Christmas with a Cowboy

by Brown, Carolyn

  * * *

  “Tell me about Sean,” Maverick said as he dipped soup for her first and then for himself.

  “He’s just a friend—maybe like Alana is to you—we grew up in the same little village that’s only maybe a fourth as big as Skibbereen. Everyone knew everyone, so we were friends, but not like me and Deidre,” she said.

  “What does he look like?” Maverick asked.

  Bridget pushed back her chair, went to the living room, and came back with her phone. She flipped through her pictures until she found one of the three of them and held it out for Maverick to see. “He’s the blond in the middle. He’s what you Yanks call a player. Women have always flocked to him like flies on honey.”

  Maverick couldn’t help but think that he and Sean had a lot in common, even if they didn’t look a thing alike. They both had chased and caught a lot of skirts. He wondered if Sean ever wished that he hadn’t been quite so wild.

  “He’s cut his hair now, and grown a bit of a mustache.” Bridget looked at the picture with longing in her eyes. “And he’s the best pub dart contestant in our whole village.” She put the phone on the table. “Even though he’s a couple of years younger than me, Nana pushed me toward a relationship with him, but it would be like kissing my brother.” She shivered. “I can’t imagine it.”

  “Kind of like me kissing Alana,” he whispered.

  “Probably so. But Sean and I know each other so well, we might have made decent roommates.”

  “You’ve given this a lot of thought, haven’t you?” he asked.

  “Yes, I have, but then I have to think about it. Laela and I will have to rent something, and in our little village there aren’t a lot of flats available. I’m all she has, so I’m always thinking about what she’ll need. Wanda said something at the center about when she’s a teenager. I have to think of her future as well as the present.” She tried to give Laela another bite but the baby shook her head. “Guess she’s done.” Bridget took her out of the high chair and washed her hands and face.

  “Speaking of the future, who’s going to be Laela’s guardian if something should happen to you?” Maverick pushed back from the table and carried his bowl and plate to the sink.

  “Never thought of that.” Her beautiful eyes widened. “That’s downright scary. Deidre went to the lawyer before Laela was even born, and here I’ve had her for months and didn’t think to do the same. What happens if I don’t?”

  “I don’t know about laws in Ireland, but here, I’d guess that Laela would go into foster care, since she has no relatives to take her.” Maverick felt bad that he’d even brought up the subject.

  “I’ll see a lawyer as soon as I get home, but I’m not sure who would take her. I’ve got a distant cousin, Danny O’Rourke, who might agree, but I’d have to talk to him and his wife,” Bridget said.

  Laela talked to her stuffed animals and pointed at the Christmas tree. Maverick envied the hell out of Danny at that moment.

  Chapter Nine

  Bridget had been in Iris’s bedroom many times, and she’d been in the little private bathroom to clean it a couple of times. But for her to go in there with the purpose of going through her things—that felt downright awkward. Getting the suitcase out of the closet wasn’t so bad, but there were some things that were private, even if they were granny knickers and white bras.

  “All right, it’s got to be done.” She talked to Laela, who was following right behind Dolly as the cat sniffed every single corner. Bridget pulled open a drawer and started packing the things that Iris had asked for. “It’s a good thing that she’s getting help, but we miss her, don’t we?”

  Laela flipped around to sit on her butt and grabbed the cat by the ear.

  “I guess that means you and the cat both miss her, right?” Bridget finished packing and zipped the suitcase. “I’ll pull this up to the living room, and then we’ll get you changed. I’m still a little bit worried about driving, what with it being on the opposite side of the road and such a big vehicle, but we’ve survived it twice to go to the store, so we can do it again.” She set the suitcase on the floor and popped up the handle so she could pull it.

  Bridget parked the suitcase, and Laela reached up for her as if she’d understood exactly what had been said while the thing was being packed. “Maybe we’ll stop for ice cream on the way home.”

  Home?

  Bridget couldn’t believe she’d said that word out loud. Home was Ireland. It wasn’t on a ranch where she had a temporary job. It felt like she’d disgraced her homeland by even saying such a thing.

  It didn’t take long to get Laela changed into a cute little pink corduroy outfit and wrestle her into a coat. The hat had to be tied under her chin because she kept taking it off, throwing it, and giggling.

  “You think that’s funny, do you?” Bridget gathered her up in her arms and kissed her a dozen times on her chubby little cheeks. Laela squealed with laughter and tried to wiggle out of her embrace.

  “Now that’s a sight right there,” Maverick said from the bedroom doorway.

  Bridget turned to face him. “You snuck up on us.”

  Laela reached out for him, and Maverick took her into his arms. “Don’t you and your mama look pretty today? Pink is a good color for a princess, and green always looks good on your mama.”

  “Thank you.” Bridget set about putting on her coat. “You gave me a start there. You usually holler at the back door.”

  “I didn’t mean to startle you,” Maverick said. “I heard the baby giggling and just followed the sweet sound. I’m on my way into town for a load of feed. Do you want me to take that stuff to Granny?”

  “No, I want to do it, and besides, I’d like to stop by the food store for some things we need,” she answered.

  “If you have any trouble, you can call me. I should be going.” He started down the hall with the baby still in his arms.

  Bridget grabbed Laela’s bag and followed him. “I kind of promised her ice cream.”

  “It would be fun to show her off in the feed store and lumberyeard.” Maverick picked up the suitcase in the foyer with his free hand. “But you got to deliver what you promise. That’s straight from Granny’s mouth.”

  Bridget opened the door for him. “I heard the same thing from Nana. Guess we were raised a lot alike, even if there was a lot of water separating us.”

  He carried the baby to the truck and got her all situated. “Look at that. I got all those straps done up right without help.”

  “You get the gold star today,” Bridget teased.

  Maverick leaned against the fender. “I’ll trade it for that kiss you owe me.”

  She gazed up into his eyes. “It’ll take more to get that kiss than just learning to buckle all the straps on Laela’s car seat. See you at noon.” She whipped around and rounded the front of the truck, leaving him standing there.

  “Do I have to be the knight in shining armor that rides up on a white horse and saves the damsel in distress?” he drawled as he headed to his own vehicle.

  “I don’t need a white horse, and I’ve never been a woman who needs saving.” She raised her voice and deliberately waited for him to leave before she started the engine. No way would she drive with him following right behind her. If she made an error or two, she for sure didn’t want him to see.

  “Lassie, girl.” She glanced up into the rearview at Laela. “If all that jabbering you do reaches God’s ears, you might say a prayer for us. They say the third time is the charm, so I expect we’ll do fine, but a prayer wouldn’t hurt—especially from a little angel like you.”

  Laela gave her a big grin that showed off four of her front teeth.

  “I’ll take that as a sign your angel powers are in fine form today,” Bridget said.

  Starting the engine was no different from doing so in Sean’s car, but the truck was so different from his tiny little vehicle. She took a deep breath, put the truck in reverse, and hit the gas a little too hard. The truck slipped on the
slick grass and wove all over the yard before she got it under control.

  You ready for that knight on a white horse? that pesky voice in her head asked.

  “Not yet,” she said as she changed gears and slowly drove down the lane toward the road. She drove ten miles below the speed limit, and she parked out at the edge of the rehab lot where there were lots of spaces. She took the suitcase from the backseat and rolled it across the concrete to the other side of the truck. Then she got Laela out of her seat and slung her on a hip, reached for the handle of the suitcase, and remembered she had left the keys in the truck.

  “Thank goodness I didn’t lock myself out,” she muttered. “We’re going to conquer this beast of a truck, darlin’ girl.” She tucked the keys into her hip pocket and rolled the suitcase toward the center. A cold north wind whipped her long, red hair around in her face, and there was a hint of rain in the gray skies. She pushed the button for the doors to open automatically and was surprised to see Iris sitting in the lobby.

  “I thought you might be here about this time.” Iris patted the place beside her on the sofa. “I wanted to see Laela’s face light up when she saw the decorations in here. Turn her loose and let her check out things. My therapy got pushed up half an hour, so I’ve got maybe fifteen more minutes. Are you catchin’ on to drivin’ here in Texas?”

  Bridget sat down and put Laela on the floor. “Pretty good.”

  “It’s like the time change between here and Ireland. It takes a while to adjust, but you’ll get the hang of it, and then it’ll feel all wrong when you go home.” Iris pointed at Laela. “Ain’t that cute. She touches the ornaments on the tree so gentle-like, but she don’t pull at them.”

  “Maverick sits on the floor with her, and they discuss the ornaments,” Bridget said. “Sometimes I think they have their own language.”

  “He’s always been good with kids. You’d think that as wild as he’s been…” Iris sighed.

  Bridget’s eyes popped wide open.

  “Honey, I may be old but I’m not blind or deaf,” Iris said. “I can see and hear just fine, and I know both my grandsons better than anyone else. What I was going to say before you looked so surprised, is that as wild as he’s been, there could be several children out there with his pretty eyes.”

  “I thought there were,” Bridget admitted and went on to tell Iris the story of the misunderstanding about the messages from Retta and Emily.

  That brought out a burst of laughter. “That’s priceless. I have to share it with Wanda. She’ll get such a kick out of it.”

  “Dammit!” Bridget slapped her knee. “I was so intent on getting here that I forgot to bring chocolates. Maverick is in town for feed. I’ll call him and have him bring them by.”

  “I already talked to Mav. He should be getting here any minute. I figured I’d share one with Wanda and hide the others for myself.” She pointed toward the window. “There he is now.”

  “Are you ready to go home, put on some George Jones, and two-step with me?” Maverick handed off two bags of chocolates to Iris.

  “Thank you for these,” Iris said. “I will be ready to dance when I get through with all this rehab crap. I almost called you to come get me this morning, but I ain’t a quitter. When I start a job I finish it, even if I don’t like it.”

  “That’s what you always told me and Pax,” Maverick said. “I couldn’t get a big bag like you wanted, so I brought two smaller ones.” Then he focused on Bridget. “Did you have any trouble getting here?”

  “It was my third time driving the truck. I’ll get used to it before long.” No way was she admitting that she was just now calming down from the ten-minute drive. “Just to be on the safe side, I parked out a ways, so I could back out easier.”

  Laela left her place in front of the tree, crawled across the floor, and pulled herself up on Maverick’s leg. He picked her up, twirled her around a couple of times until she giggled, and then handed her to Bridget.

  “I should be going,” he said. “See you at home.”

  “Dinner will be on the table at noon.” She stood up and took the baby from Maverick. “We should be going too.”

  “Mav, y’all can go. Bridget, you can stay a little longer. The aide will come for me when it’s my turn in the therapy room.” Iris gave orders as usual.

  Bridget sat down again. Iris was her boss. If she wanted her to stay, then that’s what she’d do. Besides, it would give Maverick time to be gone before she had to back that truck out again.

  Iris sighed. “I wish Laela was my great-grandchild and that you weren’t going back to Ireland.”

  “I’d be honored if you’d be her grandmother,” Bridget said. “And anytime you come to Ireland, I’ll have room for you.”

  “Virgie mentioned that you had a good friend named Sean. Are you going to marry him?” Iris asked.

  These Texans had kind hearts, but they sure were nosy. “Sean is just my friend. I’m not interested in marrying him. Besides, he’s quite a ladies’ man. The day that he gets married, there’ll probably be mourning all over Ireland. Women wearing black because the great Sean Cleary was no longer a bachelor.”

  “A lot can happen between now and Christmas.” Iris nodded to her left. “There’s my good-lookin’ aide to help me down the hall to rehab. You can put my suitcase on my bed. I’ll unpack it this afternoon. Put the candy on my nightstand. I’ll share with Wanda, but be sure to bring me another one to hide.” She winked at Bridget. “I have a sweet tooth almost as big as the state of Texas.”

  “Miz Iris, are you ready for your walk down the aisle with me?” The aide was a slightly overweight, dark-haired man with wire-rim glasses.

  “Last time I walked down the aisle with a Texan, he stole my heart,” Iris teased as she held out her hand for him to help her.

  “I promise I won’t break your heart.” He put the walker in front of Iris. “But if I were thirty years younger, I might try to break this pretty redhead’s heart.”

  Iris snorted. “Try forty years younger, Will. I know how old you are.”

  “Can’t get nothing past you, Iris Callahan.” He chuckled. “Now, let’s get this Cadillac of a walker rollin’.”

  “Give me a minute to say goodbye to my family,” Iris told him and made introductions. “This is Bridget, my surrogate granddaughter, and my great-granddaughter, Laela.”

  “Pleasure to meet you,” Bridget said.

  “Same to you,” Will said.

  “Y’all be careful going home now,” Iris said. “Hold the baby down over here so I can give her a kiss.”

  Bridget did just what Iris said. “We’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. If you think of anything else you want, just give me a call.”

  Iris nodded but she was focused on the baby. “Bye-bye, my sweet girl.”

  Bridget tucked the candy she had brought into the outer pocket of the suitcase and rolled it into Iris’s room. After putting the candy on the nightstand and the suitcase on the bed, she and Laela went back outside. She’d barely gotten into the car when sleet started to bounce off the windshield.

  “Maybe in this weather, we’ll just go home and eat our ice cream there,” she said as she got Laela all tucked into the car seat. “The roads could get pretty slick in a hurry if this gets any more serious. But we do have to stop at the food store for milk and bread, and a few things. We’ll just have to hurry.”

  When she reached the supermarket, she parked at the outer edge of the lot just like she’d done at the rehab center. She didn’t bother getting Laela’s bag but tucked Laela close to her chest and braced herself against the sleet and wind. She rushed across the lot, into the store, and was suddenly bewildered by the size of the place.

  She was used to buying bread and pastries in one shop, meat in another, and the stores in Ireland weren’t a lot bigger than her grandmother’s little house. To her, this place was a monster with its tall displays. Thank goodness there were signs above each aisle or she would have been hours just looking for th
e items she needed.

  She rounded up what she had to have, charged it to the ranch, and was back in the truck in a half hour. She’d just started the engine when her phone rang. It took a minute to undo her seat belt and get it out of her pocket.

  “Hello, Sean. You’d never believe the store I just came out of,” she said.

  “So everything really is bigger in Texas?” He chuckled.

  “Don’t know about everything, but that was one massive store. Breads, cheeses, dairy, meat, and even canned goods all under one roof.”

  “Is the cowboy with you?” he asked.

  “No, and I’ve been driving myself to town. I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. Iris needed some things and I’m telling you—it was kind of scary, driving on the other side of the road in a big pickup truck,” she said.

  “I liked the pictures you posted. I miss you, girl. The new woman at work is slow and surly,” he said. “I can hear a little of that Texas drawl already. You changing your mind about coming back to Ireland?”

  “Of course not, but speaking of accents, it’s sure good to hear yours today. I miss that most of all.” She turned the engine off and unfastened her seat belt.

  “What? Hearing some good old Irish, or do you miss working with me?” he teased.

  “Both,” she answered.

  “I’ve got a confession.” Sean’s voice sounded strained.

  “I’m not your priest, darlin’,” she said.

  “But I’ve got to get this off my chest. It’s been eatin’ at my heart for a few days.” She could imagine him frowning with his eyebrows drawn down. “You remember when you told me to go ahead and rent out my spare room?”

  “Yes,” Bridget answered.

  “Well, I did, and now those boxes you left are sitting in my bedroom. They take up a lot of room, luv.” Some of his words were in Irish, some in English.