Daddy's Christmas Miracle. Rebecca Winters

felt like he did the time he’d picked the wrong bull at the Calgary Stampede. The legendary Genghis Kahn had taken him for the ride of his life. The rush had been beyond exhilarating until he found himself hurtling through space. When he woke up in the hospital, he realized a worse concussion would have cost him his life. It had taught him an important lesson.

      Some rides you knew in advance to stay away from—like a ride with Kathryn McFarland—because you knew it couldn’t last. Another world champion gold buckle was more attainable.

      IT WASN’T UNTIL Sunday morning after Kathryn had gotten off the phone with Jake that she remembered Monday was Colt’s birthday. She knew his children had to be planning something special for him. Kathryn didn’t want to arrive at the ranch empty-handed, yet the wrong gift from her could send out the wrong signal to the elusive rancher.

      Since the birth of the twins, he’d been guarding his space jealously against foolish, starry-eyed females. There had to have been an endless line of them over the years, but none had managed to break through the walls of defense he’d set up around his heart.

      Maybe she could find something on the internet to do with the rodeo that would suggest a gift idea he wouldn’t reject the moment she was out of sight. Ever since he’d told her about the children’s mother stealing his gold buckle, she hadn’t been able to get it off her mind.

      After a half hour of searching, she found a sports memorabilia shop at one of the hotels in Las Vegas. They were auctioning off an officially authenticated, framed poster celebrating thirty-five years of world champion bull riding from the executive’s private collection.

      Represented were the sketches of four champions in their cowboy hats with their signatures to the side. To her delight she saw a younger Colt’s likeness among the grouping, complete with his bold handwriting. It sent her heartbeat skittering off the charts. Beneath the four sketches was an enlarged picture of the gold buckle prize.

      This twenty-four-by-thirty-two-inch poster was an absolute treasure.

      Rather than go through the online bidding, she made several phone calls until she reached customer service and asked to speak to the manager. After offering him a price he couldn’t refuse, he told her the framed poster was hers. She made the transaction with her credit card and told him she’d be in later to claim it.

      After she’d clicked off, she called the airport and chartered a plane to Las Vegas. A few hours later, she flew in and picked up her precious purchase. The artist hadn’t only caught Colt’s chiseled profile, he’d captured his commanding presence and aura of focused energy requisite of a true champion.

      While there, she made more enquiries about what other memorabilia she might find on Colt. The manager directed her to a poster shop along the Strip where she found four priceless posters of Colt, all the same picture.

      Except for his chaps, he wore black from his Stetson to his boots. He’d been caught in motion on a bull during a championship ride. Poetry in motion, in her opinion. It was a spectacular photo.

      Kathryn bought all four. One for each twin, one for Noreen and Ed, and one for herself. She would hang it on the library wall next to the bookcase that housed her Louis L’Amour collection.

      Almost sick to her stomach with excitement, she flew back to Salt Lake with her secret stash, then drove over to her parents’ home to have dinner. While they ate she told them her plans for the next few days. They ended up talking about Whitney’s family, who were still waiting to hear something definitive from the police.

      Kathryn left their house for the condo feeling guilty that so much pain for the little girl’s parents didn’t squelch the longing inside her to see Colt again.

      After she entered the kitchen, she called Maggie to make final arrangements. Her sister indicated it would be clear weather for flying. They’d be by for her in their car at quarter to six in the morning. “There’s no point in telling you to get a good sleep tonight because I know you won’t,” Maggie teased.

      Since Kathryn knew she wouldn’t, either, she didn’t bother to argue with her sister. Once they said good-night, she pulled a poster from the tube and unfurled it against the fridge door. She used the French bread magnets one of her nieces had given her last Christmas to keep the corners in place.

      Just looking at him sent a thrill through her body.

      With her eyes glued on him, she phoned Donna so they could set up the schedule of volunteers at the foundation while Kathryn was away. Once that was accomplished, she called her psychiatrist and cancelled Monday’s appointment. She would have to phone later to set another date.

      While she was at it, she arranged for a rental car to be waiting for them at the Bozeman airport so Colt wouldn’t see the presents she was bringing. Finally, she punched in his cell phone number, but this time she had to rein in her emotions to keep them from jumping all over the place.

       Don’t let him know what the mere thought of him does to you, Kathryn.

      Swallowing her disappointment because he didn’t pick up, she left a message on his voice mail. “Hi, Colt. I hope all is well with you. I just checked with Maggie. She said it will be good flying weather. One more thing. Jake asked me to let you know he’s already arranged a rental car for us, so we should be at the ranch between eighty-thirty and—”

      “Kathryn? Don’t hang up!” Colt’s deep, live voice arced through her, quickening her body.

      “You sound out of breath.” Would that he was in that condition because of her, but she knew it wasn’t the case.

      “I was riding in on Lightning when my phone rang, but when I pulled it out of my pocket, it slipped from my hands and fell down a snowy embankment. I had to hunt for it.”

      The image his words conjured made her smile. He’d made fast work to recover it before she’d clicked off. Colt wasn’t a champion bull rider for nothing. “I’m glad it wasn’t lost. You might have had to wait until next spring.”

      He made a low sound in his throat. “My last phone drowned when Matt’s lemonade spilled into the cubbyhole of my dashboard.”

      “Uh-oh.” It was her turn to chuckle. “Last summer I was leaning over a castle wall and mine fell into a moat. It’s lying somewhere on the bottom, rusting out with all the swords.”

      A definite laugh rumbled out of him. “Neither of us seems to have had much luck.”

      Kathryn was having too much fun. End it now. “In case yours should short out, I’ll make this fast. Maggie said it’s good flying weather so we’ll be there at eight-thirty, but just to let you know, Jake has arranged for a rental car. He likes to be independent.” Like you.

      “I can relate.”

      Yup. “We should be to the ranch by nine at the latest.”

      “Kathryn?”

      “Yes?” she answered too breathlessly and could have kicked herself.

      “I don’t know how to thank you.”

      “Since Maggie and Jake literally found me, I tell them that all the time. It’s a habit I can’t break.”

      “I’m talking about you and what you did for Allie—what you and your family are prepared to do now to help find her mother.”

      If ever a person was thankful, it was this man, but Kathryn feared she’d never wring anything but gratitude from him.

      “This is what we like to do, so enough said. Good night. See you in the morning.”

      “WHAT’S THIS?” Colt walked in the dining room and discovered Matt already seated at the table. That was a first on a school morning. There were only three places set. “Where are Noreen and Ed?”

      “Since she’s fixing a special birthday dinner for you tonight, we gave them the morning off to sleep in. I set the table and Allie’s fixing your breakfast. We’re