A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe (17 page)

“You can say that again.” Hurt and resentment scored his low tone.

With effort, Ally gathered her dignity. “But not to worry, Hank. We won't be leaving together. Because whatever this was—”
though it had felt like the love of a lifetime
“—is over.”

Her heart breaking, Ally turned on her heel and walked inside. She got her purse, her coat, and walked back out, to call a cab. Looking every bit as disappointed and disillusioned as she felt, Hank made no move to stop her.

 

“I
FIGURED YOU'D SHOW UP
here sooner or later,” Jeb McCabe said.

If anyone could understand the mess he found himself in, Hank figured it was his oldest brother. “Can I bunk here tonight?”

Jeb beckoned him in. “Ally kick you out?”

“No.”

Jeb ambled into the kitchen and broke out the beer. “She sure left the open house in a huff.”

Hank removed the cap on his and took a long drink. He tensed at the memory. “You saw that, huh?”

“See, that's why I'm married to my ranch.” Jeb rummaged around and brought out a hunk of summer sausage, too. “Women are just too much trouble.”

Hank pulled up a chair. “You wouldn't believe that if you'd spent the last two weeks under the same roof with Ally Garrett.”

Jeb smirked. “While pursuing Lulu Sanderson on the side.”

Not his brother, too! “For the last time, there's nothing romantic going on between me and Lulu!”

“Then why is Ally so jealous?” Jeb opened a can of nuts and tossed a handful in his mouth. “'Cause I saw the way Lulu was looking at you and the way Ally was looking at Lulu. Not good, little bro. Not good at all.”

Hank felt like a man who was fast coming to the end of his rope. “Lulu and I have a business deal in the works,” he explained for what felt like the millionth time. “One I'm not at liberty to discuss. And won't be until the final details are set.”

Jeb shrugged. “So tell Ally that.”

Hank munched glumly on a slice of sausage. “I did… sort of. It didn't help. She feels excluded.”

Jeb took another pull of beer. “Then call off the business deal.”

Hank rolled his eyes. “I can't. Not if I want to buy Mesquite Ridge.” And he did.

Jeb smiled like the carefree bachelor he was. “Sure you can. Just accept Dad's offer.”

Hank froze. Was there no end to his humiliation tonight? “You know about that?”

His brother sighed. “For the record, I told Dad not to do it. That you'd only be insulted.”

Obviously, their father had not listened. “As would you have been,” Hank muttered, still fuming over having been treated like a snot-nosed kid who couldn't put a business deal together if he tried.

“True.” Jeb leaned forward in his chair. “Although maybe Mom and Dad wouldn't hover over you so much if you talked to them more, let 'em know what's on your mind. And the same goes for Ally. 'Cause you can't be really close to someone unless you can confide in 'em.”

Enough with the greeting card sentiment! “You sound like Ally,” Hank grumbled, downing the rest of his beer.

“So?”

A goading silence fell. “It's not that easy.” Hank returned his brother's level gaze.
Not for me anyway. I don't like showing weakness. Don't like being forced to open up.

“I know that.” Jeb stood and clapped a fraternal hand on Hank's shoulder. “I also know if you want to feel understood by family and/or the woman in your life, you're going to have to start disclosing one hell of a lot more than you have been.”

 

A
LLY WAS ASTOUNDED TO SEE
Hank's little sister on her doorstep at nine the next morning, a gaily wrapped basket of baked goods in her hands.

“May I come in?” Emily asked.

Ally hesitated. “If you're here to talk about Hank…” She'd already spent a sleepless night crying her eyes out. She didn't want to start sobbing all over again, and she was fairly certain it wouldn't take much to set her off. Perhaps the mere mention of the scoundrel's name…

Emily walked in. “And Christmas.”

Ally blinked. Now that she and Hank were no longer hooking up, she did not expect to be included in the Mc-Cabes' yuletide celebrations. Unable to help herself, Ally grumbled, “What does the holiday have to do with anything?”

“I know what Christmas means to Hank—celebrating the end of one chapter of your life and moving on to the next, with hope and joy in your heart.”

Ally had planned to do just that…before the dirt had hit the fan. When she'd overheard Hank's argument with his father, she'd realized that Hank could have gotten the money to purchase the ranch from Shane all along—he just hadn't wanted to do it that way. Even if it meant aligning his fortunes with another woman, and shutting out the woman he seemed to love…

“But to me,” Emily continued gently, “Christmas is all about giving—even when you feel you can't. It's about finding the courage to make that leap of faith that will transform your life.” She paused, letting her words sink in for a moment, then pleaded softly, “Don't go back to Houston just yet. Stay another day or two and give your own Christmas miracle a chance to happen.”

 

A
LLY THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT
Emily had said for the rest of the morning.

By noon, she knew what she had to do.

She left the silent, lonely ranch house and drove to town.

Luck was with her. Lulu Sanderson was standing at the cash register at Sonny's Barbecue, looking gorgeous as ever as she rang up preordered smoked hams and turkeys.

Lulu smiled at Ally. “If you're looking for Hank…”

That, she thought nervously, would come later. She swallowed and looked the other woman in the eye. “I wanted to speak to you first.”

Lulu murmured something to her dad, and another employee, then stepped out from behind the counter. She escorted Ally through the restaurant and kitchen, then out the service entrance. The delicious scent of mesquite-smoked meat emanated from the giant iron smokers located behind the building.

Suddenly all business, Lulu said, “Look, I know the time I've been spending with Hank has caused some trouble between the two of you, but he's been helping me on a really important business deal.”

“Just as you've been helping him.”

“Yes.” Lulu sobered. “I wanted to speak to you about what was going on, but Hank asked me not to. You see, there were reasons we had to keep everything between us quiet.”

Trust me,
Hank had said…
Believe I can find a way to purchase the ranch.

The only question was, did Ally still
want
to sell the ranch to Hank? Or anyone else?

Oblivious to the conflicted nature of Ally's thoughts, Lulu paused. “As of nine this morning, that's no longer the case.”

Here was her chance, Ally thought. She could get Lulu to tell her everything Hank wouldn't, and stop feeling excluded. Or she could demonstrate the faith she had in Hank and his integrity….

Ally held up her palm. “That's not going to be necessary.”

Lulu leaned forward anxiously. “Are you sure? Because in retrospect,
especially
after last night, I realize how this all must have looked….”

And still looked, in fact. The only thing different was Ally's attitude.

“Hank will tell me what he wants me to know when he wants me to know it.”
In the meantime, I'm going to draw on all the patience I possess and wait for that to happen.

She drew a deep breath and extended her hand in the age-old gesture of peace. “Right now, I just want to offer my sincere apology. I haven't been very friendly to you and I'm sorry.”

Lulu shook her hand warmly. “Apology accepted, and one given in return.”

And just that quickly they were on their way to being what Ally had never dreamed they could be in a million years—friends.

 

H
ANK THOUGHT ABOUT THE
things Ally and his brother Jeb had said all night. By morning, he knew they were right. Ally had every reason to be upset with him. So did his parents.

If there was ever going to be a change for the better, it had to start with him. He called his parents and asked to meet them at their ranch.

“I know you've been worried about me,” he began, as the three of them sat down to talk. “And a lot of it is my fault. In my efforts to be the kind of stand-up, I-can-handle-anything sort of guy I was raised to be, I haven't been very forthcoming about a lot of things.” He paused, looking them both in the eye. “I realize that has to change.”

His parents welcomed his confession. “We're at fault,
too,” Greta said quietly, reaching out to take her husband's hand. “In our efforts to protect and help you, your father and I realize we've been in your business a little too much.”

Shane nodded. “We should have trusted that you are capable of starting a ranch and running your own life—without our interference.”

Hank didn't want to appear ungrateful. “I know you're both here for me, in whatever way I need, whenever I need it. And I appreciate it.”

“We just don't want to let you down,” Greta said.

Shane concurred. “Not ever again.”

Hank grimaced. “About that.” He knew it was past time he took his parents step by step through the decisions he had made. To his relief, his parents were equally candid. By the time they had finished their heartfelt discussion, Hank understood his parents as well as they understood him. The tension between them was gone.

They promised to maintain their transparency, then hugged and said goodbye.

Relieved that it had gone so well, Hank headed for his next destination. He turned into the driveway leading to the Mesquite Ranch just in time to see Graham Penderson come out of the house. The agent shook hands with Ally as if they were sealing a business deal, then got into his car.

Hoping that didn't mean what it looked like, Hank returned the other man's wave of acknowledgment and then parked in front of the ranch house.

Ally was still on the porch, looking radiant in a cranberry-red dress and black suede boots. His heart in his throat, Hank approached. “Do you have time to talk to me?” he asked.

She nodded, looking as reserved as he felt. “Come on in.”

In the foyer was a case of champagne, with a gift card
that said “Merry Christmas from Corporate Farms.” Beside it was a manila folder holding what looked like legal papers.

Had she sold the ranch? At the end of the day, did it matter?

Ally waved a hand. “I haven't sold Mesquite Ridge, if that's what you're wondering.”

Relief mixed with the anxiety he felt about their future. “But Corporate Farms is putting the pressure on,” Hank guessed, following her into the living room. At once, his eyes were drawn to the angel atop the beautifully decorated tree. It was as lovely and delicate as the woman who had put it there.

Ally reached out and took his hand. “They presented me with yet another bid, two percent higher than the last one.”

Hank's throat closed. He looked at her with all the hope his heart could hold. “And?”

Ally's green eyes were steady, but her lower lip trembled. “I told them I was no longer interested in selling the house and the barn.”

Which meant she hadn't changed her mind—she was keeping her link to Laramie County.

“Graham said both had to be part of the deal,” Ally continued in a rusty-sounding voice. “I said, ‘No way.'”

Hank clasped her fingers tightly. “So it's over?”

Ally regarded him shrewdly. “He'll be back, just like you said, until the land is sold. Then he'll look elsewhere.”

Here was his chance to show her what she meant to him. What he cared about, and what he didn't.

And most important of all, to say what he should have said when she had been upset the evening before. “First off, I want to apologize because you were right. I
should
have
talked to you earlier about my plans, even if they weren't completely formed….”

Ally matched his steady gaze, with obvious regrets of her own. “And I should have trusted you—even without detailed explanations,” she said softly.

She meant that, Hank realized with gratitude. His spirits began to soar. Suddenly, the future was looking a lot brighter. Once everything that had kept them apart was out of the way, that was. Knowing a lot more than a simple apology was required to completely fix things here, he pushed on, “Second—about Mesquite Ridge…and the way you feel…”

Again, she cut him off, this time by going up on tiptoe and pressing her index finger against his lips. Ally looked him right in the eye. “I've talked to Lulu,” she said softly. “Whatever the two of you want to do in terms of business is fine with me.”

Hank eyed her in surprise. “You're serious.”

Ally released his hand. “You need a partner.”

“Yes,” Hank agreed, catching her about the waist and pulling her flush against him, “I do.” He looked down at her tenderly. “And that partner is you.”

Ally splayed her hands across his chest. “I don't understand.” But for the first time, she seemed willing and ready to listen, with a completely open mind and heart. Encouraged, Hank continued.

“Lulu plans to expand her father's barbecue place into a state-wide chain. She's already selected the locations and she's got venture capital lined up, to begin construction immediately.”

Ally's eyes widened. “You're part of that?”

Proud of what he had negotiated, he explained, “I'm supplying the mesquite to fuel the smokers. Hopefully, it will come from your ranch. That is, if you agree to lease
me the timber rights to the property.” Hank pulled papers from his pocket. “That way the land will be cleared at no charge or bother to you. And I'll get enough money from the harvesting of the mesquite to provide the down payment I need to make a serious bid on the ranch and/or the timber rights.” He locked eyes with her. “But if you don't want to do that, then Lulu plans to make a deal with you directly. In either case, you'll have the option to do a controlled burn and get rid of the mesquite permanently, hence increasing the value of the land for ranching or keeping it producing indefinitely, for harvesting.”