Christmas on the Ranch--A Clean Romance by Julianna Morris

Author:Julianna Morris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-09-15T13:37:05+00:00

* * *

WHEN GIDEON SAW his sister and Alaina appear on the edge of the field, he stopped the baler and got out of the cab. Ever since losing his stepfather, a concern kept lurking about the rest of the family. It was to be expected; he’d gotten the worst call of his life when Flynn had phoned about Stewart. So while it was unlikely that Libby would ride out with Alaina to give him bad news, Gideon felt an instinctive thump of worry at seeing them.

“I’ll take over, boss,” Nate said, hustling up to him from where he’d been working on the irrigation ditch. After the hay bales were moved, they expected to start watering again. A second mowing was possible if the weather cooperated.

“Thanks, I’m just going to touch base with Libby.”

“Gotcha.” Nate swung into the driver’s seat and continued down the windrow of dry grass. Nobody wasted time during haying season; you never knew when the weather might change or something else could happen.

Gideon wiped the dirt and sweat from his face as he strode toward the horses, automatically evaluating Alaina’s posture on Nikko. He was glad she seemed less stiff and sore.

He’d experienced the same deep muscle pain after being sidelined by a broken collarbone. After finally getting back on a horse, his body had felt as if the entire football team and their opponents had tackled him together. The original injuries had given him discomfort, but nothing like the rest. Yet Alaina kept pretending she wasn’t going through the same adjustment.

Under other circumstances, he might have suggested a massage with liniment, but it was the sort of thing that could get him into deep, deep trouble.

“Libby, what’s up?” he asked when he was within earshot.

“If something was up, I would have called.”

“I can’t hear my cell ring while running the baler,” he said, annoyed. “Even inside the cab. You know that.”

His sister gave him an innocent look. “How would I know? You think li’l ole me is incapable of running a baler, so I must be ignorant of how much noise and vibration they make.”

“I didn’t say you were incapable.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Gideon couldn’t stop himself from glancing at Alaina, but whatever she thought about the situation was well hidden.

“I want you to have this summer to enjoy yourself,” he said finally. “Is that a crime?”

“Running big powerful equipment is fun. And besides, you need help. If I pitch in with mowing or baling, you’ll get the haying done that much faster. Hopefully before we get any rain.”

It was a valid point and Libby was qualified to operate both the swather and baler. Grandpa Joe wouldn’t have allowed her to run either at the Carmichael ranch in Shelton without proper training.

Gideon nodded.

“All right, you can help. But if you hit something, do not start the equipment back up again until one of us has thoroughly checked it. I’m talking about me or one of the ranch hands inspecting it. We know this equipment inside and out and you don’t.

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