Christmas Gifts: Cinderella and the Cowboy / The Boss's Christmas Baby / Their Little Christmas Miracle

“You mean Reggie left you with no car? How did you take Brady to the doctor?”

“We took a bus.”

“Is Brady Reggie’s kid?” the woman asked.

“Yes. And Jenny—the baby—is his, too.”

The blonde’s eyes widened. “So you have two children?”

Elizabeth answered, “Yes.” Then she stood up and began clearing the table.

“Elizabeth, are you okay?” Tom asked.

“Yes, I’m fine, Tom. I’m going to go check on my kids.”

“I think you made Elizabeth feel bad,” Tom said to the woman after Elizabeth left.

A haughty look retook her face. “That wasn’t my intention, but when you don’t have any skills, you shouldn’t have kids.”

“Interesting observation.” He looked up at the clock on the wall. “I’m getting tired, but I would like to talk more with you. Won’t you spend the night, Miss…? I don’t think I caught your name.”

“Kim Hall.”

“Wouldn’t your name be Ransom?” Jack asked.

“I…I’m using my maiden name.” Her cheeks flamed as she came up with a reason not to bear the name of her so-called husband.

“I hear that’s popular.”

Tom said, “I’m going to rest for a while, Jack. Can you entertain Kim for the afternoon?”

“Sure. Just wait until I go tell Elizabeth we’ll have a guest for dinner.”

Jack excused himself to trot upstairs. He found Elizabeth in her room.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

“We’ll be one more for dinner. I’m going to take our guest out to see the ranch. Then we’ll come back and all have dinner.”

“The kids and I will eat before you three. That way we won’t interfere with your conversation.”

“Elizabeth, you’re not taking her seriously, are you?”

“Well, Reggie does—did have a reputation.”

“Honey, you can’t believe her. I’ll stake my life on it that Reggie didn’t buy that car for her. I suspect she signed one of his checks and took it to the Mercedes dealer after he died.”

“Maybe Tom would rather have her here than me. She’s very attractive.”

“Nonsense. I know Tom. It took a while for me to figure out what he’s doing. But it’s that old adage ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’ Tom’s getting the information he needs, then he’ll bring a lawsuit against her. You’ll see.”

He leaned in close and kissed her on the cheek. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Elizabeth.”

When he left the room, Elizabeth knew that wasn’t true.

The innocent kiss had left a blazing imprint on her skin. She touched her cheek and could still feel his lips there.

She had a lot to worry about.

At six-thirty, Elizabeth had just put the finishing touches to a very good meal and called her son to the table.

“You’ll sit by me, sweetheart. And don’t worry about the stranger. I don’t think she’ll pay any attention to you.”

“Who is she?”

“A friend of your daddy’s.”

“Jack said my daddy was bad.”

“No! He shouldn’t have said that.” She’d have to talk to Jack about that. “Your daddy was—Well, he didn’t grow up, that’s all.”

“Will I grow up?”

She smiled at her son. “Of course you will, sweetie. You’ve already grown a lot. You always help when I need help, and you never complain.”

“I’ll help you anytime, Mommy.” He threw his arms around her neck and squeezed her tight.

How she loved these spontaneous little-boy hugs. “Thank you, sweetheart. I always count on you.”

“I’m hungry. When are they going to come?”

“I don’t know. If you want to go out on the porch and look for them, you can. But don’t get off the porch.”

“I won’t, Mommy.”

Brady went out to the porch. After he went, Elizabeth thought about what she was going to tell Jack. She didn’t want Brady to feel that there was something wrong with him. He was a good boy and he would be a good man.

By the time she had the roast on the table, Jack came in the door. “Sorry. Brady said we were late. Did we keep you waiting?”

“No, of course not.”

“I intended to be in earlier but she—” he nodded toward the door and rolled his eyes “—wanted to spend some time with me.” He snickered. “Yeah, right!”

“You didn’t believe her?”

“No. She’s only looking for a new fish to hook now that Reggie’s gone.”

“But surely she—” Elizabeth stopped talking as Kim came in the door. “Kim, will you knock on Tom’s door, please?”

Kim frowned at her. “You want me to knock on his door?”

She looked at the woman, then she shook her head and walked past her to knock on Tom’s door. “Dinner’s ready, Tom.”

Tom came out at once. “Glad to hear it. I was getting kind of peckish.” He took a seat at the table. “This looks good, Elizabeth. This is what I’m talking about, Kim. Elizabeth here does a fine job of cooking and taking care of us.”

“So she wouldn’t get to eat if she didn’t work?”

“Of course she would. But she willingly offered to keep the house and do the cooking. It’s like she joined in with us, making life better. Believe you me, me and Jack got tired of those danged sandwiches.”

“Well, you should have gone out to eat. That’s what I would’ve done.”

“Maybe,” Jack said. “But you might not’ve had enough money.”

“Why, I wouldn’t have paid. Reggie always paid for me.”

“There wasn’t someone to pay when he was out with another woman. That must’ve made things difficult.”

“Awkward might be a better word.”

Elizabeth didn’t like the conversation. She’d known women like Kim. She didn’t like them then and she didn’t like them now.

Looking for an excuse to call a halt to the line of dialogue, Elizabeth asked if Brady wanted more milk.

“No, thank you, Mommy. I’ll wait for dessert.”

He beamed at her, and she gave thanks for having such a good son.

Taking the shortcake out of the refrigerator, Elizabeth squirted whipped cream on each piece she cut and covered each with fresh-cut strawberries.

“This is great, Elizabeth!” Tom exclaimed when he took a forkful of his.

“Thank you, Tom.”

“It is, honey. You did a great job.” Jack sent her a special smile.

“Thank you.” She looked at Kim. “I hope you like the dessert, Kim.”

“It’s fine but I would’ve preferred fresh whipped cream.”

“It’s great just like it is!” Tom said forcefully.

Kim stared at Tom, startled by his words. “Well, of course,” she said as she gave Elizabeth a fake smile.

Brady reached out and claimed his mother’s hand. “I like it the way Mommy made it.”

“Thank you, Brady.” Elizabeth squeezed Brady’s hand.

Elizabeth couldn’t wait to get away from the dinner table and Kim. When dessert was finished, she reminded Tom of a TV program he wanted to watch.

Tom and Brady immediately got up from the table.

“Is that show all right for Brady to watch, Tom?” Elizabeth hurriedly asked.

“Sure is. They don’t hardly even have any women, much less ones in skimpy clothes.”

“All right. Mind your manners, Brady.”

“I will, Mommy!”

Kim looked at the disappearing pair and then turned back to Jack. He, however, had begun carrying dishes to the sink. Finally, she said, “I guess I’ll go watch television too.” She paused at the door, apparently hoping Jack would offer her an alternative, but he didn’t.

“I think you disappointed Kim,” Elizabeth told him when Kim was out of earshot. “She was waiting for an invitation.”

Jack looked at her blankly. “To do what?”

“I’m not sure, but I think she was hoping for something more romantic to do.”

He snorted, an inelegant sound, but Elizabeth seemed pleased. “Unless I was paying through the nose, I don’t think she’d be pleased.”

They continued to work for a few moments before Elizabeth said, “Did you talk to Tom again about buying the ranch?”

“He sounded like his mind was made up.”

“I’ll talk to him. I don’t think it’s okay for you to be denied the right to buy the ranch just because Brady is here.”

“That’s what I like about you, Elizabeth. You don’t just think of yourself. Or your kids.”

“I favor my children, Jack. But I also know what’s fair.”

“Well, I like your style, but I can fight my own battles.” He put away the last dish, then asked, “What do you have planned for the morning?”

“Nothing, other than fixing breakfast and doing laundry.”

“I think you need to plan on coming to town with me.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to the bank to open an account for you and transfer the contents of Reggie’s bank account. I don’t know how much was left, but you deserve it, not some woman who went out with him a couple of times.”

“Do you think he has any money left?”

“He should have. He was winning a lot of rodeos.”

“But shouldn’t Tom have the right to the money?”

Jack shook his head. “As his wife, you’re entitled to the money. Tom knows that.”

“I’ll go with you if you think it will help.”

“Okay, we’ll go at nine tomorrow and—”

“But I can’t go then. I’ll have to be here to fix Kim’s breakfast. I don’t think she’ll be up early.”

“First of all, you need to ignore Kim. Secondly, Carol will be here tomorrow. She comes in about seven, so she’ll feed everyone after we leave.”

“I forgot about her. That will be helpful.”

“See? I told you that you had nothing to worry about.”

Elizabeth stepped back from him. She didn’t want another kiss to give her fantasies.

When Elizabeth got up at six, she immediately dressed and went downstairs to start Jack’s breakfast. She knew he liked to go talk to the cowboys before he left the ranch for any period of time.

She also fixed her own breakfast. Breakfast was nicer when it was shared. She smiled as she thought about the breakfasts she’d shared with Jack and Tom the last few days.

If they didn’t have Kim intruding into their little family, she would be perfectly happy.

As she heard Jack coming downstairs, she brought two plates to the table.

“Morning, Liz.”

“Jack, I’ve told you not to call me that. My name is Elizabeth.”

“Didn’t your family ever call you Liz or Lizzie?”

Her face shut down, her good mood flying off like a kite in the wind. She put his plate in front of him and turned away.

“Elizabeth?” She didn’t respond to him. He tried again. “Honey, didn’t you hear my question? Didn’t your family ever call you nicknames?”

“No.”

“Never?”

“No.”

“You seem upset.”

She walked over to the sink and threw her breakfast down the disposal. “When you finish, put your plate in the sink.”

With her stomach rolling, she ran for the stairs and rushed up to hide away in her room.

Jack sat there in stunned silence. He’d known she’d been irritated when he called her Liz or Lizzie, but he hadn’t expected such a harsh emotional reaction.

He thought about following her upstairs and asking for an explanation. But he was afraid to press her now. He’d try again when they drove into town.

Right now he had other things to occupy his mind, like disabling the Mercedes Kim drove to the ranch. He didn’t want her trying to close the account that she’d already stripped of probably fifty thousand dollars.

He ate his breakfast and put his dishes in the sink. Then he went outside to the Mercedes, lifting the hood. After a couple of minutes, he took the battery out of the car and carried it into the barn.

Still, he couldn’t keep his mind from Elizabeth. He hoped she’d come downstairs and answer a few questions.

He hated to think he’d hurt her.

When Jack got back to the house, he found a group circled around the table. Carol was there, as was Tom and Brady. And Elizabeth.

“Morning, everyone. Is there any leftover breakfast?”

“Are you hungry, Jack?” Carol asked, immediately standing up. “I can cook you some eggs and—”

“No, Carol, I ate breakfast earlier. I just thought you might have some leftovers. There’s no need to cook anything.”

“It won’t take a minute. I’ve got pancake batter ready. I like to make them. Tom loves them.”

“Yes, I do. Brady did a good job, too.”

“Did Elizabeth eat some, too?”

Carol stared at Elizabeth. “She said she’d already eaten.”

“I’m not hungry, Carol. I’ve just enjoyed visiting with you.” She stood up. “Well, I guess we should get going.”

Jack cut her off. “We’ll leave in a few minutes. You need to eat first.” He turned to Carol. “Would you please fix her a couple of pancakes?”

“I don’t need—”

He ignored her irate look. “We’re not leaving until you eat.”

Jack quietly watched the struggle on Elizabeth’s face. If she left, as he knew she wanted to do, she would hurt Carol’s feelings. If she sat down again she’d feel he had won.

It wasn’t a surprise to him that she agreed to eat just a little. He knew she wouldn’t be rude to Carol.

He then initiated a conversation with Tom, hoping to divert attention from her so she could relax.

“Any sign of our guest?” he asked Tom.

“Nope. Carol checked on her before she started cooking. Still asleep.”

“I don’t think she’ll be able to leave until I get back from the bank.”

“Why?”

“I removed her car battery. I don’t want her to leave until we’ve transferred whatever money is in the account.” He paused to take a bite.

“Why would she leave money in the account?” Carol asked.

“I don’t think she knew exactly what was there.”

“Elizabeth, do you have any idea how much money is in Reggie’s account?” Tom asked.

“No, Tom, I don’t. I only know he had an account because he occasionally wrote me a check on it, but that’s all I knew.”

“Well, it’s up to you. Just tell Jack what you want, and he’ll make it happen.”

Elizabeth stood and thanked Carol for the pancakes, then she cleaned her plate at the sink. She turned around to Jack. “Are we ready to go?”

“Yeah, we are.”

She kissed her son. “Brady, be good while I’m gone.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Jack knew Elizabeth would have a few choice comments for him when they got to the car alone. He was ready for them.

“Jack, I don’t want to take the car away from Kim.”

That he definitely wasn’t ready for. He shot her a confused look as he drove.

“I know she may have gotten it illegally,” she said, “but I imagine Reggie took more than he gave.”

“How do you know that?” Jack said, his voice full of irritation. He couldn’t believe she was concerned about a lying gold digger who faked a marriage and scammed to get more money.

“Trust me, I know.”

Reggie had no doubt done the same to her. But she was nothing like Kim Hall. He told her as much.

“You don’t know that. You’ve only known me for three days.”

Yeah, Jack said to himself, it was amazing, wasn’t it? “I know enough about you to know you’re nothing like Kim. She’s out to get what she can and she’s not interested in giving anything. You, on the other hand, will give to anyone who needs something.”

From the corner of his eye he saw Elizabeth look at him. He turned to her and grabbed her hand when the traffic came to a stop ahead of him.

“You’re a good person, Elizabeth. And I aim to see you get what you deserve.”

Her blue eyes glistened with tears and she ducked her head. “Thank you, Jack.”

“Nothing to it.”

They didn’t speak again till they got to the bank.

Jack did the talking, explaining the problem to the bank president. He invited him into his office and opened an account for Elizabeth. Then he called the bank in Amarillo. He faxed them a copy of Reggie’s death certificate and the papers from probate, which Elizabeth had supplied. He asked for the transfer of the funds available, telling whoever he was talking to that he had Reggie’s widow sitting in his office. Jack asked for her marriage certificate and handed it to the banker.

Elizabeth was shocked that she so easily let Jack handle her business. But there was something about him that made her feel safe, taken care of. For the first time in her life.

But he also made her angrier than a bull seeing red, she reminded herself.

Caught in her daydream, she lost track of what the men were discussing. When Jack put a piece of paper in front of her, she stared at the figures on it, but they didn’t really register.

“Elizabeth, what do you think of this balance?” Jack nudged her.

She forced herself to focus on the figure in front of her, but the six figures kept fading in and out. It couldn’t be. Reggie couldn’t have left almost a quarter of a million dollars! Incredulous, she choked out, “This is the balance right now?”

“Yeah, that’s before we recover the money for the car.”

As if snapped out of a trance by a hypnotist, she felt her head clear. “I told you I didn’t want to take the car away. It’s not something I want to drive.”

“If you don’t take the money away from her, you’ll be allowing her to get away with fraud,” the banker explained.

“I don’t want the car and I don’t want to bring charges against the woman. I’m sure she won’t do that again.”

Jack commiserated with the banker, and they whispered together while Elizabeth sat quietly and took in the new developments.

Two hundred fifty thousand dollars.

Never in her life did she ever think to see that much money. And now she owned it all.

“Elizabeth, what do you want to do with the money?”

She gave Jack and the banker a blank look.

The bank president leaned forward. “My advice would be to put the bulk of it in high-yield investments and the remainder in an interest-bearing checking account.”

That sounded good to her.

“How about we keep ten thousand in the checking?” the banker suggested. “Is that enough for you?”

She looked at him as if he were crazy. “More than enough.”

“In that case, then, I think we’re finished here. We’ll send you your checks when they’re printed, but in the meantime you can use these.” He handed her a few generic checks and stood up. “A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ransom.”

Shaking his hand, she returned the compliment.

When they exited the bank, her head was still spinning at the money at her disposal.

“How are you feeling?” Jack asked her.

“I’m not sure really.” She turned to look at him. “Jack, do you promise to leave Kim alone?”

“Yeah, but why are you protecting her? She doesn’t care about you.”

“I know that, but…but we were victimized by Reggie. She deserves something.”

“So you’re going to let her get away with it?”

“Yes, and I’m tired of talking about it.”

“But it’s a lot of money.”

“Yes, it is. And I have a lot of money now, myself. I can afford to let her have it.” To terminate the conversation, she walked ahead, leaving Jack standing outside the bank.

Elizabeth was eager to break the news at home.

When they got to the ranch she found Kim sitting by herself at the kitchen table. “Do you know where Carol is?”

“Never mind that,” she said with a sharp tone. “What did Jack do to my car? It won’t start, and Tom said Jack did something to it.”

“Jack thought you should remain here until we got things straightened out at the bank.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We had the bank transfer Reggie’s money to my account.”

The blonde nearly lost control. “You can’t do that! That’s my money!”

Despite her outburst, Elizabeth remained in control. “We didn’t report your theft of the car you bought, Kim, but you should calm down. I understand that Reggie betrayed you, too. But the kids need the money their father earned.”

“But he was going to marry me! I deserve that money!”

The woman was so loud, Tom and Brady came out of Tom’s room. Carol hurried down from upstairs and Jack came in after fixing Kim’s car as he’d promised.

Faced with so many people who had little interest in her position, Kim appeared to think she should get louder rather than quieter.

Elizabeth tried to reason with her, but she refused to listen.

Jack didn’t see any need for sympathy. “Face it, Kim. You stole fifty thousand dollars that didn’t belong to you. Because of Elizabeth’s generosity and sympathy, she’s letting you keep the car. But the rest of it is hers.”

“I have more checks!”

“It doesn’t matter. If you try to pass another check on that account, you’ll be arrested and put in jail.”

She stared at him, obviously overwhelmed. “But what should I do? I have to have a man to support me! Reggie promised to take care of me!”

“You’re going to have to find someone else to take care of you. Reggie can’t anymore.”

Jack sounded so stern that Elizabeth felt like crying herself.

Kim, on the other hand, got meaner. “You can’t tell me what to do! I’ll find a way to get that money! It certainly doesn’t go to her just because she had a couple of kids!” Then she paused long enough to take a breath and turn to Elizabeth. “I think I’m pregnant, too!”

Chapter Six

EVERYONE froze, staring at her.

Brady looked at his mother. “What did she say?”

Realizing her young son shouldn’t hear this conversation, Elizabeth hunkered down to his level. “Sweetheart, would you go check on your sister for me? And then you can play in your room till Mommy comes up.”

A good boy, Brady did as he was asked.

Tom wasted no time. As soon as Brady turned away he asked Kim, “When were you last with my son?”

“About six weeks ago.”

“Have you been to a doctor?”

“No! I mean, I didn’t see the reason to—No, I haven’t been to the doctor.”

“You aren’t pregnant,” Jack said in disgust.

“I could be!”

“Come on, I’ll take you to the doctor,” Jack said gruffly.

“No! I’ll go to my doctor at home.”

Before anyone could waver, Jack held their ground. “I don’t think we should let her go until we get her checked out by Doc.”

Kim remained adamant. “I don’t want to go to a strange doctor.”

Elizabeth could understand that. She led Kim to a chair at the table. “I think we all need to sit down and discuss this quietly.”

She remembered Reggie’s reaction to her pregnancy with Jenny. He’d blown up at her, accusing her of lying, of tricking him. He’d vowed not to be trapped again, as he said he’d been with Brady. His callous reaction had hurt her immeasurably and she’d never forget how she cried.

Still, she knew one thing for sure: Reggie would never risk pregnancy again.

And she didn’t think he had this time.

“Look, Kim, Jack is just trying to help. I’m sure he didn’t mean to sound so gruff.”

Jack glared at Elizabeth. She ignored him and kept her gaze on Kim. “I know you must be uncomfortable talking about this, but we need to know. Did you have unprotected sex?”

“Not usually. Reggie was careful, but…but he forgot sometimes.”

“And you forgot, too?”

“Yes. I wanted to—I mean, I’m sure it was an accident, but—”

“I think we can settle this with a simple home pregnancy test.” She looked up at Jack. “Jack, could you go buy one?”

“Yeah,” he muttered.

He stalked out of the house, leaving everyone silent.

Elizabeth asked Carol to put on some water for hot tea.

Kim protested. “I’ll just have coffee.”

“You really shouldn’t have coffee if you’re pregnant.” Elizabeth smiled. “I know. I hated giving up my coffee.”

“And you did? Did your doctor insist? For the entire pregnancy?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so.”

“I didn’t know that.” Kim sat quietly for a moment, then she looked up at Elizabeth with frightened eyes. “I don’t think I want to be pregnant.”

“We’ll keep our fingers crossed,” Elizabeth said as she patted the woman’s hand.

Jack felt like a fish out of water.