I Saw Mommy Kissing A Cowboy (Cowboy Christmas Romance)

by Charlene Bright

  “Tell her what I told you, please. If she sees Jyl—”

  “I’ll tell her. We like Jyl. We don’t want to scare her away.”

  “Thanks, Kat.”

  “Sure, sweetness, but you know this is for us too.”

  Confused, he said, “What is for you too?”

  “Jyl. Like I said, we like her. If you’re with her, you’ll forget about Ashley.”

  He wasn’t going to dignify that. Last night was the first time he’d thought about Ashley in weeks—and that was just because she was up in front of the podium most of the night. He had never felt about Ashley the way he did about Jyl. Ashley was who he thought he was supposed to end up with; Jyl was who he knew …

  “Tell Mom I’ll be by after lunch time.”

  “She’s toxic, you know. She was going to eat away at your heart and soul until she destroyed you.” Kat wasn’t going to let it go. No surprise there.

  “It wasn’t yours or Mom’s place to decide that,” he said. “I’m glad we’re not together any longer, but that should have been mine and Ashely’s decision alone. Please just don’t ruin this with Jyl for me.”

  He hung up the phone with his fingers crossed. This was the first time his sister-in-law and his mother had both approved of a woman he was dating—or wanted to be dating, whatever. Ashley had been the worst as far as they were concerned. He’d been on and off with her since high school and each time they broke up, he always just assumed they would eventually get back together. This time had been no different, until he met Jyl. Suddenly settling for who he thought he was supposed to be with wasn’t good enough any longer. It made him see that his mother and Kat had a point, although it didn’t excuse their behavior. He was the baby of the family and somehow in spite of being nearly thirty years old, they still thought he needed their constant input into his life.

  Grant wouldn’t admit it to either of them, but he was a nervous wreck about this “date.” After he and Jyl had spent the day in the snow with Gabe and they’d shared that sweet kiss, something in his mind had changed. He felt like they were connected already and he had just assumed she felt that way too. He was going to have to take several steps back to give her back her comfort zone and keep her from running. That would be hard to do since he was already completely infatuated with her. He could do it, though, hard or not—as long as that meant she stuck around and gave him a chance. Being her friend was better than nothing, and he was sure it could lead to more once she was ready to let her guard down.

  The wind kicked up as the day wore on. He started worrying about the weather early in the day, and by the time he got to his mother’s house to pick up the car, the snow was falling in a gentle but steady pattern. Sadie opened the door and watched him make his way to the house. Once he was inside she said, “I have some stew on the stove. Have you had lunch?”

  “No, stew sounds good. Thanks, Mom.”

  He took off his boots and coat while his mother dished up the stew. He sat down and she set the bowl in front of him. Taking a seat at the table as well, she said, “A blizzard’s blowing in, your daddy is sure of it. I’m worried about you and Jyl going into Piper tonight.” Piper was the closest place with a “real” restaurant. It was also a forty-five minute drive, which in heavy snow could be dangerous.

  Grant looked out the window. He had to admit that it sure looked like the beginnings of a big storm, but he’d checked the weather this morning and there wasn’t anything about a blizzard in the forecast. “It looks like it, but they’re not calling for one.”

  She gave him a look that he knew well. “Grant you’ve lived here your entire life. Don’t tell me that you don’t know that the weatherman rarely gets it right. Your daddy is better at predicting the weather than all of them and the groundhog put together.”

  He nodded and took a bite of his stew. “It’s probably not a good idea to take the car anyways. I’d hate to have to waste half the night waiting to be towed out of the snow.”

  “I get the impression from what Kat has told me about your Jyl, she wouldn’t have a problem if you took your old truck—”

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, dear?”

  “She’s not my Jyl. I told Kat, it’s things like that which are making her skittish.”

  She rolled her eyes but said, “I won’t say that in front of her. My point is that she doesn’t seem like a materialistic one … like …”

  “Don’t say it, Mom—”

  “Ashley Swearengin.”

  He sighed and set down his spoon. “Ashley and I haven’t been out in months, Mom. Why do you and Kat keep bringing her up?”

  “Because until Jyl came along, you were still besotted with that woman. You’ve been broken up with her ten different times since high school but you keep taking her back. God only knows why.”

  “I wasn’t ‘besotted’ with her. I liked Ashley—I still do. We’ve been friends for a long time. She has her issues, but who doesn’t? I’m over her though, Mom, so you can stop bringing her up and comparing her to Jyl, okay?”

  “I’ve only met Jyl once and I can already see that there’s no comparison.”

  “Mother …”

  “Fine, I’ll let it go. I don’t think you should go to Piper tonight though.” As if the elements wanted to take her side, a large crack sounded in the sky and the howl of the wind picked up. If he lived to be a hundred, he’d never understand why she always had to be right. “I could make a nice dinner here. …”

  He laughed. “No thanks, Mom. If we have to, Jyl and I will just reschedule.” Another crack of thunder sounded against the dark sky and then as if it had split one of the clouds wide open, the snow began to pour down on the roof above them. “I guess I better call her.” He took out his phone and realized his mother wasn’t planning on giving him any privacy. He smiled at her and took the phone into the living room. His father was asleep in his recliner there so he moved on down the hall toward his old bedroom and pushed Jyl’s number.

  “Hi, Grant,” she answered. Just the sound of her voice caused his breath to catch in his throat.

  “Hi. I have terrible news.”

  “There’s going to be a blizzard?”

  “Yeah, I’m guessing you’ve been outside.”

  “Gabriel and I had to go to the store. He wanted to take stuff to Kat’s to make s’mores with your nephews tonight. I couldn’t miss the fact that it was snowing hard. Mr. Hildebrand told me I should make sure we had plenty of water and batteries for the flashlights. He said they’d changed the weather report from light snow to blizzard status in the past hour.”

  He laughed. “I reckon the weatherman must have finally looked outside. Do you have everything you need?”

  “Yes. I’m bringing in more wood right now.”

  “I can come and help you do that. I could run by the diner and bring us some dinner.”

  He instantly heard the hesitation before she said, “It’s probably not a good idea for us to spend the night here snowed in, Grant.”

  “Why, because you’re incredibly attracted to me and you don’t trust yourself to resist?”

  She laughed. “Yeah, that’s exactly it.” Her tone was jovial, but he couldn’t help hoping that she was serious.

  “Okay, but promise me we’ll reschedule the dinner.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Good. Also promise me you’ll call if you and Gabe need anything tonight. I’m gonna head home from Mom’s here in a bit and get my animals set for the night. Otherwise, I’ll be there if you need me.”

  “I promise. Thank you, Grant.” He hung up both disappointed that he wouldn’t get to see her tonight and happy, just because he got to hear the sound of her voice. Kat was right, he had it bad.

  His mom was just hanging up her phone when he got back in the kitchen. “Well, since you’re here, would you mind taking me over to your brother’s house? That was Kat. She needs me to watch the boys for a few minutes. Castlerock is getting ready to foal and they want to pick he
r up and take her to the barn before the storm gets too bad. She didn’t know how long that would take in this weather and she didn’t want to leave the boys alone.”

  “There’s no need for you to get out in this. I’ll go watch the boys.”

  Sadie hugged him. “You’re such a good boy.”

  “I chopped extra wood for you yesterday. It’s on the back porch in case you need it. And be sure and check all of your flashlights and make sure they have batteries. If you need any, give me a call and I’ll get some after I leave Scott and Kat’s.” He wasn’t worried about them having food and water. His mother had lived in snow country long enough that she knew to keep stocked up on everything they might need. They had an extra refrigerator, freezer, and pantry in the cellar just in case.

  He kissed his mother goodbye, repeating to her what he had told Jyl, “Call me if you and Dad need anything tonight.”

  * * *

  Kat was waiting by the front door wearing her coat when he arrived.

  “Where’s Sadie?” she asked.

  “I was over there when you called and since I was headed out, I thought I’d take her place so she didn’t have to get out.”

  She nodded and grabbed up her scarf on the chair beside her and then pulled gloves out of her pockets and put them on. “Thanks, baby brother. That means a lot. The boys are in the kitchen. Scotty says he doesn’t need a babysitter and he’s trying to prove he can take care of himself and his brothers by making some instant mac and cheese for lunch.” She walked past the kitchen and opened the door that led to their pasture. “God help us all. You might have to check the fridge for some baloney or pimento cheese. Bread’s in the pantry. Thanks again,” she said as she hurried out of the house.

  Grant stepped into the kitchen. “Hey kiddos! I hear you have lunch ready. I sure could use something. I’m starving.”

  Scotty looked up from the sink and Heath ran over to his uncle, squealing as he went. “Uncle Grant!”

  “Sorry, that was the last of it!” said Scotty, who smiled and ran to hug Grant. “Did you hear about Castlerock?”

  “I did. That’s why I came over. I wanted to see if you guys wanted to hang out while they tend to her.”

  “She don’t want to come in. She keeps kicking Daddy every time he tries to put her in the trailer.”

  “Well, I’m sure your dad and mom will come up with something.” The toddler in the high chair caught his attention. To Scotty he said, “Do you know your brother is eating his sock?”

  The older boy rolled his eyes. Reaching over to where David sat in his high chair, he took the Spiderman sock out of the child’s hand. “Eat your mac and cheese,” he told him. Grant looked into the toddler’s bowl. Something that looked like congealed cheese sat caked to the sides of it. He had a better understanding of why the baby would choose his sock.

  “Your mom said you were the chef today, Scotty.”

  “Yep.” Grant glanced at four-year-old Heath. He was eating his lunch, but after every bite he made a desperate face, like he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to swallow it.

  Grant smothered a chucked and then rolled up his sleeves and went into the pantry to search for something that was neither rubbery nor congealed.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Jyl was stoking the fire later that day when her phone rang again. She looked at the face of it and with a smile she pressed accept. “Hey Shar! What’s up?”

  “How far do you live from Piper?” Her crazy friend never started a conversation like a normal person.

  “About forty miles or so—why?”

  “Forty miles! You really are in the wilderness, aren’t you? It’s going to cost me a hundred dollars to get a cab to take me out there in this weather—which I don’t care for, by the way.”

  “A cab? This weather? You’re here? In Colorado?”

  “Well, of course. I’m not taking a cab from Brooklyn.”

  Jyl shook her head and laughed. Shar also had a way of making it sound like Jyl was the one talking crazy. “What are you doing here, you crazy woman?”

  “All of my editors have been traveling to different small towns in the U.S. We’re doing a big collaborative piece on hometown Christmas traditions. Shiloh Falls, Colorado came up, so I took it myself. I miss you and Gabe. I didn’t want to spend Christmas without you.”

  “Oh my goodness! You’re insane. Honey, they’re calling for a blizzard tonight. If you can’t get here soon, maybe you should just stay there for the night.”

  “We’ll see. I’d rather spend the evening with you and Gabe—unless you have plans?”

  “No … I did, but this weather is too much. We’re hunkering down for the night.”

  “You and Gabe and the blue-eyed cowboy?”

  Jyl rolled her eyes. “Nope. Just me and Gabe.”

  With a heavy sigh, Sharla said, “I’ll be there soon and we can start working on chipping down that cement wall you’ve surrounded yourself with. Love you.”

  Laughing, Jyl said, “Love you too. Be safe getting here.” When she hung up she finished making the fire and went up to the loft to check on Gabe. He was coloring at his desk.

  “Hey, buddy. What are you making?”

  “A Christmas card for Grant.”

  “Oh.” This kid had it worse for “the blue-eyed cowboy” than she did. “That’s nice. Can I see it?”

  He shook his head. “It’s not finished.”

  With a smile, she ruffled his hair and said, “Okay, buddy. I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed, but we’re just going to stay home tonight.”

  He looked up at her. “Why? We bought all the stuff for s’mores and everything!”

  “Can you hear it storming out there? We need to stay inside where it’s safe.”

  He didn’t look too disappointed until after he asked, “Is Grant coming over?”

  “No, baby, just you and me.” Now he looked like his dog had just died. She didn’t want to tell him about Shar yet until she knew if she’d make it out. She didn’t want to disappoint him twice in one day.

  “Are you mad at him … or me?”

  “No! Of course I’m not mad at you or Grant. Why do you think that?”

  “Last night after the tree lighting I heard you talking. …”

  “You heard us? You were supposed to be sleeping.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to listen, but I couldn’t sleep.”

  “What exactly did you hear?”

  “I heard you tell him that you didn’t want a new daddy for me.”

  “Oh, baby, you just don’t understand. It’s not that easy to just replace the daddy you used to have.”

  “But that daddy isn’t here. I want a daddy like Scotty and Heath have. He takes them fishing and horse riding, and he taught them how to hit a baseball. …” His big blue eyes were filled with tears and her heart was breaking.

  “You know what? Grant likes you a lot. He doesn’t have to be your daddy to help you do all of those things. I bet he’d love to help you learn how to play baseball and—”

  “It’s okay. I’m going to finish my card now.”

  “Gabe, please don’t be mad at me. There is just so much that you’re too small to understand.”

  “I’m not mad.”

  The little boy turned his back to her and started coloring again like she wasn’t there. Jyl’s eyes filled with tears as she climbed down out of the loft. The best that she could hope for was that someday when he was older, he’d understand that everything she did was with his best interest at heart.

  * * *

  Grant finished putting his horses and a few calves in the barn and retreated to the house. The wind was no longer howling; now it was more of a scream—like something out of a horror movie, making its way through the countryside, destroying everything in its path. The snow was not just falling, it was coming down now in a merciless torrent. He raised a gloved hand to shield his eyes. He hadn’t anticipated the ferocity of the wind. The glint of the snow ag
ainst the falling sun blinded him. It was like walking into a blank page, threatening to make him part of the scenery. His feet were freezing inside his boots as he sunk down past his ankles with each stride. He finally made it to the house and, with a great deal of effort, managed to push the door closed behind him. He’d just begun peeling off his coat when his phone rang. It was Max, the tow truck driver.

  “Hey Max, what’s up?”

  “Hey Grant. I hate to do this to you on a night like tonight, but I could really use a hand.”

  Grant stopped removing his coat. “What do you need?”

  “I responded to a call on Route Twenty. It’s a cab coming from the airport. Got a girl with him headed to Shiloh Falls. He’s buried. I honestly don’t know what he was thinking. Anyways, while I was there, I got another call back up towards Piper. The girl with the cab was headed out your way and I honestly tried to get one of the guys on shift to come out and pick her up but your dispatch says they’d all be an hour or more out.”

  “You want me to come get the girl?”

  “Please? I’ll buy you a beer as soon as this mess stops.”

  Grant laughed. All he could think about right now was coffee … or hot chocolate. “Where are you, Max?”

  “About two miles from the old mill on the north side.”

  “Where’s she going?”

  “To stay with a friend in town. On Pollack.” Pollack? That’s where Jyl lives. As long as he was over in that direction, he could check on her. Maybe this was kismet.

  “I’ll fire up the snowmobile and be there as soon as I can.”

  * * *

  Jyl finally talked her son into coming down for something to eat. He’d been holed up in that loft all day. After they ate, he wanted to hurry back to the project he was working on for Grant. “Okay,” she told him, “but when you’re finished, you and I can make s’mores if you want.”

  “Okay,” he said with less enthusiasm than she would have hoped for. She watched him run off and then started cleaning up the kitchen, watching the storm through the window as she washed dishes. The sun was gone now and it made the storm seem that much more ominous. She’d seen a lot of snow growing up in New York, but the storms here were different. They seemed “angrier” to her somehow. Maybe it was because there wasn’t much of anything out here to block the wind or the snow. It was still coming down in torrents when she felt the floor shake and heard a deafening crash. Before she could react, she heard the sound of Gabriel’s high-pitched scream. She dropped the plate she was holding down in the sink and it shattered as she turned to run toward the sound. Her heart was hammering so hard in her chest that she felt like it would explode. She skidded around the corner from the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks. Part of the roof above the loft where Gabe played was now lying on her living room carpet, covered in a thick blanket of snow. Gabe was standing in the middle of the room, his eyes wide as saucers.