The Cowboy's Christmas Courtship. Brenda Minton

door. He guessed it was still early, barely December.

      The house was silent. Gage knocked on the door twice. No one answered. He turned the doorknob. It was unlocked so he walked inside and walked from room to room. No sign of Brandon. He went back outside. Maybe the kid had actually gotten up early to feed for Layla. But Gage doubted it.

      He walked out to the barn, his left leg stiff in the brace. It was going to be a long two months gimping around. The dog joined him. It wagged its tail, rolled over on its back for him to rub its belly. He obliged and then straightened to look around.

      The few head of cattle were munching hay. He turned, scanning the horizon. That’s when he spotted a lone figure heading across the field in the direction of town.

      “Good grief.” He shook his head and turned back to the truck. The dog followed. “Stay.”

      The border collie sat, tail wagging, brushing dirt back and forth. He smiled at the dog. “Okay, you can go.”

      The dog ran to his truck and jumped in the back. He doubted Layla would thank him for that. He’d call her later and let her know where the animal had gone. As he pulled down the drive he watched the figure getting smaller and smaller. Brandon had cut through the field and he was climbing the fence to get to the road. Gage hit the gas and took off, dust and gravel flying out behind his truck.

      When he pulled up next to the kid, Brandon shot him a dirty look and kept walking. Gage rolled down his window.

      “Get in.”

      “I can’t. I told a friend I’d help him get some hay up today.”

      “There isn’t anyone putting up hay at the end of November.” Gage stopped the truck. “Get in, now. If you don’t, I’ll call the police and we’ll see what they think about underage drinking.”

      “Like you’ve never done it.” Brandon stopped. He stood at the side of the road, all anger and teenage rebellion.

      “Right, well, I’ve done a lot I’m not proud of. But I never came home and puked on my mom’s floor.”

      “She’s my sister, not my mom.” Brandon shot him a look and then looked back at the road ahead of him. “How’d you know?”

      “I overheard Layla telling someone at the dinner last night. You know, she’s given up just about everything to stay home and take care of you. The least you could do is man up a little and help her out. She only got one semester of college in before she had to be a full-time mom to you. I don’t think she’s had much of a social life. She sure isn’t having a lot of fun.”

      Brandon walked toward the truck. “Aren’t you the user who pretended you liked her back in high school?”

      “I told you, I’ve done a lot I’m not proud of.”

      “So now you get to tell me how to live? Maybe we could both get right with Jesus on Sunday.”

      Gage whistled low. “You don’t really play fair.”

      “No, I don’t. I just figure you aren’t really the best guy to be preaching at me.”

      Gage opened his truck door fast, and Brandon jumped back, no longer grinning. “Get in the truck.”

      Brandon’s hands went up in surrender, and he put distance between himself and Gage by walking around the truck to get in on the passenger side. Gage climbed back behind the wheel and shifted into gear. Neither of them talked for a while. As they were pulling up the drive of Cooper Creek Ranch, Brandon glanced in the back of the truck.

      “Is that my dog?”

      Gage pulled up to the barn. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

      “What’s she doing here?”

      “She acted like she didn’t want to be left at home alone today.”

      “That’s crazy. Layla’s going to be pretty ticked if she comes home and the dog is gone.”

      “I’ll call and tell her I have you and the dog.” He parked and got out of the truck. Brandon took his time joining him.

      The side door of the barn opened, and Jackson walked out, his hat pulled low. He took off leather gloves and looked from Gage to Brandon before shaking his head. He shoved the gloves in his jacket pocket and waited.

      “You two ready to work?” Jackson made strong eye contact with Brandon.

      “Sure, why not.” Brandon edged past Jackson into the barn.

      “Nice kid.” Jackson slapped Gage on the back. “The two of you can be surly together.”

      “I’m not surly.” Gage strode past his brother, not much different from what Brandon had done. He watched him walk down the aisle between stalls, looking closely at the horses in the stalls.

      “Nice horses.” Brandon stopped in front of the stall that belonged to the champion quarter horse Jackson and Lucky had bought a year or so back.

      “Yeah, he’s nice all right. Don’t let Jackson catch you messing around with him.”

      “Yeah, guess we could actually pay off the mortgage on the farm and then some with a horse like that.”

      Mortgage. Gage tried to pretend he hadn’t heard the remark, but it settled in his mind, making him wonder what mortgage they could have on a nearly decrepit farmhouse and twenty acres of rough land.

      Maybe that explained the dark circles under Layla’s eyes? Not that a guy was supposed to notice those things. He’d learned that lesson from his sisters the hard way.

      “Where do we start?” Brandon moved on past the stallion to the office.

      Gage followed him inside and watched as the teen took a seat and kicked back, his booted feet on the desk.

      “Get your feet down.” Gage knocked Brandon’s feet off the desk. “First, we have steers needing to be vaccinated. We’ll drive them into a round pen on the twenty where they’re pastured.”

      “Fine. Let’s go.”

      Gage motioned him toward the door. The two of them headed for an old farm truck. Jackson was stowing supplies in the metal toolbox on the back of the truck. He turned as they approached.

      “Ready to go?”

      “We’re ready,” Gage opened the door and motioned Brandon in. He joined Jackson at the back of the truck. “Is there anything you need me to grab?”

      “Nope, I have lunch in the cooler and coffee in the thermos. We’re set to go.”

      “Let’s do it then.”

      “Gage, why are you doing this?”

      “Doing what?”

      Jackson shot a look at the cab of the truck where Brandon waited, and then back to Gage. “Don’t play stupid.”

      “I’m helping Layla get control of her little brother before he lands himself in trouble.”

      “Out of the goodness of your heart?”

      “Yeah, why not?” Gage started to walk away but Jackson stopped him.

      “When do you ever do anything just because it helps someone else?”

      Anger flared but quickly evaporated because Jackson had a point. “So, I haven’t been the most charitable Cooper ever. But sometimes a guy sees the right thing to do and he does it.”

      “And it has nothing to do with Layla Silver being downright pretty and available?”

      “Layla’s pretty?” He scrunched his eyebrows in thought and scratched his chin. “Yeah, I guess she is.”

      “She’s also the girl you treated poorly back in high school.”

      “Well, maybe I’ve decided to make a few things