Outside of lunch, Emma spent much of the day in her room napping. Now she was wide awake and probably would be for the rest of the night. An hour ago, Dylan had phoned her room to check up on her. She wondered why he had made the call himself instead of asking the front desk to do it, then she figured after he’d seen her at her worst, the formality of their relationship had gone out the window.
To her surprise, he asked if she would be interested in going on a group sleigh ride, and even warned that if she did, she had to either ride up front with him or Wes, because the seats had already been reserved by couples. After Sandy had mentioned sleigh riding yesterday, she didn’t care where she rode as long as she got to go. She had never thought she’d have the opportunity to ride in an open sleigh and refused to pass up the chance.
The crisp sting of cold Montana air against her cheeks couldn’t quell her excitement. The landscape was majestic once she took the time to appreciate it. Last night’s snow had heavily blanketed the trees. The below-freezing temperatures had created a thin ice-covered crust on top of the snow, creating a diamond-like sparkle. And when the winds gently blew, the horizon exploded in a magical dance of glistening elegance. She thought she had stepped into a photograph. Mother Nature had outdone herself.
Dylan and Wes approached their group wearing bright red snow pants and heavy black boots. Their red parkas hung open revealing red suspenders over white thermal shirts. Santa wished he looked that sexy. They led two teams of palomino-colored Belgian draft horses pulling two large red sleighs. Actual sleighs, like in the Christmas song! Emma practically bounced up and down like a little kid.
When Sandy had mentioned sleigh riding yesterday, she thought she was joking. Today at lunch Emma had asked what horse breeds the ranch owned. Dylan’s question about who they would be sold to after the sale still bothered her and she wanted to learn all she could about the magnificent animals.
It puzzled Emma why Silver Bells wasn’t advertising sleigh rides and snowcat tours. After scouring their website again, she finally found mention of both tour packages at the end of the booking page. Both items needed to be front and center. From a tourist’s standpoint, those activities would have drawn her in. But there was no mention of either in their brochures, which were sparse and outdated. They didn’t even mention Wi-Fi. It baffled her and explained why the new competition had gobbled up their customers. She’d love to see the ranch’s marketing budget.
“Okay, momma-to-be. You get to board first.” A sexy cowboy Santa jarred her back to reality. “Do you want to ride with me or my brother?” Dylan asked.
“I guess you,” Emma answered wondering how he would have reacted if she had said Wes.
Dylan guided her to the first row of the sleigh. He had lined the front seat with layers of faux fur blankets to keep her warm while the rest of the rows only had a wool blanket. He had expected her to choose him and it made her feel like a princess in one of those Hallmark movies. Okay, so Dylan was no Prince Charming, and she had never seen a pregnant princess in a fairytale, but she allowed herself the fantasy for a few minutes. Work be damned, she was going to enjoy every second of her sleigh ride.
Dylan slid in beside her. The length of his strong, muscular body pressed against her side as he picked up the reins and clucked his tongue. The sound of sleigh bells jingled as the horses plodded through the snow with ease. She never imagined herself riding in a horse-drawn sleigh through the Montana wilderness. Okay, so it wasn’t exactly the wild here on the ranch, but close enough to it.
“I don’t think I’ve seen anyone smile that big before,” Dylan said.
“You have no idea.” Emma looked behind her to see if the other passengers were as excited as she was. Some of them came close, but she owned it. “I’ve wanted to do this since I was old enough to know what a horse-drawn sleigh was. It’s near the top of my bucket list.”
“I knew it. I knew you had a list.” Dylan laughed.
“Doesn’t everybody?”
Dylan shrugged. “I don’t.”
“Sure you do. It doesn’t have to be written down to be a bucket list.” Emma nudged him playfully with her elbow. “Come on, what’s something you absolutely must do before you die?”
“Raise a family.”
And in the frigid cold of the Montana winter, Emma melted.
* * *
EMMA’S ENTHUSIASM WAS contagious. Even he found himself in a better mood than he’d been in all day. “Why don’t you lead us off in 'Jingle Bells'?”
“Me?” She laughed heartily. “I don’t sing. At least not very well.”
“The horses don’t mind and neither do I.” He playfully nudged her arm. “Entertain us.”
For someone who didn’t sing, she didn’t take much coaxing. She belted out the song at the top of her lungs and then actually looked surprised when the rest of the group joined in. Within minutes, their sleigh was out-singing his brother’s.
He sighed at the realization these moments with his brother were about to end. He’d miss Wes once he moved. One more loss to add to the list. Regardless of how he felt, he couldn’t fault him for wanting to move on with his life.
In a way, he was beginning to understand what Jax had meant when he told Emma one of the reason’s he was selling was so Dylan could move on from Lauren and the kids. His uncle didn’t realize he had made that transition years ago. A part of him wondered if Jax sensed he was going to die. Was that what drove him to sell the place Dylan always assumed he had loved more than life? If the sale had happened first, Dylan would have had money without any responsibilities. But Jax had failed to realize that the responsibility of the ranch made him happy. Now more than ever, he wanted to keep Silver Bells in memory of his uncle. Maybe listening to Emma’s presentation would give him ideas on how to save the ranch.
After an hour-and-a-half long sleigh ride, Dylan and Wes dropped their guests off in front of the lodge. Sandy had warm apple cider, hot chocolate and cookies waiting for the guests while Dylan and Wes finished tending to their teams.
After they had joined everyone at the lodge, Wes disappeared within minutes. Probably with whatever single woman was available. His brother believed in loving and leaving them fast before either of them got attached. Dylan on the other hand, hadn’t been with anyone since Lauren.
He set out in search of Emma, hoping the ride hadn’t been too much for her. Although, by the looks of things, she’d had the time of her life. And that’s what he wanted her to experience every day.
He found her sitting in the same chair by the fireplace that he had helped her out of only two days prior. This time, she was holding Melinda’s infant daughter in her arms. He couldn’t imagine another woman looking more beautiful or natural holding a baby than Emma Slade.
Sheridan!
Her last name was Sheridan. Dylan couldn’t believe his subconscious gave her his last name. Sure, he was attracted to Emma and had even enjoyed getting to know her better over the past few days, but that’s where it ended. He had too much going on in his life even to consider marriage to anyone. Especially when he had zero claim to her child.
No.
Definitely not.
Dylan shook his head. He and Emma weren’t anything other than two people thrown together by happenstance. If she hadn’t been after the ranch, neither one of them would have ever given the other a second look. Okay, so he would have looked. But she wouldn’t have.
“Do you have a tick or something?” Luke interrupted his thoughts.
“What? No. Why?” Dylan stared at the man.
“You’re shaking your head like the dogs do when something’s biting at them.” Luke looked from Dylan to Emma and back again.
“Oh. Now it makes sense.”
“What makes sense?” Dylan felt his good mood beginning to slip away.
“Emma’s caught your eye. Sandy told me there was some romance brewing between the two of you.”
“Sandy needs to stop spreading rumors.” Dylan rolled his eyes. “I assure you, there is nothing going on except genuine concern for her and her daughter. I thought she was losing that baby. I’ve never seen someone so scared in my entire life. Never mind how terrified I was. But they’re safe now, and I’ll make sure they continue to be safe for as long as she’s here.”
“Yep. You’ve got it bad, man.” Luke slapped him on the back. “She looks pretty good holding that baby, doesn’t she?”
Dylan took off his hat and whacked Luke with it. “I do not have it bad for her.” Suddenly the room felt hot and for a minute, he thought he might suffocate. He had no romantic feelings for Emma whatsoever. And he planned to keep it that way.
* * *
AFTER HER HEART slowed to a normal rate, Emma began to enjoy holding Gabriella in her arms. She had always heard people say nothing smelled better than a baby. She couldn’t fathom what they meant. She had always equated babies with smelly diapers and sour spit-up. Now she understood the meaning. Gabriella had a certain scent. It was like a new car scent for humans. It was innocent and clean.
And those tiny fingers! Gabriella wrapped her hand around Emma’s index finger and didn’t let go. She couldn’t believe the amount of strength a six-month-old had. She was a bundle of perfection, making Emma even more excited to meet her own daughter. The next eight weeks would be agonizingly slow. And she still wasn’t the least bit prepared.
Hopefully the doctor would clear her after the two weeks, but there weren’t any guarantees. She wondered if she ordered baby items online if they would arrive at the ranch before she left for home due to the holidays. She couldn’t have them sent to her apartment in Chicago because nobody was there to receive them. She could try shopping in town, not that she expected them to have anything that she needed.
She had handled her entire pregnancy poorly. She’d put everything baby-related on the back burner while she focused solely on her career. It hadn’t mattered how many times she had sworn she wouldn’t repeat her mother’s patterns, because that was exactly what she had done.
She should have completed her daughter’s nursery already. Her desk and bookcases along with boxes of client research files still filled the room. She couldn’t move them until she figured out how to make an office fit elsewhere in the apartment. She needed to get rid of half of what she owned to make room for the baby’s things. The office was a definite must, so either the living room or the dining area needed to go. Eating at a table was overrated, anyway.
None of it may matter, though. She’d have to move into a one-bedroom elsewhere if she didn’t close this deal. The lower salary of her demoted position wouldn’t cover her current rent.
Anxiety rapidly replaced Emma’s short-lived baby joy.
“Are you all right?” Melinda asked.
“No. I’m not.” Gabriella began to cry in her arms.
Melinda lifted the baby and gently rocked her. “It’s okay. She’s just picking up on your tension. You should be happy. You’re about to have a baby.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“Talk to us.” Sandy perched on the overstuffed arm of the chair. “Maybe we can help.”
“I wish it were that simple.” Emma filled in Melinda, Rhonda and Sandy about her apartment situation. She left out the part regarding the sale of the ranch. As far as they knew, the deal was off. They’d hate her if they found out she still intended to change Dylan’s mind.
“I don’t know much about Chicago, but I can tell you downsizing was the best thing I’ve ever done,” Rhonda said. “I had an apartment before I started working here a few years ago. It was filled with more crap than I knew what to do with. I was juggling multiple jobs depending on the season. I was working non-stop to keep a roof over all my possessions. Then I realized they were possessing me. When Jax told me that room and board were part of my salary here, I hesitated to accept the job. I went home and took inventory of everything I owned. You know what? Ninety percent of it was stuff I could live without. I sold some of it, gave the rest away and moved in here. I have more money now, even though I make less cash because of the room and board. You might be surprised with what you can do without.”
“I don’t mean to sound harsh.” Melinda continued to rock Gabriella, who had gone from crying to cooing. “But I’m a single mom living with an infant in one room that doesn’t even have a kitchen in it. Is it ideal? No, but it’s not impossible. Regardless whether you move or not, don’t get hung up on having a separate office space or a separate baby space. Your daughter isn’t going to care if she shares a room with you or if the walls are painted pink. Baby furniture can be ordered online and if you don’t have anyone to put the crib together for you, buy from a local store and pay the extra charge for them to put it together or get a portable crib. I don’t mean one of those fabric and mesh play yards, I mean a wooden portable crib on wheels. They fold open, set up in seconds and look like a real crib. You can wheel it right into your bedroom. If you’re anything like me, you’ll want your baby sleeping near you at night.”
“One trip to Walmart and you’ll be able to pick up all the necessities or you can order it all online and have it shipped,” Sandy chimed in. “Melinda had a baby registry there.”
They made it sound so logical. “I don’t have a baby registry.”
“Guess what we’re doing after dinner?” Rhonda wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “You’ve got this, girl. Just remember, the simpler you keep things, the easier they are to change down the line.”
A couple hours later, Emma had successfully filled out her baby registry with the womens’ help. Even if no one purchased a single item, she had a list of everything she needed and could order it all with a few simple clicks.
Feeling more in control, Emma headed back to her room. She scanned the great room and dining area along the way, hoping to see Dylan. She still needed to convince him to sell, although now it felt like a betrayal to her newfound friends.
He’d kept his distance from her since they’d arrived back at the lodge. She had expected him to join her for dinner as he had during previous meals, but instead he fixed a plate and disappeared. It was as if a switch had flipped when he saw her holding Gabriella. Maybe he’d gotten a good dose of her soon-to-be reality. She couldn’t fault him for it. Men didn’t want to be bothered with pregnant women.
Two hours later, Dylan texted Emma to meet him in what used to be Jax’s old office near the rear of the lodge and he’d listen to her proposal. She didn’t even know he had her number. But it didn’t matter. She finally had her chance and she refused to blow it.
He silently held the door for her as she entered. No hello, how are you? No greeting of any kind. She could understand him wanting to get down to business, but this bordered on rudeness.
“Are you ready to get started? You have an hour.” All friendliness had vanished from his voice, leaving behind a cold detachment. She wondered if he’d have more warmth toward a total stranger.
“Did I upset you in some way?” Emma asked. There was no point in giving a presentation to a contentious audience. She already felt as if she was wasting both of their time.
“You’ve asked me for this repeatedly and I’m giving it to you. What’s the problem?”
Emma sat her bag on the chair across from his desk. “You could at least be cordial.” When he didn’t respond, she almost turned around and walked out. A soft kick from her daughter reminded her how much rode on this presentation. “Where can I set up?”
They both looked around the room. Stacks of papers, folders and worn loose-leaf binders littered every hard surface. The office had been disorganized when she’d met Jax there, but not to this extent.
“What happened in here?” she asked.
“I did.” Dylan grabbed an empty file box from the floor and began piling papers into it. He set it on top of a haphazard stack of folders. “My uncle’s so-called filing system is getting the best of me.” He faced her, making eye contact for the first time since she’d walked through the door. “Question... Did Jax disclose all of the ranch’s debt during your negotiations?”
“Yes. It was part of our due diligence. I can email you the spreadsheet.”
Dylan laughed. “A spreadsheet. That would have been nice to have had earlier. You’d think he’d have his own.”
“He did. At least, I sent him mine for his approval.”
Dylan sat down behind the desk. “I still haven’t figured out how to access his email. I’d appreciate seeing what you have. I’m just glad my uncle had the foresight to make me the only heir to his estate or else I’d be scrambling to find a way to buy out my brothers. Jax had every scenario covered in the event of illness or death.”
“I know.” Emma unzipped her laptop case. “He didn’t want to leave anything to chance.”
“How would you know that?” The gruffness in his voice took her by surprise. She looked up to see him staring at her incredulously.
“That’s part of what we do. We examine all contractual documentation, which is why the process takes so long.” She set her computer on the desk. “Your uncle couldn’t have sold the ranch without your shares. Why did you go along with it if you were that set against it? You could have bought him out.”
Dylan reclined in his chair and regarded her silently before answering. Charlie did the same thing when she asked a question and it bugged the heck out of her. It was as if they were weighing what they should or shouldn’t say around her.
“My family has gone through a lot of heartache and misery in recent years. Fighting my uncle would have torn it apart further. Neither of us could afford to buy the other out. The ranch was our life. Silver Bells is all we own after investing every penny we had into it.”
Emma hadn’t realized how tight Dylan’s financial situation was, which made selling even more logical to her. “What were you planning to do after the ranch sold?”
“I hadn’t committed to anything yet. My share of the sale would have been decent but not nearly enough to buy another guest ranch. I was interested in a place not far from here, but they had to come way down on the price. The day I made up my mind to buy it, someone else beat me to it with a full price offer. I couldn’t counter at that point. Not that it matters anymore. I can float the ranch for only so long. And from the debts I discovered tonight, I won’t be able to float it for as long as I thought. I’m curious to see how much debt your spreadsheet tells me I still haven’t found.”
“Is that why you’re willing to listen to my proposal? Because of Jax’s debt?” Emma hated being Dylan’s last resort. Yes, she wanted him to sell, but because he saw a future and happiness elsewhere. Not because he didn’t have any other choice.
“I looked at a few smaller places—around ten to fifteen acres at most—just to live on, but that will tie up my money in case I find a guest ranch I can afford. I had just begun to expand my search into Wyoming near my brother Garrett when Jax died.” The leather chair creaked as he tilted it back and rocked. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? I’m the sole owner of a guest ranch—which is what I wanted—but I can’t afford to update it. You already knew that, though. Just like you apparently know more about the ranch finances than I do. Hell, after what you told me yesterday, you may have even known Jax better than me.”
Emma didn’t like the undercurrent of the conversation. “There’s no need to take this out on me.” If Dylan wanted to vent, she’d listen, but she wasn’t going to tolerate his anger when she had done nothing wrong. “I get that you’re upset, but don’t get mad at me because of your uncle’s lack of communication.”
Dylan placed both hands on the desk and slowly rose. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He picked up her laptop and handed it to her. “I think we should table this presentation for another time. I’m discovering more than I had anticipated about a lot of things.”
Emma jammed the computer into the case and slung the strap over her shoulder. “That’s fine.” She turned and reached for the door, leaving him to wallow in his misery.
“Nah, honey, I mean it. I really am sorry.”
Emma sighed. She should keep going and not look back. After all, tomorrow was another day. Nope... Even channeling her inner Scarlett O’Hara wouldn’t save her from his ornery Rhett Butler attitude.
She turned to face him. “We don’t have to discuss work. If you want a shoulder to lean on, I’m available. We’re stuck here together. Might as well make the best of it, right? I thought we were becoming friends.”
“I don’t want to be friends with you.”
“Wow! You don’t mince words, do you?”
“Nope.”
“Well, I’m certainly not staying where I’m not wanted.” He’d passed rudeness and gone straight to impertinent ass. Emma stormed out of his office and through the lodge, hoping nobody would see her. She’d been a fool to allow any man to get under her skin during her pregnancy. Romance wasn’t an option. There wasn’t room in her heart for anyone except her daughter, and she had already neglected her daughter’s needs because of some tired old ranch. She’d jeopardized her and her baby’s health in order to convince Dylan Slade to change his mind. No job was worth that risk.
Charlie had offered to send someone in her place twice and she had said no. If she had agreed and they succeeded in finalizing the paperwork, she still would have had a 50-50 chance of getting her promotion, since the majority of the work had been hers and they couldn’t penalize her for being pregnant. Instead, she had balked at the idea of allowing anyone to help her because she didn’t like their condescending attitude. She had learned a long time ago that in business there were times when swallowing your pride was necessary. This was one of them.
She jammed the key into the lock of her door. Tomorrow she would look into finding a new place to stay. Even if Dylan had listened to her presentation, it wouldn’t have mattered. He’d made up his mind and she had made up hers. It was time to give up.
“You don’t understand.” Suddenly, Dylan was behind her and filled her doorway before she had a chance to shut the door.
Emma tossed her laptop case on the bed and faced him. “I understood you perfectly.”
Dylan closed the distance between them in two long strides. “Being friends with you means not being able to touch you. Not being able to kiss you or hold you in my arms.” He held her face in his hands. “Dammit woman, I lose my senses when I’m around you.”
His mouth crashed down upon hers, claiming every bit of resolve she had left. She wanted to push him away and avoid the roller coaster of emotions that were certain to accompany this—whatever this was. Instead, she pulled him closer, tasted him deeper and allowed him to brand her with his kisses.
They broke apart and in between panted breaths he whispered, “I don’t know you well enough to ask you to stay, but I know enough not to let you go. Not yet.”
“This is crazy.” Her hands splayed across his chest, wanting to push him away...knowing nothing good could come out of this. His fingers lightly trailed down her neck and shoulders until his arms wound around her, drawing her closer to him. “This can never work. We can never work.”
Dylan eased her toward the bed. “I know we can’t. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the next two weeks together.” He shifted her body, so he could sit on the edge of the bed while she stood in front of him. He lifted her hands and placed them on her belly. Covering them with his own, he smiled as he looked up at her. “Let’s see where this takes us. Maybe it won’t lead to anything more than a beautiful Christmas memory. Then again, maybe it will be the first of many Christmas memories.”
Dylan said the words any woman would love to hear. Any woman who wasn’t pregnant and didn’t live sixteen hundred miles away. “Dylan, be realistic. I live in Chicago and I come with an eighteen-year commitment. A child is a surreal thought, even for me, and I’m the one who’s pregnant. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to take on that responsibility.”
“It’s not an unfamiliar responsibility to me. I’ve been a father before. And I would’ve continued being one if my marriage hadn’t fallen apart. My father was a family man and he raised me to be the same way. Children don’t scare me. But the thought of not having the chance to find out if there is more between us terrifies me. I realized that today.”
“Is that why you disappeared after you saw me holding Gabriella?”
“Yes and no. That only confirmed it. It began to hit me this morning when I was driving to the hospital. I realized I couldn’t wait to see you. And when the doctor said you had to stay in town for two weeks, I panicked. You were too close and I knew I’d be too tempted to see if we had a chance. And I was right. Between the sleigh ride and seeing you with a baby, I knew I had to find a way out. So I dove into my uncle’s finances, hoping I could find a missing bank account or some way to make you leave and stay away for good. Then it hit me. I didn’t want you to go.”
“But I can’t stay, either.” Emma crossed the room to gain whatever space she could from him. She needed to think clearly and rationally and being near him clouded her judgment. “All we have are these two weeks, and then I’m gone. I won’t change my mind, Dylan, just as you won’t change your mind and sell me the ranch. Why did you ask me to give you my presentation tonight?”
“Because I wanted to steal your ideas and see if I could use them to find my own investors.”
“Wow.” Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. “That’s honest.”
Dylan rose from the bed. “I’d never be anything but honest with you.”
“But you’re not being honest with yourself. So I’ll have to be honest enough for the both of us.” Emma willed herself to deny him. “I don’t think I’m strong enough for a two-week fling with you. Not because I’m afraid I’ll stay. I know I won’t. I’m afraid my heart will shatter when I leave.”
“Then let me hold it in the palm of my hand and keep it safe. Give us a chance.”
Emma closed her eyes. Her heart told her to say yes while her brain screamed no!
No!
No!
“Yes, let’s make a Christmas memory.”