Romancing the Holidays: Twelve Christmas Romances - Benefits Breast Cancer Research

by Crista McHugh

  “What’s the kitchen like?”

  “Tiny, galley style but the stainless steel appliances are new, with an under mounted sink and quartz counter tops. It’s okay, but really small.”

  “I guess you’d have had to spend more to get units with a gourmet kitchen.”

  “Nope, every unit has the exact same kitchen layout. I’m guessing it’s not a priority here. People must eat out a lot—lord knows I saw enough restaurants and fast food joints on the way here.” She walked from room to room, describing the other areas to Meagan.

  “Got any idea how you plan to decorate the place?”

  “Not the slightest.” Niki stopped in the middle of the living area and looked around. “Although . . .” She went to one suitcase, pulled out a handful of framed photos and positioned each photo on the quartz countertop. One of her with her parents, a group shot of Meagan, Mitch and Buck, flanked by Tex on one side and herself on the other, taken the day of Meagan and Mitchell’s wedding, and another shot of herself with Meagan and Buck.

  “That’s better,” she said, releasing a small satisfied sigh, immediately comforted by the familiarity.

  “Hey, Nik?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Have you eaten supper yet?”

  “No, and I’m starving. I’m too tired to drive anywhere tonight, so I’ll either have to order delivery or eat some of the snack food I brought along.”

  “Don’t do anything. Mitch and I have taken care of that for you tonight.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean expect a delivery. You’ve got about five minutes to make yourself presentable.”

  “I drove seventeen hours today, Megs. I’m too tired to make the effort to impress anyone tonight.” Regardless of her words, she headed to the small bathroom and stood in front of her mirror. She put her phone on speaker and dug through her bag to find a few essentials. No use making a bad first impression on a young delivery kid working his or her way through college. “What kind of delivery?” The sound of her voice bounced off the bare tiles. She could surely go for a meat lover’s pizza with extra cheese.

  “You’re fixing your make-up right now, aren’t you?” Meagan said, sounding slightly amused.

  “Am not!” Niki stuck her tongue out at the phone, thankful they weren’t face timing. She dabbed a bit of foundation on her T-zone and under her eyes, before applying a bit of lip color. A quick fluff of hair flattened by hours of running her hands though it had her reaching for a can of hair spray.

  “I hear hair spray.” Meagan’s laughter echoed from the phone’s speaker against the bare walls.

  “Shut up, harpy. I told you, I’m hungry. No sense in scaring away the wet-behind-the-ears delivery kid. Who knows, maybe he’s a lineman for the local university’s football team. I could be a cougar.”

  Meagan’s snicker of laughter carried to her. “Or a water boy for the high school football team and you could be charged as a pedophile.”

  “Ugh! Why must you rain on my parade?” Niki swiveled at the knock on the front door. “Oh, I think the food’s here.” Her stomach rumbled in anticipation as she approached the door.

  “I’ll let you go so you can enjoy your delivery. Oh, and Nik?”

  Niki reached for the door knob and paused. “Yeah?”

  “You can thank us later.”

  Niki stared at the call ended icon on the screen before slipping the phone into her back pocket. She pulled open the door and stared at the massive figure blocking the doorway. A black Stetson shadowed the crystal blue of his eyes, but it couldn’t hide the outline of those pecs, clearly defined through his long sleeved T-shirt—or the tree-trunk forearms attached to broad shoulders—not to mention those damned irresistible dimples.

  One hand reached up to touch the brim of his hat. The other held out a large bag bearing the name of a Mexican restaurant. “Special delivery.”

  And that voice—that sexy as sin bass that had the power to turn her insides to a quivering mass of mush.

  Oh. My. God. Somehow, she managed to harness those three words, keep them from bursting forth in an astonished blast of sound. She took one deep breath, then another before releasing it slowly to respond with a performance that should surely earn her some kind of award from those snoots in Hollywood. “Hi, Tex.” She placed a hand on her stomach, hoping to calm her nerves.

  “Hey, Nik. How you doing?”

  Had those peepers turned a deeper shade of blue in the several months since she’d last seen him? Were those shoulders even broader than before? “What—what are you doing here?” He flashed the grin she’d always found so irresistible. Trouble was, so did plenty of other women. That thought sobered her as well as any cold shower.

  “We didn’t want you to move in to your new place without seeing at least one friendly face.”

  “We—Mitchell called you and set this up?”

  He tilted his head slightly. “Don’t go getting all pissed at them for not wanting you to feel so alone in a new city, Nik. If we can’t be anything else, I’d like us to be friends.” He removed his hat and dipped low to get eye level with her. “Do you think that’s possible?”

  She stared at him, winced when her stomach growled at the delicious aromas coming from the bag. His laughter rumbled like an outboard motor in the vacant room. She gave in to her hunger pangs and stepped aside to wave him in. “Sure, Tex. I can always use a friend in this city, especially one who brings me food. Get in here, you big redneck. I’m famished.”

  He walked in and nodded as he looked around. His gaze fell on the three framed photos and he leaned forward to study them closer. “I love what you’ve done with the place so far.”

  She shrugged. “I needed something familiar to get me through the night until the rest of my stuff gets here.” She waved a hand at her empty room. “Sorry I can’t offer you a place to sit—oh, wait—I have a chair.” She brought the folding chair in from the patio and set it before him. “Have a seat.”

  He shook his head. “My mama didn’t raise me to sit while a lady stands.”

  She gave him a half-hearted eye roll. “Spare me. Besides, I’ll sit up here on the counter.” She backed up to the kitchen peninsula and attempted to lift herself. She slipped once and froze when he approached and placed the bags onto the surface.

  With a tilt of his head, he extended both hands toward her and paused. “May I?”

  She quirked one brow, deciding it wouldn’t hurt to let him help her. He placed his huge hands on each side of her waist and lifted her easily onto the counter. “Thanks.” She adjusted her position, trying to ignore the tingle created by his touch. She averted her gaze, hoping to avoid the impending blush.

  He stepped aside and opened the first bag. “I remembered you like Mexican food, and particularly loaded chicken quesadillas. I ordered the house special with extra guacamole for you.” He lifted out one foam container and opened it for her.

  She lifted the plate to her face and breathed in. “This smells delicious. What’d you get?”

  “The burrito supreme plate with an extra chimichanga—and an order of chips and salsa we can share. This place has the best damn salsa I’ve ever tasted.” He lifted out a second plate and opened it, tearing off the lid to use as a container for the tortilla chips.

  Niki kicked off her slip on shoes and pulled one foot up under her. She balanced the plate on her leg and dug into her food. She closed her eyes, savoring the delectable combination of flavors, and managed to speak after swallowing the first bite. “Oh m’gosh, this is so freaking good!”

  Standing beside her, he gave a satisfied grunt until he finished his own first mouthful of food. “I’m glad you like it. Did I hear Mitch right when he said you’d been on the road since midnight or something?”

  She nodded. “I wanted to get here before my stuff arrives tomorrow. The manager told me over the phone it was move-in ready but her idea and mine of ready may not have jived. I wanted to come check it out for myself.” She looked ar
ound. “But this place is great. It seems to be a nice area.”

  Tex ducked his head to look out the front windows. “You should be safe enough here. But if you’re ever worried about going somewhere alone, just give me a call. I’ll be glad to show you around, or be your escort—” He faced her, leveling his gaze on her. “I mean it, Nik—anytime, day or night. If you need me, just call and I’ll be here, or there, or anywhere you need me.”

  She tore her gaze from his eyes to settle on his lips—anything to avoid the message being sent out in waves. The man oozed irresistible, ‘good ol’ southern boy’ sex appeal, wrapped up in six foot and five inches of brawn, all tanned and bronzed from working in the hot Texas sun. Good grief, but she’d had it bad for this cowboy once. She couldn’t afford to fall for it—not again. She needed to keep her wits about her—stop letting her girl parts influence the decisions her mind should be tending to. One corner of his mouth tipped up in a sexy semi-grin that had her sucking in her breath. She jutted her chin toward the chair. “Sit. Now.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He sat obediently, balancing his plate in one hand.

  “How’s your place in Blanco?”

  His head bobbed and he smiled. “It’s good. Quiet, peaceful—it’s what I needed for a while.”

  She frowned. “And now?”

  “I still want it. I just don’t need it.”

  “I get that.”

  His gaze locked on hers again. “You do?”

  “Sure, there’s a huge difference between wanting something and needing it. And whether or not you get that something can make a difference in your life—for good or bad.” Tex stared out her window again, looking far too pensive for a cowboy out for a good time. She grabbed her phone, deciding they needed a little background music in the room. She started the upbeat country playlist that had accompanied her from St. Louis all the way to San Antonio, and then turned her attention back to her food.

  “So what is it you need, Niki? What made you leave Missouri to come all the way here?”

  She blinked several times, put her plate off to the side and wiped her hands on a paper napkin she’d pulled from the bag. “I had to get away from there. My parents . . .” Her voice faltered, but she managed to finish. “My parents are both gone now and being in that house, with all those memories and neither of them around anymore.” She shook her head in several quick, jerky movements. “I just couldn’t stay another day. So I begged my boss for a transfer.”

  “Why Texas? Why here?”

  She laughed, suspecting he wanted to hear she’d chosen this place because of its close proximity to a certain ex-Marine—him. “I’ve been chomping at the bit to get out of there for two months, Tex. And someone had to almost die to open up a position. It’s literally the first opening they had at the corporate level.”

  “Oh, the corporate level,” he said, grinning. “Excuse the hell out of me.”

  She fought the urge to reach out and run her fingers through his light brown hair highlighted with natural blond streaks. He kept it slightly longer than when she’d last seen him at the wedding. Tex’s smile slowly dissolved from his face and she braced herself for the well-meaning words sure to come. Time heals everything … they’re in a better place … there’s a reason for everything … she’d want it this way . . . All true, but not extremely helpful to the person struggling to put one foot in front of the other after losing her entire family.

  “I’m sorry about your parents, Nik.” He lifted one hand and let it fall. “Mine are both still alive so I don’t have the slightest idea what to tell you. It sucks like hell that you lost them the way you did.” He looked down at his food and shook his head. “All I can say is that if you start to feel low I can be here in under an hour. Give me a call—if you want to talk, go for a drive, take in a movie, or need a shoulder to cry on—whatever. I’m here for you.”

  She swallowed, stunned by his honest sincerity, and somehow managed to spit out a whisper soft “Thank you.”

  He reached out to place a hand on her ankle. “I’m serious, Nik. That’s some heavy shit to carry around and your friends don’t want you thinking you have to carry it all alone.”

  Niki heard her old roommate in every word of that little speech—big time. “Megs told you to say that, didn’t she?”

  Tex gave her a cheesy grin. “See, I told her you’d know that didn’t come from me, but that doesn’t stop me from meaning every word of it. I’m serious about that. If you need me, I’ll drop whatever I’m doing to come over.”

  She grinned, unable to stop the next words from coming from her mouth. “Whatever you’re doing—or whomever you’re doing?”

  He clicked his front teeth together and sucked in his breath. “Ouch—okay, I guess I had that coming to me.”

  “You really did. But, that’s it from here on out. After this act of tremendous kindness, we’re even. I’m letting all of that go, I promise.”

  He stared at his plate and cocked his head to face her. “It’d sure be cool if you did.”

  She raised her right hand. “No more pole-dancer jabs, I promise.”

  “Good.”

  “Or stripper jokes.”

  “Nicole . . .”

  Her laughter rang out between them. “I’m just jerking your chain, Tex.”

  He picked up his plastic fork. “I’m gonna finish eating now. I suggest you do the same before it gets cold.”

  They finished their meals, making small talk between songs on her phone’s playlist. Tex stood, as though readying himself to leave. The room seemed to close in on Niki as a full-blown case of panic set in. “Wait, Tex. Tell me more about your ranch!”

  * * * *

  Tex paused at the hitch in her voice, stared into the huge green eyes that had captivated him from the moment he’d first walked in and seen her again. Her full red lips quivered as she tried to hold it together. He wasn’t as dense as some people thought—he recognized the sound of desperation when he heard it. It’s not that she wanted him to stay—she just didn’t want to be alone. He’d play along—stick around for some small talk. “It’s not my ranch. It’s been in the owner’s family for generations, as most ranches are. I came close to buying it outright—had actually moved there thinking I would, but the family decided to hang on to it a few more years. I believe one of their grandsons is beginning to show interest in running it one day.”

  “Why were they considering selling it?”

  “The only one of the Sedtal’s kids interested in running the place was killed in Afghanistan.” He lowered his head, remembering the day Bobby’s number had come up. “Bobby Sedtal was a damn fine Marine, and a good friend. Bobby, Mitch, and I—man we’d been through thick and thin together. He had a plan—twenty years in the Corps, then retire and take over the ranch. It didn’t happen, of course.”

  “I’m sorry, Tex.”

  He wiped his hand roughly over his eyes and face. “Anyway, nobody else in the family had the heart to take on the responsibility of running the place. Mitch and I would come and visit his folks from time to time and I always loved it up here. When the ranch fell on hard times, I had a good chunk of money saved up and convinced his dad, Mr. Ron, to sell me the section with an old rundown cabin, access to the lake for fishing, and the one mile strip of land with a road leading to the place. It gave me a place to call home and got them out of a bind.”

  “So you live in the cabin alone?”

  “Yeah. It’s not rundown anymore, either. I’ve worked on it and brought it into the twenty-first century.”

  She smiled. “I’ve got this image of a primitive cabin running through my mind.”

  He laughed. “I guess some people might still consider it primitive, but I call it home.”

  “So, you work as a hand on the ranch?”

  “I’m glad to help out around the place when they need me but he’s got a good foreman and crew to do the lion’s share of the work. I bought my truck and this place outright with my savings. My retirement k
eeps me in grub and supplies for home improvements and taking care of my horse.”

  He slipped his thumb into his back pocket. “I’m not sure if this is a permanent thing or not. I know my mom was kind of disappointed when I moved here after being away from home so long. Once Meagan finishes school, and she, Buck, and Mitch move back down to Lake Coburn, I was thinking of finding something closer to home—somewhere between Lake Coburn and my folks place.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Until then, this place works for me.”

  “So, they pay you to work the ranch?”

  “Nah, I don’t ask for anything. I just love staying busy and helping them out when I can.”

  “Do they have many cows on the farm?”

  He gave her a disgusted snort. “It’s a cattle ranch, not a cow farm.”

  “Is that a Texas thing?”

  He frowned. “It’s a ranch thing. No respectable rancher in the U.S. of A. would ever call him or herself a cow or cattle farmer. They do have ranchers who also grow farm crops, either to feed their own stock or to market for a profit. Ranchers have to diversify these days or they won’t survive.”

  “Are there female ranchers around here?”

  “Sure there are. You being the modern woman you are, I’d have thought you’d expect that.”

  “I guess … it’s just that when I think of cattle ranchers, I think of the old westerns my dad used to watch.”

  “Didn’t he ever watch The Big Valley?”

  “I don’t know. Why?”

  “Barbara Stanwyck played Victoria Barkley and ran her dead husband’s ranch along with their four adult children.”

  Her face remained blank until her mouth opened. “Wait—was one of the sons married to Farrah Fawcett at one time?”

  “That would be Lee Majors who played Heath, the illegitimate son of the dead husband. Give the lady a prize!” he called out in a carnival barker imitation.

  She nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, my dad watched that. That guy was hot when he was young.”

  “So was his sister, Audra, but the point I’m trying to make is that there are female ranchers. So, give me the grand tour of your new digs.” He placed his hands around her waist and helped her off the cabinet.