“Well done? No, ma’am, we don’t do well done here,” Cooper said, setting the platter down between them. “I’m not sure you deserve to eat one of our Joyland steaks. Maybe you better just stick with the chili.”
She glared at him then picked up a fork and steak knife. Cutting one of the big steaks in two, she plopped half on her plate. With jerky, anger-driven movements, she hacked off a hunk and stuffed it in her mouth.
He watched as her chewing slowed, her eyes filled with surprise, and she savored the bite.
After dabbing her lips with a napkin, she looked from him to Nick. “That is delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted meat that practically melted in my mouth before.”
“That’s because you always want it cooked until it’s almost as dry as shoe leather,” Dave muttered, making everyone at the table laugh.
“To good steak, wonderful friends, and a happy New Year!” Randi said, holding her glass up in a toast.
The others joined her and a lively conversation continued throughout the meal. Cooper purposely ignored Paige’s enticing presence beside him. Dressed in slacks and an emerald-green sweater that practically pleaded for him to run his fingers over the arms and along the back of the cashmere yarn, he thought she looked far too soft and feminine for his befuddled senses to handle.
When he’d mentioned going out last night, he’d noticed her sullen look, as though she was jealous at the thought of him dating someone. In truth, he’d gone out to the bunkhouse and played cards with the guys who hadn’t gone into town to kick up their heels. They’d watched the big countdown on television then decided to play a few more hands of poker before they called it a night.
If Paige thought he was out on the town, romancing some girl, he certainly wasn’t going to set her straight. Let her stew in a little petty jealousy. She’d certainly left him boiling in a big pot of it Christmas night.
At least she hadn’t brought her dorky boyfriend along. Cooper wasn’t sure he could have controlled his tongue if he’d had to spend more time in the presence of whiny, wimpy Dexter.
Full after the big meal, everyone decided to wait an hour or two to try the chocolate cake Paige had made.
“Why don’t you youngsters go outside, Coop? You can show Dave and the girls around while these old geezers help me do the dishes.” Nick tipped his head toward the back door as he carried dirty plates to the sink.
“Why don’t you let Cooper do the dishes while I escort those purdy lil’ gals out to the barn,” one of the older men said with a laugh.
“No, way, Uncle Jimmy. I don’t trust you,” Cooper said, pointing a finger at the older man. Although he was no relation to Cooper or his grandfather, he’d called the man his uncle as long as he could remember. The three old cowboys gathered in the kitchen with his grandfather had all served as his honorary uncles and helped keep him out of trouble, or got him into it, throughout the years. Although Moe had never married, saying he’d yet to meet a woman who could tame him, the other two were widowers. Jimmy lost his wife a year before Cooper’s grandmother passed away. Otis buried his beloved Beverly two years later.
“Well, shoot. I guess I’m stuck with dish duty,” the old man said, picking up a stack of dirty dishes from the counter and carrying them to the dishwasher.
Cooper stepped into the mudroom for a minute then returned and led Dave and the two sisters to the front of the house where they reclaimed their coats before he took them outside.
Three dogs lounged on the porch, basking in the afternoon sunshine.
“They are so cute, Cooper,” Randi said, dropping to her knees and waiting as the dogs sniffed her hands. Within seconds, all three of them wagged their tails and crowded around her. “What are their names?”
“Snap, Crackle, and Pop,” he said, smiling as Snap licked Randi’s cheek.
Paige rolled her eyes. “Who names their dogs after characters on a cereal box?”
“Me.” Cooper hunkered down and gave Crackle’s back a good scratch.
“I think it’s cool,” Dave said, rubbing a hand over Pop’s head and along his back. “Do you use them just on the ranch, or do they travel with you, too?”
“I sometimes use Snap and Pop in my shows, but Crackle doesn’t like to be around crowds.” Cooper stood and snapped his fingers.
All three dogs sat at attention, clearly excited that he wanted them to do something.
“Alley-oop!” Cooper said.
In unison, the three dogs executed perfect back flips. Their tails wagged enthusiastically as Randi and Paige clapped while Dave cheered.
“Way to go, gang! Way to go!” Cooper said, rubbing their heads. He gave each of them a treat he pulled for his coat pocket.
“Oh, my gosh, Cooper! They’re awesome,” Randi said, smiling as she pet each one of the dogs again. “They’re Australian shepherds, aren’t they?”
“That’s right. These three stay around the house unless we have them out working. We have two more that hang out at the bunkhouse.”
“You have an actual bunkhouse?” Paige asked, glancing toward the big red barn and other outbuildings she could see from the porch.
“Sure do, with cowboys and everything,” Cooper teased. “Do you want pictures of their butts, too?”
Paige blushed and shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“What type of cattle do you raise?” Dave asked. Aware of how uncomfortable the subject of Cooper modeling made his sister-in-law, he offered a safe topic as they moseyed down the steps and across the front walk to the driveway. A graveled lane led down to the barn and other buildings.
“Santa Gertrudis,” Cooper said, pointing to a pasture full of handsome red cattle.
“What’s that?” Randi asked, pulling out her phone and looking at Cooper for permission to snap photos.
He nodded and moved over to lean his forearm on the top rail of the fence. “The breed was developed in Texas from a cross of shorthorn and Brahman cattle. People often refer to them as America’s original beef breed. The cattle generally have good dispositions, adapt to a variety of climates and terrains, have rapid and efficient growth, and great maternal instincts. The cows can enter the breeding program as early as twelve months and stay in it from twelve to eighteen years. That makes them a profitable breed to raise. As you tasted, the meat is amazingly good. The steers stay lean while growing rapidly.”
“Have you always raised that breed?” Dave asked, staring over the fence at the cow and calf pairs bearing solid red coats that gleamed in the winter sunlight.
“No. My great-great grandfather raised Hereford cattle. My great-grandfather switched to shorthorn. When Gramps got involved in the ranch operations, they sold those and started the Santa Gertrudis herd.”
“They’re impressive,” Randi said, snapping a few more photos before stuffing her phone inside her coat pocket.
Cooper showed them the old red barn his great-grandfather had built and walked them past the outbuildings, including the bunkhouse, discussing a little history of the ranch. He led them down a lane, past a pond, and pointed out the cherry orchard on the far side of it.
A pasture near it held a dozen big-muscled bulls.
One snorted and wandered over to the fence. Cooper walked over to it and reached a hand between the poles, scratching the bull’s big head.
“He’s huge,” Paige said, staring at the red beast.
“He is, but he’s about as tame as the dogs.” Cooper held out a hand to her, motioning her forward. “Come pet him.”
Paige started to step back, but Randi moved behind her, blocking her retreat. “Go on, Paige,” her sister encouraged.
Cautiously, Paige stepped forward. Cooper grabbed her hand and pulled her next to him, then guided her hand through the fence and gently placed it on the bull. The bovine sniffed and then sighed as her fingers brushed over the red hide between his eyes and down toward his nose.
“What’s his name?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“Hermey,” Cooper said, grinning at
her.
“Hermey?” She glanced up at him. “Why Hermey?”
“It’s kind of a joke. The cattle are Santa Gertrudis. Gramps is named Nick. So we gave all the bulls Christmas names. You know, Hermey, from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?”
Paige smiled and Randi giggled. “What are the rest of their names?” Randi asked, climbing up on the fence and watching the bulls. Dave stepped behind her and rested his hand on her waist.
“Let’s see, there’s Yukon, Cornelius, Buddy, Clarence, Max, Kris, Marley, and Frosty to name a few.”
“That’s awesome, man,” Dave said, watching as two of the bulls got into a shoving match. Randi took out her phone and snapped a few more photos. “Do they do that often?”
Cooper nodded. “All the time. Picture the biggest, strongest guys at the gym constantly vying to be the top dog.”
Randi giggled and looked at her husband. “Maybe you should bring your friends out here and let them take on one of the bulls.”
“Yeah, I don’t think they’d go for that, hon.” Dave grabbed Randi around the waist and swung her to the ground as two bulls trotted toward the fence.
Hermey turned around and snorted at the interlopers, then meandered back to where he’d been grazing earlier.
Cooper watched as Paige tried to brush the bull’s hair off her hands. He finally took her fingers in his and wiped then on the legs of his jeans.
The startled look on her face made him grin as he continued their tour.
Paige’s hands felt like she’d held them to an open flame. She glanced down to make sure they somehow hadn’t ignited after Cooper had rubbed them over his hard, solid thigh. Thoughts of what those legs would look like without jeans covering them made her swallow hard and take a step away from him.
Oblivious to the storm of emotions he’d stirred in her, he talked about the cherry business and why his grandfather continued with it, rather than focusing solely on raising cattle.
She only half-heartedly listened as she followed at the back of their little group as he walked them around the pond and then over to a barn built of rocks and weathered timbers.
“Wow! What a neat old barn,” Randi said, taking more photos with her phone.
“We use this as our horse barn,” Cooper said, pointing to a pasture of horses on one side of the building. Three sharp whistling bursts from him drew a beautiful sorrel paint gelding with a bald face over to the fence.
“This is Comet,” Cooper said, rubbing his hand along the horse’s neck.
“He’s gorgeous,” Randi said, letting the horse sniff her hand before she rubbed it across his face.
Paige moved forward until the horse sniffed her hand then she rubbed the side of his neck, opposite of Cooper. She listened to Dave ask questions about the horses, amazed by how gentle Cooper was with the animals. He was great with kids, adored by the animals on his ranch, and made friends so easily.
Why, then, did she battle between wanting to race into his arms and run away from him.
After the disastrous dinner Christmas night, she’d waited for him to send her a text saying he wouldn’t model for her. When it never arrived, she considered releasing him from the agreement, even though it was only verbal.
Although she’d accused him of throwing his affections at her, it was the farthest thing from the truth. She’d sat through the entire dinner, intimately aware of his masculine presence beside her while his captivating scent filled her senses. The sound of his voice had sent her nerve endings into an elated dance.
Every time he brushed against her or his leg bumped hers, she got a warm, oozy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Then she looked across the table at Dexter and experienced a sharp pang of guilt. After all, Dexter was her boyfriend.
Even though she’d been amused by the things Cooper said about him, she’d somehow summoned an appropriate amount of indignation on Dexter’s behalf.
Dexter did act like an overgrown child most of the time. His routine with his plate of pills, most of which were over the counter medications, made her want to scream every time she ate dinner with him.
Even before she’d met Cooper, she’d been contemplating if it was time to break things off with Dexter. She’d grown tired of babying him.
He was thirty-one, for goodness sakes, and he still whined to his mommy anytime things didn’t go his way. From what Paige could tell, Dexter didn’t have any real food allergies because she’d caught him eating things like pizza when he thought she wasn’t looking. Most of what Dexter did was to garner attention and sympathy.
Regardless, no matter how tired she was of Dexter’s immature behavior, it didn’t mean she was ready to jump into a relationship with Cooper. The man was brash and outspoken, boorish and rude, and so… intriguing.
Caught up short when Cooper climbed over the fence and swung onto the back of his horse with no bridle, halter, or saddle, Paige gaped at him in surprise as he held a hand out to her.
“Want to go for a ride?” he asked, waggling his fingers her direction.
“I don’t think so. It doesn’t seem safe,” she said, backing away from the fence.
“I’ll go,” Randi said. Without a blink of hesitation, she climbed on top of the fence and slid on the horse behind Cooper.
Paige watched as he used his thigh muscles to hang on and guide the horse.
He rode in a small circle near the fence before placing a hand on Comet’s neck. “Whoa, boy,” he said.
The horse stopped then sidestepped close to the fence so Randi could climb off. Dave lifted her down and she excitedly bounced up and down, eyes glowing with the enjoyment of a new adventure.
“Oh, my gosh! That was so fun!” she said, giving Paige a nudge forward. “Try it!”
Caught between wanting to do it and afraid of getting that close to Cooper, Paige finally climbed up on the fence.
Cooper grinned and held out his arm to her. “Hang onto my arm and then swing your leg over.”
She did as he instructed, quickly wrapping her arms around his waist.
With one hand holding onto Comet’s mane, his other settled over the fingers she’d twined together just above his belt buckle. “Relax and enjoy the ride,” he said, guiding the horse forward.
Paige tried to hold herself away from him, but after the horse took a few steps, she scooted closer to Cooper and rested her head against his broad back.
She closed her eyes and inhaled the now-familiar scents of winter fires, sage, and musk in an enticing combination that belonged solely to Cooper.
His hand tightened over hers as the horse plodded along. Although she expected him to tease her, or at least talk about the horses and the ranch, he remained oddly silent.
All too soon, Paige realized he’d guided the horse back to the fence. She wasn’t ready for the ride to end. Although she’d rather have her tongue cut out than admit the truth, she’d liked being snuggled up against Cooper’s back. And she’d enjoyed being on the horse. No doubt, her slacks were probably ruined, but she didn’t care. It had been too nice, too enjoyable to be close to Cooper again.
Guilt over the fact that she much preferred to be around the joking rodeo clown than her boyfriend caused Paige to bury her enthusiasm as she climbed onto the fence and Dave gave her a hand down.
Cooper slid off the horse and gave the animal a good scratch along his neck and back before patting Comet’s rump with the flat of his hand. The horse tossed his mane and trotted back to join the other horses in the pasture.
Paige felt her mouth drop open when Cooper took a few running steps, braced his hand on the top rail of the fence, and vaulted over it.
Randi clapped but Dave good-naturedly shook his head in disdain. “Show off.”
“You know it, man,” Cooper said, grinning. “Come on, I’m about ready to head back to the house and have some of PP’s cake.” He motioned for Paige to keep step with him. “What kind is it?”
“Chocolate,” she said, wondering why Cooper insisted on tormenting he
r. She didn’t want to walk beside him. When she did, the urge to reach out and mesh their fingers together nearly overtook her. It was much easier to keep her longings for him in check when she kept him more than three-feet away.
“I gathered that much, smarty,” he said, reaching down and brushing his hand across the back of her slacks.
Stumbling forward, she would have fallen on her face if his arm hadn’t shot out and kept her upright.
“Careful, sugar,” he said, leaving his hand on her arm as she regained her footing.
“What are you doing?” she hissed, glancing behind to see Randi and Dave watching the horses instead of her and Cooper.
“Brushing horse hair off your bum. Why?” He leaned close, tossing her a wicked grin. “What did you think I was doing?”
“Never mind,” she said. Heat stung her cheeks as she turned away from him and continued on the path back to the house.
She almost tripped again when the weight of his arm settled on her shoulders. Rather than shrug him off, though, she kept walking.
Cooper kept his voice low when he spoke. “I think you thought I was up to nefarious schemes, little girl. I’ll have you know I may be a lot of things, but I’m still a nice boy.”
Her head whipped around. “There is nothing boy-like about you, Cooper James, except the freckles on your nose and the childish way you act.”
He slapped a hand to his chest and appeared affronted. “That hurts, PP, right down to the depths of my heart. Here I am, doing you a solid favor by letting you use my body to fulfill your fanciful whims, and all I get from you are insults.”
Dave barked with laughter and Randi giggled as they walked behind them.
Paige rolled her eyes at them both before turning her gaze back to the path in front of her. “I’m not using your body for fanciful whims or otherwise and you know it. You are the most…” She lost her train of thought as she noticed a young cowboy sitting outside the bunkhouse, holding a piece of twine while two fuzzy kittens batted at it.
“Todd found the kittens a few weeks ago. No one knows where they came from, but he’s been taking care of them. They’re cute little buggers, aren’t they?” Cooper led them over to the bunkhouse porch where the cowboy played with the kittens.
Barreling Through Christmas: (Sweet Western Holiday Romance) (Rodeo Romance Book 4) Page 15
