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“This is good. Really good.” Will set down his tablet, brow knit in confusion. “You must’ve been working on this quite a while.”
“Since October,” said Sarah.
“Why didn’t you show me before?”
Sarah bit her lip. How to explain to him she’d thought sweets would win her more points than paperwork? It sounded ridiculous, even to her.
“I know horses,” she said. “But I guess I wasn’t as confident when it came to business.”
“Well, you should be, because this is impressive.” Will powered down his tablet. “I’m proud of you,” he said. “I knew you had it in you—thatoomph, that ambition. The drive to be a leader. But I was starting to worry you’d never let it out.”
Sarah’s heart leaped. Was this it? Was he going to—
“We should set a real meeting, when we’ve both got time. We can hash out how best to pass the torch to you.”
Sarah couldn’t help it. She bounded around Will’s desk and hugged him tight.
“I’d thank you,” she muttered, into his coat. “But we both know I earned this.”
“Damn straight you did.” Will pulled back, his expression turning thoughtful. “Not to poke my nose in, but, about Thaddeus…”
Sarah shot him a warning look, but Will only smiled.
“I like him,” he said. “I won’t tell you what to do, but I will say this: being a single dad’s tough. The stress can build up, especially around Christmas. You want to make it perfect, like one shining day can make up for everything you screwed up. It might not hurt to remember that—y’know, if you miss him.”
Sarah swallowed hard. She did miss Tad badly, and Will was right. He’d been stressed about Christmas, anyone could see that. But after their blowout, the things they’d both said—and the way she’d thrown that stress in his face…
“I think it might be too late,” she said. “But you’re a good brother. And a better dad.”
She ducked out quickly, before the tears could start to fall.
13
“Dad?”
Tad frowned at the blueprints. Vince’s bar was a patchwork of old and new, rebuilt and remodeled fifty times over. Nothing quite lined up; nothing quite matched. Keeping its character would be difficult, if he wanted to—
“Dad.”
His head snapped up. “Oh, for… West, what did I tell you?”
West lowered his head, sullen. “It’s not nice to yell.”
Tad forced himself to calm down. “You’re right,” he said. “And shame on me. But didn’t you promise not to interrupt for an hour?”
“It’s been two hours,” said West. “And you weren’t doing anything, just staring at your desk.”
Tad couldn’t argue with that. He peeled himself off his chair and knelt next to West. “Will you forgive me if I let you unwrap one present? Something to play with while I work on this?”
“By myself?” West pulled a face. “It’sboringby myself. I want to go to the Carsons’ and play with Beth and Ann.”
Tad glanced at his blueprints. He’d barely made a dent. Half an hour to the ranch, half an hour back, and it’d be past lunchtime before he was back at his desk. And then there was Sarah, not to mention her family. Did they know how he’d talked to her? How he’d berated her for trying, albeit misguidedly, to be kind?
“I’m sorry, buddy.” He ruffled West’s hair. “I just don’t have time today, but how about we grab lunch?”
“But we already missed carols.” West squirmed away. “And I missed skating too, with my riding class. I know Aunt Sarah dumped you, but Beth and Ann are my friends. Beth says I’m herbestfriend, and I think she’s mine too. She’s my first best friend, and now we can’t play?”
“West—”
