Free Christmas at Blue Moon Ranch by Lynnette Kent Page B

make
sense.” Daniel stifled his first impulse, which was to ride—what was the
expression…hell for leather?—back to the Blue Moon and confront Willa about the
rustling immediately. “Do you think this is the only break in the fence?”
    In the course of
the day, they discovered two more points where the wire had been cut, plus four
places where the line had been dragged down by the cattle themselves. They made
note of the locations, so the hands could ride out on Monday and start making
repairs.
    “We’ll get this
taken care of before the cattle arrive,” Nate assured him. “Looks like the
pasture and the water holes are in good shape otherwise. That rainstorm we had
coupla weeks ago really did some good for the grass.”
    “Glad to hear
it.” Daniel avoided thinking about the storm, and the night with Willa, as much
as possible. Fortunately, he worked so hard most days that he fell into bed too
exhausted even to dream…well, except for those early mornings when he awoke
sweating and stiff with desire, and the fragrance of Willa’s hair was as real
to him as the sheet clenched in his fists.
    Back at the barn
in the late afternoon, he helped Nate settle the horses for the night, said
goodbye to his foreman until Monday morning and gave himself the luxury of a
long, hot shower. Then, cleaned up but no less furious than he had been at
eleven that morning, he drove his truck down to the Mercado house and stopped
in the drive.
    Rosa greeted him
at the front door. “Why, Major Trent, what a pleasure to see you! Please, come
in.” She led the way into the main parlor, with its high ceiling, gold-framed
paintings and more of the dark wood furniture with leather upholstery that he’d
seen in the dining room.
    “Is Willa here?”
    “I believe she
came in a few minutes ago. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour. Can I
persuade you to stay?”
    He thought of
what he had to say to her niece. “Thanks, Miss Rosa, but I…I’m going into town
when I leave here. Another time, maybe.”
    Her eyebrows
drew together in disappointment. “That’s too bad. I hope you can join us soon. Have
a seat and I’ll find Willa for you.”
    Daniel didn’t
sit down, but browsed the pictures on the walls, instead. He was examining the
recent portrait of a handsome man in a National Guard uniform—Jamie Mercado, he
was sure—when footsteps approached on the tile floor of the entry hall.
    He turned to
find Willa standing in the doorway. “Daniel? I’m surprised to see you.” Her
tone was startled but not unfriendly. She even smiled a little.
    The sight of her
was enough to weaken his resolve. He didn’t want to fight with Willa Mercado. He
wanted to make her laugh, to hold her hand and kiss those wide, soft lips.
    Then he gave
himself a mental kick in the butt. “I was surprised, myself, when Nate and I
found evidence this morning that rustlers have been stealing your cattle.”
    Willa stepped
forward to grip the back of a chair. “I—”
    “I can
understand your reluctance to sell off part of the Blue Moon. I gave up
expecting a neighborly welcome, and you did warn me not to look to you for
help.”
    Even from across
the room, he could see her cheeks flush bright red at the memory.
    “But I had a
right to know about the rustlers, Willa. You should have told me my cattle
would be at risk on that property. Anyone I hire to work for me is in danger if
we decide to interfere and these misfits play rough. By any standard, you owed
me a warning. What the hell were you thinking?”
    Willa rounded
the chair, dropped onto the seat and covered her face with her hands. “I—I
didn’t expect you to move so fast. I thought you would take more time to get
your crew, set up your operation.”
    “So you were
planning to tell me at some point?”
    She looked up
and nodded. “Of course. I hoped having somebody on the northern side of the
ranch would create a buffer between the Blue Moon and the rustlers. I’d planned
to work with