Rancher For The Holidays (Love Inspired) by Myra Johnson Page A

they urged her to her feet and got her walking around the pasture.
    The vet arrived within minutes, and after examining the mare, he surmised Ruby hadn’t been drinking enough water while she grazed. Uncle Steve led Ruby into her barn stall, where the vet began treatment. A stomach tube through the horse’s nose was a little more than Ben could handle, though, so he observed from a distance.
    Toting five-gallon paint cans and wrangling a colicky horse, all before lunch? Ben’s muscles felt like jelly. Spying a tack trunk against the wall, he collapsed with a groan. This was a whole different kind of tired than sitting behind a desk forty or fifty hours a week.
    He hadn’t been sitting there long when the telephone rang inside the tack room. Since Uncle Steve was busy helping the vet with Ruby, Ben got up to answer the call.
    It was Ernie Coutu. “Hi, Ben. We met this morning, remember?”
    “Yeah, I remember.” How could he forget?
    “First off, I wanted to apologize if I came on too strong.” Ernie released a self-conscious chuckle. “Marley reamed me out for it.”
    “I get it. You’re just looking out for her.”
    “Right. So anyway, my wife, Angela, and I are throwing burgers on the grill tonight. Marley’s coming, plus another couple from the outreach committee. I thought you might like to join us so we can all get better acquainted.”
    Ben glanced toward Ruby’s stall, relieved to see the horse looking less stressed. Unlike him at the moment. “Sure, why not? Just tell me where and when.”
    Ernie suggested he arrive around five thirty. “Give me your cell number and I’ll text you directions.”
    While the vet finished Ruby’s treatment, Ben had another hour or so to stew about Ernie’s unexpected invitation. He heard Aunt Jane’s car drive up and went out to help her carry grocery bags into the kitchen.
    When he told her he’d be having burgers at the Coutus’, she beamed. “Glad I stopped at the bakery for
kolaches
. You can take some with you to share for dessert.” She made a face. “But I strongly suggest you shower first.”
    Chuckling, he went to clean up. After lunch with his uncle and aunt, he stretched out on his bed for a short nap that lasted nearly three hours. Aunt Jane woke him with just enough time to drive into Alpine.
    He parked in front of the Coutus’ brick ranch-style house, and moments later Marley pulled up behind him. They stepped from their cars at the same time, and Marley nudged her door shut with one hip while juggling her purse, a bag of chips and what looked like a container of store-bought guacamole.
    Answering the question in her eyes, he grinned and said, “Blame Ernie. He isn’t through analyzing my moral character.”
    He shifted the plate of
kolaches
to his other hand and relieved her of the dip she was struggling with. “Let me help.”
    “Thanks.” She took a step back, then nodded approvingly. “Glad to see you didn’t overdress for the occasion.”
    “I’m a quick study. Figured folks around these parts wear jeans and sneakers pretty much everywhere.” Although Marley looked classy in black jeans, a paisley-print peasant top and strappy sandals.
    Marley didn’t bother ringing the doorbell but showed Ben straight through to the kitchen, where they left their meal contributions on the counter. The aroma of a charcoal fire drifted through the back screen door. They stepped out to the patio, and Marley introduced Ben to Ernie’s wife, Angela.
    The petite redhead rose and offered her hand. “Welcome. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
    Another couple, Pete and Bonnie Oldam, arrived a few minutes later, and their two kids ran off to play on the swings with the Coutus’ little girl. Angela brought more soft drinks from the cooler and the three couples sat around a glass-top patio table.
    As the newcomer in the group, Ben got peppered with the usual questions about where he grew up, which college he went to and what he did for a living. Before it