Mistletoe Mistake (River's End Ranch Book 35) Read online

  “To me? Oh, nothing, really. That it has something to do with me.”

  “It? It what?” Gillian said as she glanced back toward Jaclyn.

  “I don’t know, really,” Aaron said with a laugh. “She did say you’re a very special lady, though. And I couldn’t argue.”

  Gillian’s cheeks flushed a bit, and he thought she looked even more lovely, if that was possible. She seemed flustered, though, and a little uncomfortable, so he escorted her to their table and went back to get their glasses of champagne he’d left on the silent auction table.

  He breathed a small sigh of relief that Jaclyn had moved on. She was dancing with a man and only taking periodic peeks in his direction.

  When he returned to their table, Gillian was standing, her arms folded over her chest, talking to a younger man. He was maybe Fred’s age, his hair slicked back and his hands in his pockets. He rocked back from his heels to his toes, and Gillian frowned up at him.

  “Ed, I really don’t think you should get involved. The Franklins are a very nice young couple and they’re working their problems out. Just let it be for a while.”

  “Gillian, you know as well as I do that they’re in distress, and it’s a perfect time for me to make an offer,” the young man said. “I wouldn’t be a good real estate developer if I didn’t look out for good deals.”

  “Predatory deals, you mean,” she said as her eyes narrowed at him.

  He took his hands out of his pockets and held his palms out toward her.

  “Surely you don’t mean that, Gillian. We’ve got the same thing in mind. The best interests of the Franklins, of course,” he said as he hid a smile behind his hand.

  “I’m warning you, Ed. If you try to snatch that ranch out from underneath them, I’ll—”

  “Gillian?” Aaron cut in as he set the champagne down and stood by her side. “Everything all right?”

  Ed’s nose lifted slightly as he looked down at it toward Aaron. “I’m certain this isn’t any of your business,” he said, his voice sounding a little more nasally than it had prior.

  Gillian cleared her throat. “Ed Thompson, this is Aaron Hamilton, Fred’s new wife’s uncle. He’s from Texas and staying in Riston for a while.”

  “Hm,” Ed said as he tentatively held his hand out to shake Aaron’s.

  It was a bit of a moist and wimpy handshake, and Aaron thought of how many people like this he’d met in his career. Unfortunately.

  “Happy to meet you, Aaron. Have we met? Your name sounds familiar.”

  Aaron was certain that if he’d met someone this slick, he’d have remembered. He never forgot an adversary and he knew for sure that if they’d ever entered into a deal together in any form, they’ve have been on opposite sides of the fence.

  “No, I’m sure we haven’t,” Aaron said, holding back the second “Nice to meet you, too,” part that was standard.

  Ed didn’t notice, but Gillian looked up at him and smiled.

  “Ed, I mean it. Leave the Franklins alone. Their hearts are in that ranch and I aim to help them. The property isn’t for sale.”

  “I’ve made a reasonable offer—”

  “Hardly!” Gillian cut in.

  “—And you really are ethically bound to let them know. I’ll give you one week before I contact them myself.”

  Gillian started to say something, but Ed nodded in Aaron’s direction and walked toward the bar.

  “Well, I never...” Gillian started before she turned to Aaron and accepted the champagne he held out to her. “Actually, I have. He’s just not a very nice man.”

  Aaron pulled a chair out for her and she sat.

  “Tell me what’s happening. Maybe I can help,” he said, although she had no idea what he’d done for his career or that he even might be able to help. Her passionate concern for her clients warmed his heart, and he found himself drawn to the story of the Franklins.

  “And I told them I’d go out to the ranch tomorrow, to see if there was anything we could do. You know, maybe see how the ranch is running, maybe even streamline some of it. They want so badly to be successful in their new home. And I’d like that for them.”

  “Let me go with you,” Aaron said. “I’d love to meet them, and it would give me a chance to see the valley. What I’ve seen so far is breathtaking.”

  “What about Allen and Opal?” she asked.

  “They’re taking a trip to Boise for a few days to see about the community college there. My sense is that they’re not ready to leave Olivia.” He wasn’t either, if he were honest. There was much more to River’s End Ranch than met the eye—and he thought maybe a big part of it was sitting right in front of him.

  Chapter 11

  “Mrs. Wharton?”

  Gillian’s eyes fluttered as a voice pulled her from a very deep sleep. The sun hadn’t yet peeked over the mountains, but the familiar purple of the mountains just before sunrise told her what time it was.

  She sat up and rubbed her neck. She looked toward the kitchen, and Opal stood with a coffee pot in her hand.

  “Oh, goodness. I’m sorry. I must have fallen asleep here on the...couch?” She looked down and realized she was still wearing her red dress from the gala.

  Her neck was stiff but her head cleared quickly. She spotted the legal pad on the coffee table and it all came back to her.

  She’d driven home with Fred, Olivia and Opal after the gala. She’d been so incensed by Ed Thompson that she wasn’t tired, and even before she changed out of her party dress, she’d sat down with the legal pad and Olivia’s notes that she’d brought home—and a calculator. Ed Thompson ruining the lives of her clients was the last thing she was going to let happen, and apparently she fell asleep with numbers still spinning through her head.

  “Coffee?” Opal asked as she held out a mug toward her.

  “Thank you, my dear. I can’t remember the last time that happened.”

  “I can,” Fred said as he stepped out of his suite with Olivia following close behind.

  “Are you all right?” Olivia asked as she sat down beside Gillian on the sofa.

  “Yes, of course I am,” she said, searching the room for her shoes.

  “Remember last year when the ranch the Franklins bought was for sale, and there was a danger that it would have to go for estate taxes? You worked night and day for weeks to find a compromise for the grandchildren.”

  “Oh, right,” Gillian said and she smiled at Olivia and Opal. “I do tend to get caught up a bit in what’s best for our clients.”

  Fred laughed. “That’s an understatement. I’m pretty sure what you’ll say, but I think you should postpone your trip out to the Franklins’ today. A blizzard is forecast and it’s already starting to snow a bit. That’s a long road out there and we could just stay home and play games.”

  Gillian shook her head. “You know I can’t do that, Fred. I’ve lived here for many years and I’m not afraid of a snowstorm. Besides, I’ve got company.”

  Olivia’s eyebrows rose and she exchanged a quick glance with Opal.

  “I know it’s not my dad, because we’re supposed to drive to Boise to look at the community college and stay a couple of days. Although that may be off the table, too,” Opal said as she crossed over to the window and looked up at the dark, threatening clouds and the soft white flakes that were gathering on the ground.

  “No, not your father, although it might not be a bad idea to stay home and go later in the week to look at the college.” Gillian found her shoes and smoothed down her dress. She reached up and tugged at her hair, which had fallen from its clip.

  “So who are you going with, Mom?” Fred asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

  She straightened from picking up the notepad to see three sets of eyes staring straight at her.

  She cleared her throat. “Aaron.”

  All three sets of eyebrows rose at the statement, and all eyes blinked in unison.

  “Oh,” said Opal, as she glanced at Olivia and they bo
th smiled. “That must be why Dad’s bringing him. I thought he was going with us to Boise, but I guess he needed a ride here.” She glanced at the clock on the microwave. “They’ll be here any minute.”

  “Oh, good grief,” Gillian said at the pronouncement. She was still in her dress from the night before. Not that it mattered—well, she guessed it would, in fact, matter if they were going to visit a ranch out in the hinterlands. Red velvet wouldn’t do.

  Fred laughed and started another pot of coffee.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll stall for you. Go get dressed.”

  “Thank you,” Gillian mumbled as she headed toward her wing of the house. She’d have to set a speed record for changing, and she hadn’t thought for one second what to wear.

  She set down her shoes and the notepad, and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She really did look a fright, but as she turned toward her closet she stopped mid-step. Before last night, she couldn’t remember when she’d cared what she looked like. She slipped off her earrings and bracelet, and set them slowly on a ceramic dish on the counter.

  No, that wasn’t quite accurate. She dressed sharply, but it was always for comfort and for her. It had been a long, long time since she had given one speck of thought to what someone else thought of her, but the thought of Aaron coming over and spending the day with him had changed things somehow.

  She spied the box of photos of her wedding to Fred’s father. She pushed it under the bed, not wanting to think about that now and feeling like it was a bit of a betrayal at the same time.

  Since she felt uncomfortable, she decided just to wear any old thing. They might be out looking at the Franklins’ business in the barn, so outdoor clothes would be best, anyway. No need to think about it at all.

  She reached for her softest, oldest—and actually, most faded—blue jeans, the pair she’d worn on every camping trip with her husband and son. She pulled them on and reached for some wool socks before she pulled on her worn cowboy boots.

  A t-shirt and a warm flannel shirt topped it off—nothing fancy, she’d decided.

  She ran a brush through her hair and put it back up in a ponytail, washed her face and brushed her teeth. A tiny spot of eyeliner and she reached for her coat.

  Her watch told her she’d done it in fifteen minutes flat. Not bad in a pinch.

  As she passed down the hallway of her suite toward the kitchen, she heard concerned voices, all around. She walked in with a smile, and it stopped. And so did she.

  “What?” she asked as they all turned toward her—Opal, Olivia, Fred, Aaron and Allen—and then they all looked at each other.

  “Mom, we were just sharing with Aaron and Allen that the blizzard is expected. Allen and Opal are going to stay here and play games with us and have an early Sunday supper. Allen can get back to the ranch before the blizzard hits. Why don’t you two stay here? It’s kind of dangerous to drive all the way out there when a blizzard’s coming.”

  Gillian had lived through plenty of blizzards during her time in Riston. Had even been caught out in a few. She glanced at the clock.

  “What time is it supposed to start?”

  “Early afternoon,” Allen said. “Boise’s too far to get there and back before then.”

  “Well, it isn’t that far to the ranch. An hour each way, tops.”

  “I suppose, if you’re not going to stay too long...” Fred said with a frown.

  “I don’t think we’ll be long at all, will we Aaron?”

  Aaron shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just along for the ride and moral support. I promise, though, Fred, if it seems dangerous or too threatening, we’ll turn around and come right back.”

  Fred looked from his mother to Aaron and seemed to decide it would be all right.

  “Okay, then. Do the Franklins have supplies laid in? A generator if you all get stuck? Firewood?”

  “Goodness, why wouldn’t they, Fred? They own a ranch, for goodness sake. They’d be crazy not to.”

  Fred shook his head. “As I recall, they came from California. And not the mountains, so if you get there and they’re not ready for the storm, bring them back here.”

  “Please, sweetheart, don’t worry. We’ll be fine,” Gillian said as she shrugged on her coat and gloves, picked up her briefcase and walked through the door that Aaron held open for her.

  “I’d offer to drive, but you know the roads better. And with the snow—”

  “Certainly would be a better idea.”

  “Besides, I’m a great co-pilot,” he said as he held up a bag.

  “What’s in there?”

  “Oh, I stopped at the cafe. I’ve got a thermos of hot chocolate, some egg sandwiches and some other things that may have to remain a surprise.”

  They hopped in the SUV and Aaron set the bag in the back.

  “By the sound of your stomach, you didn’t eat and it’s a good thing I did bring something,” he said as she turned over the engine and turned on the seat heaters.

  She laughed. “Sorry about that. But I guess I need food just like everybody else, and an egg sandwich sounds divine. I’ll take one as soon as we get on the highway.”

  “Fair enough,” he said as he fastened his seatbelt.

  She took a glance in his direction as they left Riston and turned down the highway heading west, toward the Franklins. She wasn’t sure what they’d find, but she hoped that between the two of them, they might be able to offer some help to the young couple. Nobody should have to go through times like these alone.

  Chapter 12

  Aaron held out his hand for the egg sandwich wrapper when Gillian was done. He wasn’t always a big fan of eating while driving, but the snow wasn’t coming down too hard yet and she clearly knew where she was going.

  He’d made lots of visits to rural properties, and many in the snow, but he was happy to let her share her expertise. And expertise it was...she seemed to know just where things might get icy, or where the snow might be a little deeper, and she expertly navigated through the windy roads and culverts on their way to the Franklins.

  “Tell me a little more about the Franklins and the property,” he said as they came around a mountain curve into a beautiful clearing. He imagined that in the summertime, it would be a large meadow, filled with wildflowers. It was beautiful even now on this cloudy day with snow coming down, creating larger and larger drifts.

  “They’re a lovely young couple, really. Originally from California, and they’d made a fair bit of money in a merger of the company they both worked for. They wanted to move out of the city and onto property. They’d come to River’s End Ranch for a vacation just at the time that the previous ranch owners had passed on and the property was for sale.”

  “Did they have a business plan? What did they want to do?”

  Gillian gripped the steering wheel with two hands as the road got a little more meandering.

  “Not at first. They wanted to move, they knew that, but they hadn’t had much experience out on property.”

  “Ah. Well, just living on a ranch is a unique experience,” Aaron said. His thoughts ran to when he’d lived on the ranch with his parents and Allen when they were kids. A lot of it was fun, but a good portion of it was hard work. Still, he would rather have stayed for the hard work than have it end the way it had.

  “Aaron?” Gillian said eventually as she sneaked a glance in his direction. “Penny for your thoughts.”

  “I’m not sure they’d be worth a penny, but I’m happy to tell you,” he said. All of that was long ago, and while it drove him to make his own fortune in real estate, the charge had faded with the years.

  “Allen and I grew up on a farm. Until we were about ten or so, anyway. We had a lot of fun.”

  Gillian’s face lit up with her smile. “I always wanted to live on a ranch.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “Oh,” she said, “I grew up in the Florida panhandle. I met Fred’s father when I went to college in New York. He’d come out from Riston. B
y the time we moved to Idaho, it was time for him to take over the bank from his father, and we needed to live in town. To be close to the bank.”

  “Ah,” Aaron said as he nodded slowly.

  “Fred did buy some property up on a ridge that we spent time camping at. I love the outdoors. I’m actually a pretty good camp-fire starter.”

  Aaron laughed and looked in her direction. She was so poised, even in her jeans and boots. But in his mind’s eye, he could see her being good at lots of things, fire-starting included.

  “I can hold my own with a hot dog on a stick, too,” Aaron said, and he was rewarded with a hearty laugh from Gillian.

  “What was your favorite part about growing up on a ranch?” she asked as the road straightened and they were able to drive faster.

  “Well, like I said, it was a lot of work. But jumping from the hayloft into a soft pile of golden flax on the ground, milking the cows and goats, gathering the eggs, herding the goats, picking tomatoes for supper in the summer—I don’t think I’ll ever forget those things. I can even smell the tomatoes from memory if I try hard enough.”

  Gillian nodded. “Fred and I have always had a summer garden, even in our relatively small back yard. There’s nothing like a home-grown tomato, that’s for sure. Nothing from the store can even come close.”

  “Definitely not,” Aaron said.

  “So why did you have to leave the ranch?” Gillian asked.

  Aaron sighed and poured a cup of hot chocolate, setting it in the cup-holder by Gillian. “We had a rough summer. Just one. The crops didn’t come in as they should. Mom and Dad had borrowed to clear more acres and plant extra. It was supposed to be our big year that put us over the top. They were so excited, and we all worked really hard that summer.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked out the window. He could see it as if it was yesterday—and hear it, too. His mother sobbed in the car as the boys and their father took the last of their belongings out of the house and the banker leaned against the gate post, tapping the deed on the railing of the fence.