Immediately, she began to howl. “I want my mommy.” The cries escalated until her words became unintelligible watery sobs. Alarmed observers turned to stare at the toddler and the giant of a man who held her.
“Uh-oh! Zach needs help,” Emma murmured. She scooped up Rachel, grabbed the stroller and diaper bag. Even race walking, she struggled to catch up with his long strides.
Finally, Zach stopped at a cotton candy kiosk. He picked a bag from the display and handed it to Elizabeth. Her small hand wrapped around the cone and the crying stopped midwail.
“Hey, pal, are you or your wife gonna pay for that?” the vendor asked, looking first at Zach and then to Emma, who’d finally reached him.
“My what?” Zach asked.
“I’ve got it,” Emma said from behind him as the diaper bag slid to the ground with a thud.
Zach turned, opened his mouth and closed it. “You saw?” he finally said.
Emma nodded as her face warmed. “Yes. Well done. I’m thinking your SEAL training prepared you for this.”
“Nothing could prepare me for this,” Zach muttered as he removed the plastic wrapper from the treat. He looked at Elizabeth and pointed to the pink froth. “Cotton candy.”
“Cottom canny,” the toddler repeated. She stared with wonder at the soft pink puffs of spun sugar, then poked her finger into the cloud and released a watery giggle.
When Zach pinched off a small amount, Elizabeth opened her little bird mouth to accept the offering. Her eyes rounded and a smile lit up her face.
“More, please,” she said.
He complied.
“More.”
Emma leaned around him, took a piece of cotton candy and popped the treat into Rachel’s mouth, as well.
He shifted Elizabeth to his other hip. “This is one tough assignment.”
“Definitely not for wimps.”
Zach shook his head. “How do you do it, Em?” he asked as they walked back to the bench.
“Do what?”
“All that you do? You’re a single mom, and you have multiple jobs...”
“Each of us does what we have to do. Besides, Lucy and Travis have been there for me.”
“My dad and stepmom?”
“It’s been a rough couple of years for your folks. Don’t be so hard on them. First, they lost Steve, then your stepmother’s cancer diagnosis. They needed to get away from the ranch and escape.”
“I’m your children’s uncle. I should have been here.”
“Then why did you stay away?” she dared to ask.
His head jerked slightly, and he turned to look at her before his attention refocused on the child in his arms. “I can’t answer that yet. The last twelve months have been difficult. I’m still working through things.”
“Maybe talking about it would help.”
“Yeah, maybe. Just not today.”
“Before you disappear from our lives again, then?”
“I won’t disappear this time.”
“Promise?”
His thoughtful gaze moved from Elizabeth to Rachel, and then to her. He offered a solemn nod. “I do.”
Emma was silent, turning his words over in her mind. What would it be like to have Zach around all the time? Despite his words, she didn’t believe it would ever happen. He didn’t stay in one place long enough to even allow that thought to play out in her mind.
But what if? Emma shoved the question away. She wasn’t ready to consider the possibility.
* * *
Zach let the glass door to the Big Heart Ranch administration building close behind him. He approached the reception desk, where the human resources woman sat smiling.
“Mr. Norman, good morning. Did you have a good weekend?”
“I did, thanks.”
“Your staff T-shirts have arrived.” She reached under the counter and handed him a neat stack of two red shirts.
“Red?”
“Yes. We issue red shirts once a year for the holiday season.”
He held up the T-shirts with dismay before handing them back. They might fit his left bicep. “I’m going to let you keep these.”
“I could order a larger size.”
“Red isn’t my color. But thank you.” He glanced around. “Can you tell me where Emma’s office is?”
“Straight down the hall, on the right, before you get to the conference room.”
“Thanks.”
“Mr. Norman, would you mind bringing Emma her lunch?” She nodded toward a large paper bag with the Timber Diner logo on the outside that sat on the counter.
“No problem.” He picked up the neat sack, only to discover it was hefty. There had to be enough food in here to feed half of a SEAL team.
Zach peeked in the open doorways as he walked down the hall. One office, the size of a closet, had a sign that read Iris Banner, Administrative Assistant. Another belonged to Lucy Maxwell Harris. He walked past, then backed up and looked in again, not sure what to make of the chaos. It seemed that a tornado had swept through the room, leaving papers and books everywhere. Puzzled, he kept walking.
The next office on the right was Emma’s. She looked up at his tap on the door and reached for a tissue. Today Emma was all dressed up in a pale gray suit with a silky blouse. Her long hair was anchored to the back of her head in a twist.
“Zach, what a surprise.” Emma wiped her eyes, and then grinned widely, not quite meeting his gaze.
“Emma?” He placed the sack on the desk.
When she finally looked at him, he inhaled sharply. The pain in her red-rimmed eyes kicked him straight in the gut. His heart picked up speed as he shot straight into protective mode. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I’m good,” she murmured.
“No, you’re not.” He sat down in the chair on the other side of her desk. “What happened?”
“I...” She swallowed and balled up the tissue. “I just returned from court. The judge ruled in favor of the custodial parents. The child is being returned to an unthinkable home environment despite our pleas.” She put a hand to her mouth. “It’s an awful situation. Awful.”
Without thinking, Zach stood to move around the desk, then knelt down next to her.
“Your knee.”
“I’m only down on one knee.” He paused, dumbstruck at the words that had slipped from his mouth.
She sniffed, thankfully oblivious to his awkward declaration.
“Emma, I’m so sorry.” Zach handed her a tissue. When he gently pressed her head to his shoulder, he found himself surrounded by the soft flowery scent that was Emma. Not unlike dancing at the party, holding Emma was both oddly right and oddly terrifying.
“I should have been able to do more,” she murmured.
There were no words. He, too, had been troubled by that same line of reasoning for months.
“Sometimes we can’t do more,” he said. “All we can do is turn it over to the Lord.”
For a few moments she leaned against him, eyes closed, dark lashes splayed on her sun-kissed face.
Zach glanced around the office at the framed photographs of Big Heart Ranch children that covered the walls. Like they were her own children. And in a way, he supposed they were.
This was Emma’s passion.
It wasn’t baking or RanchPro. Big Heart Ranch was her calling. Her ministry. The realization made him all the more restless and uncertain of his future. What was the Lord calling him to do with the rest of his life?
When Emma put inches between them and looked at him, her dark eyes were watery and vulnerable. Zach froze, captivated and speechless. This was why he avoided falling into the depth of Emma’s gaze. Every single time, he found himself drowning in emotions he was unprepared to deal with.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I never cry.”
He knew better.
Silence stretched between them and Zach used the opportunity to grab the desk edge. He bit back a grimace when the patchwork of scars, muscles and ligaments complained as he heaved himself to a standing position. Emma was worth the pain.
It took only a moment for her to shift back to the perpetually positive and smiling Emma persona she put on for the world.
Her hands settled in her lap and she looked at him. “You stopped by to see me?” she asked.
“Yeah, I found this in my truck this morning.” He pulled out a neon purple toy animal from his back pocket and squeezed the soft plastic until it squeaked. “I figured this could be a matter of national security.”
A slow smile touched her lips. “Thank you.”
“Oh, and I brought your lunch.” He pointed to the bag on the desk.
“You brought my lunch?” Her eyes rounded.
“From the front desk, that’s all. What do you have in there? That sack is huge. Smells good, too.”
“BLT and fries from the diner. Want some?”
He shook his head. “I’m not going to eat your lunch.”
“There’s two and a half lunches in there. We have a standing order with the diner for Fridays and lately, Lucy orders extra.” She smiled. “You know, for the baby.”
“Sure. Right. Eating for two.”
Emma unfolded the edges of the bag. “And they always add cookies, whether I ask for them or not.”
He leaned forward to peek inside the bag. “What kind of cookies?”
“Does it matter?”
“Probably not,” he said.
Emma pulled out a foam box of cookies and slid it across the desk. “Here.”
Zach sat down again and opened the container, eyes rounding at the sight. “Chocolate chip. My favorite.”
“I remember. And these were made today. Go ahead and take Lucy’s lunch and the cookies with you.”
“What about you?”
“I’m happy with my sandwich.” She grabbed her water bottle from the desk. “Do you want anything to drink?”
“Naw, I’m good.” Zach nodded in the direction of the hallway. “What are they doing to Lucy’s office?”
“What do you mean?” She took a swig of water.
“It looks like it’s under construction.”
Emma inhaled and began to cough on a laugh.
“Are you okay?” Zach started to move around the desk.
Holding up a hand, she stood and thumped her chest. “Yes. Give me a second.” The words were more like a croak. A moment later, she sat down and wiped her eyes. “Oh, my. I need a warning next time.”
“What? I only asked if her office—”
“That’s another day for Lucy. The normal state of things. Although it has gotten better since we hired Iris.”
“Seriously? Your sister always seems so efficient.”
“She is efficient, with a very unusual organizational system.”
“Right.” He glanced at the clock on her wall.
“Was there something else?”
“Yeah. I want you to know I’m thinking...” He paused and cleared his throat. “I’m thinking of taking a look at Steve’s business.”
“RangePro.”
“Yeah.”
Emma’s eyes widened and when she lifted her chin to look at him, he knew immediately what she was thinking. He shook his head. “No, Emma.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“Oh, yeah, I do.” He glanced at the clock again and stood. “This is not a commitment. I’ve come to realize that you have way too much on your plate. So I’m willing to open a discussion. Period.”
“Okay,” she said ever so slowly.
Zach swallowed, already feeling the room closing in on him. “I’ve got to be somewhere. We can talk about it later.”
“When later?”
“One step at a time, Emma.”
She released a breath of frustration. “How are the lights coming along?”
“Good. Good.” And they were. The shipment of lights was on schedule to be delivered to the hardware store in Timber tomorrow.
“Good enough to rent the cherry picker?”
“Ah, I’ll evaluate the situation and let you know.”
“Today? You’ll let me know today?”
“I can promise to have a definitive answer tomorrow.”
“Okay, then. Tomorrow. Thank you.”
Zach stepped toward the door.
“Zach?” she called.
He turned back.
She stood and handed him the cookies and the bag with the extra sandwich. “And um, I appreciate...you know...the kind words.” She blinked, pink tinging her cheeks.
“Emma, you deserve so much more than kind words.”
Zach hurried his steps, moving as fast as his knee allowed, running from complications before they had a chance to tackle him to the ground.
Chapter Six
“Of all the rude things.” Emma continued to mutter under her breath as she approached her SUV in the shared parking lot between the Timber hardware store and the Busy Needle Fabric Shop.
She shifted her shopping bags to her other arm and moved to examine the clearly visible bright white lines painted on the pavement. It was obvious that the black truck that had pulled in backward violated proper parking etiquette.
“You’re taking up two spaces, mister.” Not only that, she couldn’t open her car door.
Emma stopped when she got closer and recognized the license plate. “Zach? Seriously?”
The back door of the hardware store swung open and none other than Zach Norman walked out with a huge cardboard shipping box balanced on a shoulder. And the man was whistling a holiday tune! She’d never seen his face so animated. Behind him, Mick Brewer followed, carrying a second box, along with a young clerk who carried yet a third box.
Emma stepped into view as Zach dug in his pocket for his keys.
“Need any help?” she asked.
Startled, Zach froze. His head slowly came up to meet her gaze. “Emma?”
“That’s a lot of boxes, gentlemen.”
When Mick laughed, Zach shot him a death stare.
“What do you have there?” Emma persisted. She stretched on her toes to peek over Zach’s shoulder when he placed his box in the truck’s bed and helped Mick do the same with his.
The man was much too large. She couldn’t even see around his shoulder.
“They’re—” Mick began.
“A holiday surprise,” Zach finished for him.
“A holiday surprise? Is that so?” Emma asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” Mick nodded furiously. “What he said.”
“What about the rest of the boxes?” the store clerk asked as he, too, eased the box in his arms into the flatbed.
“There’s more?” Emma raised a brow.
“I’ll get them,” Mick said. His eyes were wide as he backed his way to the store, his gaze moving back and forth between Zach and Emma as though he was watching a tennis match.
Zach stood like a flannel-and-denim giant with his hands on his hips blocking her view of the boxes. “I see you’ve been shopping,” he said. “What’s the occasion?”
“Are you kidding me?” Emma gently let all six of her shopping bags slip to the ground.
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Zach, I’ve been Christmas shopping.”
“Once again I feel compelled to let you know th
at Thanksgiving isn’t here yet.”
“It’s next week. Everyone knows that Christmas shopping should be completed by Black Friday. Cyber Monday at the latest, so you can enjoy Giving Tuesday.”
Zach blinked. “There are rules?”
“Yes. Of course.” She waved a hand in the air. “Look around you. The town is dressed from head to toe in garland, lights and holiday cheer. The spirit of giving is in the air, Zach.”
“I’m concerned about what’s in the water.”
Emma released a sound of frustration and reached for her shopping bags.
“Need some help?”
“I’ve got the bags.” She opened the hatch on her SUV. “But I can’t get in my car. Your truck is blocking my driver’s-side door.”
With a slow nod, he walked around both parking spaces assessing the situation. “You parked too close to the line.”
“I most certainly did not.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “How did Mick get out of the truck anyhow?”
“He’s smaller than you are.”
Emma gasped, and in a split second, she was seeing a bright red and that had nothing to do with Christmas. She glanced down at her jeans and cheerful holiday sweater. Okay, maybe she did still have a few pounds of “I had a baby” pudge to lose.
“I...” She opened her mouth and then closed it, meeting Zach’s gaze.
He cleared his throat. “That may have come out wrong.”
“Could you please move your vehicle?” she asked.
“Are you mad?” He raised a hand in gesture. “I wasn’t insinuating that you’re, um, not small.”
“You should probably stop while you’re ahead and just move the truck.”
Zach stepped aside and Emma got a good look at the print on the boxes in the flatbed.
She whirled around. “I can’t believe what I am seeing. Zachary Richard Norman, you bought LED lights. I told you we can’t afford them.”
“Anyone ever tell you that you sound just like someone’s mother?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m not.” He wedged himself between her and the boxes. “The lights were donated.” His words were a low rumble.
“A million lights donated?” Emma paced back and forth in front of him, doing the math. “Those must have cost a small fortune. I can’t even imagine who you had to fast-talk to get that sort of donation.”
Christmas with the Cowboy Page 8
