If he stopped outside the barn, she’d get out and ruin her shoes and possibly her dress. Then tomorrow that would be his fault, so he told her to stay in the truck while he opened the big doors and he drove right into the barn.
Just as he thought, she bailed out of the truck and went straight for the tack room to get a bowl of dry food for the new babies, who were both cowering behind a bale of hay. Finn made a dog pen by arranging eight bales of hay, tossed a horse blanket in the middle, and put food and water off to one end.
“They’ll be fine. Now if Queen Callie says it’s all right, I’d like to go to the house and get out of these wet clothes,” he said.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t make fun of me.”
The puppies ignored the food and water and set up a whimper.
“Thank God you didn’t demand that we take them in the house. They would have wakened everyone and kept us all up until morning.” He sat down on one of the hay bales, jerked off his boots, and removed his socks.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He rolled the socks into a ball and threw them in the pen. Both puppies sniffed them and then curled up in a ball with their noses close to the socks.
“Works every time.” He put his boots back on. “Let’s go get some sleep. Morning will come fast.”
And Finn meant sleep.
***
Callie undressed, took her hair down, put on a nightshirt and a pair of underpants, and dived beneath the covers. She was absolutely chilled to the bone marrow. The velvet jacket and dress were not meant to provide warmth in an icy-cold barn, but she would have stood in front of a firing squad before she would have admitted she was cold. He was cold, wet, and mad at the whole world. Add that to a healthy dose of jealousy because she’d flirted with other cowboys, and it made for a miserable, lonely night.
She waited for the closet door to open. Hell, she’d even made sure her shoes were tucked under the rocker so he wouldn’t trip over them on his way to her bed. She wanted to cuddle up beside him, to feel his hard, firm body next to hers, to draw warmth from him.
Fifteen minutes passed.
The door didn’t open.
She was still shivering. Only now it wasn’t related to weather but to anger.
She threw the covers off and stormed across the floor, slung open the closet door, pushed her clothing to one side and then his, and opened the door on the other side. Invited or uninvited, she wasn’t through fighting, and if she couldn’t sleep, neither was Finn.
Shotgun growled when the door opened, but when he realized who it was, he flopped his big yellow head back down on the rug and shut his eyes. She crawled right up in the middle of the bed, crossed her legs and her arms, and said, “What is your problem anyway, cowboy?”
He rolled over with his back to her. “I’m tired, Callie. Go back to your own bed and get some sleep. It’s after one o’clock.”
She stood up in the bed and threw off her nightshirt and then her bikini underwear. “The hell I will. I can’t sleep, and we are going to settle this.”
“There is nothing to settle. It’s been a long night.”
She crawled under the covers and hugged up to his back.
“I told you to sleep in your own bed,” he growled.
“How long have you known me, Finn?”
“Long enough to know you never listen.”
“I turned down a dozen dates tonight. One even said right out loud that his ranch was bigger than yours, and I don’t think he was really talking about land and cattle. Another one said when I got ready to get out of a mud puddle and swim in an ocean to give him a call. But none of them turned me on just by touching my fingertips or by a glance across the room. I’ve been in love with you since before I even knew I was in love with you. I’ve said my piece. You can lie there and pout if you want to, but I’m not going anywhere. Since you’re too stubborn to come to my room, I’ll sleep right here where I can feel your skin against mine,” she said.
“Damn it all to hell!” He flipped over and brought her to his chest in a fierce hug. “I love you, too, Callie.”
“Good. Now can we go to sleep? We have to get up in less than five hours, and I’m cranky when I don’t get my sleep.”
He chuckled, and all was right with her world.
Then he kissed her on the forehead and said, “Good night, darlin’.”
And the clouds came close to parting.
***
“You kids put on them new rubber boots and bundle up real good. It’s still spittin’ snow out there, and I don’t want a bunch of sick kids this close to Christmas. You bring the eggs in and then you can build a snowman. My rules say that you can stay out as long as you want. However, when you come inside, you are in for the rest of the day except for evening chores. There’ll be no running in and out. Cold and then hot and then back again is what makes kids get sick,” Verdie said.
As they hurried out into the backyard, the old work truck pulled up and Callie and Finn got out. Finn yelled at the kids that before they started a snowman, they might want to go out to the barn and have a look at what was there.
Like all kids, Martin and the O’Malley children weren’t about to walk when they could run like the wind through half a foot of fresh snow.
He slipped his arm around Callie’s waist. “No matter how much they beg, they cannot bring those things in the house.”
“You are preaching to the choir.”
“Just bein’ sure that we’re on the same page. Have you told Verdie yet?”
“Thought you might want to do that.” She stomped through the snow, picking her feet up high to keep from throwing snow inside her new rubber boots.
“Tell me what?” Verdie opened the door for them.
“This woman was an old bear last night,” Finn said.
“He was the one who acted like a rabid coyote with a sore tooth,” Callie tattled.
“Did you make up before you went to sleep?” Verdie asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.
“Here they come.” Callie pointed.
“Looks to me like you brought home two polar bears from the party last night.” Verdie laughed.
“Someone threw them out on the road right in front of us. Finn got his suit all wet rescuing the second one.” Callie kicked off her boots, set them on the rug beside the door, and headed straight for the coffeepot.
“Bastards! It ought to be legal to shoot people who take puppies and kittens to the country and dump them out,” Verdie huffed. “Look at those kids. Now if that ain’t just what this old ranch needs. Kids and pups. You ain’t plannin’ on bringing them in the house, are you? You do know they’ll be as big as a small calf when they’re grown.”
“I’m sure the kids will want to bring them inside, but we’re going to stand our ground. Two dogs, a cat, and that talkin’ parrot are enough for the house,” Finn said.
“Well, I’m not staying in the house when there’s snow on the ground and new puppies. I’m going to put my boots and coat on, and I’m going out to play with the kids,” Verdie said. “Y’all going with me?”
Callie wrapped her arms around her waist and shook her head. “No, thank you. I’ve just spent the past two hours out in the snow. I’ve had enough of it today.”
“I’m in the same boat with Callie. I’m tired of being outside,” Finn said.
“Okay, but I’m not missin’ a minute with the kids. And when we get too cold to stay out there anymore, we’re making snow ice cream.” Verdie’s last words faded out on the way to her bedroom.
Finn poured a cup of coffee and carried it to the living room where he sunk down in the sofa and propped his cold feet on the coffee table. From the kitchen window, Callie could see the kids bounding through the snow with two furry bundles bouncing around like windup toys all around them. Their giggles, especially Martin’s, was music to her ears. She couldn’t remember a time that he’d been so open, carefree, and so much like a kid his a
ge.
The sound of Verdie’s boots on the floor passed behind her, leaving the faint smell of her perfume in the kitchen. The minute Verdie was off the back porch, she picked up a handful of snow and patted it into a ball, heaved it toward the kids, and hit Ricky on the shoulder. He squealed, and the fight was on.
Dogs running between the kids.
Verdie hiding behind a tree with Olivia joining her team, making it the girls against the boys.
“Hey, this fire is waiting on you,” Finn called.
She found Shotgun curled up on Finn’s left with Pistol right beside him and Angel lying across his shoulders like a blond fur collar. “Looks like they’ve only left me one option.”
“The rocking chair or the rug?”
She straddled his lap and laid her head on his chest. “No, this one.”
He put his feet on the floor, his hands on her butt, and pulled her close enough that neither light nor air could come between them. “I like this option.” He buried his face in her hair.
“I smell snow and coconut. It’s a hot combination,” he whispered.
“It’s not nearly as sexy as your shaving lotion and coffee mixed up together,” she whispered.
“This feels right, Callie. You, the kids, Verdie, and the animals. It’s the way a ranch is supposed to feel.”
“It’s the way life is supposed to feel, whether it’s on a ranch or in the middle of a town the size of Dallas,” she said.
His hands slid up under her shirt. “Your skin is so warm and feels like silk.”
She shifted her position and brought a hand up to trace his jawline. “Are all the O’Donnell men as blistering hot as you?”
“Oh, no! I’m the ugly duckling of the bunch. Wait until you meet the whole lot of them. The really handsome ones will try to steal you away from me, especially Sawyer. He’s got a thing for dark hair and pretty, aqua-colored eyes.” Finn chuckled.
“Like a wise man said last night, it ain’t damn likely,” she murmured just before she closed the space and her lips met his.
“Is this makeup sex time?” he asked gruffly when the kiss ended.
“Right here in front of the fire sounds exciting, but we’ve got four kids and a granny who could bust through the door any minute. Makeup sex will have to wait until tonight.” Her lips found his again.
Would there ever come a time when his touch didn’t make her melt into a pool of hot lava? Or his kisses wouldn’t turn her legs into useless sticks? She hoped not, because for the first time ever, she felt like all was right with her life and nothing could go wrong. Not with Finn to protect not only her body, but her heart.
Chapter 24
Callie checked all the kids one more time as they got out of the van in front of the church. Verdie had done Olivia’s hair up in a crown braid, and she wore a new red corduroy skirt, a bright green sweater with red trim, and a matching Christmas bow at the back of the braid.
“Today is the senior citizens’ program, so I’ll be joining the old folks in the choir. You two are on your own with the kids. Polly and Gladys will be with me, so you’ll have the whole pew to yourselves,” Verdie said.
“Well, Verdie! Why didn’t you tell us you were in the program? You haven’t practiced,” Callie said.
“I’ll miss you sitting beside me,” Olivia said.
“I’ll miss you, too, but next week is your turn, and I’ll have to sit by myself and miss you then,” Verdie said. “And, Callie, we’re so damned old and have done this program so many times that we know it by heart. We don’t have to practice. We just have to show up.”
“What’s in the tote bag?” Ricky asked.
“It’s my character props,” Verdie answered.
“What’s that?” Adam asked.
“It’s what I put on so I’m not Granny Verdie but whoever I’m supposed to be in the program. Kind of like Olivia when she is Lucy in the Charlie Brown part of the play next week,” Verdie answered.
“Shhh.” Olivia touched a finger to her lips. “We’re all going to surprise Callie and Finn.”
Verdie winked over the tops of the kids’ heads at Callie and Finn. “My lips are sealed. They won’t get another tidbit of information from this old granny.”
Callie made a mental note to ask if the kids needed anything for their play. And was it at school or at church or both?
Verdie circled around the sanctuary to the back of the church, through a door into what most likely led into Sunday school rooms, with Polly and Gladys right behind her. The pew looked empty without the three elderly ladies at the end and felt emptier yet with Callie at one end and four kids between her and Finn.
The preacher had a big smile on his face when he took his place behind the podium. “This morning the senior citizens of Burnt Boot will present the Christmas program. They say that laughter is good for the soul, and if the soul is happy, then all is right with the world. So with that said, I’ll turn the program over to Polly Cleary.”
Old quilts, some frayed at the edges, pinned to a rope line with clothespins, formed a barrier between the pulpit and the choir section. A red leg appeared from between two quilts, and Callie gasped. Surely they weren’t going to do a burlesque in the church.
Then a walker decorated with gold garland and jingle bells came out of the curtains with Polly behind it. She wore a red sweat suit with a picture of Rudolph’s head on the front, a flashing red nose, and antlers to match. She slowly pushed the walker to the podium and motioned for the preacher. “Take this back so Gladys and Verdie can join me. We ain’t got but one, and we have to share. Verdie is slow as well, Christmas, so I’ll tell y’all a story while she’s on her way out here.”
Olivia poked Callie on the leg. “Is this really church?”
Callie nodded. “I think so, but I’m not sure.”
Polly adjusted her antlers and said, “Back in the summer, Verdie McElroy put up her ranch, Salt Draw, for sale, and when the right buyer came along, she sold it. The new owner is Finn O’Donnell, sitting in the middle pew right there with his family. We’re right glad to welcome them to Burnt Boot, but we was sure worried about our dear friend until a couple of weeks ago, when she decided to come on back home where she belongs. Trouble was—oh, here comes Gladys, bless her heart, she’s older and slower than me, so forgive her for takin’ so long to get here. She talks slower, too, so since y’all don’t want to starve plumb to death, I’ll do the talkin’. Now where was I? Oh, trouble was that poor old Verdie, here she comes, folks. Everyone give her a hand.”
The applause came close to raising the roof a few inches when Verdie pushed the walker out from the back of the church. She wore a sweat suit that matched Polly’s and Gladys’s, but hers had a picture of Santa Claus on the front, and her Santa hat sat at a cocky angle.
“Is that Granny Verdie?” Ricky gasped.
“Looks like it,” Finn answered.
“Thank you, thank you. As I was saying, trouble was she decided to come home right in the middle of all this weather, and she had to hire a sleigh to get her here because the snow was so deep, and right outside of town, you’ll never believe…”
Verdie tried to wrestle the microphone from Polly, but she hung on, and pretty soon there was a make-believe fight going on right there behind the podium. When Verdie came up with the microphone, the walker had been turned over and the preacher had darted out from behind the curtains to settle the fight.
“Let go of me, preacher. She was infringing upon my rights to tell my story, and even if this is church, she’s not going to steal my thunder,” Verdie said.
“I like this kind of church,” Olivia said.
Polly crossed her arms over Rudolph and pouted. Gladys threw an arm around her to console her, and music filtered out from the speakers at the back of the church.
“I thought we’d just sing what happened rather than tell the story, that is, if Polly can suck in that lip and help me,” Gladys said.
“If I can hold the microphone, I won’t po
ut,” Polly said.
“Oh, okay, if you’ll just stop acting like a sixty-year-old.” Verdie winked at the congregation. And the three old ladies broke into their rendition of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” substituting “Verdie” for “Grandma” in the lyrics.
When the song ended and they staggered off the stage with Verdie using the walker and the other two hanging on to the sides, everyone could see big hoofprints on the back of Verdie’s shirt, and the whole congregation gave them a standing ovation.
The next group was three old guys, each wearing a hoodie with an initial on the front. It didn’t take much imagination to know that they were the Chipmunks. Callie recognized the music as “Christmas Don’t Be Late,” and she was amazed at how much those fellers sounded like the original Chipmunks. When Alvin sang that he wanted a Hula-Hoop, one came rolling out from behind the curtains. Alvin did a great job of making it stay up as he sang the rest of the song, even when the preacher yelled “Alvin” just like on the recording.
Polly came back, this time pushing herself in a wheelchair, and picked up the microphone from the pulpit. “Sometimes you kids make a list for Christmas. Well, just because we’re older than twenty…”
“Pol…llly.” Gladys’s head poked out from between two quilts.
“Okay, older than twenty-one…”
“Pol…llly.” Verdie’s head came out from the other end, and she was wearing the flashing Rudolph antlers.
“Oh, all right, you two ain’t a bit of fun, and it’s Christmas,” Polly said. “Just because we are old enough”—she paused and looked over the audience—“to get senior citizens’ discounts at Dairy Queen and the Pizza Hut, doesn’t mean that we don’t make a list. As for me, I was thinking maybe I’d wish for a white Christmas this year, but wait, we already got that. Well, then, I guess the next thing on our list will have to do.”
The curtains parted and five old gals plus the same amount of gents filed out. The ladies had put tutus on over their sweat suits, and the guys wore striped vests and top hats.
Cowboy Boots for Christmas Page 23
