

      “Impetuous and spontaneous and living for the moment.”

      Molly could hear her grandmother smiling, which made staying mad impossible. “Don’t you want us with you when you get married?”

      “Of course I do. Homer and I are planning on renewing our vows after we get home and throwing a huge party for family and friends. We were thinking of New Year’s Day.”

      “I suppose that’ll be nice. I’ll clear the calendar.” As of yet, no weddings were scheduled.

      “You’re young, Molly. I don’t expect you to understand. But when you reach my age, well, waiting for the right moment wastes valuable time. Homer and I don’t want to lose a single second of married life together.”

      Had Molly ever sounded this excited and happy when she’d been engaged? Her former fiancés had both been excellent matches with good jobs, bright futures and plans to start a family one day. Molly hadn’t believed she could make a better choice for a husband. Choices, she amended.

      Yet both men had dumped her before making it down the aisle, the second one a mere three days before their wedding. The excuses they’d cited weren’t dissimilar, Molly was too uptight, detested anything spur-of-the-moment and refused to admit it when she was wrong.

      Coincidentally, two jobs ago, her boss had cited her refusal to admit she was wrong when he’d fired her for consistently low scores on her customer satisfaction surveys. Molly had quit her last job, sensing termination was imminent