Her Last Cowboy Christmas Read online

  He stepped over to the third door and said, “This is Apollo. He’s a bullmastiff. Part bulldog. Part mastiff.” Lance unlocked the door and held out his fist for the dog to sit. “He knows a few things. He’ll sit if you hold out your fist like this. And he’ll lay down if you point to the ground. He’s smart as anything. He came to us from the streets of LA.”

  With Apollo sitting, Lance stepped back and out of the way. “Come on, bud. Come say hi.”

  Apollo got up and approached, a smile on his doggy face, but his steps hesitant and slow. The woman crouched down and held out her hand for him to sniff, but he went to the wheelchair first. He licked Heaven’s hand first, and she giggled.

  Happiness moved through Lance. “He’s about five years old. Potty-trained. Crate-trained. Weighs about ninety pounds.”

  “Oh, he’s big,” the father said.

  “He’s big,” Lance confirmed, still gazing at Apollo, who had shoved his way between the mom’s knees. She patted him, and the dad bent down and did too.

  “I like him, Dad,” Heaven said.

  “Sweetie,” her father said. “They have forty-three dogs here. Let’s look at more than one, okay?”

  Lance flipped over the sheet and stepped over to the door to grab a clipboard. He wrote Apollo’s name on the back of the pink paper and grabbed a set of papers that would tell them more about the bullmastiff.

  “I’ve got a Dogue de Bordeaux that’s a little smaller. A female. She’s in another enclosure, if you want to meet her.”

  “Yes, let’s see a few,” the dad said, and Lance put Apollo back in his run and locked the door. While he was glad he had a family here that wanted a rescue dog, he had a feeling this adoption would take a while, and he had double chores to accomplish that day.

  At the same time, this adoption meant he had another reason to talk to Amber today. He’d watched her work with her baby goats for a few minutes that morning, and he’d walked away feeling foolish. He had her number. If he wanted contact with her, he could get it without stalking her.

  Six-thirty, he confirmed later that night, long after the family had taken Isabella, the Dogue de Bordeax home for the night. Long after he’d finished his and Dave’s chores. Send me your address so I can come pick you up.

  Amber responded a few seconds later with an address down in Pasadena. Lance felt weary to the bone, but he sure did like texting Amber in the darkness of his bedroom.

  Did you decide where you wanted to go? He wasn’t sure why she thought she wasn’t beautiful. Maybe she had some curves, but it was exactly those that made Lance’s mouth water. Or maybe the waves and waves of gently curled hair. Those brown eyes where he’d expected blue.

  Surprise me, she said. I’m so tired. I’ll see you tomorrow.

  Lance sent one more text—Okay—and clicked off his lamp too. Morning would come early, and he hoped time would continue to pass quickly until his date with Amber that night.

  The sun rose, and Lance got to work. Lunchtime came, and he still didn’t have a place for dinner that night. He didn’t get off the ranch as much as others—as Amber—and he wasn’t sure where would be a good place for their first date.

  Desperate and in need of help, he finally texted Ames and Cook, both cowboys who seemed to never have a shortage of dates. Where would be a good dinner place for a first date?

  He wasn’t expecting his phone to blow up, but it did, chiming every other second for a good half a minute.

  He shook his head as he chuckled, scrolling through the dozen places Ames and Cook had suggested.

  Cook’s last text made him pause. Who are you going out with?

  Amber. He typed out the letters and stared at them, the feeling so surreal. Finally. He was going out with Amber Haws, the woman he’d been fixated on for so long. His fingertips tingled, and he couldn’t believe he was only six short hours away from what he hoped would be a good date.

  “Please,” he whispered to his screen, intending the words to reach God’s ears.

  He sent the text and didn’t bother to put it back on the shelf yet. He expected Cook and Ames to be surprised, and sure enough, a dozen more texts came in. Everything from About time to Congratulations! to I’d definitely go with Pages.

  Lance had never heard of Pages, but his phone had the Internet, and he could look it up. Cook had said it was great food with a “low” atmosphere, which Lance didn’t understand. But the pictures on his phone painted a better picture for him.

  The place looked like it would be romantic, not filled with pounding music or anything that would make it hard to make conversation. The booths were big, and private, and the food looked amazing.

  Pages looks great, he sent to his friends. Thanks.

  Then he did set his phone down and got to work. After all, Hudson and Scarlett weren’t paying him to plan his dates.

  Lance could barely focus for the rest of the afternoon. Somehow, he got his chores done. Showered. Drove to the appointed address he’d typed into his map app.

  He found himself getting out of the truck and walking toward Amber’s front door, the feeling just as surreal now as it had been all day long.

  He’d imagined this moment so many times, and his pulse felt like it was trying to spring out of his body. He clutched the bouquet of flowers he didn’t remember buying and lifted his hand to ring the doorbell.

  It’s Amber, he told himself, hoping it would calm him. At the same time, the same words—it’s Amber—made him feel like throwing up. He’d wanted this date for so long—but what if it turned out badly?

  At least his fantasies always ended well. He felt like running away, but before he could move, the sound of the lock twisting met his ears, and he’d never get away without her seeing him now.

  Chapter 6

  Amber’s nerves fluttered in her throat as she took in the glorious sight of Lance on her front steps. He was cowboy perfection, and Amber had always had a weakness for a man in a cowboy hat.

  He smiled at her, seemingly perfectly at ease. His strong jaw begged her to touch it, probably moments before she kissed him. Startled she was thinking about kissing already, she only allowed herself a moment to take in the way his shoulders seemed to stretch so wide, that blue and yellow checkered shirt almost like the plaid he wore around the ranch. But more upscale.

  He wore jeans and his cowboy boots, but his hat was different tonight too.

  “Don’t you look great?” he asked, moving the fistful of flowers he held closer to her. “I know you like wildflowers.”

  She did, and she smiled as she took them. “Thank you.” She tipped forward and pressed her lips to his cheek. “You want to come in for a second while I put these in water? Do we have time?”

  “Sure,” he said. “Got nothing but time.”

  Amber wasn’t the cleanest person on the planet, but she liked things to be in their place. So she knew exactly where her vases were, and she asked him about his mother as she started clipping the stems.

  “She’s doin’ okay.” Lance exhaled heavily, which caused Amber to look up.

  “Is she?”

  “I mean, she seems to be.” He shrugged. “I go out there every Sunday. The house isn’t falling down, and she has the dog. I think she’s just lonely.”

  Amber nodded, because she understood loneliness. “Understandable.” Lance’s dad had passed away only a year or so ago, and she knew he missed him too.

  “What about your family?” he asked. “JJ is getting married?”

  A flash of hurt pressed behind her lungs. “Yes,” she managed to say as she poured the flower food into the water. “We went dress shopping yesterday, and wow. She’s going to have to postpone the wedding, because she is so particular.” She added a light laugh to the statement.

  Lance chuckled too, and Amber arranged the wildflowers in the vase and admired them. “They’re so beautiful,” she murmured.

  “Like you,” he said, stepping closer to her and slipping his hand into hers. “Are you ready?” />
  Amber only had to turn her head to look at him. He stood so close, giving off so much warmth and comfort. She just wanted to bask in it for a moment, so she squeezed his hand and leaned her shoulder into his.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice quiet and full of compassion.

  “Nothing,” she said, feeling weak and jealous and stupid about feeling weak and jealous. “Let me grab my purse, and I’ll be ready.” She put a smile on her face, but it didn’t quite sit right.

  Lance let her go, but when she faced him again, she saw that edge in his eyes. She’d seen it before around the ranch as they’d worked together. He was a smart man. He might not say everything he was thinking, but he saw things she tried to keep hidden from everyone else.

  “Where’s Cyclops?” he asked. “And I’m surprised you didn’t bring Gemini home with you. You loved the dog.”

  “I still do,” she said. “But she was meant to be with that family.” She sighed. “And Cyclops doesn’t like visitors. I’m sure she’s hiding in my bedroom.” She gave Lance a real smile this time. “I’m starving.”

  “Me too.” He took her hand again, but he didn’t step toward the door. He pulled her close, slipping his arm around her waist and holding her close. For one breathless moment, she thought he’d kiss her before they even went out.

  “We don’t have to go,” he said, his voice husky. His eyes drifted closed, and he leaned down to press his cheek to hers. “I just—I can tell something’s bothering you, and if you don’t want to go, that’s fine.”

  She swayed on her feet, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of his strength guiding her, or because she’d lost all rational thought at the scent of his cologne, or something else entirely.

  But she knew one thing: She wanted to go out with this man. She wanted everyone to see her with him, so they’d know he wasn’t available. Not that she’d seen him date much in the time they’d worked together.

  “I want to go,” she finally said, and he stepped back.

  “All right, then. Let’s go.” He led her to his truck then, and held the door for her while she climbed up. His feelings for her were obvious, and Amber watched him circle the truck to get in, debating on whether she should slide over and sit directly beside him on the seat.

  In the end, she didn’t. She’d been very forward with her last few boyfriends, and maybe it was time to try something different.

  “Have you been to Pages before?” he asked.

  “A few times,” she said. “It’s great.”

  He fiddled with the radio, turning it down. Amber caught part of the song and said, “I love this one.”

  She reached over and turned it back up, joy filling her from top to bottom. She belted out the next lyric, determined that her sister’s engagement would not cast a dark cloud over her life.

  Lance laughed, and Amber decided she didn’t care what she’d done on other dates. She slid across the seat, laughing with him. She took his hand in hers and leaned her head against his shoulder.

  This was going to be a great date, because she wanted it to be.

  The next day, Amber practically floated down the road and up the bluff to the ranch. Her evening with Lance had been fantastic. One of the very best first dates she’d ever been on. “The best,” she told herself as she went up the steps to the volunteer house and entered.

  “Hey.” Lance rose from the chair just inside the door, almost startling her.

  “Lance.” She carefully stepped all the way inside and closed the door behind her. There had been no kissing last night. He’d walked her to the door and held her tight, said he had the best time, and had turned to go. She’d watched him walk confidently back to his truck, wave to her, and drive off.

  “I got a call this morning,” he said. “I wanted to talk to you about it real quick before I head over to the Club.”

  “Sure.” She moved past him, somewhat disappointed he’d been waiting in the house to talk about business. He’d done it before, and they were at work. “What’s up?”

  “It was the track coach at Farnsworth High. He wondered if we might have some dogs that would like to go running with their students.”

  Amber put her purse on the desk, lifting her eyes to his. “Really?”

  “They’re about a mile from the entrance to the ranch,” he said. “Coach Tea said he’d have his students run up here, get the dogs, and they could all go for a run together. He thinks it’ll motivate some of his students and be good for the dogs.”

  Amber opened her laptop, though she wasn’t going to do anything on it while the gorgeous cowboy stood in front of her. “Do we have dogs that can handle that? It sounds like they might not be on leashes?”

  “Oh, they’ll have to be on leashes,” Lance said. “I can put together a short list of animals that could handle something like this. We have several.”

  Amber smiled at his enthusiasm. “If you think it’s worthwhile, do it.”

  “Do we have money in the budget to buy vests for them? Something that says ‘Adopt me at Last Chance Ranch,’ or something like that.”

  Light filled Amber’s soul, and she couldn’t help stepping closer to Lance. “That’s such a great idea,” she said. “I’ll talk to Sissy about it today.”

  “I’ll call you later then.” He stepped into her personal space, swept his lips across her cheek, and left.

  Amber stood there, hardly remembering to breathe or blink, and wondering if this brilliant feeling of being cherished would wear off. Lance almost seemed too good to be true.

  What if he was?

  Several days passed, and while Lance wasn’t in the volunteer house every morning when Amber arrived, as they worked together to put together this new running team of dogs, get vests ordered, and meet with the track coach and his students, Amber did see him more and more.

  He didn’t ask her out again. He seemed extraordinarily busy around the ranch, which honestly wasn’t anything new. There were always five thousand things happening around the ranch, and Lance was a hard worker.

  One day near the beginning of February, Amber sat at her desk, on the phone with Jewel’s secretary about the paperwork that had been turned in that week, when a bell started ringing.

  She jumped to her feet, because when the bell rang at Last Chance Ranch, something big was happening. Could be an amazing thing, or a terrible one. The bell had rung when coyotes had broken some fences, but it had also sounded at all the weddings here at the ranch, and when Jeri and Sawyer had brought home their baby.

  Hurrying to wrap up her conversation, she wished she could check her texts. Maybe something had come in. Then she’d know more what to do. The radio on her desk remained silent, so it must not be a life-threatening issue on the ranch.

  Which meant something else. No one was getting married, but she knew Scarlett and Hudson were trying to adopt, and Adele was pregnant and due very soon, and Dave and Sissy had a baby coming too. Could she have been born early?

  Excitement built in Amber. It had to be Adele, as she’d been on bedrest since Christmas. She dashed out the front door, still talking to Brenda. The volunteer house sat a few hundred yards down the road from the homestead, but the front door faced west. She could see a small crowd had already gathered there, and more people kept arriving.

  “I have to call you back,” she said as the bell continued to ring and ring. She wished she’d thought to jump in the car, but she hadn’t. Her shoes weren’t made for walking long distances, especially in dirt and gravel, but she hurried as quickly as she could.

  Amber wasn’t exactly out of shape, but yoga was a long cry from speed-walking, and she arrived at the homestead out of breath and a bit sweaty. Scarlett stood on the top step, her face shining with joy. Maybe they’d found a birth mother ready to adopt out her baby. Maybe the ranch had hit a milestone.

  The excitement hung in the air, and Amber couldn’t wait to hear what the news was. The veterinary staff had arrived ahead of her, and Dave leaned closer to Si
ssy and said something in a low voice. Amber wanted someone to share her life with too, and supreme gratitude descended on her that she was here, at this ranch, with these people.

  She felt such love from them, from this family of people who’d come together at this place.

  Tears filled her eyes, and she looked around for Lance, hoping he’d come stand by her and hold her hand.

  “We’re just going to wait another minute,” Scarlett called to everyone. “Hudson, ring the bell one more time.”

  Hudson did as she asked, and then he returned to Gramps’s side, a huge smile on his face. Amber couldn’t stand not knowing what they were so happy about. Of course, Scarlett had always been so happy for everyone and everything that happened on the ranch, and Amber really looked up to her.

  “Ah, here comes our Canine Club crew,” Scarlett said, and Amber couldn’t turn fast enough to find Lance. Their eyes met, and it was as though every other face faded away.

  He came toward her, a smile shining from his eyes. “Hey,” he said, a bit out of breath himself. “Did we miss it?”

  She leaned into his body and let him slip his arm around her waist. “Not yet.”

  Chapter 7

  Lance was keenly aware of Dave’s eyes on him. Sissy’s too. Heck, even Cook and Gray couldn’t stop looking at him and Amber. The whole situation felt surreal, to be honest. But Lance just let Amber take the lead, and she seemed to want to be close to him. He had no problem with it.

  “Okay,” Scarlett said. “We’ve rung the bell and waited, because we have double good news. I’ll go first, and then Hudson will tell the second part.”

  Lance had just arrived, but the level of energy in the air filled the sky. He didn’t have time to look around and see if Carson and Adele were there, but when he’d heard the bell, he’d expected it to be about their baby.