A Rancher for Christmas. Brenda Minton

likes it,” she informed him.

      “Rose doesn’t know better.” He pushed back from the table and headed for the kitchen. “I think we’ll have more soup and crackers, if you haven’t found a substitute for those.”

      When he returned to the dining room, she looked less than sure of herself. “I thought it would be healthier for them.”

      “They’re two, they need to eat dairy.” He ladled more soup in the bowls and tossed a sleeve of crackers in front of Breezy. She had taken a bite of sandwich and made a face.

      “It is pretty gross.”

      “So you’re not really a vegetarian?”

      She shook her head. “No, I just thought it sounded like the right thing for children.”

      He laughed and then she laughed. Maybe this is how they would get through this mess, with laughter. Maybe they would work out a friendship and he would learn to trust her. But he wasn’t ready for that. Not right now. He sat back down and pushed the sandwich away. “I think maybe next time we’ll stick to real cheese.”

      “Right,” she said. “And maybe we should go over the rest of the rules.”

      He leaned back in his chair, his gaze settling on Violet’s dark hair as she sipped soup from her spoon. “It isn’t as if I’ve made a list of rules, Breezy. I’m not trying to make this difficult. I just have to be the person who keeps them safe.”

      “You think you’re on your own with this?”

      He didn’t answer the question because he didn’t want to explain that having Sylvia Martin for a mother meant he’d been taking care of children since he’d been old enough to reach the stove.

      He didn’t know how to let go. And in his experience, women had a tendency not to stick around. At least not the ones in his life.

      “I’m not on my own,” he finally answered. “But I’m the head of this family and I will always make sure these little girls are taken care of.”

      “Maybe give me the benefit of the doubt and understand that I want the same for them. I want them happy and healthy. I want to be part of their lives.” She leaned a little in his direction. “C’mon. Give me the rules. You know it’ll make you feel better.”

      “I don’t know what the rules are.” Even as he said it he found himself smiling, and surprised by that. She did that, he realized. She undid his resolve with a cheerful smile and a teasing glint in her golden-brown eyes.

      “You have rules,” she said. “Should I get some paper or do you think I can remember them all?”

      “Okay. Church. We always attend church.”

      She smiled at that. “Because it’s a law in Martin’s Crossing or because you are a man of faith?”

      “What does that mean?”

      She shrugged. “You made it sound like a law,” she said. “If broken, they’ll what? Stone me in the town square?”

      “No, they won’t stone you in the town square and yes, I’m a man of faith.”

      “Okay, Rule Number Three, church. I can do church.”

      There was a hesitance to her voice that he wanted to question but he didn’t.

      “We eat as a family on Sunday afternoons.”

      “Am I considered family now?”

      “You’re family.” He hadn’t planned this, for her to be in their lives, a part of their family, but she was. Man, she complicated his life in so many ways.

      On the other hand, the rules made him smile, because he’d never intended to list them. He hadn’t even thought of them as rules until she pointed it out.

      “Okay, church and Sunday dinner. That’s nice. What if I bring the tofu pizza?”

      “Rule Number Five...”

      She laughed. “No tofu?”

      “Never.” He pushed back from the table and she did the same. “I need to check on the cattle.”

      “Is checking on cattle a rule?” She grinned at him.

      “No, it isn’t a rule. It’s something that has to be done.”

      “Can I help you do things here? I mean, I’m going to be around, I might as well earn my keep.”

      He unbuckled Violet and lifted her from the high chair. He hadn’t expected Breezy to offer her help. What was he supposed to tell her, that he’d been looking for an excuse to get away from her for a few minutes? He hadn’t expected her to tease, and he definitely hadn’t expected to enjoy her company.

      “You want to help out with the cattle?”

      She looked a little unsure. “Well, maybe. I mean, is there a way I can help?”

      “Have you ever lived on a ranch, Breezy?”

      “My sister was raised on a ranch in Oklahoma.”

      “But you, have you ever lived on a ranch?”

      “I’ve seen cows.” She said it with a wink.

      He held Violet close but he smiled at the woman opposite him. “You’ve seen cows but thought cheese came from a plant?”

      “Okay, let’s not mention that anymore, and I promise to never buy nondairy again.”

      “Thank you. I can’t even believe they had such a thing at the store in town. And we still have a few rules to cover.”

      “Such as?” She had Rose in her arms and the little girl’s eyes were droopy. Breezy kissed her cheek and stroked her hair, causing those droopy eyes to close and her head to nod. She’d be asleep in a few minutes. So would Violet.

      He headed for the living room and she followed. “If you are here long enough to date, we don’t bring dates home, or around the girls.”

      “That’s absurd. Are you planning to stay single until they’re eighteen?”

      He didn’t like the question, and as he settled into a rocking chair with Violet he tried to ignore it. Bottom line was he wouldn’t let a mother walk out on Violet and Rose. The twins had already lost enough.

      Violet nodded off in his arms. Rose was already on the sofa, a blanket pulled up over her. He started to get out of the rocking chair with Violet but Breezy moved to take her from him, her blond hair falling forward. The silky strands brushed his arms as she lifted his niece. Their hands touched and he looked up to meet her gaze head-on.

      The strangest feelings erupted as she moved away from him with Violet in her arms. It made him want to reach out to her, to know her better, to trust her.

      He shook off those thoughts because they didn’t make sense.

      He watched as she carried Violet away from him, cradling her gently and then settling her on the opposite end of the sofa from her sister. He remained in the rocking chair, as she covered the little girl with a pink afghan. She kissed Violet’s cheek and brushed her hair back from her face.

      If she was going to leave, he hoped she left before the twins got used to her touch, to her softness.

      “I’m going to the barn,” he said, heading for the front door. She didn’t have a chance to question him. He didn’t need more tangled-up emotions to deal with. He needed fresh air and a few minutes to clear his thoughts.

      And a few rules for himself when it came to Breezy Hernandez.

Chapter Four

      Thursday morning, just a few days into this new life of hers, Breezy stepped outside