A Home of Her Own (Dundee, Idaho #4)(35)
Author: Brenda Novak

Don’t get attached. You can’t forget you’re not wanted here….

“Maybe I didn’t want to scare you and your family,” she said flippantly.

“Scare us?”

“Into thinking I might be getting comfortable.”

“No one would begrudge you a good Christmas, Lucky.”

She could’ve reminded him that his parents begrudged her everything. But she didn’t want to talk about what had happened in the hardware store. She was too busy realizing how much she liked it when Mike said her name. It told her that he was finally dealing with her as an adult instead of ignoring her as he had when she was younger. That in itself was a victory of sorts, although she wasn’t sure why. Especially when her name on his lips brought back memories she was better off forgetting. He’d said her name a lot that night at the motel. He’d also said other things he couldn’t possibly have meant.

Jerking her thoughts back to the conversation, she lightened her tone. “I have too much to do to worry about Christmas this year.”

“Will you be spending the holidays here in town, then?”

He didn’t add “alone,” but the implication was there, and the humiliation of having no one, not one friend or family member to share the holiday with, wounded Lucky’s pride. Especially when he was so admired and well-liked that she couldn’t imagine him ever facing the same situation. “No, of course not. Why would I stay here? My brothers have invited me to Washington,” she said, even though she hadn’t even called to let them know she was in Dundee. “I’m going to fly up there at the end of the week.”

“That’s a good idea.”

She heard relief in his response; no doubt he was already planning to pass the good news on to his mother. “It should be fun.” She paused briefly. “You’ll be busy with all your family’s festivities, huh?”

“My mother insists on cooking a big dinner every Christmas Eve.”

“Is your extended family invited?”

“Yeah. That’s when we exchange gifts.”

Lucky pictured his big, happy family all gathered together to eat and laugh and talk. She could imagine the camaraderie….

“But Christmas itself should be pretty quiet,” he went on, as if he might be aware of her feelings. “We reserve that day for individual families. I usually work, believe it or not.”

He’d be home on Christmas Day. She’d have to keep that in mind if she didn’t go to Washington.

“Have you already done your shopping?” she asked.

“Most of it.”

She liked the image of Mike rambling through a department store, trying to find things other people might like. “Where did you buy your gifts? Boise?”

“So far I got everything online.”

“That would be easiest.”

“When you live where we do.”

“Right. Well, have a good holiday,” she said, and started to hang up.

“Lucky?”

She paused again. “What?”

“That night at the motel was—”

Disappointment stabbed through her as she anticipated his next words. “Don’t finish. I already know what you’re going to say.”

“What’s that?”

“It was a mistake and now you regret it. I regret it, too, of course, but what’s done is done.”

Silence. Lucky held her breath, waiting. Finally, he said, “That isn’t what I was going to say at all.”

She nervously smoothed her left eyebrow with two fingers. “What, then?” Her tone challenged him to let her have it, promised that nothing he said could hurt her. That was what she wanted him to believe.

“I’m sorry you regret it,” he said, “because as far as I’m concerned, it was unforgettable.”

His response left Lucky speechless for perhaps the first time in her life, but he didn’t wait for her to recover. He hung up, leaving her so dumbfounded she couldn’t move.

“WHO WAS THAT?”

Mike glanced up as his brother strode into his office. Mike normally didn’t expect Josh to knock or give him any other kind of notice when he was around. They used to live together, still worked together and owned the ranch as equal partners. But Josh had been working at home more and more since he’d married Rebecca and only now did Mike realize how accustomed he’d become to being alone after hours and on weekends.

Mike didn’t want to tell Josh he’d just been talking to Lucky, so he deflected his brother’s question by asking one himself. “What are you doing here?”

“Checking in.”

“How’d it go at Mom’s after I left?”

“Good.”

“Where’s Rebecca?”

Josh crossed to the window and stared out toward the barn. “She took Brian home. He was getting cranky.”

“Why didn’t you go with her?”

“I had to pick up some paperwork. Old man Hackett is driving me nuts. First he wants to buy Hezacharger, then he doesn’t. I’m not sure we’ll ever come to terms, which makes me a little hesitant to go out on a limb and buy Mira’s Love. We’re going to need plenty of operating capital over the next few months.”

“The breeding season is shaping up nicely. We’re booked solid,” Mike said.

“Still, if we have to keep Hezacharger, maybe we should hold off on new acquisitions.”

Mike shrugged. Normally he felt pretty strongly on this subject. He thought Mira’s Love was one of the best stallions he’d ever seen and didn’t think they should pass up the opportunity to buy him, regardless of whether or not they could sell Hezacharger, but his mind wasn’t on business today.

“Where were you earlier?” Josh asked, leaning a shoulder against the wall.

“What do you mean?”

“Where’d you go after you left Mom and Dad’s?”

Mike scowled. “Does it matter?”

Josh didn’t answer right away. Finally, he said, “Gabriel Holbrook’s been trying to reach you.”

“You talked to Gabe?”

“When no one answered out here, he called Mom and Dad’s.”

“I must’ve been outside.” Hating how quickly this new lie rolled off his tongue, Mike focused on straightening his desk. He and Josh had always been honest with each other. But he knew his brother wouldn’t understand why he’d spent his afternoon doing what he’d done. He didn’t even understand it.