The Cowboy Who Saved Christmas - Jodi Thomas Page 0,59

at heart.

“Good to see you again, Mr. Mason,” Lila said, cutting her eyes my way with a subtle eyebrow raise. “It’s been a bit.”

“Yes, you too, Lila,” he said softly, smiling at her, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes. There was a sadness there that I’d noticed last night as well. I hadn’t recognized it then, but today—today felt like I’d lived a week in this man’s presence. Other than with Abigail, he didn’t seem very happy. Not like when I’d met him. Back when both of us were . . .

I closed my eyes. That couldn’t matter. This was business.

“Last time I saw you was at the funeral, I believe,” she said, busying herself with nonexistent dirt on a table as my head snapped her way. “At the back of the crowd.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, his gaze dropping to the floor. “I—didn’t want to intrude,” he said. “But I had a lot of respect for Mr. Bancroft. He was a good man.”

Ben was at my father’s funeral? I never knew that. I’d noted his marked absence, adding it to his many sins at the time, and Lila had never corrected me. By all appearances, she was saving that little tidbit for some choice moment. Like possibly now.

“He and Uncle Travis were about to merge,” Ben continued, lobbing another surprise swing my way. “They were joining forces.”

“What?”

“The day my uncle died,” he said. “They were making plans.”

I shook my head. “I don’t believe that.”

“Well, you didn’t believe they conspired to have me watch things at the Lucky B either,” he said. “But I lived it and your father told me that himself. Can’t prove it, but you’ll just have to trust me.” He leveled a sideways look at me that said so many things his mouth didn’t. Things that were packed up with old memories that had very recently been shaken out. “Or not.”

“What do you mean, joining forces?” I asked.

He looked back down into his mug. “They had a plan. Make the two places into a larger ranch, with the individual specialties benefiting both.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask. But now that I’m in this position, and see the numbers on a regular basis, I get it. It makes sense. They were thinking way ahead of themselves, but I’m willing to bet it would have worked.”

“It’s crazy,” I said under my breath. I had to be insane to even entertain the idea.

“Something to think about,” he said.

“To think about?” I echoed, standing and wrapping my blanket tighter around my body. “Just yesterday, we hadn’t spoken in five years, Ben. Now we’re—”

I stopped and swallowed. Hard. He looked up at me with a mixture of the old and new in his expression. The fiery young man who had loved me so fiercely. Or had claimed to anyway. And the present-day ranch owner and father who just looked tired and sad. Who had kissed me into oblivion less than an hour earlier.

“What are we, Josie?” he asked softly.

Malcolm cleared his throat, and we both blinked quickly, remembering we had an audience.

I ran a hand over my face and moved to massage my neck. My hair was tied up on top of my head, and tendrils fell loose over my hand.

“I can’t—I can’t do that, Ben,” I said.

I felt the collective disappointment in the room, and the weight pressed in.

“What else are you going to do?” he said. “Marry Martin LaDeen and be Josephine LaDeen?” Lila snorted, and I cut a look in her direction. “He’s in oil, Josie. He’s going to put big oil rigs on your land and milk it for all its worth.”

I frowned. “He never said such a thing.”

“He doesn’t have to,” Ben said. “All he has to do is get the place in his name and he can do whatever he wants. Why bother you with those pesky little details now?”

I narrowed my eyes. “That’s rude.”

“That’s real,” he said. “Forget the cattle. They’ll be sold, mark my words. He didn’t like them when he worked here.”

I was pacing and I stopped and turned back. “Worked here? What are you talking about?”

Ben’s brows furrowed. “He—was a senior ranch hand when I first came on.”

“What?” I stared at him, “No.”

His expression grew more serious. “He didn’t mention it?”

“No, and I would remember. I’ve known every man who worked here.” I raised a brow. “I brought the water every day, remember?”

“Well, he never did anything,” Ben said. “Never worked any of the outdoor jobs, and found things