The Forest Ranger's Christmas. Leigh Bale

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СКАЧАТЬ spending the rest of her life in this one-dog town didn’t appeal to her. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m happy with my job in Vegas.”

      “Oh, well. Have a merry Christmas. And give Frank my love.” Thelma blew a sugary kiss before bustling down the aisle, leaving the cloying scent of gardenias in her wake.

      “I will.” Josie waved, then stood there and blinked for several moments. If she didn’t know better, she’d think her seventy-eight-year-old grandfather had an admirer.

      Josie shook her head. Men her grandfather’s age didn’t have girlfriends. Did they?

      Above all else, she wanted Gramps happy. And a fake tree wouldn’t make him happy.

      Gazing at her options, Josie realized she took city shopping for granted. Living in Las Vegas, she could pull up to a spacious tree lot and pick out any one she wanted. The mild winters would be easier on Gramps’s arthritis, too. Within minutes, they could visit a doctor and get his prescriptions filled. And she wanted that convenience for Gramps. A balanced diet wouldn’t hurt him, either. She’d almost had a fit when she’d discovered he’d been subsisting on canned soup, potato chips and oatmeal. But how could she ask him to leave his world behind and move away with her?

      “Hi, there!”

      Josie whirled around. Clint Hamilton stood behind her, holding the hand of a little girl about seven years old with a cute button nose, flawless skin and a long, blond ponytail.

      “Um, hi.” Josie met his gaze and smiled uncertainly. Immediate attraction buzzed through her.

      His unblinking eyes swept over her. He looked handsome and rustic dressed in a down-filled coat, cowboy boots and brown leather gloves. His gaze dropped away, and she couldn’t help wondering what had produced the wariness in his warm, brown eyes.

      She nodded at the melted droplets covering his broad shoulders. “Is it snowing again?”

      “Just a dusting, but a storm is coming in later tonight.” He showed a twinge of a smile, his cheeks slightly red from the cold.

      “What’s your name?” the little girl asked, her voice hesitant.

      Josie’s gaze lowered to the child, who was bundled up in a glistening red coat, matching rubber boots and a white scarf around her neck. She looked adorable. “Jocelyn Rushton. What’s yours?”

      “I’m Grace Karen Hamilton, but everyone just calls me Gracie.”

      “That’s a lovely name,” Josie said.

      “This is my daughter,” Clint supplied the introductions. “Gracie, this is Frank’s granddaughter.”

      Understanding lit up the child’s expressive eyes. “Oh, I recognize you. I’ve seen your pictures at Grandpa Frank’s house many times.”

      Grandpa Frank? Over the years, Josie had heard other children in town call her grandfather by this name, but it seemed odd to hear it from the forest ranger’s daughter. Obviously, the girl had been inside Gramps’s home. Not surprising. Grandma and Gramps had many friends in this town.

      “Is that right?” Josie felt the burden of Clint’s gaze like a leaden weight. For some reason, the ranger made her feel as though he could see deep into her soul. And in all honesty, she feared what he might find there besides a bitter, unlovable woman who was emotionally inaccessible to others.

      “Yeah, in his photo albums. He shows his pictures to me all the time. And Grandma Vi used to make me chocolate chip cookies,” Gracie said.

      “Ah, I see.” Josie had also loved her grandmother’s homemade cookies. In fact, she planned to make some while she was here. She wanted to bake and decorate and enjoy a slower pace while she could. In Vegas, she didn’t have time for domestic chores, or anyone to cook for.

      “I sure miss Grandma Vi,” Gracie continued.

      Josie did, too. More than she could say.

      “She used to tend me every day while Daddy went to work,” Gracie said.

      Josie jerked up her chin in surprise. Why would a woman of Grandma’s advanced age be tending a young child on a regular basis? This revelation gave Josie the strange sensation that she was the outsider, not Gracie and her tall father. “Really? I didn’t know that. She never mentioned it.”

      “Yeah, she was my favoritest babysitter ever in the world. I miss her a lot.” No longer shy, Gracie smiled widely, showing a missing tooth in front.

      A sinking despair settled in Josie’s stomach. She couldn’t help feeling as though she’d lost something precious when Grandma had died. But one question thrummed through her mind. Why had Grandma never mentioned that she was looking after a child every day?

      Once again, Josie realized how little she really knew about her grandparents. Now that Grandma was gone, Josie regretted taking her for granted, and didn’t want to do the same with Gramps. That was all about to change. Josie would have to tell Gramps about her plans to move him to Las Vegas. And soon. But she dreaded it. If he refused, she wouldn’t make him go. And then what? Maybe she’d sit down and talk with him about it tomorrow or the next day. Together, they’d work something out.

      “I got a new babysitter now. She’s nice, too, but she doesn’t make cookies like Grandma Vi did,” Gracie said.

      “Does your mom work, too?” Josie asked, wondering why the girl’s mother couldn’t watch Gracie during the day. In fact, hadn’t Clint mentioned that he’d taught the woman how to read?

      “No, my mom’s in heaven,” Gracie said.

      “Oh, I’m sorry.” Josie had forgotten Clint was a widower. She glanced his way, wishing she’d been more tactful. She understood firsthand the aching pain of losing people she loved, and didn’t want to remind him.

      Clint’s eyes darkened and he shifted his weight uneasily. A guarded look flashed across his face and Josie regretted dredging up the topic.

      Gracie shrugged one shoulder. “It’s okay. I never knew my mom. She died when I was just a baby, but Dad says she loved me like crazy.”

      The girl slid her hand into her father’s, seeming to take comfort from his presence.

      Josie nodded in understanding. “I lost my mom and dad, too.”

      Now, why had she told them that? Normally, she kept her personal life to herself. Especially her childhood, which had been anything but happy. A disturbing memory of constant fights between her parents ripped through her mind. Angry words and hateful accusations, followed by her father leaving one rainy night just after Josie’s thirteenth birthday. She’d never seen Dad again. He’d been killed in a car accident a year later. But not once had he called or written her. In fact, no man seemed to want her. First Dad had left, then two ex-fiancé’s. Even Mom had treated her like a burden, and she’d grown up feeling unwanted.

      She didn’t want to dwell on those sad times, but they seemed imbedded in her soul. Something about Clint drew out her carefully kept secrets. Right now, she wished she could crawl into a deep hole and hide.

      “Yes, I know,” Gracie said. “Grandma Vi told me. She said you and me are kindred spirits because СКАЧАТЬ