Chadwick Ranch, Book 1: Winter Holiday Romance Read online

  Chadwick Ranch

  Christmas Holiday Romance, Book 1

  Bonnie Marlewski-Probert

  Illustrated by

  Camélia Gherib

  Copyright © 2018 by Bonnie Marlewski-Probert with Whitehall Publishing. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher, Whitehall Publishing or from Bonnie Marlewski-Probert.

  Magazines, E-zines and other journalists are welcome to use excerpts from the book in their articles and stories. We ask that you be sure to include our website for contact purposes;

  http://Whitehallpublishing.com.

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  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Chapter 1, The Funeral

  Chapter 2, Reading of the Will

  Chapter 3, The Backlash

  Chapter 4, Carter at home

  Chapter 5, Carter Arrives at the Ranch

  Chapter 6, Adam at Home

  Chapter 7, Adam Arrives at the Ranch

  Chapter 8, Billy at Home

  Chapter 9, Christmas Surprise

  Chapter 10, Billy Arrives at the Ranch

  Chapter 11, The Making of a Cowboy

  Chapter 12, Christmas Eve Dinner

  Chapter 13, Christmas Morning

  Chapter 14, Carter Finds an Accountant

  Chapter 15, Girl’s Night In

  Chapter 16, Stormy Night in Texas

  Chapter 17, The Morning After

  Chapter 18, Mary Moves In

  Chapter 19, Beau Needs a Daddy

  Chapter 20, Beau’s Big Day

  Chapter 21, Katherine Comes to the Ranch

  Chapter 22, Friday - Game Night

  Chapter 23, Brandy is Coming

  Chapter 24, Valentine’s Day

  Chapter 25, Valentine’s Day for Adam

  Other Books by Bonnie Marlewski-Probert

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to YOU, the reader.

  My intention is to provide YOU with a welcome respite from your normally hectic, demanding daily life; the life in which the people around you may not always give you the credit and respect that you deserve.

  In my books, YOUR enjoyment is all that matters!

  About the Author

  Bonnie Marlewski-Probert is an international bestselling author. Her background includes 20+ years as a professional teacher, trainer, speaker and author for the horse industry. She is the author of more than 30 books and has published more than 1000 magazine articles around the world in a wide variety of markets both in and outside the horse business.

  She started writing as a professional while still working full time in the horse industry, both as a syndicated columnist and freelance magazine writer, before she signed her first book publishing deal.

  Bonnie founded Whitehall Publishing in the early 1990s and has published the works of hundreds of authors from around the globe in both fiction and non-fiction, including everything from biographies, children’s books, religious works, WWII fiction, how-to books, fund-raising works for non-profit organizations, medical works and more. Her firm has published award-winning books and has produced dozens of bestselling authors in the process.

  Bonnie splits her time now between running Whitehall Publishing, working with animal-related non-profits (therapeutic riding centers, dog/cat shelters) and in her free time, writing contemporary romance.

  If you are a writer looking for a way to publish your work while maintaining creative and financial control, visit:

  http://whitehallpublishing.com.

  If you are interested in finding more books written by Bonnie,

  Visit her author page on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Horsemen-From-Around-the-World/e/B0110B5S7W

  Chapter 1, The Funeral

  Saturday, December First

  Sometimes going backwards is the only way to go forward.

  Seated in the front row of the large church they’d all attended as children before their mamma died 15 years earlier were the four tall, ruggedly handsome sons of Buck Chadwick. The last time they’d entered this church was to say good-bye to their mamma and today, on the first Saturday in December, they were back to bury their father.

  Buck, the eldest of the Chadwick brothers at 36 was named after his daddy and his daddy before him. He loved the cowboy lifestyle. Built like a brick wall with conservative views that were just as rigid, Buck spent his life on the family ranch running things with his father while his brothers ran from that world as fast and as far as they could. He’d never taken a wife but then he’d been so focused on running the ranch, that he never made room in his heart for a woman.

  Adam couldn’t have been more different than Buck. At 34 years of age, Adam was a college professor at an Ivy League school on the East Coast, happily living his quiet life teaching science to hundreds of brainy kids. Always the geeky kid in school, he’d found a way to make a living as the geek and was enjoying surrounding himself with students who were just as crazy about science and space as he was.

  Never married, Adam, like Buck was so focused on chasing his own dreams that he’d never made space for a woman, although there was a woman he’d loved since high school but he had never pursued her because they came from two different worlds. In school, he was one of the geeks and she was one of the popular kids who dated the head jocks. He wanted to pursue a teaching career in the sciences and she wanted to be a famous writer someday. He felt he didn’t have a chance with a woman like her so he never even tried.

  Many would say that Adam was the best-looking of the Chadwick brothers with dusty blonde hair, wire-rimmed glasses, and a body to die for but his greatest quality was his kind heart. Unlike Buck, Adam was liberal both in his thinking and in his life.

  Carter, the third Chadwick brother was enjoying being a big-time lawyer with a firm in New York, doing whatever was necessary to make partner. At 33 years of age, he looked like one of those guys straight out of a men’s magazine with his fancy suits, perfect dark brown hair and dark eyes that were sure to have all the girls in New York City swooning.

  Carter’s main goal as a child had always been to find a way to escape the family ranch and get as far away from his father as possible. Their relationship had always been contentious and only got worse after his mamma died. While Carter never particularly wanted to be a lawyer, when the full ride scholarship was offered to him, he grabbed it with both hands as his ticket to freedom. He found that law school also gave him a backbone and the skills necessary to become an assassin who could destroy anyone who crossed hi
m either in the board room or in the court room. He was quite content to have not laid eyes on his father since leaving for law school and was prepared to live out the rest of his life without ever speaking to the man again. However, he hadn’t anticipated being summoned to attend the man’s funeral so, here he was in the last place on earth he ever wanted to step foot again: the Chadwick Ranch.

  The youngest brother of the Chadwick clan, Billy, was only 14 when their mamma died. He never got over losing her and ever since then, he’d been the wild child in the family. Now 29, if there was a bar fight at the Silver Dollar, you could put money on the fact that Billy Chadwick was involved - and was probably the one who started it. Luckily for him, with his slightly rumpled dusty blonde hair and those crystal blue eyes, he had no trouble attracting the ladies and he had plenty of ladies.

  Billy was the smallest of the brothers at just under six feet but like his three brothers, he was solid muscle. He had been a wonderful artist before his mamma died but since then; he’d lost all interest in the arts and was now working at the local garage as a mechanic, living in a small dingy apartment in town. His father had kicked him off the ranch when he was 21 years old because of his drinking and partying. Buck senior wasn’t having any of that on his spread so Billy moved out and hadn’t been back in years. Although he lived in town and would often see the ranch trucks on Main Street and occasionally spot his father, they never spoke.

  The preacher took his place in front of the casket on the altar to give his eulogy. “Mr. Buck Chadwick Sr. was a third-generation rancher here in Texas. He died in his sleep and now he’s with his beloved wife Betty who passed away from cancer fifteen years ago.

  “Buck Chadwick was tough as nails, hardworking and devoted to keeping the legacy of the Chadwick Ranch alive. He leaves behind four sons, Buck junior, Adam, Carter and Billy. Buck Chadwick will be missed in the ranching community around here. He was a good man…”

  The preacher continued to drone on for another 30 minutes before the funeral service was finally over. Afterwards, the brothers headed to the graveyard. To the outside world, it was a touching sight to see four grown brothers standing at their father’s gravesite. What onlookers didn’t know was that while Buck and Adam went to pay their final respects while Carter and Billy went just to make certain he was put in the ground so they could close that unhappy chapter in their lives.

  Once the casket was in the ground, the brothers headed back to the main house where Mary Ferris was waiting with food and drinks for the people who would stop by, which was the custom in ranching communities. Mary had attended the funeral of her friend and boss of many years but while the brothers went to the gravesite, she returned to house.

  Wynona Foster, owner of the local bar, The Silver Dollar and long-time girlfriend of Bear, the ranch manager entered the large, crowded Chadwick ranch house and moved into the kitchen to say hello to Mary. She noticed Adam Chadwick was already in the kitchen, “Mary can I give you a hand with anything?” Adam offered. Mary was the woman Adam had secretly loved throughout high school but he was fairly confident she had no idea.

  “Thanks. Could you take those platters out and find a place for them on the table?” Mary looked up at him with her bright green eyes that always took his breath away. A young widow at 29, Mary was now the single mother of her seven-year-old son Beau who was just a baby when his father died in a car crash. Mary’s life had been financially hard for her until Buck senior offered her a job cooking and cleaning for him a few years earlier. Between her work on the ranch and her part-time waitressing job in town, she was able to squeak by financially. Thankfully, her son Beau was now old enough to be in school so she was able to juggle two jobs during the school year.

  Her long red hair tied back in an efficient ponytail, everything about her spoke of a woman who was focused on whatever the task in front of her was. She wore no makeup. Adam still noticed her porcelain skin with the soft freckles across her nose. Trying to get his mind back on the business at hand, he said, “sure.” He picked up two very large platters of hot beef and turkey, turning to leave, he noticed Wynona for the first time. “Hi Wynona, thanks for coming,” he said.

  “It’s good to see you Adam. I’m sorry for your loss,” Wynona said, pushing the swinging kitchen door open for him. Adam entered the large Chadwick dining room with the large platters. The 100-year-old dining room table filled the space and could easily seat 20 people. Entering the room which was overflowing with people today, reminded him of the parties his mother used to throw for the community when he was a young boy. The house would be filled to the rafters with all sorts of people. He could remember his father always grousing for weeks before every one of those parties but somehow, Adam knew, as everyone knew, that Buck senior loved anything Betty did. He could never deny her.

  “Mary, how are you doing? Do you need a hand?” Wynona asked.

  “Hey, Wy, it’s a sad day around here but I’m doing my best to do what needs doing. Buck was a good man,” Mary said without slowing down her food preparations. She had pots on the large stovetop, both ovens going, and the island in the middle of the large kitchen was filled with bowls and platters.

  “I’m sorry you were the one who found him,” Wynona said, leaning her hip against the counter. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help you?”

  “You could take that large platter over there and load it up with different breads for sandwiches if you don’t mind.”

  “I’m happy to help.” Wynona started opening the various bread bags and constructing the tray when Mary said, “I don’t mind saying it was a shock to find him that morning. I guess if someone had to find him, better it was me than one of his sons.”

  When Wynona had finished, she asked, “Can I take anything out to the dining room for you?”

  “How about taking that platter of bread and some butter from over there, that would be a big help,” Mary said scurrying around the kitchen checking on ovens and pots on top of the stove.

  “Consider it done.” Wynona picked up the platter and a plate of butter, pushed open the swinging kitchen door and entered the dining room. As she found a place for the platter of breads and the butter, she overheard Buck speaking with Billy nearby.

  “Watch your drinking today. The last thing we need is you drunk at Dad’s funeral. Don’t embarrass Dad and the rest of us by acting like a jackass today of all days,” Buck whispered in a firm, commanding way.

  Billy was several inches shorter than Buck and probably 70 pounds lighter. While Buck was built like a tank with arms that resembled tree trunks, Billy was built more like a race car: sleek, fast and lightweight. “I’ll drink whatever I want big brother. I’m not one of your ranch hands that you can push around,” Billy snapped back. The rivalry between eldest and youngest brother had been ongoing since they were both kids so it was no surprise it would bubble up at their father’s funeral.

  Wynona noticed Carter Chadwick heading for the two brothers, “Would you two keep it down, the place is crawling with nosey neighbors. The last thing we need is one of these small-town gossips spreading dirt about the Chadwick brothers. Let’s just get through this day, stick around until the will is read and then we can all get back to our normal lives. In the meantime, don’t kill each other,” Carter insisted quietly trying to make sure no one could hear him.

  Wynona had decided she’d seen and heard enough. She headed outside to track down her longtime boyfriend Bear Dalton the ranch manager and lifelong friend of Buck Chadwick Sr. She found him on the covered porch at the front of the house enjoying a beer.

  “Hey baby, come sit by me,” Bear said, holding out a hand to Wynona. His weather-worn face with his striking crystal blue eyes always lit up when she entered the room.

  Happy to see someone she loved, Wynona sat down in the chair next to him. They held hands while silently enjoying the view. Within a couple of minutes, Carter emerged from the house apparently needing some fresh air and a way to escape ‘the locals’, as he r
eferred to the neighbors. “Hey Bear, how’ve you been? Hi Wynona.”

  “Hi Carter,” Wynona replied politely.

  Bear stood and extended his hand, “Good to see you Carter. I’ve had better weeks I can tell you that.” The two men shook hands before Bear returned to his rocking chair and his beer.

  “Me too. I was working on a big case in New York when I got the news. Really lousy timing. I’m in the running for partner with the firm and this is the case that could have sealed the deal. Now some nobody is going to run with the ball while I’m stuck here,” Bear looked at Carter with a strange look. His piercing blue eyes and sun-hardened skin made him the picture of a real cowboy. Already in his 60s, Bear had been ranch manager for decades. In fact, Carter couldn’t remember a time when Bear wasn’t the ranch manager on the Chadwick ranch.

  “You know son, you make it sound like your daddy planned his own death just to piss you off. If you’re thinking that, you need to get your head out of your ass. Nobody insults a friend of mine without paying so don’t write a check your ass can’t cash.” Even though Carter was a grown man, he still feared Bear Dalton as did everyone else who knew the man. Bear was smarter than most men, faster with his fists than anyone Carter had ever known and wiser than any 10 college professors. What he lacked in formal education, Bear learned in the saddle or while working cattle. His life was all about hard work, pride and honor and no one with a lick of sense ever crossed Bear Dalton.