Page 61 of For the Love of the Bull Rider

“Uh, I think he’s a mutt. Momma said she got him at a dog shelter, and she thought I’d like him. She lied to me, didn’t she? She just wanted to take me away from Daddy again, right?” Once again, Tim saw the boy was wise beyond his years.

Tim decided it wasn’t worth breaking the boy’s heart to tell him his mother was a cold-hearted, money-grubbing liar. He bit his tongue as he thought about what he wanted to say before he spoke.

“Well, maybe she wanted her equal time with you, but she could have gone about it a better way. Let’s go get in DB’s SUV. Wait till you meet him. He was in the Army with your Grandpa Rob. Oh, wait till you meethimand your aunt and uncle. This is gonna be the greatest Christmas ever.”

The dog broke away from them and ran back into the excitement, barking and jumping around. It wanted in on the excitement, obviously.

“This ain’t over, you motherfucker!”

Tim wasn’t taking any chances, so he put Ryan in the far back seat of the Navigator. He turned to see Matt had the dog in his arms, and Bertie was pounding on his back before her father peeled her off him, taking her by the arms and telling her something that seemed to rile her up more.

When Matt hopped into the back seat and handed Ryan the anxious puppy, Tim saw the smile on his face. “He wanted to come with ya back to the ranch. He can sleep in your room, I reckon.”

DB and Rob Stanford got into the SUV without a word, and the group began the trip back to Holloway. Tim sent a text to his aunt confirming they had Ryan so the people at the house could stop worrying. He was determined it would be a Christmas they’d never forget, and not because of the attempted kidnapping.

Tim knew those two women were going to take Matt to court eventually, but he had a suggestion for how to deal with the situation he’d give more thought to and maybe discuss with Ronni when the time was right.

When they arrived back at the ranch, everyone released a collective sigh. Since Christmas Day was a Friday and it was already shot to hell, they all decided they’d celebrate the holiday on Saturday.

They decided to have pizza at the ranch that night and Ryan finally got to meet Grandpa Rob, Grandma DeAnne, Aunt Savannah, and Uncle Robby. The family from El Paso was happy to be there, and Tim was glad to have them around.

Everyone loved the dog, and when the Stanford’s went to the Holiday Inn by the highway, Tim’s and Matt’s parents walked out behind them. Uncle Josh pulled Tim aside as the others hugged and kissed.

“You want me to sneak Charlie into the barn in the mornin’? I’ll make sure he’s got feed and water ‘fore I leave to go back home.”

Tim considered his offer for a minute before he spoke. “Do you think I should give Charlie to Matt, or should you keep him and use him for breeding stock? This is all… Well, everything got so fucked up, Uncle Josh. I’m worried it’s just too much.” Tim was whispering, trying to remain calm.

Josh closed his eyes for a second, smiling slowly before he opened them. “If this whole situation hadn’t happened, would you give him the horse?”

“Well, Aunt Katie said it might be too much of a gift.”

Josh chuckled. “The first stallion I owned was a gift from Kathleen. I was embarrassed because my girlfriend made more money than me, and I put up such a fuss. That’s why she mentioned it, Tim.

“I got over it eventually, and Scout helped us buy the land we have now. I was too proud to accept a gift I couldn’t afford to giveher, but I learned to allow someone I loved to give me something and appreciate it. Give Matt that same chance, Tim.” Josh gave a confirming wink.

It all made perfect sense to Tim, so he nodded. He greatly appreciated his aunt and uncle for their unyielding love and compassion. Aunt Katie’s words were based on something that happened earlier in her life when she felt she’d made the wrong decision, and she was only trying to save Tim the same heartache.

Tim was pretty sure Matthew Collins would appreciate his gift—that beautiful stallion. It was given with love, after all.

Chapter Twenty-six

After everyone left the ranch that night, all promising to return the next morning to celebrate Christmas, Matt and Ryan played with the little puppy while Tim found a box in the basement to make it a bed. He told Matt he was hoping to save them from a massive cleanup the next day by not allowing the dog to roam the house freely until it was potty-trained.

The three of them finally took the dog for its last walk and when it was time for bed, Ryan asked to sleep in a fort like they’d made at Thanksgiving. Of course, Matt couldn’t say no.

The bull rider built a small fire while Tim turned on the Christmas tree. Holiday music was softly playing in the background as the three of them held each other tightly, dozing off. Corky was next to Ryan’s feet, and thankfully, he settled down right away in his temporary, cardboard bed.

His boys, as Matt thought of them, dozed as quickly as the dog, but every time Matt closed his eyes, images of Ryan missing from his life appeared, startling him awake. He needed to call Jon to come up with a more permanent solution to keep Bertie from having any claim to Ryan. It was essential she’d never be allowed to take the boy away again.

Matt woke at six in the morning, having seen the clock on the cable box turn over to four before he finally dozed. He was pretty sure he was lucky to have slept the two hours he had all things considered.

He slipped upstairs to the bathroom to shower and dress for the day because the work on a cattle ranch didn’t stop simply because the owner failed to get a good night’s sleep. He thought he’d heard Danny’s truck passing the house on the way to the barn earlier, and he really wanted everything set up for Josie before Josh brought her over. When Ryan finally made it to the barn to see her, Matt wanted the boy to be happily surprised.

He slipped on his old boots and checked his phone, seeing it was an unseasonable fifty degrees outside, so he skipped the coat and went out the back door toward the barn.

When he arrived at the door, it was open, which worried him. Danny didn’t open the barn doors when he arrived. He always went directly to the machine shed.

“Whoa!”The shout came from inside the barn.

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