Santa Wore Spurs

by Various

  "I'll cut you a check in the morning."

  That would be perfect. And she'd wrap up the divorce papers and leave them for him under the Christmas tree. Freedom would be his present on Christmas morning. The gold ring on her finger seemed to heat and she ran her thumb over it. Taking it off would be the hardest part. That would be the end.

  "I need to go to Dallas to handle some things. My attorney called and he got the suit from the Westons." Hope didn't want a scene when she left. This was the best way to insure that didn't happen. "I thought I'd ride to Dallas with your parents." And not come back, she added mentally.

  His muscles tensed again. "How long will you be gone?"

  "I'm not sure. I need to meet with Tina and her boss too. And the printer wanted to discuss the calendar specs. It could be a while. Maybe I'll ride back with them."

  His body jerked. "They're going to be gone three weeks!"

  "It's only three weeks, Cord." She laughed, putting her hand to his face. "You lived without me just fine for your entire life. I don't think three weeks will make a difference."

  Or three months or three years. Or a lifetime.

  Cord's breathing notched up, and with a distinct edge to his voice, he said, "I'll come with you then."

  Don't throw a kink in my plans, Cord. Just let me go. It will be easier on both of us.

  "You have things to do here. Dean and Jeremy need you," Hope reasoned.

  "I need you," he growled, surprising her at the ferocity in his words. His mouth slammed down over hers and she could almost taste desperation there. He ground his mouth against hers for a long time then pulled away.

  "Cord, don't be a baby," she said with a laugh.

  His heart beat rapidly under her palm, and his breaths came heavily. In the porch light his eyes glittered dangerously. "I'm being your husband," he said flatly.

  Hope dragged her eyes away and her own heart sped up. "It's not real. You know that. We have a deal."

  "Fuck the deal," he said gruffly and squeezed her waist tighter. "I want you here."

  Still no words of love. The key to her staying. Because he didn't love her, she reminded herself. "You've gotten comfortable with me being here. I have a life in Dallas, and things to do there. Three weeks isn't that long."

  "Not for you maybe. I'll be sleeping alone." He sounded a little petulant.

  So that was it. She was convenient sex for him out here in the boonies. Even though he hadn't taken advantage of that fact for two fricking weeks.

  "I'll be sleeping alone too," she reminded him. Probably for a heck of a long time because no man would excite her the way Cord Dixon did. She stepped over to the dark side with him, and there was no going back.

  His voice was razor sharp when he growled, "You damn well better be."

  The air sizzled between them for a moment then he reached for her hand. "Daddy wants you to hang the topper."

  "Me?" she squeaked. "Why?"

  "Because you're the newest member of the family," Cord replied as he pulled her into the house. He shut the door and she followed him back into the living room with panic and guilt warring inside of her.

  A ladder stood in front of the tree, and Mr. Dixon stood there holding an angel in a long, red velvet coat trimmed in fur. He smiled at her and held it up. "Since you're our Christmas angel this year, Hope, I thought it would be right for you to put her on top of the tree." His voice was so sincere it made Hope's eyes burn.

  For an unemotional person, she was damn emotional these days. She sucked in a shuddering breath and walked over to him to take the angel from his hands. She put a foot on the bottom rung of the ladder, and Cord's warm hands clamped down on her hips.

  "Be careful, baby. I'll hold you steady."

  Her knees threatened to turn to Jello under his touch. "Thanks," she said as she shakily moved up a rung.

  Cord's hands moved down her legs with every step she took, and her skin burned under her jeans by the time she reached the top. Leaning forward, she grabbed the top of the tree and bent it toward her to push the angel onto the limb. It sprung back into place when she released it, and Hope wobbled on the ladder.

  Cord's hands closed tightly around her thighs. He grunted, and before she knew what was happening, she was standing in front of him.

  "That damn ladder is old and rickety," he complained and hugged her to him. He looked around at his family then back down to her. "I'm taking you home." He bent to scoop her up into his arms. "You need to lay down."

  She laughed and wiggled in his arms. "Put me down, Conan—I can walk. I'm feeling better now."

  "Be still," he growled into her ear. Cord's fingers tightened on her butt, and his eyes held a dark promise. Hope's body tingled and she stilled.

  That night, when Cord's arms loosened around her and Hope heard his soft snores, she snuck out of bed and tiptoed to the living room to work on finishing her Christmas gift for him. She wouldn't be here for Christmas to give it to him, so she was going to put it under the tree before she left for Dallas.

  She only had a few more prints to make to finish the album. She was sure it would mean a lot to him. It would also soften the blow of the divorce papers she planned to include with the gift. Her secret wish was that when he opened the box, he would hear the words in his mind that she couldn't say to his face. Words that her heart whispered every time she looked at him, every time they made love.

  Hope was breathless when Cord finally stopped kissing her while his parents waited in the truck idling near the porch. Cord swallowed thickly then said, "I'm going to miss you, Tinkerbell."

  "I lo—" Her breath got caught in her throat as the words in her heart tried to push past her vocal chords. She cleared her throat. "I'm going to miss you too, Santa."

  Cord held her gaze for a moment as if he was trying to tell her something or trying to read her mind. He finally dropped another kiss on her lips then pushed her away from him. "Leave before I drag you back to the bunkhouse and tie you to the bed," he said gruffly. A thrill shot through her but Hope tamped it down. There would be no more thrills from this man. This was it.

  "Kiss me again, Cord," she begged softly, putting her hand on his shoulder. It was masochistic, but she needed one more kiss. Just one more.

  "Stay here and I'll give you all the kisses you want," he said, jerking her roughly against him again. He put his hands on her ass and lifted her up against him then covered her mouth in a kiss she would remember forever. Their last kiss.

  He eased her feet down to the ground and she stepped back. "Goodbye."

  "I'll see you in three weeks," he replied gruffly before he turned and walked back toward the bunkhouse. She watched him walk away with her heart in his back pocket.

  "I love you," she whispered through the tears choking her as she turned and got into the truck.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  His parents were a week late coming home. They'd called him last week to say the doctor wanted to do additional tests on his dad. It was Christmas Eve and Cord was through waiting for them to get back. For Hope to come back.

  If they weren't back today, he was going to Dallas.

  He hadn't even had more than a minute or two with her on the phone since she'd been gone. She was always busy doing something else and had to let him go. The calls she always promised to make to him later never seemed to come. Cord was fed up, and she was going to be in deep trouble when he finally saw her. Anticipation made his insides itch. In just a few more hours he could unload the frustration he'd been carrying around for four fucking weeks.

  The frustration his beautiful but frustrating wife had created.

  His brother had taken Jeremy into town to do some last minute Christmas shopping so Cord was alone. Alone. So fucking alone he could hear every tick of the clock above the fireplace. Every minute that ticked by inched up his frustration.

  It had started snowing, and the forecast said a few inches would fall by dusk. A few inches was nothing. They had winter tires on the truck. But the
forecast also said ice would fall behind it. If that happened, they might not make it back tonight. The curvy, rural roads they had to travel to get to the ranch were not salted regularly.

  He'd take the damned tractor out to get them if he had to. Or the ice skates hanging out in the barn that had been used exactly two times when the pond froze over.

  Cord dropped his chin to his chest, and a gold box at the back of the tree caught his attention. It was topped by a perfectly tied red ribbon. He wondered why he hadn't seen it before since it was the only one under the tree. His mama was doing her shopping in Dallas and bringing the gifts home with her. His gift for Hope was still at the bunkhouse. He wanted to give it to her privately.

  Curiosity got the better of him, so Cord dropped to his knees and reached under the tree to pull it out. He flipped open the white card under the ribbon. Under his name, written in all capital letters, was DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS. The word NOT was even underlined. The swirly writing had to be Hope's. His heart jerked in his chest as he held the box near his ear and shook it like a kid.

  Something rattled inside, and there was a swoosh too. His gift guessing skills were rusty, so that that didn't mean a damn thing to him. He checked the tape job on the end of the box and it was good. Professional even. Better than his mother's safety taping against gift cheating. If he lifted the tape, the paper would tear and the giver would know he had snuck a peek.

  Cord laughed and pushed the box back under the tree then stood. If she left a gift for him to be opened on Christmas, Hope would be here to watch him open it, he was sure. The tension in his shoulders eased a little, and he sat down on the sofa to wait.

  He must've drifted off because the front door opening startled him. Cord shot to his feet and ran to the entry way. His mother stood there and her eyes were sympathetic. His father's face was grim. Not a good sign at all. Cord swallowed hard and braced himself.

  "Where's Hope?" he asked gruffly.

  "She didn't come back with us, Cord." His mother's words echoed off the walls and bounced around in his stunned brain.

  "Why the hell not?" he demanded with sickness in the pit of his stomach.

  His mother took off her gloves, and his dad helped her shrug out of her coat. She took a step toward him then put her hand on his chest. "She said you'd understand it all when you opened her gift. We stopped to see her on the way out of Dallas and she didn't look good at all."

  Fear and anger formed a toxic combination inside of him, and Cord could barely breathe. "That's all she said?"

  "Yes, son," his father said, coming up to put a hand on his shoulder. The front door opened again and Dean and Jeremy walked in with their arms loaded with shopping bags.

  "I've got a surprise for you, Unk—but I have to wrap it!" Jeremy squealed as he barreled past Cord, bumping Cord's thigh with his shoulder.

  Dean stopped to shut the door. "Damn, it's cold outside," he said with a shiver as he turned back around. His eyes met Cord's and his smile disappeared. "What's wrong?"

  "I don't know, but I'm about to find out," Cord growled and stomped back into the living room. He went to the tree, stooped, and jerked the present out then ripped off the paper. His heart sped up as he slid a fingernail through the tape on the box. It skidded to a halt when he tilted the box and Hope's wedding ring fell out into his palm.

  A roar rumbled in his chest as he pulled out the white folded papers and jerked them open with his trembling hands. Bile shot up to his throat as he read the title of the document. Petition for Divorce. He read Hope's name under that as the petitioner and his own as the defendant.

  Stunned, Cord fell back on his butt and fisted the papers in his hand as he tried to catch his breath. He flung the papers toward the fireplace, and her ring went with them, skating across the polished wood floor. Cord picked up the book at the bottom of the box and opened it. He flipped through pages and pages of photo sleeves filled with pictures of himself, his brother, and his father. Working, laughing, talking.

  They did nothing to fill the empty void in his chest or settle the extreme sadness in his soul. He flipped through all the pages and expected to see 'The End' written snarkily on the last page. But what he saw was a picture of him and Hope. At the mall. The test shot she had done sitting on his lap before they got started on their shift that day. Supposedly to test her camera to make sure it was working right.

  Cord thought she might have ulterior motives or hoped she did. In the picture, her finger was on the remote button as she pressed her lips to his cheek. At the time, he had been laughing. Cord wasn't laughing now. The picture just made him sadder, angrier. How could she think that would explain anything? There were no explanations for what she had done. No excuses would ever make it right.

  Cord slammed the book shut and slung it toward the fireplace too.

  "I need a drink," he said gruffly and pushed up to his feet.

  He needed a whole bottle. It probably wouldn't make a damn thing better, but at least it might help him forget the elf who had broken his heart for a little while.

  "That won't help, but I'll have one with you," Dean said as he picked up the photo album and looked through it.

  "I'll have one too," his daddy piped in, heading for the liquor cabinet. He pulled down three shot glasses and a bottle of aged bourbon then filled each one to the top.

  "Ya'll don't be getting sloshy. We have presents to open in the morning. And Cord..." His mother's gaze darted to Jeremy then back to him. "You promised."

  "I know," he said darkly as he took the shot glass from his father and downed the fiery liquid in one gulp. His heart raced, and his head spun as he held the glass out for a refill. The bottle clinked against the glass and Cord raised it toward his mother. "Bah Humbug," he grumbled as he downed the second drink.

  There was nothing merry about this Christmas that was for sure.

  His daddy held his glass up to clink it against Cord's. "We do have something to celebrate though," Silas Dixon said with a smile.

  "Oh, yeah?" Cord couldn't imagine what they had to celebrate or why his daddy seemed to be so damn happy. He did know it was good to see though.

  "Here's to Christmas miracles, son," he said, smiling as he raised his glass higher. "My final tests came back clear. The doctor ran a second set to be sure. That's why I had to stay in Dallas longer. He thinks the treatment worked. Or something did. He said things don't usually work that way or that quickly, but the tumor is gone."

  Happiness bubbled up inside of Cord, and the emotion boiling inside of him erupted in a relieved roar as he pulled his daddy to him and pounded him on the back. Dean came over and hugged them both tightly. Cord's eyes were wet when he pulled back, and he could barely drag in a breath. "Daddy, I'm so relieved."

  "I know, son. We're all relieved. Thank you for all you did."

  Cord didn't do a damn thing. It was all because of Hope that his daddy was better. It was because of her that he was better. That his family had this second chance.

  He was not letting her go that easily. If she wanted to dump him, she was going to have to do it to his face. He was going to Dallas and he was going to fucking tell her he loved her. Even if she laughed in his face, at least it would be off his chest.

  "Dean, don't drink that." Cord growled and held his own glass out to his daddy for another refill.

  "You're drinking. Doesn't misery love company?" Dean asked and brought the glass to his lips.

  Cord stumbled over to him and took it out of his hand. "I said don't drink. You're driving me to Dallas." He downed the shot then hissed as it burned his throat.

  "Tonight?" Dean asked incredulously.

  "Yeah, right now."

  "Snow's coming down hard now. We're supposed to be getting an ice storm tonight. Let's wait until tomorrow and see how the roads are," he said reasonably. "She's not going anywhere." Dean had the audacity to laugh, and Cord wanted to punch his brother in the nose at that moment.

  Maybe that's why Cindy didn't come back. His broth
er hadn't cared enough to go after her when she left. Well, Cord was not making that mistake with Hope. She was going to give him the answers she owed him, and he was going to tell her what he should have when he had the chance.

  "How the fuck do you know that?" he demanded. "Her family travels for Christmas, and she could be leaving to go somewhere. I want to go tonight!"

  "You really love her, don't you?" Dean asked with a lifted brow. "I thought you were just messing around with her. That pissed me off because she's a good girl."

  "Nobody's messing around here, except you," Cord said gruffly. "I love her and need to find her."

  Dean set his glass down on the end table. "Let me get my coat," he said then tilted his head. "Did you see what was on that last photo, by the way?"

  "Huh?" he said with a grunt. "It was just a photo of me and Hope at the mall."

  Dean handed Cord the opened photo album, and Cord studied the picture for a minute. His eyes zeroed in on the words on the banner above them. That sure as hell wasn't what the banner said the day they took that picture. Welcome Santa, was replaced with I Love You, Santa. Optimism shot through him.

  Cord slammed it shut then said, "Hurry up, Dean."

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  All day long, Hope fought to keep her thoughts off Cord and directed to her work. And all day long she’d failed, resulting in retakes on almost every photo. Around three o'clock, her assistant finally got frustrated and left early. The models were just as frustrated so she let them go home too. Hope left shortly afterward, and hit the interstate toward Tyler to get that box back before he opened it. She was halfway there when she came to her senses and turned around. Snow and ice were forecast and if she made it there, she might be stuck for a while.

  That was the last thing she wanted. Especially if Cord had already opened the gift she left for him.

  She was home now, but she was as cold inside as it was outside her front door. Snow blanketed her soul as well as the sidewalk outside. It was Christmas Eve and her family hadn't even called. Cord hadn't called either. Hope was all alone and knew she'd better get used to it. By now, Cord knew she wasn't coming back to Tyler. His parents were back home and had surely told him. He may have even opened her gift and not seen her message to him. Or he hadn't cared.