Her Christmas Cowboy

by Jessica Clare

She juggled her wrapped present and the dog’s leash as he came down the long walkway from the house to meet her. “You told me this was a party,” she said by way of greeting. “So I wore a party dress.”

  “It is a party,” he reassured her. “And I’m sure whatever you’re wearing is fine.”

  “You say that, but you haven’t seen it yet,” she grumbled. Her coat hid everything.

  “You’re always beautiful.”

  “You’re just saying that because it’s dark,” she muttered. He was always more effusive when he couldn’t see her face.

  He laughed. “You’re not wrong.”

  She smiled into the darkness, waiting for him to approach. They’d come really far in the last week or so. Now when Caleb saw her, he didn’t turn all silent. Oh sure, he had his moments, but for the most part, he was able to talk to her like a normal human, and she loved it. He was still boldest in the darkness, though. Maybe he always would be. She didn’t mind.

  Then he was right in front of her, his face hidden thanks to his hat. She could see his smile, though, and beamed one back at him. “Hi.”

  “Hi there. Can I kiss you?”

  As if he had to ask? “Of course.”

  He flicked the front of his hat, tipping it back in a casual way that fascinated her every time he did it. Then he leaned in, and his lips barely brushed over hers. He smelled like aftershave and pine trees and cowboy, and she wanted to bury her face in his shirt and just breathe him in.

  “It’s cold out here,” he murmured, taking Donner’s leash from her hands. “Come on inside. You’re the last one to arrive.”

  Amy suddenly felt nervous. His brothers were in there, and she was going to meet them. She’d met Hank a few times, of course, as he was the parent of one of her students, but she’d never really talked to him about anything other than Libby or his wife, Becca. Caleb had a younger brother, too, and he’d be at the party, as well as Caleb’s uncle, the town vet. It shouldn’t have been intimidating, but she wasn’t at this party as Libby’s schoolteacher. She was here as Caleb’s girlfriend.

  That made everything different.

  Caleb kept a hand at her back as she headed for the house, nervously clutching the present she’d brought. It had seemed like a clever—and cheap—gift, but now she worried that no one would find it funny but her. That they’d look at her sparkly dress and think she was showing off. That they wouldn’t like her. Oh god, what if Caleb’s family didn’t like her? She was a divorcée, after all, and some people thought that divorcées were broken, like there was something wrong with them if they weren’t married any longer. What if his family judged her and found her lacking?

  A week ago she wouldn’t have cared. She’d have been hurt a little, but it wouldn’t have mattered overall. Suddenly, everything seemed to matter. She wanted Caleb’s family to like her. She wanted Caleb to be proud of her. She wanted to be a good girlfriend to him . . . even if it had only been a week.

  How had it only been a week?

  Caleb opened the front door and three dogs came rushing out, tails wagging. She tensed, worried for Donner, but his tail wagged with lightning speed, and for the next few moments, the dogs sniffed each other and licked by way of greeting around Caleb’s legs. “That’s enough,” Caleb said. “Everyone inside.”

  The happy, wiggly flood of dogs immediately went back into the house, and Donner tried to follow. Caleb unhooked his leash and let him go, and he blended into the pack of dogs and disappeared inside. Amy watched him go, nervous. “You think he’ll be okay?”

  “He’s fine,” Caleb said, ushering her into the house. “Come on.”

  The interior of the house was warm and cozy. While it seemed large and imposing outside, inside it was inviting. The ceiling of the place was tall and arched, the roof peaked, and it made the house seem spacious despite the fact that the walls were thick and heavy. She could see a large fireplace in one corner of the living area, a wood stove against the opposite wall, and a large decorated tree in the center. There was a bright red rug on the floor and a TV mounted on the wall. A table had been set up with a paper holiday tablecloth and food and drink was set out atop it. The walls had wreaths and stockings interspersed with old photos of ranch life. Despite all the care taken to decorate, the living area was empty, and she could hear voices in the kitchen.

  “Where is everyone?” Amy asked as Caleb took the present from her and set it down on a table near the door.

  “Getting a drink, I imagine.” He shrugged. “Let me help you with your coat.”

  She took it off and handed it to him, waiting for him to comment on her dress.

  Caleb just stared, his gaze devouring her. She definitely felt overdressed, considering that Caleb was wearing dark jeans and an equally dark shirt. “Um, some of the parties I’ve been to in the past were a bit . . . dressier.” When he remained silent, it made her nervous. “Is this okay? Should I go home and change?”

  His gaze flicked to hers. “No.”

  “No, it’s not okay?” Her heart sank.

  “No, you’re not changing.” He rubbed his mouth with a hand. “You look . . . nice.”

  “Wow. You’re killing me with the compliments,” she teased, her feelings recovering a little. He couldn’t seem to stop staring, and that was gratifying. “I wore this for you.”

  His gaze flicked to hers, and there was so much heat and intensity in his eyes that it made her breathless. He pulled her closer to him, leaning in to whisper. “Are you trying to make me hard in front of everyone?”

  “Yes?” She fluttered her eyes innocently.

  “It’s working.” He put a hand to her back and then pulled away as if burned. “Jesus . . . your dress . . . I don’t know where to touch you.”

  Okay, this was definitely the reaction she’d wanted. She beamed at him. “Anywhere you like.”

  He turned bright red at her words, the flush creeping up his face, and that made her smile even more. “I’m gonna have to save that thought for later.”

  “Should I put my coat back on?” she teased, gesturing at it.

  “No, but I’m tempted to give you my shirt before I introduce you to Jack,” he muttered.

  “Then I’m the one that’s going to be all distracted,” Amy whispered. “By your six-pack.”

  He blushed again. “It’s not a six-pack.”

  “It’s at least five.”

  He shot her another look. “Come on. Let’s go meet the family before I find a closet and drag you in there for some kissing.”

  That made her all breathless. Finding a closet and doing some kissing sounded more fun than the party at the moment. “I’m game.”

  Caleb bit back a groan and gave her another quick, hard kiss, his tongue barely flicking against her lips before he pulled back. “You’re a temptress.”

  She felt like one. She felt like the most beautiful woman on earth tonight, the most sexy, the most desirable. It was a heady feeling. She was a schoolteacher, and an average woman all around. Why was it that when Caleb looked at her, she felt so darn special? It was addicting, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever get enough of it.

  He took her hand and pulled her forward, and Amy supposed they weren’t going to find a nice private closet after all. Well, darn. She let him lead her to the kitchen, where the sound of voices was, and fought back the twinge of anxiety when they stepped inside and a half dozen people turned to stare at her.

  “Hey there!” Becca said, pushing her way forward from the group. She held her arms out, beaming a smile at Amy. “I’m so glad you came! Libby will be thrilled!”

  She hugged Becca, feeling relieved to see a familiar face. “I think I overdressed.”

  “Nonsense. You look beautiful. Come and say hi to Hank. Libby’s in the barn with a few of the neighbors and their kids.” Becca pulled her forward, taking her hand, and Amy cast Caleb an apologet
ic look.

  He just shook his head as if unsurprised and leaned against the counter.

  Becca was a great hostess, at least. She introduced Amy to everyone, including Caleb’s younger brother, Jack. Jack looked a lot like Caleb, but his features were somehow sweeter. He was definitely the prettiest of the three brothers, and judging from the look on his face, he knew it. He eyed her up and down with a slow smile until Caleb gave him a shove.

  “I know she’s yours. I’m just admiring the fact that you somehow managed to snare such a pretty woman. She must have a thing for silence.”

  Caleb elbowed him again, glaring.

  “All right, stop it, the two of you.” Doc Ennis—the elderly vet—stepped in between the two men and then scowled at Caleb. “Take your damned hat off, boy. Were you raised in a barn?”

  “Yes,” Caleb said immediately, and Jack snickered.

  Then the rest of the group came back from the barn, and the kitchen was suddenly crowded with strangers. They were neighbors from the Price Ranch down the road, Becca explained. It was several families with young children, and Amy recognized Sage—the town mayor—and her husband, too. It was awfully cramped, as if no one wanted to move out of the kitchen and into the living area, and Amy was acutely aware of just how open the back of her dress was. The other women were wearing party clothes, but they were a lot more sedate than Amy’s sparkling dress, and she stuck out like a sore thumb. Uncomfortable, she sidled through the crowd over to Caleb’s side. He immediately put his arm around her waist and drew her against him, and she felt better.

  “Sorry about this,” Caleb murmured in her ear, his lips practically brushing against her plastic earring. “Didn’t know half the town would be showing up tonight.”

  “It’s okay,” she whispered back, turning to look at him. Oh. A smear of her lipstick was on his mouth from their earlier kisses and she absently ran her thumb over his lips to get rid of it.

  The scorching look he gave her immediately made her breath disappear. Suddenly the kitchen felt very tight and crowded after all. There were far too many people here, and she really just wanted to be alone with Caleb. To talk to him. To hear about his day.

  To kiss the hell out of him.

  “You two gonna need a room?” Jack appeared suddenly, propping an elbow on Caleb’s shoulder and leaning in.

  “Fuck off,” Caleb growled at his brother.

  Jack grinned, ignoring Caleb’s sour attitude. “I’m just saying that there are children present, you know. Might want to save all that touchy-feely stuff for when you’re alone.”

  Amy blushed. All she’d done was touch Caleb’s mouth. Was she that obvious? But when she looked around the room, she noticed a few people were watching them and smiling . . . so, yes, she guessed they were.

  “Come on, Miss Mckinney,” Libby cried out, flinging herself through the sea of adult legs before locking her arms around Amy’s legs. “Come sit in the living room with us!”

  How could she refuse? Laughing, she let the child lead her into the main room of the house. Caleb immediately snagged her other hand and went along with them, and Amy was glad he was sticking to her side. She normally wasn’t shy around strangers, but too much of this was new to her. Plus, being a stranger in Painted Barrel was different from being a stranger in Houston. In Houston, you assumed everyone was a stranger. Here, everyone knew everyone else, so if you were an outsider, you really were on the outside. It was very isolating, and she’d felt so odd ever since moving here. She’d thought that going to such a small town would mean instantly being part of a warm community—like a big family. Instead, she’d felt strange and alone.

  Being in a sexy, sparkly dress wasn’t helping.

  Folding chairs were brought into the living room, and Caleb immediately snagged one and pulled Amy into his lap. She protested, but the seating was at a premium. Caleb seemed relaxed with her in his arms, too, laughing and joking with the other cowboys. This time, it was Amy who was quiet, her arm on his shoulders while the discussion ranged from fences to this year’s cattle prices to Sage’s expansive ranch. It was nice to see Caleb in his element, though. He was comfortable, and if he wasn’t chatty, he was at least social.

  He noticed her quiet, though, and pulled her closer. “Everything all right?” he murmured against her neck.

  She nodded. “Just feeling a bit weird.”

  “Everyone loves you,” he reassured her. “It’s that you’re with me is the part they can’t figure out.”

  Amy snorted. “Please. You’re the best catch in town.”

  His eyes gleamed. “I’m not the one with multiple Secret Santas.”

  She had more than he thought. He didn’t know about her ex sending the jewelry. Her throat got tight and she kept smiling, even though her mood plummeted just a little. Caleb didn’t know. He couldn’t know that she felt . . . well, like an accessory tonight. That was hard.

  It reminded her too much of her past.

  The chatter continued, everyone easy and casual with one another. Presents were given to the little ones from “Uncle Ennis,” and even the dogs got wrapped toys from the thoughtful vet. Amy clutched Donner’s plush bone, since her dog was curled up in the kitchen with the other dogs, enjoying their company. Even her dog had abandoned her.

  Why was she feeling so isolated at a Christmas party? So alone even in a room full of people?

  She smiled through the ugly-gift exchange, though. The presents were tossed into a pile and people picked numbers out of a hat and grabbed gifts in order of the numbers. Amy picked number one—a fact that made her cringe, just inside, and only added to her feeling of sticking out. Her present was the ugliest carved-bear statue she’d ever seen, as big as her arm. “Thank you, I think?” she said to the laughing group.

  “You’re welcome,” Sage’s husband, Jason, said with a wink. “But I apologize in advance for the nightmares.”

  The rest of the gifts were obviously designed to be equally awful. Becca got a jingle-bell-covered red velvet cowboy hat. Jack got a Barbie scarf. Hank got a chicken-shaped cake pan. Caleb opened his present—a very small box—and then quickly turned bright red.

  The men howled with laughter as Caleb mumbled a nonsense word.

  “What is it?” Amy asked, wondering what was so funny.

  He leaned in. “Horse Viagra.”

  Uncle Ennis winked at them. “I wouldn’t advise using it on humans.”

  She blushed and turned red, too. “I take it that was from the vet?”

  Ennis coughed. “No, actually.”

  Becca raised a hand, her face as red as Amy’s. “It was mine.” When the roar of surprised laughter died away, she spoke again. “To be fair, I thought this party would just be these yahoos.” She gestured at the brothers. “Now I’m just horrified.”

  Amy was a little, too. But she relaxed when Ennis opened her present, a quizzical look on his face. “Is this . . . ramen noodle?” He dug into the box and pulled out package after package. “All of this? Who eats this stuff?”

  “Broke schoolteachers,” Amy chimed in.

  Everyone laughed. Caleb’s arm tightened around her waist.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The party ended not long after the gift exchange. The food was eaten, the gifts were unwrapped, and all the little ones needed their beds. The house began to clear out, and Amy grabbed paper plates and began to clean up. It was the least she could do to say thank you.

  To her surprise, though, Caleb headed into the kitchen and handed her her coat. “Come on. We’re heading out.”

  “Where are we going?” she asked, noticing that he had Donner’s leash, too. “To my place?”

  He shook his head, and his face flushed a little red again. “I thought I’d show you mine.”

  Oh. She hadn’t once asked to see his place, but of course he lived here. A wild curiosity suddenly filled her.
“I’d love to see it.”

  Caleb got Donner in his harness and then led the blind dog out and down the back stairs. Amy followed behind closely, noticing that there was a gravel path that forked in two different directions. In one direction was the barn, a large outdoor light illuminating rounded bales of hay stacked against the building and neat lines of fencing. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the cattle. In the other direction, she saw two porch lights in front of tiny cabins.

  “This way,” Caleb said, gesturing toward the cabins.

  He waited for her, offering his hand when she wobbled on the gravel path—stupid heels—and didn’t rush her. When they got to his doorstep, he paused, as if drawing a steeling breath, then nodded and took her inside.

  “It’s not much,” he confessed as she entered.

  It wasn’t. The cabin was about as big as a single hotel room, with a queen-size bed tucked into one corner. There was a chair and a small table near a bureau, a tiny kitchenette next to a door that most likely led to the bathroom, and a generic painting of a cowboy on horseback hung on the wall. The bed was made and the floor clean, a braided rug near the doorstep. A few pairs of boots were lined up along one wall, and a laptop was closed atop the table. The most noticeable thing was a tall, narrow bookshelf that bulged with books. She moved toward it, eyeing the spines. Some of the books were older, some newer. Almost all were nonfiction of some kind or another, from wars to farming to ancient civilizations. “You have quite a collection here.”

  “It was always hard to get books back home, so I tended to keep the ones I had and reread them over and over again. Once we got here, I went on a bit of a spending spree and hit every bookstore and library sale for three states over. I haven’t read them all, but I’m working on it.”

  Amy smiled over at him. “You know what would look great here?”

  “What?”

  “An ugly bear statue.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. “If you don’t want it, I’m perfectly willing to keep it. I can use it to scare off mice or something.” He gestured at the one chair in the room, the one next to the laptop and table. “Have a seat.”