A Christmas Cowboy to Keep

by Hebby Roman

  And then she saw them, ringing a side garden of the large Assembly Hall, paper bags, filled with sand, and lit with tiny candles inside.

  She’d seen them before, they were Latino in origin, a Christmas tradition, called las luminarias. They were beautiful, throwing a soft beige light into the dark night, but that wasn’t the important thing about them—they reminded her of an Argentinian Christmas custom. Something she and Aaron had enjoyed at Christmas when he was a boy.

  Los globos!

  She grabbed Kiki’s arm. “Los globos, I’d forgotten. But I know Aaron will remember.” She squeezed her friend’s arm. “I’ve got to tell Gar. Now.”

  Gar had finished speaking and he waved his hand in the air, calling out, “Okay, everyone, single file, so’s we can keep up with you. Everybody back to the bus. Follow me.”

  She ran up to Gar, ignoring all the inquiring eyes following her, and grabbed his arm. Her breath came in quick pants, she was that excited. “Gar, I have the perfect thing to do, especially for Christmas—los globos! They’re a custom from Argentina. Aaron and I used to make them together—they were his favorite thing to do at Christmas. Even better than opening his gifts. I think, anyway—”

  “Hey, slow down, Sofia.” He touched her hand. “What are you talking about?”

  She subsided, gazing into the indigo irises of his eyes. “It’s an Argentinian Christmas tradition. They’re like Chinese paper lanterns, somewhat like las luminarias, too, but they float in the air.”

  She threw her hands up, as if releasing a captive bird. “The wind and the updraft from the candles make them float, and they light up the sky. When Aaron was younger, we used to go outside of the city to the Long Island seashore. We’d let them loose over the ocean.”

  He took her hand and pulled her closer. His warm breath tickled her ear. “I think you’re on to something. And I have just the place for it. Are you free tomorrow night?”

  “Of course.”

  He squeezed her hand and let it go. “See you tomorrow then. After dark. Bring your jammies and your toothbrush, that is, if you plan on sampling more of my Hill Country wine.” He spread his big hands. “If not, I’ll understand.”

  “Let me think about that part. But I’ll be there, and I’ll bring the necessary materials to make los globos. Do you think Aaron will want to come?”

  “I don’t think he’s ready for one-on-one, but we’ll scale back to his smaller age group, his buddies. I think not singling him out until he’s ready is best, Sofia. If we push too hard, too early, I’m afraid he will retreat.” He touched her cheek. “But don’t despair. Small steps add up. You’ve got to have faith and hope.”

  Chapter Five

  Sofia heard her cell chirping in her ear. Woozy with sleep and wondering how early it was, she fumbled around on the nightstand for her phone. Picking it up with her eyes half-closed, she answered without looking at the caller ID.

  “Yes, Sofia Rossi here.”

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His familiar voice jolted her awake.

  It was Eric, and usually, she didn’t answer his calls, letting them go to voice mail. But it was Friday, a weekday, and Eric would be in his Wall Street office, ahead of the opening.

  She held the phone away, tempted to hang up on him. And she noticed the time, five a.m. CST. It was six o’clock in New York.

  Sighing, she said, “Why are you calling me, Eric? You know I don’t want to talk to you. Have your attorney call my attorney.”

  “That’s why I’m calling you. McNamara let me know you showed up in Texas. He had to redo the papers. I can’t believe you’d hound my son when he doesn’t want to see you.”

  She took a deep breath. Her instant reaction had been a gut wrench, wondering if Aaron had called his father and complained about her coming to Shady Oaks.

  Knowing it wasn’t her son who’d tipped him off made her feel better. Gar had mentioned the boys had phone privileges. No cell phones, of course, but they were free to call family members, under supervision, from a landline at the center during the hours of eight and ten p.m.

  “You’re accusing me of wanting to see how my son is doing? You’re the one who violated our joint custody orders, sending Aaron to Shady Oaks without my permission. That’s why McNamara was contacted, because the paperwork was falsified. I haven’t told my attorney what you did yet but—”

  “Shut up, Sofia! You don’t know what you’re talking about. Those joint custody papers you’re so fond of throwing around aren’t worth a pile of horseshit, and you know it. Aaron is almost of age, and he doesn’t want to see you. Why do you keep throwing yourself at him? He’s almost a man. He doesn’t need his Mommy anymore.”

  She bit back a stinging retort and satisfied herself with saying, “Did Aaron call you? When was the last time you talked to him? When was the last time you called your son?”

  “I told you, he’s not a baby anymore. He did the crime and now he needs to do the time.”

  “Very cute. Reducing your child to a snarky saying. The judge wanted to remand him to our custody and make certain we oversaw his probation period. But you didn’t want to be bothered, so you shipped him—”

  “I can’t help if you messed up his head, spoiling him, doing drugs—”

  “Me doing drugs! You set me up. The court acquitted me. What I’m guilty of is pure stupidity, not taking pictures when you were dating that model who liked coke—”

  “I don’t know what in the hell you’re talking about. I know you were arraigned for possession, and you managed to wiggle free. My son wasn’t so lucky.”

  “We’re going in circles here, Eric, over the same old, same old. I’m in Texas because I want to be here for Aaron.”

  “Even if he doesn’t want to see you?”

  “Yes, he’s still my flesh and blood. I still love him.”

  “Oh, please, Sofia, give me a break. I can hear Argentinian violins playing in the background.”

  “I’ll give you a break, Eric. And if you have any more questions, please forward them to Mr. Curtis, my attorney.” She clicked off.

  Damn the man! He was so awful, so controlling. How had she ever thought she was in love with him?

  She shook her head and pressed her fingers to her temples. His early morning ambush had given her a headache. And she needed to get over her younger self, how needy she’d been, how naïve and trusting and… just plain old stupid.

  Eric had no control over her anymore, other than messing up her relationship with Aaron. But that was going to change. If she had to stay in Texas the entire time her son was here, she was more than ready.

  Gar was helping, and he’d given her hope. The first hope she’d had for a long time.

  It was too early to get up, but she was more than awake. She needed to ask Liana, before she left for school, where to get the supplies she needed for tonight.

  As to Gar’s offer of staying over and bringing her jammies, she knew better than to take him up on it. If they did go back to his house after setting off los globos, she was determined to limit herself to no more than two glasses of wine.

  With that thought, she threw off the mint-green duvet, got to her feet, and padded into the bathroom, hoping a hot shower would banish her headache.

  * * *

  Gar swiveled around in his desk chair. He’d been catching up on the mound of paperwork swamping his desk. No matter how hard he tried, the pile of invoices, spreadsheets, admission papers, along with letters and emails, never seemed to shrink.

  He sighed. Paperwork wasn’t his thing. Nor was it Kiki’s. He could use an office assistant, one who was like a mole, existing in a back office and feeding themselves on sheaves of paper.

  He grinned to himself. He was sure there were people like that, shy and unassuming accountants or administrators, but he couldn’t afford an assistant, along with an office manager. And Kiki’s people skills were more important. The paperwork would get taken ca
re of, one way or the other.

  Glancing at his wristwatch and the dark night outside, he was surprised Sofia hadn’t shown up. Supper had been over for an hour, and the boys had free time. He’d told Aaron’s group to standby, though, as they were in for a special treat tonight.

  Headlights flashed at the turn in the driveway. He got to his feet and glimpsed Sofia’s silver Chrysler drive up. His heart lifted.

  Grabbing his cowboy hat, he put it on his head. He hesitated with his hand on the crown of the hat. Kind of silly to be wearing his Stetson at night… not to mention when they weren’t doing ranch work, like feeding cattle.

  He replaced the hat on its peg and swiped his hands through his hair, hoping he looked okay. Double damn, the woman had gotten to him. He wanted her to stay over tonight, but he didn’t know if he could be a gentleman again.

  Shaking his head, he opened his office door and crossed the foyer. Except for the dorm Moms, his staff had gone home for the night. It was like that first night when he’d taken her on the hayride, but different, too. Now he knew how soft her skin was, how good she smelled, and the imprint of her mouth.

  Lordy, Lordy, he hoped she’d taken his hint and brought her jammies. And this time, he wouldn’t stop at unhooking her bra and unbuttoning her jeans.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. He was thinking with his hormones, his self-deprived, long-lost hormones. That wouldn’t do. She was staying in Texas to connect with her troubled son. Having a fling with Sofia would be a breach of professional conduct and an unfair use of his position.

  He turned back to his office, feeling the need for his Stetson, after all. The wide-brimmed hat hid his eyes and, in a strange way, was like a piece of armor. Armor he needed to get through tonight.

  But when he glanced outside, he saw Sofia struggling with several large shopping bags. She needed his help.

  He stepped through the front door and called out, “Hey, good evening.” He sprinted forward. “Let me help you with those.”

  She waved. “Thanks, I could use the help.” She was bent over, rummaging around in the backseat of her rental car.

  He wanted to look away, but the heart-shaped form of her backside in fitted jeans, held him in place, mesmerized.

  Oh, my God, she was one hell of a good-looking woman.

  His groin tightened, and he shuffled his feet, biting back a groan. “Anything in the trunk?” He asked, half-hoping.

  “Nope,” she said over her shoulder. “I’ve got it all in the back seat.” She pulled out two large bags. “You want to get the other one? I didn’t know how much supplies we’d need. For just Aaron, I have a good idea of how many globos to make, but since it will be Aaron’s group, I wasn’t certain…”

  He pushed past her, feeling the roundness of her breast brush his arm. His jeans were suddenly too-tight, hugging his tell-tale bulge. He bent over and took his time, tugging out the last shopping bag.

  “Uh, I didn’t think of that—how many to put together. Looks like you’ve brought plenty of supplies.”

  “Hope so,” she chirped, turning her face to him.

  He backed away, barely able to keep from kissing her. “Okay, where do you want to assemble the contents?” he asked.

  “How about in the cafeteria? The boys can help. Or at least, I hope they’ll want to help. If not—”

  “No worries. Most evenings are pretty tame around here. They’re more than ready for a distraction.” He wiped his forehead, which was covered with perspiration, though the night air was cool. “I need to think up something for the other boys, once the word gets out.”

  Her face fell. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you trouble.”

  “You’re no trouble. I want to do this. I think we’re chipping away at Aaron.” He held up one hand, as if vowing. “Trust me. Finding something for the older boys won’t be a problem. I just need to come up with something special. They’ll hear about the… globos? Is that what you called them?”

  “Yes, that’s it.”

  He shuffled from one foot to the other, feeling like a moon-crazed calf. He hoped it was dark enough with the light shining from behind him in the foyer, while he willed his erection to subside.

  “I think I saw something like that on TV, one of those pharmaceutical commercials,” he said. “People releasing burning candles into the sky, covered with small bags…”

  “Oh, yeah, I’ve seen those commercials and wondered. I didn’t think they’re a tradition in the States.”

  “They’re not. Those are just silly commercials, like the ones with couples sitting side-by-side in bathtubs…”

  Oh, my God, what was he saying? He was referring to those awful commercials for erectile dysfunction. Obviously not something he needed to worry about, at least, not around Sofia.

  She laughed. “Yes, I’ve seen those commercials, too. I thought they were…” She let her words trail off and gazed at him.

  He felt naked without his hat, but at least, his lower body seemed to be obeying him… finally. He tucked the bag under his arm and moved in front of her, opening the foyer door.

  “Enough about stupid commercials. I can’t wait to see the real thing. Let’s get this stuff to the cafeteria and I’ll fetch the boys.”

  She smiled and pushed past him, as he held the door. “I hope you have a good place to let these go. Aaron and I were always careful, making certain they went out over the ocean. But around here…?”

  “I’ve got just the place. A back pasture I’ve let go fallow for the winter. There’s a small pond in the middle of the field, coming from a natural spring. Sometimes, depending on the rainfall, the spring doesn’t fill the pond, but we’ve had good rainfall this autumn. The boys can keep watch for any of the globos that don’t fall into the water. Not much of a wind, either. Perfect night for this.”

  “Thank you, Gar. I appreciate you letting me do it.”

  “My pleasure, Sofia. Let me get you started in the cafeteria, and I’ll get the boys. We can all pile into my Chevy SUV to go to the pasture.”

  “What?” She grinned. “No draft horses?”

  * * *

  Sofia watched as the boys jostled each other to grab the assembled paper lanterns from the back of the SUV. Everyone had pitched in, even Gar, and in less than an hour, they had the lanterns ready to go.

  She’d shown a couple of the boys how to make them, and Aaron had taken the lead with the other boys, much to her amazement. He hadn’t said anything to her, merely caught her eye and nodded. It had been a silent welcome, but it was the first time he’d acknowledged her without a hint of hostility.

  She’d brought enough materials for thirty-five of the Christmas lanterns, giving each boy five to set off. She and Gar could share the remainder.

  Glancing around, she saw the low-lying pond in the middle. Gar had been right—it was the perfect place. Though, she’d noticed he’d brought along a hand-held fire extinguisher, too, just in case. The man was a monument to forward thinking.

  Not to mention how sexy he was, especially without his customary Stetson, shading his gorgeous eyes.

  She clapped her hand over her mouth, suppressing a groan, and wondering where that had come from. She’d been asked out, over the past few years, by photographers and hangers-on, men who wanted a trophy-type girlfriend. She’d had no trouble telling them “no.” But if Gar were to ask her for a date, she’d be hard-pressed to decline.

  This was Texas, for heaven’s sake, and she’d come all this way to see her son. Their lives were back in New York, and she didn’t do long-distance relationships. At least, she’d never been tempted before.

  Gar had his own baggage, too. He’d made no bones about it. Somehow, he didn’t strike her as ready for the dating arena, not after his daughter and divorce. Which, to her way of thinking, was just as well.

  Aaron would be returning to New York at the first of February. And she hoped, by that time, to have broken down his barriers an
d to sustain a relationship with him through high school before he went to college.

  If her son stayed clean and sober and fulfilled the term of his probation, his record would be expunged. He should have his pick of good universities, even Ivy League ones.

  Gar had rounded up the boys and led them to the edge of the pond, fringed by tall reeds. He walked to the south a few steps and found some flat stones, overhanging the water. He stepped onto one of the stones and looked around, his hands riding his hips.

  “Hey, boys, how about here? This is as good a place as any,” he declared, stepping back to the grassy shore.

  He set down the two electric lanterns she remembered from the hayride. “Form up a line, two at a time. You can take turns. Light one lantern each with these.” He held up two disposable, butane lighters, like those she’d seen people use to fire up their barbeques.

  The boys immediately elbowed and shoved each other, fighting to be first in line.

  Aaron stood apart with his boots planted firmly, hands on hips. Almost, but not quite, a miniature version of Gar.

  “Sir, I think I should show them how it’s done. Since I’ve done it before with… my mother.” Aaron spoke up, glanced at her, managed a thin smile and then looked away, as if he was embarrassed.

  She was surprised but happy he’d acknowledged her. But he still wasn’t wearing his cross. She wished he’d talk to her. If he’d lost the cross, a new one would make the perfect Christmas gift. Right now, with the way things were, she had no idea what to give him.

  “Okay, Aaron, I think you’re right,” Gar said. “Choose a partner.”

  Aaron looked around. From what she’d observed, her son’s special pal was Lucas, one of the boys who’d gotten in a fight after the hayride. A boy who had a perpetual scowl on his face and who appeared to have a boulder-sized chip riding his shoulder, too.