Santa in a Stetson by Rebecca Winters Page B

the proverbial rolling stone, gathering no moss.
    The same thing was happening to her now, only this time it was Colt Brenner doing his duty. For his daughter’s sake, he was tolerating Kathryn, taking care of her needs, but he didn’t like being dumped on. Allie’s behavior had placed him in an impossible position.
    Allie had put Kathryn in an impossible position, too!
    What Colt didn’t realize was that Kathryn didn’tlike it, either, but she didn’t take his hostility personally. Through years of dealing with similar situations on the farm, she’d learned not to do that because she understood those families had no vested interest in her. She was a temporary encumbrance until the end of the month when she was happily shifted to someone else’s household.
    Her only comfort had come from playing with the youngest children, who were more accepting of her presence in their lives. Unlike the adults, they didn’t see her as an intrusion. She knew Matt Brenner didn’t see her that way.
    During the rest of her stay here, she’d befriend him. If he was still downstairs, she’d ask him to help her do one of those puzzles she’d seen on the shelf. Besides hard work and her fantasizing, books and puzzles had helped save her life growing up.
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    I T HAD GROWN DARK on the way back from the lower pasture. Colt had driven there to haul more feed, but as it turned out, the trip hadn’t been necessary. His stockmen had taken care of it.
    He’d used the excuse of work to bolt from the house. Sixteen years ago, he’d been a naive twenty-year-old who’d gotten sidetracked by a woman’s magic and didn’t suspect the ugliness of what it masked until it was too late.
    Never again.
    The lights from the ranch house beckoned him. While he’d been gone, the wind had picked up. It brought snow flurries portending the storm that had moved in over the mountains. On nights like this, he always experienced awarm feeling of homecoming, but tonight he was aware of an added element because she was inside.
    Colt ground his teeth. He wanted Ms. McFarland out of his house and off his land.
    The scene that greeted him as he walked in the great room a few minutes later was so domestic and cozy, it caused an upheaval inside him.
    â€œHey, Dad? Come and look! Now that you’re back you can help us put my puzzle of Brett Favre together.” Favre was Matt’s hero. Allie had bought him the thousand-piece version of the pro quarterback wearing his Vikings jersey and helmet after his football banquet. Colt had planned to work on it with the kids this weekend.
    Their guest’s hair gleamed like spun gold in the firelight. She seemed to be concentrating hard. In fact, she didn’t look up as he walked over to the card table Matt had set up in front of the fireplace. For some reason, it set off a rare burst of anger he needed to squelch. “First I need to check on Allie.”
    â€œKaty did it a little while ago. She was still asleep.”
    A pair of blue eyes flicked his way. They looked as hot as the fire, yet Kathryn’s response was degrees cooler. “You don’t need to be concerned. So far she’s holding her own.”
    He took a fortifying breath. “That’s good to hear. I’ll let Noreen know I’m back so she can put dinner on.”
    â€œAllie shouldn’t come downstairs before tomorrow. To save Noreen the trouble, maybe you and Matt could take a plate up to her room and eat with her?”
    â€œWhat are you going to do?” Matt voiced the question on Colt’s mind.
    â€œI’ll go up and get her ready, then I have somebusiness to do over the phone. Later on, I’ll come down to the kitchen. But if it will put Noreen out…”
    â€œWhy would it?” Colt blurted before he realized he was sounding terse again. “While you’re here, treat this house as your own.”
    â€œThank you.” She