A Snowbound Cowboy Christmas. Amanda Renee

      Emma rubbed her belly and smiled up at him. Any man worth his salt could get lost in her bourbon-colored eyes if he wasn’t careful. Good thing he’d sworn off women with kids years ago.

      “I have craved butter beans since the beginning of my pregnancy. That’s how I found out I was expecting. A friend jokingly asked if I was pregnant. Biggest surprise of my life.”

      “And the father?” Dylan held up his hands. “No, I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”

      “It’s no secret. He left two seconds after I told him.” She tilted her chin up defiantly. “I had his parental rights terminated shortly thereafter. He didn’t fight it and my baby is better off this way. I’d never force my daughter on a man who wants nothing to do with her.”

      “I give you a lot of credit.” It pained him whenever he heard a man had relinquished his paternal rights to a child. Dylan had wanted kids and a family more than anything. He’d lived that dream, and then he lost it after he’d partnered with Jax on Silver Bells. His ex-wife had warned him she wouldn’t like living on a ranch. Stubbornly, he thought he’d change her mind. Lauren had tried her best, but living in an outdated log cabin away from her family and friends proved to be too much. She packed up his two step-kids and moved back to Bozeman. No way would he raise another man’s child again. It was too heartbreaking when it didn’t work out.

      Lauren and the kids leaving, coupled with his father’s death a few months later, damn near broke him. From then on, he devoted every waking hour to the ranch. He and Jax had updated what they could afford to, and the Silver Bells did great until more guest ranches cropped up nearby. They couldn’t compete with the new.

      “It’s all good,” she said.

      Her robotic response told him otherwise, but he couldn’t allow that to matter. Dylan squatted next to her chair and rested a hand on her arm. He immediately regretted the close contact, even though her bulky sweater separated her skin from his palm. It was bad enough her almond-scented shampoo left him wanting to bury his face in the long silky strands. He found this vulnerable side of Emma endearing when he knew to avoid her. She was off-limits in far too many ways.

      “I admire your strength and fortitude to see this deal come to fruition but, Emma, it won’t happen. I went along with my uncle because he owned the majority stake in the business. I didn’t have a choice then. There are a few options I’m mulling over, but selling to you isn’t on the list.” Dylan stood and walked to the windows overlooking the ranch. “This is a guest ranch where people come to be cowboys and cowgirls for a week or two. It will never be the luxurious five-star spa resort you want to turn it into.”

      “Um, excuse me. Some help over here,” Emma called behind him.

      He turned to find her struggling to stand and couldn’t help but laugh a little. She was cute when she was vulnerable. He closed the distance between them and offered both his hands. Their eyes met as he pulled her to her feet and inadvertently against his body.

      “Sorry,” he mumbled before stepping back.

      A tinge of pink flooded her cheeks as she smoothed her sweater. “Would you rather turn your employees out on the street?”

      The woman didn’t miss a beat. “You and my uncle already have.” Dylan headed toward the front desk, sensing her close behind him. “Some already left to secure work somewhere else. When my uncle announced that the ranch would close its doors on January 1, many of our employees began searching for work elsewhere. Some found positions, while others planned on staying until the end. I’ve already told them Silver Bells isn’t closing, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep them employed here. We have families living on the ranch. Did my uncle tell you that? And some of my employees worked on my father’s ranch before his death. I’ve known many of these people my entire life.”

      Emma shook her head. “I didn’t know.”

      “I can’t tell you how many marriages have taken place amongst the Silver Bells employees. We have another in a few days, don’t we, Sandy?” Dylan wrapped his arm around a dining-room server who had been passing by. “Sandy’s the one getting married. Her fiancé, Luke, is a ranch hand here.” Dylan continued into the kitchen. “Hopefully this won’t be the last wedding. Many babies have been born here, too. Some of the kids raised on Silver Bells are raising families of their own on the ranch and you want to take that away. I can’t understand why my uncle agreed to any of it. I just thank God he hadn’t finalized anything.”

      “We were scheduled to in fifteen days.” Emma lifted her chin. “And your employees can reapply once the renovations are completed.”

      Sandy scoffed at her statement. “Your company refused to guarantee us employment. You can’t expect us to go without any income or health insurance for six months.”

      “Many of the people working here live paycheck-to-paycheck,” Dylan said over his shoulder as he walked to the pantry. His father had taught him to treat his employees like family and the thought of them suffering aggravated him further. He needed distance from Emma before he said something he’d regret.

      “I’m sure we can work something out.” She followed him, unrelenting. “Maybe a severance package.”

      “To cover six months? I highly doubt that.” He hoisted a case of water onto his shoulder and faced her. “Listen. I’m not going to change my mind. So please, catch the first flight out of here because you’re wasting your time pursuing this further. If you’ll excuse me, I have a lot to do since we’re shorthanded.”

      “Uh, Dylan? She’s not going anywhere,” Sandy said from the kitchen doorway. “Harlan just called. They closed all the roads because of this storm and we’re expecting another foot of snow by tomorrow morning.”

      “You’ve got to be kidding me.” But he knew she wasn’t. His brother was a deputy sheriff and he would have heard the news directly from the Department of Transportation. “We’re snowed in?”

      “And here I thought Montana laughed in the face of snow.” Emma stared at him with a confident smile and her arms folded above her baby bump. “The roads wouldn’t be an issue if we owned the property.”

      Dylan set the water on the stainless-steel counter. “I have news for you. Saddle Ridge is a small town and we don’t have the equipment to plow roads as fast as Chicago or even Kalispell and Whitefish.”

      “That’s why we planned on donating two new snowplows to the town, ensuring the roads leading to the resort would be kept clear.”

      “It’s a ranch. Not a resort.” A fact she needed to get through her head. “And who is going to pay for the manpower to run those plows?”

      “It’s only two plows, Dylan.” She toddled over to the counter and leaned against it, looking more tired than before. “We’re talking about two drivers, four if they are running two shifts. I doubt it will bankrupt the town. They’re getting new equipment and they are thrilled with the idea.”

      “Thrilled? You’ve already spoken with them?” Of course she had. He didn’t think there was anything business-related she had overlooked, except the human side of the equation.

      “Months ago. Your uncle even went with me to my Department of Transportation meeting. I assumed you knew.”

      “No. No, I didn’t.” He wondered what else he didn’t know about the sale. “It doesn’t matter now. The deal is off.”

      “Well, since it doesn’t appear I’m leaving anytime soon, why don’t we talk about that?”

      “I hope you enjoy your stay, Ms. Sheridan, but I assure you, we will never have that conversation.” The last thing Dylan needed was to be snowbound with the woman determined to take his ranch. Hell would freeze over before he’d let that happen.

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