Texas Christmas Twins. Deb Kastner

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       Chapter Two

      Simon waved as Miranda pulled her tulip-yellow convertible up his long driveway and parked next to his beat-up silver dual-cab truck—a considerably more reliable vehicle in a small ranching town. The tiny two-door looked incongruous next to his old truck and the red barn, which desperately needed a new coat of paint.

      It had been a full week since they’d had their confrontation, such as it was. He was still reeling from that one. It hadn’t gone anything like he’d imagined it would.

      He hadn’t expected Miranda to own up to her mistakes, or even to feel any remorse about missing the twins’ christening.

      But she’d not only felt remorse, she’d shown it, too, throwing Simon off his game. It took a strong soul to do that. At this point he didn’t know what to think of her.

      The jury was still very much out on Miranda Morgan.

      But no matter how he felt about her, now that the twins were living in Wildhorn, he’d have the opportunity to get to know his godchildren better, and he wasn’t going to pass up on that blessing, no matter what form it had shown up in.

      He chuckled as Miranda maneuvered halfway into the backseat in order to release the children from their car seats and pass them out to him. He would never understand why rich folks always bought minuscule sports cars to show off their wealth. No normal-size person could fit comfortably behind the wheel, and Miranda was tall for a woman—and many men.

      In all, it took her about five minutes of squirming and stretching to get the deed done. Eventually, Miranda had managed to unfold herself from the backseat and take Harper into her arms.

      “I know, I know,” she said before Simon could say a word.

      He cocked an eyebrow.

      “This car is completely inappropriate for the country,” Miranda spouted, rolling her eyes. He didn’t sense a hint of the annoyance he’d been expecting from her, given that the last time they’d seen each other he’d come at her with a baker’s dozen of accusations. “Thank you so much for inviting us to your ranch today to see the puppies being born.”

      He’d been less than tactful that day at the cabin. He thought she might—or rather, ought to—be upset by their altercation, and his, let’s face it, blatant rudeness at times, even if at the end of their conversation they’d come to an uneasy truce. But if anything, Miranda’s voice was laced with pure excitement, the same kind of childlike attitude she’d displayed while stretched out underneath her make-believe sheet tent, reading fairy tales with the twins.

      “Of course, I grew up on a ranch, so I’ve seen baby animals born before,” Miranda said in the same animated tone. “But never puppies. Birth is such a beautiful thing. The twins will be so excited.”

      He didn’t know about the twins. He suspected they were too young to appreciate the event, although they’d probably enjoy the new puppies.

      But Miranda?

      Her hazel eyes were sparkling with delight.

      He was proud to be able to show off such a vital part of his work, and one of his most satisfying.

      He didn’t trust Miranda, but he wanted to make sure she trusted him, to see that he worked hard and was successful with his endeavors, that he was stable and dependable, so she would have no questions about him being around for the twins, about him being a good role model for them.

      He wanted to be dependable and stable for the twins. Be their rock when the world floundered around them. Be the man he’d never had in his life when he was a child.

      Of course, by nature his business was anything but stable, but she didn’t have to know that.

      “I own six female Australian cattle dogs,” he explained as he led the happy group into the barn, Hudson in his arms. “All from top working lines. I think I’ve mentioned a little bit about how this works. I selectively breed them and then train the pups to work cattle using their natural herding instincts.”

      “I’m impressed.” There was an awkward pause, then she smiled.

      Her words inflated his ego and he couldn’t help but grin back at her. That was exactly what he wanted to hear.

      “I get by,” he said modestly.

      Barely.

      Yes, he made a decent profit on the pups, but a lot of work went into preparing them for ranch work, not to mention the vet and feed bills. And it was a feast or famine kind of lifestyle. Funds came in when he sold a litter of puppies, and then he had to make that stretch until the next litter was trained and ready to go to their new owners. So it wasn’t exactly like he was swimming in money.

      Not like she must be. Famous photographer to the stars. Traveling all over the world. Living a lifestyle of glitz and glamour that no doubt made her feel a step above the rest of the world. She probably made more in one day than he made in a good year. There was no way he, a humble cowboy, could even begin to compare to her—not that he wanted to.

      “That’s Shadow.” He introduced the blue heeler to Miranda as she knelt before the cattle dog about to give birth.

      “Is it okay if I pet her?” she asked, shifting a now-sleeping Harper onto one shoulder. “I don’t want to do the wrong thing.”

      He studied Shadow for a moment and then nodded.

      “Sure. I don’t think petting her will be a problem. You’ll reassure her that she’s got this. I generally tend to stay out of the way when the puppies come and let nature take its course, but I’m always nearby in case she needs help with her delivery.”

      “She’s such a pretty color.” Miranda softly stroked between Shadow’s ears and murmured gentle, indistinguishable words.

      “She’s called a blue heeler. I’ve also got red. I breed for color, working lines, temperament and health.”

      Shadow stood up, turned around in her whelping box a couple of times, and then lay down and panted heavily.

      “It looks like СКАЧАТЬ