Christmas Sleigh Ride: Book 7 in the Southwest Trails Series

By DIANE M. CECE

Tyler Lacey was riding down the cattle trail, looking for strays along the upper mountain ranges of the Flying T2 Rough Stock and Cattle Ranch. It was his job this month to be the line rider and move the cattle and strays to the lower meadows before winter set in.

He was just about to ride deeper into the woods to look for more strays, when he heard the sound of a wagon coming up the narrow trail. He knew it had no business being up here on the upper range land of his familys ranch. Deciding to check it out to see what was going on, he walked his horse Biscuit down the trail to see the approaching wagon. At first glance, he was startled to see a young woman at the reins of an old small canvass-covered wagon.

Calico Gunderson had made two wrong turns with her mule team on the way to her uncles Broken Arrow Ranch outside Smithville, Arizona. She found herself going up a mountain trail in the wrong direction. The trail was getting very narrow the farther along she drove, and she found she could not turn the mule team and wagon around. She halted the wagon and picked up her shotgun in self-defense when she noticed a rider coming down the cattle trail toward her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524544546

DIANE M. CECE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Diane M. Cece is the best-selling author of the Southwest Series of novels. Her works include the Trails Southwest, The Cattle Drive from Southwest, The Rodeo Southwest, Whispering Ridge and Bitter End Trail. She worked for twenty-five years as a management assistant for supervisory military personnel. She was an unpublished Nashville songwriter, a designer and seamstress for custom eighteenth-century-period clothing, a living history and Civil War reenactor, a historian for the mountain-climbing Morris Canal in New Jersey, and a historic interpreter for historic Waterloo Village. She lives in a small New Jersey farming community and enjoys visiting the local stockyards on auction days and follows the local and Midwestern pro-rodeo action of the roughstock riders and the roping events. She can be reached on her website www.dianesoldwestnovels.com by going into the guest book tab.

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1    The Trespassers

Chapter 2    Mountain Survival

Chapter 3    Midnight Predators

Chapter 4    A Downhill Solution

Chapter 5    Sleigh Ride To Christmas

Chapter 6    The Big House

Chapter 7    Christmas Eve

Chapter 8    Christmas Day

Chapter 9    South To Smithville

Chapter 10    The Broken Arrow Ranch

Dedication

For Class of 1961

Dover High School, Dover, New Jersey

Acknowledgements

The author would like to take this opportunity to thank several individuals from without whose assistance this series could not have been possible.

Thank you Mary Flores, Publishing Consultant; Kris Alberto, submissions representative; Lani Martin, and Clifford Young, author services representatives; James Calonia, Lloyd Griffith, Cynthia Mathews, and Neil Reid, manuscript services representatives; Marly Trent, Orlando Wade, Rey Flores, Rafael Servado, marketing services representatives; Tony Hermano, author consultant; Lloyd Baron, web design; Amerie Evans, senior book consultant; Rye Lawrence marketing consultant, and Leo Montano, customer services.

Thank you John Covert, 27thnewjerseycompanyf.org, for designing my website dianesoldwestnovels.com. John you have been a tremendous inspiration for getting this author technologically advanced.

Thanks again everyone for being a part of my life and my work, you are the best ever that anyone can have available at their right side as colleagues and friends.

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Chapter I

The Trespassers

Tyler Lacey’s Story

Arizona in winter

Tyler Lacey was riding down the mountain trail looking for strays along the way. It was his job this month to round up the cattle and move them all to the lower meadows before winter set in on the upper mountain ranges. The five Lacey brothers alternated the chores on the large spread of the Flying T2 Rough Stock and Cattle Ranch. It was his turn to be the line rider in the high mountain ranges and live for a month in the lonesome line shack the boys’ threw together on top of the mountain’s ridge. He was just deciding to leave the cattle trail and ride deeper into the woods to look for more strays, when he heard the sound of a wagon coming up the narrow mountain trail. He knew it had no business being up here on the upper range land of the Flying T2 Ranch. He decided to check it out to see what was going on, and walked his horse Biscuit down the trail to the approaching wagon. At first glance he was startled to see a young woman at the reins of a small old canvass covered wagon. It looked more like it was made-over from a broken down chuck wagon he reckoned. It was that small of a rig, and it was being pulled by two mules.

Good afternoon, ma’am.

Oh! You scared me, said the startled girl holding a loaded shotgun pointed right at his belly. Mister, you’re the first one I’ve encountered on this trail in about three miles. I was beginning to think this trail went nowhere.

It doesn’t go anywhere but up to a line shack on top of this mountain, ma’am. Just where did you think you are heading in that run down rig that is supposed to resemble a covered wagon?

With a shotgun pointed directly at his belly Tyler wouldn’t exactly describe this girl as being sweet, sexy as hell maybe, but definitely not sweet. She had long red hair that was braided in one braid and hanging over one shoulder. Damn, he thought. I sure do like red hair on a woman. But I heard tell red-headed women are obstinate and independent. This girl is certainly that, however, she has more curves and sex appeal than any woman has a right to have.

I don’t know where I’m going, cowboy! I must have gotten lost and made a wrong turn somewhere! I’m on my way to Smithville to my uncle’s Broken Arrow Ranch. Where am I now? Can you tell me, mister?

Well, I’ll tell you ma’am, if you just set that shotgun down next to you nice and gentle like. I don’t reckon I’d like getting shot in the belly by a trespassing woman.

Trespassing! You got a lot of nerve, mister, but I’ll set it down as long as you behave yourself! Keep your hand off your gun.

Yes, ma’am. You got no call to be afraid of me, ma’am. I’m harmless when there’s no gun pointing at me. I only shoot in self-defense.

Well, you wear your gun pretty low, mister. You look like a fast gunman to me or even worse an outlaw.

Yes, ma’am. I’m fast all right. But like I said, I only shoot in self-defense, and I try hard not to shoot at ladies. Let’s see now, the last lady I shot was, uh, I guess I don’t remember ever having shot one. As for looking like an outlaw, ma’am, when I’m riding and working the high country all alone, I never shave or clean up. I’m the line rider this month for the Flying T2 ranch.

So you want to tell me where I am or not, cowboy?

Yes, ma’am. I just told you. You’re on the Flying T2 Rough Stock and Cattle Ranch, ma’am. You’re about ten miles outside of Yuma, Arizona. This is Arizona territory. The other side of this mountain is California, ma’am. Just what direction do you reckon you were heading?

Like I said, mister. I’m on my way to Smithville to my uncle’s ranch. I must have made a wrong turn back at the fork in the road. This wagon is not a rickety get up, wise guy; it was the only thing I could afford for the trip. I had to sell half our possessions to buy this wagon. Oh no! It’s starting to snow flurry. I noticed the temperature dropping as we got higher up this mountain trail.

Yes, ma’am. The weather changes mighty fast up here and you are not properly dressed for travelling on this mountain in the wintertime. I reckon you made a wrong turn all right. The fork is six miles back down this trail. You should have made two left turns way back there if you wanted to go south to Smithville. You’re heading west over the mountains towards California, ma’am.

Oh no. Now I don’t know what to do; and now the flurry is getting harder! She was clearly stressed.

Tyler could see she was tired, upset, and showing signs of complete exhaustion.

Calico! What’s going on? Why did we stop? A young lad popped his head out through the canvass cover, his newsboy cap almost falling off as he grabbed it and plopped it back on his head.

I’m talking to a stranger! Cory, you were told to stay under cover when we meet up with strangers. Now get back down in the wagon and do as you were told.

But we’re scared, Calico! I heard you say it’s snowing. A young girl popped her head out of the canvas this time. From Tyler’s point of view, he could see this situation was getting positively worse as he caught his breath in surprise.

Ginger, you too, get back down in the wagon! Stay under cover as you were told!

Shit, ma’am. You got kids with you? I reckon this situation is even worse than I first figured. How many young ones you got in this beat up rig? Tyler questioned.

Watch your tongue in front of the children, cowboy. Is there anything you can do to help me out, or not? Can you at least help me get this wagon turned around? I’ll try and get back down to the fork before this snow flurry gets too heavy.

"No, ma’am. The trail’s too narrow. I can’t