Read Online Christmas at Blue Moon Ranch by Lynnette Kent - Free Book Online

pulled out a mug. Only
after a couple long draws on the coffee did he look at Daniel again. “I got
plenty of references. I worked for the Mercados and other ranchers in the area.
Ain’t nothing much needs doing on a ranch I ain’t done or cain’t do.”
    “Where are you
working now?”
    “I been retired
for a few years.”
    “So why do you
want to work for me?”
    A tinge of red
brightened the dark complexion. “Miss Rosa asked.”
    “Ah.” Daniel
nodded. “She’s a persuasive lady.”
    “That, she is.”
    They drank to
the bottoms of their mugs in silence. After pouring a refill for them both,
Daniel cleared his throat. “I won’t deny I need the help. I did some ranch work
as a teenager, and I’ve done a lot of reading but—”
    “Ain’t the same
as doing it.”
    “No.”
    “You got a bum
leg, too, I hear.”
    “Yeah. And some
back problems.”
    Nate nodded.
“Need to be careful about the horse you ride. Some’ll take care of you, some
won’t. Plus, you’ll need a crew doing the ground work for you.”
    “Do you know a
few guys who need jobs?”
    “I think I can
round up some decent hands. How much you paying?”
    “What’s the
going rate?”
    By the time
they’d finished their second cup of coffee, Daniel and Nate had struck a
mutually agreeable deal. They talked for the rest of the morning about starting
up the New Moon operation. Nate knew of a rancher in Jim Hogg County who was
selling off equipment and cattle and whom Nate thought would give Daniel a fair
deal. “We can take a ride over there this afternoon, see what he’s got.”
    “Sounds good.”
Daniel brought two steaming bowls of stew to the kitchen table. “I appreciate
getting the benefit of your experience.”
    With his mouth
already full, Nate waved his spoon in dismissal of the gratitude. “This is Miss
Lili’s stew, ain’t it?”
    “They brought me
some frozen meals to get me started.”
    The foreman
nodded. “Those two women are the best cooks in the county. Maybe in the state
of Texas.” He spooned up another mouthful but sighed instead of eating. “Lucky’s
the man who could persuade one of them to cook for him full-time.”
    “As a job, you
mean?”
    “Nah.” Nate
finished his bowl and went to the stove for seconds. “You’d have to marry her
to get her to leave the Blue Moon.”
    Daniel hid his
smile. “Did you ever ask?”
    “Nah,” Nate said
again. “A Mercado wouldn’t look at the likes of me. They’re blue bloods, you
know? I’m just a cowpoke.” The regret in his rough voice kept Daniel silent.
    With his stew
finished and his bowl rinsed, Nate returned to business. “What we’re gonna do
now is find you a horse. Lotsa ranchers do their work with trucks and ATVs and
such—even airplanes—but I hold that a man should be able to ride if he needs to
and is able.”
    Daniel pushed
out of his chair. “Well, I don’t know about the able part, but I’m
willing to try.”
    “You just need
the right animal, careful and smart. I expect Willa’s got one that’ll do. She’s
a wonder at breaking and training a good horse.”
    “You want me to
buy a horse from Willa Mercado?”
    “You got a
problem with that?”
    “No, but she
might.”
    Nate clucked his
tongue and shook his head. “Don’t believe it—she’ll take good money like
anybody else. Let’s get down there, see what she’s got for sale.”
    The expression
on Willa’s face when Daniel parked his truck near her horse barn a few minutes
later proved him right. The line between her arched eyebrows, the downward tilt
of those wide, soft lips, plainly said he wasn’t welcome.
    Nate ignored the
message. He moseyed over to where she stood by the gate to a corral. “’Afternoon,
Miss Willa. We came to look at some horses.”
    She glanced at
Daniel, who was following Nate, then looked at the other man again. “You’re
helping him buy horses?”
    “I’m his new
foreman. We’re getting his operation set up, and I figured you’d