Twins for Christmas

by Amanda Renee

  “About that.” Noah climbed in and fastened his seat belt. “I was completely out of line.”

  “Who told you I was racing today? Not that it was a secret, but I’m surprised you know—it was Avery, wasn’t it?”

  He nodded. Hannah eased the truck onto the main road. Avery had wanted them to talk... Now they had the time. Alone. Away from prying eyes and prying ears. Suddenly the interior of her brother’s truck seemed extremely small. She became acutely aware of every breath Noah took. Every movement involving the left side of his body sent an electric twinge pulsating through her veins.

  Oh! This can’t be happening.

  “Why barrel racing?”

  His question broke her thoughts. “Believe it or not, my mom used to be a champion barrel racer. I guess you could say it’s in my blood. What little girl doesn’t want to be like her mother when she’s growing up? Mom became my instructor and I fell in love with the sport and the lifestyle. The rodeo isn’t just about competing. It’s about family, too. Besides, I was always on a horse helping my dad round up our sheep.” Hannah glanced over at Noah, surprised to see him listening intently. “I told you the other day they used to raise sheep for wool. It had been lucrative until the economy took a dive and he was forced to sell their herd and the majority of their land. They married young—like seventeen young. I can’t even imagine getting married at twenty-four, let alone—Never mind. Long story short, he raised sheep and she raced horses. I don’t just compete, though. I also teach at the local rodeo school and I’m turning part of my land into an organic farm. Barrel racers don’t ride forever.”

  “Okay, I get that organic farming is the rage right now, but it seems like an odd choice for a rodeo girl.”

  “Not really. A good portion of competitors are raised on farms. One in seven working Texans is in some form of agriculture, which isn’t too surprising when you consider we have almost 250,000 farms in the state. Granted, my decision was a little more personal. Growing up, the doctors thought I had food allergies. My parents constantly had to rush me to the hospital because of something I had eaten. After countless tests, it was determined I was having reactions to the pesticides used on most of our food. So I studied agricultural science in college. I eat organic because I have to, but my goal is to educate others on the danger of pesticides and genetically modified foods. It takes three years and a lot of preparation before land can be classified as USDA certified organic. I’m in the fertilization stage, but I’ll get there. It takes time and dedication.”

  “That’s commendable.” She glanced over at him and found him studying her. “You said you wanted to educate people. Do you mean teaching at a school?”

  “More like a community garden for the grade school kids.” Hannah had more ideas for her land than she had acreage. “I’m planning high rotation crops, which means they’ll mature in sixty days or less. I’d like to give the school an acre or two so their students can gain hands-on experience with organic farming. Providing someone doesn’t get certified before me, I’ll be the first USDA certified organic farm in Ramblewood.”

  “And you can do all of that and barrel race?”

  “Not exactly. Once my farm is fully operational, then I’ll retire from racing and possibly teaching at the rodeo school. I’ll continue to train horses to barrel race, though. Right now, I spend the majority of my time practicing for my own races and training many of the horses I board. At least that’s what I was doing until the twins moved back in. My mom is super supportive and always around to help out.”

  “What’s it like when you’re competing?” Noah asked. “It seems like a lot of work for such a short race.”

  People had asked Hannah almost every question under the sun, but she couldn’t recall anyone ever asking her that one. “It’s my version of flying, only at a slower pace of forty miles an hour. Depending on the size of the arena, it’s about thirteen to fifteen seconds of freedom with my horse. We both place our absolute trust in one another to make the right decisions and follow them through. I guess you could call it a marriage of sorts, only there’s no spouse talking back to you.”

  When Noah didn’t respond, she stole another glance in his direction. He was leaning partially against the door, smiling at her.

  “Say something. I’m nervous enough about today’s race—don’t make it worse.”

  “I sincerely hope I don’t make you nervous.” His voice sounded deeper and richer than it had moments before.

  “Considering the situation we’re in, I’d have to say yes, you definitely do.” He made her nervous for other reasons she refused to admit. She felt guilty enough for feeling the slightest attraction to Noah Knight. Of all the men in the world, he was definitely the most off-limits.

  “I haven’t followed a lot of barrel racing, but I’ve seen it on television. The way they make the turns around the barrels, it almost looks as if the horse is about to topple over on the rider. It has to be dangerous.”

  “It’s not the safest sport, but it’s a lot safer than heli-logging. Have you thought about that at all? I’m not trying to start a fight with you, but the other day you told my dad you have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t question how suitable a job it is for a single parent. They’ve already lost their mother. How fair would it be if they lost you, too?”

  The cab instantly filled with tension. She would’ve been better off keeping her mouth shut until they both had a place to escape to.

  “There are plenty of single parents with dangerous careers and the courts don’t take their children away.” Noah’s even tone surprised Hannah. She’d offended him and he was doing his damnedest to keep it together.

  “I think you and I just came to our first mutual understanding. We’re actually concerned about each other’s safety—for the sake of the children.”

  Her attempt to lighten the mood fell flat. She kept waiting for him to ask questions about Lauren or the girls, but he didn’t. If the situation had been reversed, he’d have to duct tape her mouth shut to get her to stop asking questions.

  “What about you? What do you do when you’re not working?”

  “Fishing and hiking with the guys. Believe it or not, I like to trail ride horses, although it’s been a few years. I love nature, so I try to be outside as much as possible. I live on the Willamette River, so I’m spoiled in that regard. I can’t imagine living anyplace else, although I’ve lived and traveled all over the world.”

  “When you were in the air force?”

  Noah’s silence caused her to look in his direction. “I don’t remember telling you I was in the air force. And my night with Lauren may be a little hazy, but I don’t believe I told her, either.”

  Hannah and her big mouth. “My brother ran a background check on you.” There was no sense denying it. She just wished she didn’t feel like the lowest form of human life for going behind his back. Although technically it had been Clay’s idea.

  “I should be furious with you, but I’m not,” Noah said. “I did recon on you before I ever got to town. It wasn’t anywhere near as extensive as yours was, but I understand the reasoning behind it. You want what’s best for the girls and so do I. And yes, I traveled extensively while I was in the air force. I’ve been to six continents, and someday I hope to make it to Antarctica. They have some amazing cruise expedition packages. I’d love to take the girls when they’re older. And you, too, if you’re up for the whole glacial experience.”

  “You really take this outdoors thing seriously, don’t you?” She laughed. “It sounds like fun.”

  Hannah fielded questions about the twins the rest of the way to the arena. As much as she loved Lauren, she wished her friend hadn’t run out on Noah. He should have had the chance to experience the girls’ lives firsthand, not through recollections.

  She pulled her truck into the comp
etitors’ lot and set the parking brake. As she opened the door, Noah reached out and stilled her arm. Her pulse quickened. Hannah wanted to face him, but at the same time she was afraid to. Steeling her nerves, she closed the door and turned to him. He’d already unfastened his seat belt and was leaning over the center console. She froze when his hand rested on top of hers.

  “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say here.” Noah’s smile widened. “Is it good luck? Break a leg? Go get ’em?”

  Hannah laughed. She slid her hand out from under his and hopped from the truck. “Good luck is fine,” she said before closing the door.

  Get a grip, girl. For a moment there, she had thought Noah was about to kiss her. She looked skyward and said a silent prayer of thanks. His presence in her life was distraction enough. She had to hand it to Lauren—her friend had chosen a man who could set a woman’s belly on fire with only a wink and a smile. Too bad his charms wouldn’t work on Hannah.

  Chapter Four

  If Noah had any thoughts of joining Hannah’s family in the stands to watch her race, they vanished the moment he climbed the steps. Clay and Gage flanked either side of the row, looking none too pleased he had invited himself to the event. Rather than risk making a scene, he opted to approach them later so he could apologize for Thursday’s incident.

  It didn’t stop him from waving to Charlotte and Cheyenne. They were dressed adorably in little reindeer outfits and antler hoodies. He wanted nothing more than to run over and pull them both into a hug, but he kept his distance. Damned if it didn’t hurt like hell doing so.

  Noah had been to a few hometown rodeos when he was growing up, but nothing this large. Between the parade of horses during the opening ceremony and the rodeo clown dance off, he couldn’t remember the last time he had cheered so loud outside of a football game.

  When the announcer said Hannah’s name, every nerve in his body began to tingle in anticipation. Perched on the edge of his seat, he clasped his hands in front of him. The bell rang and Hannah’s horse flew into the center of the ring, hugging the barrel to the right as they maneuvered around it before galloping toward the barrel on the left side of the dirt arena. Their movements perfectly in tune with one another, Hannah turned them and raced toward the center barrel, then sprinted to the finish line. He held his breath the entire time. And when they announced she’d set a new record, he couldn’t have been more proud. Neither could Charlotte and Cheyenne. They clapped their hands wildly along with the crowd.

  When it was over, Noah walked out of the event center alone. He’d waited until her family exited before he’d stood to leave. Watching someone else carry his daughters had physically pained him. They should have been sitting with him...not shielded from him.

  Noah spotted Hannah outside and ran over to her.

  “Congratulations!” He gave her a celebratory hug in the parking lot before his brain had a chance to register what he was doing. He released her and stepped back. The annoyance on her friends’ and family’s faces spoke volumes. He couldn’t blame them after the argument on Thanksgiving. “I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat. “I guess I got caught up in the moment there. Congratulations anyway.”

  If the close contact annoyed Hannah, she didn’t let it show. “Thank you.” She lightly touched his arm, steering him away from the makeshift entourage gathering around her outside the event center. “I know this is awkward for both of us.”

  Noah followed her to the truck. “It is, but I thought we made progress earlier.” Maybe he had misread their conversation on the way to the rodeo.

  “We did.” Hannah glanced down at the gold-and-silver belt buckle she’d won after claiming first place.

  “I won’t pretend to understand how the scoring works or what the 1D, 2D, 3D business is, but I’m glad you won, even though it was over so fast.”

  “Blink at a rodeo and you might miss something. All events happen in a matter of seconds.” Hannah folded her check in half and slid it into her pocket. “D stands for division and I won first place in the first division. This is one of the higher-paying events of the season.”

  He expected her to be in a more cheerful mood after winning. She opened the truck door, chucked her cowboy hat and buckle on the seat and unbanded her hair. A quick toss of her head spilled her strawberry-hued waves forward to frame her face angelically.

  “I enjoyed getting to know you better on the way here,” she said as she began unsnapping the front of the Western shirt she’d worn during her ride. He could have sworn his bottom jaw smacked his chest in awe. Unaware of her effect on him, she turned away as the shirt slid down her arms, exposing her bare shoulders. Noah’s body stiffened, and he willed himself not to look. Then he noticed the spaghetti-strapped white cotton camisole she wore underneath. He didn’t know if he should be relieved or disappointed. She tugged a pink T-shirt from her bag and slipped it over her head before returning her attention to him. “It doesn’t change anything between us. We both want to raise the girls. I’d like to be your friend, but I think it only complicates the situation.”

  “Excuse me.” Fern Tanner squeezed between them holding Charlotte and Cheyenne in each of her arms. “I think these two want to celebrate with you.” Noah fell more in love with their reindeer outfits now that he saw them up close. That was until Fern effectively shut him out by keeping her back to him. And it was understandable. He still hadn’t had a chance to apologize. He wanted to, but he didn’t know quite how to go about it. His feelings were justified, but he could’ve handled the situation better.

  “Mrs. Tanner, I owe you an apology for the other day.” There. He said it, probably a little too quick to be believable. “Your family had graciously invited me into your home and I didn’t mean to upset you or your husband.” If anyone expected him to apologize for wanting to raise his daughters, they’d have to wait a lifetime. The inexplicable tug at his heart grew by the hour. For a man who’d never given much thought to children, he couldn’t imagine walking away from these two.

  Fern’s entire body sagged at the sound of his voice. Charlotte attempted to reach over her shoulder to Noah, forcing Fern to face him. Fern handed Cheyenne to Hannah while attempting to reel in Charlotte’s hands.

  “It’s okay, Mom.” Hannah bounced Cheyenne on her hip. “If she wants Noah to hold her, then let him.”

  Fern begrudgingly allowed Noah to take Charlotte into his arms. The little girl placed her tiny hands on either side of his face and frowned.

  “Fur gone.” Sadness was evident in her big blue eyes.

  Noah pouted and rubbed his nose against hers. “I had to shave, baby.” In hopes it would give him a more fatherly appearance, he’d decided to lose the perpetual five o’clock shadow he’d maintained for a year. He might not have had such a role model growing up, but he knew how he wanted to look for his daughters.

  “No!” She frowned.

  “No?” I still can’t believe this bundle of cuteness is mine. His heart felt as if it would burst at any moment. “Don’t you want me to look good?”

  Charlotte glanced left, then right while she pondered his question, then shrugged and rested her head, antlers and all, against his shoulder. Her body relaxed against his and he’d bet all the money in the world her eyes were heavy with sleep.

  He squeezed his own shut. He wasn’t a crying man, but damn if he wasn’t on the verge.

  “Want pacas,” Cheyenne said in Hannah’s arms.

  “You want to see the pacas?” Hannah’s animated expression triggered an instantaneous giggle fit as the toddler clapped her hands together excitedly. “You’ll see the pacas later when you visit Nanny.” Hannah looked up at Noah. “Clay and Abby raise alpacas and my mom brings the twins over there to see them. Neither one of the girls has mastered the word yet, so we call them pacas.”

  Noah nodded, although he didn’t know much about them. He envision
ed a llama but wasn’t quite sure. Didn’t they spit? Between Hannah’s horses and an alpaca ranch, the kids had been exposed to lots of animals. While his house was far from suburbia, outside of the occasional critter that traipsed through his property, his life was animal-free. He began to wonder how much the girls would miss once they lived with him full-time.

  “Ride horsey?” Cheyenne chattered.

  “Not today, sweetie. I have a lot of work to do on the house, so we won’t be able to ride horses until next week.”

  “They ride? Aren’t they a little young?” How could someone so tiny handle something that large? The thought alone terrified him. “What’s next...barrel racing?”

  “If they want to learn how to race, I’ll teach them.” Hannah raised her chin in defiance. “The majority of my students are kids. I give private lessons to a three-year-old barrel racer.”

  “There’s a big difference between twenty-one months and three years.” At least Noah thought there was. He tried to recall the children he knew and drew a blank. None of his friends had kids that young. “And it’s safe?”

  “I beg your pardon, Mr. Knight.” Fern’s hands flew to her hips, her chest puffed out like a hen ready to do battle. “I’ve held my tongue long enough with you.”

  “Mom, please.” Hannah pressed Cheyenne’s head to her shoulder. “Not in front of the girls.”

  Fern exhaled and smiled icily. “My daughter was on horses before she could walk and I never had anyone tell me I was being irresponsible.” Her tone may have softened, but there was no mistaking the edge in her voice. “Lauren was also an accomplished rider and had the girls on a horse before they were a year old. She was like a daughter to me. I won’t allow you to come into our lives and take away everything that was and still is Lauren.”

  “Mom, I can handle this.” Hannah stepped in between her mom and Noah. “I respect your concerns, but I need you to respect my knowledge and trust that I’m not putting the girls in harm’s way. I’m not going to stand here and defend Lauren or myself. My mom shouldn’t have to, either. I don’t want this to go to court, Noah.” Cheyenne fussed in her arms. Hannah hugged the toddler tight and whispered in her ear. “How about some ice cream before we leave?” Charlotte’s head popped up from Noah’s shoulder. “You heard that, huh? I thought you were sleeping.” Hannah’s smile was tense. “You’re welcome to join us.”