He grinned knowingly and said, “I’ll untangle the lights and we can revisit that thought later.”
Trying to sound innocent she said, “What thought was that?”
“The thought of how delicious your lips were last night and how badly I want to kiss them again.”
She had to clear her throat. “Oh … that,” she said, blushing an even deeper shade of red.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jyl sipped her hot chocolate and pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. She looked around at all of the people gathered in the town square for the annual Christmas tree lighting. Kat and Scott were here with their three boys. They’d saved chairs for Jyl and Grant and Gabriel. Gabe didn’t need his chair. He was too excited to sit still. Her eyes landed on him now, sitting atop Grant’s shoulders as close to the evergreen tree as they could get. She couldn’t help but smile. Grant is so good with him. He also seemed to know everyone in the county. In the first half hour they were here, he must have introduced her to twenty people.
“Jyl!”
She turned toward the sound of Kat’s voice and saw her approaching with a middle-aged man and woman. She didn’t have to guess who they were since the man’s face was a carbon copy of Grant’s, only older.
She smiled nervously. She wasn’t quite at the “Meet the Parents” stage. “Hello.”
“Jyl, these are my in-laws, and Grant’s parents, of course,” Kat giggled. “This is Sadie and Kent Underwood.” The older man smiled and gave her a nod of his head.
Sadie took both of Jyl’s gloved hands in her own and said, “I’ve heard so much about you, Jyl. I’m so glad to meet you.”
“I’m happy to meet you too.” She looked at Kent and said, “Both of you.”
“Where’s your boy?” the older woman asked, looking around.
Jyl smiled and pointed toward Grant and Gabriel. “He found an elevated seat down in front.”
“Aw, aren’t they cute?”
Jyl wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw Kent roll his blue eyes. “Adorable,” he said with a wink in her direction. “I’m gonna go sit down.”
“Okay, dear. I’ll be right there.” Sadie turned back to Jyl and said, “You’re sitting with us, right?”
“Yes. Kat was kind enough to bring extra seats for us.”
“That’s our girl. She’s our family organizer.” Jyl didn’t miss the way Sadie had said, “our family.” It was sweet that she included her in that, but slightly unnerving as well.
“I’m just going to make sure Gabriel is behaving. I’ll catch up with you all in a few,” she told Kat and Sadie. She made her way through the crowd and when she got next to Grant he picked up his arm and draped it over her shoulders. It was intimate and familiar and as much as she wanted to appreciate the warmth in his gesture, it made her uncomfortable in such a large crowd. She stood there long enough that she didn’t think she’d hurt his feelings and then she said, “Gabe, why don’t you give Grant a break? You’re not a lightweight any longer, you know.”
“He’s okay,” Grant told her.
“It really wouldn’t hurt him to sit on the ground with the other boys—”
“He’s fine.”
She had to tell herself not to bristle at his contradicting her in front of her son. He meant well. She started to step away and he said, “Where are you going? Stay here with us.”
“I told Kat and your mother I’d be right back.”
“Uh oh, Mom’s here? She didn’t say anything to embarrass me, did she?”
She had to smile. “No. She was perfectly polite and appropriate.”
“Are you sure it was my mom?”
She laughed and let that go. “If he gets heavy, make him stand.”
He nodded. She tried to step away again and this time he bent down to kiss her. She slipped under his arm. He looked hurt, but he didn’t say anything, thankfully. She didn’t want to have this conversation in front of her son, but she knew they needed to have it. She liked spending time with him, but he seemed to be moving too fast.
She went back over and took her seat next to Kat and her in-laws. As soon as she sat down, Sadie said, “So Kat tells me you’re a widow, dear? I’m so sorry to hear that.”
Jyl swallowed hard. “Yeah … thank you.”
“Poor Gabriel. He must miss his father an awful lot.”
“Yes … it’s been hard.”
“A boy needs a father.”
Jyl was beginning to see what Grant was worried about. “We do alright,” she told her.
“I’m sure you do, dear, but there are just so many things—”
“Sadie, leave her alone.” Grant’s father stepped in.
“What? We’re just having a conversation. …”
“Let the poor girl be. The mayor is getting ready to speak.”
“Oh poo on her.”
“Sadie!” Kat exclaimed with a giggle.
“You know I don’t like that girl,” Sadie said. “She can put on all of the airs she wants in that mayor’s office. That doesn’t make her respectable.”
“Sadie, let it go,” Kent said.
Jyl was curious about what was going on but before she could ask, the mayor took the podium and the mic. She was a really pretty petite blond with big blue eyes. She wore a dark red sweater dress that peeked out underneath an unbuttoned black pea coat. She had on black leather boots with red boot cuffs, red gloves, and a red scarf. She looked very festive and professional at the same time.
“She’s so young to be mayor,” Jyl whispered to Kat who came to stand next to her.
“Yeah, don’t let Sadie hear you say that. You don’t want to get her started on that woman. As a matter of fact, you don’t really want to get me started either.”
Jyl smiled. “When we have more time, I’d love to hear that story.”
Kat laughed and said, “Ask Grant. I’m sure he’d love to tell you.”
Something in the way she said that told Jyl that Grant would feel just the opposite about it. She tucked that away to think about later as the pretty young mayor began to speak.
“Good evening, ladies and gentleman. I hope y’all are all having a great time tonight!” Everyone cheered and clapped. “As most of you know, I’m Mayor Swearingen and I’m here to do the honors of lighting this old tree. My first memory of this tree lighting was when I was about four years old. I was here with my parents and grandparents and both of my sisters who are all here tonight as well.” She pointed to a group of women with two older men and several children in their midst. The crowd clapped and cheered once again and then she went on. “I hope that this tradition will be as dear to your family as it has been to mine. According to my mother, I was two months old at my first lighting. I just turned twenty-nine; I haven’t missed a year yet.”
More applause and then she said, “As usual, there is a donation box at the end of the lane. Please feel free to give whatever you can spare so that we can continue this tradition far into the future. Now without further ado, I’d like to ask y’all to stand and join hands. We’re going to sing, ‘Oh Christmas Tree’ together as the tree is lit. If any of y’all don’t know the words, just fake it.”
The crowd laughed, all except Sadie who curled her lip and rolled her eyes. Her husband prompted her to her feet and she grudgingly took his and Jyl’s hands. Jyl found Grant and Gabe and saw that Grant was sandwiched between two women. He had a grip on both of their hands as the music started and the crowd began to sing. She felt a twinge of completely irrational jealousy in her chest and chastised herself. She’d just prepped herself for the conversation she needed to have with him about moving too fast, and here she was acting as if she had a right to be jealous of anything he did.
She shook it off and tried to concentrate on remembering the words to the Christmas song. Singing wasn’t her strong point but everyone was singing, so she did her best. She was surprised when she heard Kent’s deep baritone voice soar above the others. He sounded like someone who had been singin
g his entire life. When the song ended, the mayor waited for the cheering of the crowd to die down before taking the two sides of the electrical cord in her hands. She really wanted to see Gabriel’s face when the tree was lit, so once again she excused herself and made her way through the crowd. The mayor plugged in the tree just as she stepped up next to them. She looked up at her son and said, “Wow! What do you think, buddy?”
Gabe’s blue eyes were alight with fire and he looked mesmerized by the ever changing pattern of the lights as they twinkled all over the thirty-foot tree. “It’s so cool, Mama.”
“It is cool.” She could feel Grant’s eyes on her face as she talked to her son. When her son looked back at the tree, she locked eyes with Grant and smiled.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m good. Why?”
“Just checking,” he said. “Hey, buddy, I’m gonna swing you down for a bit, okay?”
“Kay.” Grant put Gabe on his feet and he took off.
“Gabe!”
“It’s okay; he’s just going to sit with the boys.” That was the second time tonight that he had corrected her when she’d told her son something—not that she was keeping score.
“The tree is beautiful. This was fun.”
He grinned. “Yeah, like the mayor said, it’s part of all of our Christmases around here. Next weekend will be even better.”
“Next weekend?”
“Yeah, that’s when the parade and the bazaar and the Christmas tree lane walk happen.”
“Oh, that sounds like fun.”
“It is. Santa will be in the park too. The kids love it. We’ll have to get together with Kat and Scott and the boys again. Mom always makes a big dinner that night too.”
“Hmm …” Was he just assuming they were a couple now? They’d never even really been on a date. Josh and I dated for months before I met his parents… Josh.… “Yeah, um … I’m not sure that we’ll be able to make it next weekend.”
“Oh … why not?”
“I just think—”
“Grant!” The tall officer that led her to her new house that first night she was in town was pushing his way through the crowd toward them.
“Murph!” The two men shook hands and then Grant said, “Murph, this is Jyl.”
Murph grinned at her. “Jyl and I met … sort of.”
“Yes, thank you again for that,” she said. Grant looked confused.
“Where’d you two meet?”
“Deputy Murphy was kind enough to lead me through the storm our first night in town.”
“Oh, well it’s good to know you actually do your job when I’m not around to prompt you,” Grant told him with a grin. “Where is your better half?”
Murphy pointed over to where Kat and Grant’s parents were sitting. “She’s over there dishing with your mother and sister-in-law. Man, those ladies can talk.”
Grant rolled his eyes and said, “Tell me about it. I’m just happy when I’m not their topic.”
“Well, don’t be happy then,” Murphy said, looking over at Jyl, “Neither of you.”
* * *
By the time Jyl finally got her wiggly son settled down and tucked into bed, it was already after ten. She came back into the living room to the sight of Grant stoking the fire he’d started when they got home. He had his sleeves rolled up and his forearms flexed and rippled as he stacked the wood on the already roaring fire. His cowboy hat was off and his black hair kept falling down over his eyes. She watched him brush it back off his forehead as the flicker of shadows from the fireplace danced across his handsome face. With a sigh that came from not knowing what she should do, she went further into the room.
“Hey, did he finally settle down?” he asked her as he stood up.
“Yeah. Hopefully he’ll sleep in tomorrow. He had a big day.”
He looked at the twinkling lights on the tree they’d all decorated together earlier and grinned. “Yeah, but I think he had a great time, don’t you?” He sat down on the couch. He looked so comfortable here.
She went over and sat down too—leaving at least a foot of space between them. She looked into the fire and said, “Yes. I think he had a really good time.”
“So … what about you? Did you have a good time?”
She looked back at him and said, “I did.” She sighed then and said, “But …”
“I had a feeling there was a ‘but’.”
She smiled. “It’s not bad. It’s just that I feel like things are moving a little fast. Gabe already has it in his head that he wants you to be his daddy. I’m not looking for a daddy for my son. He had a daddy—one that I don’t want him to forget.”
“I’m not trying to move in here and be his daddy.”
“I know. I’m sorry if that’s how it sounded. It’s just that in Gabe’s impressionable little mind, that’s what’s happening. To be honest, I wasn’t even looking for a date. I’m still trying to get my life back in order.” He raised both eyebrows but he didn’t interrupt her as she continued, “I met your parents today and your mom seemed to think we were some kind of item. You put your arm around me and tried to kiss me. It was all just too … familiar …,” she tapered off.
He waited a beat to make sure she was finished and then he said, “I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t have thought that was okay. As far as my parents go—this is a small town. It’s hard to keep the person you’re dating from running into them.”
“That’s just it, Grant, we’re not dating, but everyone—including you—seems to think that we are. I’m pretty sure that we had a conversation …”
“Where you told me you felt this too. Where I told you that I had no intentions of hurting you or your son who I care a great deal about.”
“How about where I told you that I wasn’t looking to date? Feeling something and acting on it are two different things. The part you’re missing here is that I don’t want to feel this, Grant. It’s too soon. It’s just too much, too soon. Have you ever had a serious relationship and then you lost it and you just weren’t sure if you’d ever stop mourning it? I know that you’ve never lost a spouse, but that’s the closest I can come to explaining it to you.”
“No. I’ve never had anyone like that.”
“I can’t just shake it off and go on.”
“I don’t expect you to. Go out to dinner with me tomorrow night.”
“What? Am I talking out loud? Can you hear me?”
“Yes. You’re telling me that we’re moving too fast. So let’s slow down. Go out on a date with me, as friends. There’s nothing wrong with just getting to know each other better, right? You’re new in town, you need a friend. I won’t put my arm around you or kiss you—unless and until you want me to.”
“Grant …”
“Jyl, listen to me, please … I’ve been on hundreds of dates—”
She laughed. “Not a good start.”
“Hush! Listen.”
“Sorry. Go ahead.”
“I’ve been on a lot of dates, okay? I have never—ever felt like this about anyone. I felt it from the minute I saw you. My mom always told me that when I met the right one I would know. Well … I know. If you need time for me to prove that to you, then okay. I’ll wait. But please don’t push me completely out of your life. Please give me a chance. A date … or two … and if you still don’t want this, then I’ll deal with that.”
“A date, as friends,” she said. “No kissing.” His lips quirked, and she interjected, “No smiling!”
He almost choked. “Oh don’t worry, if there’s no kissing, I won’t be smiling.”
She laughed in spite of herself. “Stop it. I mean no smiling right now. This is a serious conversation.”
He did his best to straighten his face and then he said, “Okay, totally serious—so are we on for tomorrow night?”
She shook her head. “You’re hopeless.”
He grinned. “Nope, I’m actually full of hope. That seems to be my problem.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
After the morning chores were finished the next day, Grant called his mother’s phone to ask about borrowing her car for the night. As his luck would have it, Kat answered.
“What do you need it for?” she asked—just as he knew she would.
“You are the most exasperating woman. Put my mother on the phone, will you?”
“She’s outside making a snowman with the boys. Besides, she’ll ask you the same question,” she said. He looked at the phone in his hand and thought about throwing it across the room. Sometimes he thought his brother must be a saint. His father, too, for that matter.
“I have a date, okay? I’m taking her to Piper for dinner and I don’t want to take her in my truck. I want it to be nice.”
“With Jyl?”
“Can a man have one secret in this family?”
“Absolutely not, just ask your brother and your father.”
With a heavy sigh he said, “Yes, it’s with Jyl—but, Kat, listen to me, okay?”
“What?”
“She’s not comfortable with everyone acting like we’re a couple. We’re going out as friends only. She needs to take this slow and I’m going to respect that. I need you and Mom to back off on that, sis. So please don’t say anything to make her uncomfortable if she asks you to watch Gabe tonight.”
“So she’s worried that you’re moving too fast?”
“Yes, and she’s as skittish as one of my fillies. If we put pressure on her, she’s gonna run in the other direction. If that happens …” If that happens, he had no idea what he would do.
She must have heard it in his voice because she said, “Wow, you really have it bad for her, don’t you?”
“See, it’s things like that.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ve just never seen you like this before.”
“I’ve never felt like this before, Kat, so help me out, please. Ask Mom if I can use the car tonight.”
“She’s not going to care. I’ll tell her you’re coming for it.”
I Saw Mommy Kissing A Cowboy (Cowboy Christmas Romance) Page 10
