A Cowboy for Christmas

by Sara Richardson

  “There’s nothing left.” Everly paused next to her, gazing over the scarred remains with a look of wide-eyed bewilderment.

  “There might be.” Darla gave her friend’s hand a squeeze. “We’ll look. We’ll search through the debris and maybe we’ll find something.” She did her best to sound hopeful.

  “Most of it can be replaced. I know that.” Everly wandered to the melted Christmas tree, tears streaming down her cheeks. “But I put my great-grandma’s Christmas star on top of the tree. I shouldn’t have. I should’ve kept it at home, but I loved her so much. And having it at the café made me feel like she was part of all this. The café. My life here…”

  “Oh honey.” Kneeling, Darla dug around the tree searching for anything that remotely resembled a star. Everything was too melted, too misshapen. “Maybe it got knocked off in the explosion.” At least it wasn’t melted to the tree like some of the other ornaments…

  “When I was little, my great-grandmother used to tell me that star had magic powers,” Everly sniffled. “That all you had to do was hold it and whisper your biggest Christmas wish and it would all come true.”

  “Then we’ll find it.” Darla stood and kicked through some of the ashes, but there were so many. A whole restaurant full of disintegrated furniture and knickknacks and tablecloths and dishes and silverware and supplies. It would take time to search through it all. Time and a whole army of people.

  “Why? I don’t understand.” Everly turned to Darla. “We didn’t deserve this. Did we?”

  “God, no.” No one earned tragedy. It had taken her years to accept that. Okay, maybe she was still moving toward accepting that. Whenever you were standing in the ashes of your life, it was the first question you asked. What could I have done differently? How could I have prevented this? Those were the kinds of questions that tended to haunt her, and Darla knew only one way to cope with them. “Look around at all these people who are here for you.” She slipped her arm around her friend’s shoulders, gathering her in close. “You lost a lot last night, and believe me, I know how hard it is to lose a dream.” When she’d married Gray, she’d built all of her dreams on him. On them. They’d wanted to open a restaurant together. They’d wanted babies—he’d even been reading up on all of the superstitions about how you could guarantee twins. He was her future, her everything, and then he was gone. “When you lose a dream, you have to focus on what will hold you together instead of what will tear you apart,” she told Everly, as if she had so much wisdom to share. She hadn’t been able to follow her own advice. Gray’s death had torn her apart. It had torn her whole life apart. The only way she could rebuild was by putting up protective walls to shield her from the pain and the risks and the possibility of ever building her world around someone else again.

  But this wasn’t about her. Inhaling deeply, Darla let the wave of lingering grief recede before she spoke. “Do you know why we’re here?” She gestured to the group surrounding them. “Because we love you guys. And we’ll carry you through this.” She would do everything she could to make sure they had the support they needed.

  Darla scanned the various groups of people who were sifting through the debris the firemen had piled up nearby. The Cortez brothers and their wives, Charity and Dev, and their nephew, Bodie. And Ty. She watched him work on his knees, meticulously sorting through soggy scraps of wood in search of anything meaningful they might be able to salvage. He hadn’t slowed down all night. After they’d congregated at her wine bar, Darla had a hit a wall and had fallen asleep right at the bar. When she woke up, Ty was busily making coffee for people while he served the baked goods he’d picked up. He hadn’t slept or taken any breaks. He hadn’t said much to her all night either, but he’d kept looking at her with sad eyes every time he thought she wouldn’t notice. She had though. She could read the pity and the concern in his expression, and she didn’t need it. Didn’t want it. Those looks he kept giving her only fortified her walls, made her want to prove she was bulletproof. In fact, when she was done talking to Everly, she’d march right over there and set the man straight.

  “You’re right.” Everly wiped tears from her cheeks. “I don’t know what we’d do without you guys.” She rested her head on Darla’s shoulder. “Still can’t help but feel awful. Mateo could’ve made so much money on this land after he bought it, and instead, he held on to the café for me. We have insurance, but it’ll take so long to process everything, and we have no income now.” A long sigh puffed out of her mouth, crystallizing in the cold air. “His mom and sisters rely on the money we send them every month, and there’s something else too.” She straightened, facing Darla directly. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

  “Oh, Everly.” Darla threw her arms around her friend, squeezing as tight as she dared. “Sweetie, that’s amazing!” Both Everly and Mateo were so good with kids. “That’s the best news.” A familiar sting hit her eyes. The best news, but hard to hear too. Why did it always have to remind her of the life she thought she’d have? As a mother, as Gray’s wife? They were supposed to watch their kids grow up together. They were supposed to have years of happy family memories, and now she never would.

  Everly swiped at the tears flowing steadily down her cheeks. “We haven’t told anyone because I’m only about six weeks along, but the doctor confirmed it. Just last week. We were so excited, and now…” The words dissolved into a sob. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

  “Don’t worry about that right now.” There was no way this town would let two of their own struggle—especially during the upcoming holidays. It might take some work, but Darla would figure out how to replace the income they’d lost for the foreseeable future so Everly and Mateo could focus on rebuilding and planning for the baby. “A baby!”

  It had been a while since their group of friends had welcomed a little one. Lucas and Naomi Cortez’s daughter would be starting preschool soon. And Lance and Jessa’s triplets were well into the toddler stage. “You and Mateo have to enjoy this, Everly. Even with the fire. Or maybe more because of the fire.” Life was so short, so unpredictable. “You have to take every opportunity you can to soak in the joy.”

  “I know.” Her friend reached into the pocket of her coat and found a Kleenex. “I wish I didn’t feel the stress so much.”

  “It’s okay to feel it, but try not to focus on it.” Darla glanced over at Ty again, an idea formulating. “We’re going to help you. All of us. Everything will work out.” She had a plan and she knew exactly who would help her execute it. “I need to talk to Ty about something.” She checked Everly’s face. Her friend had stopped crying, but her eyes still held that look of desolation. “You going to be okay?”

  “Yes,” her friend said resolutely. “I’ll be okay. I think I’ll go see what Mateo is discussing with the fire chief.”

  “Sounds good.” Darla had already started to walk. Well, more like jog. Whenever an idea this good hatched, she tended to let it carry her away. By the time she’d made it to Ty she was almost out of breath. She took a second to gather her thoughts. As the director for the Chamber of Commerce in town, she had her ways of bringing the businesses and shops together for a common cause. Lately, they’d been discussing ways to boost tourism this Christmas to pump more money into the town, and she’d just gotten the perfect idea for how they could combine that with a fund-raiser to help her friends.

  She purposely crunched her boots into the snow to get the man’s attention. Ty looked up. His eyes were tired but he held himself with a strength that never seemed to waver.

  “Hey.” He gazed at her the way someone might look at a wounded, matted, homeless puppy trotting down the street in the middle of a blizzard—sympathy and pity and hesitancy all wrapped into one complicated expression. And yet somehow he also still looked as handsome as ever, which didn’t help matters.

  “Hey.” Darla shored up her shoulders and stared directly into his eyes so he’d know she was still the same uncomplicated, carefree woman he’d slept with.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Sure.” He rose and dusted off his heavy work gloves. “You holding up okay?” he asked, taking his gaze down the full length of her. Not in a way that checked her out but in a way that made it seem like he was afraid she might be falling apart piece by piece.

  “I’m fine.” How many times would she have to tell him that before he accepted it? “You’re the one who hasn’t stopped to take a breath all night,” she reminded him with a stern look. If she gave him a healthy dose of sass, maybe he’d remember who he was really dealing with here. “Are you okay?”

  He didn’t pause. “Yeah.” The man definitely wouldn’t tell her if he wasn’t. Maybe that was why they got along so well. From what she could tell, neither of them let themselves feel anything too deeply, and like her, he tended to take action—to find projects. Since he’d taken over as the head of the rodeo association, he’d already signed five new sponsors and had created a scholarship fund for young riders. Ty obviously wasn’t the type of cowboy to sit around doing nothing, which she could use to her advantage.

  “I haven’t found much they can save.” The heartfelt concern brewing in his eyes surprised her. She’d never realized he cared so deeply about his friends. Then again, she’d never looked that closely at his heart either.

  “Well, I know they appreciate you trying.” She couldn’t help but appreciate it herself.

  “I hate it,” Ty said. “Seeing stuff like this happen to good people. Not being able to do anything about it. I hate seeing people suffer.”

  She’d never seen him so solemn. From the way he was looking at her, she knew he wasn’t only talking about Everly and Mateo. I’m not suffering anymore, she wanted to tell him. But she hadn’t come over to talk about herself. About her past. About her loss. None of that was any of Ty’s business. “I hate it too, but I think there’s something we can do to help.” She looked around until she located Mateo and Everly, still safely out of range. “I mean, I think we can do more than sift through the remains of their business. They’re going to need money to stay afloat while they rebuild.” The insurance might give them a little cushion, but it wouldn’t be enough to live on, enough for his entire family back in Mexico to live on.

  “What did you have in mind?” Ty asked with a degree of wariness.

  She got it. She’d built a reputation for crazy ideas that usually involved her male friends having to dress up. She had a thing for theme parties—the Roaring Twenties, the disco seventies, and a couple of months ago, she’d done a Casablanca party that every man in their friend group had complained about. But what could she say? She had a knack for event planning, and the event she was envisioning for Mateo and Everly…well, it just might be the craziest thing she’d ever come up with. Especially since they’d only have a few weeks to pull it together.

  Instead of leaving him in suspense any longer, she came out with it. “What if we put together a Cowboy Christmas Festival to raise money for them?” Excitement sparked her voice. “It would be perfect. It could draw more tourists to town so they’d spend money in our stores and restaurants, and we could do a couple of special events specifically to raise money.”

  The wariness she’d detected in his voice earlier had migrated to his narrowed eyes. “What kind of events?”

  “A rodeo for starters.” As head of the town’s rodeo association, surely Ty would see the benefits of a big event to bring everyone together. The proceeds could all go to Mateo and Everly, but it would also draw more tourists to town, which meant all of the businesses would benefit too. And it would be great publicity for the Rodeo Association. “Oh! And maybe a cowboy bachelor auction!” Of course they had to do an auction. Those things always raised a ton of money.

  “I’m sorry. What was that?” Ty’s jaw had clenched the slightest bit tighter.

  Darla put on her sweetest smile. “Hear me out,” she said before he could reject the idea. “This is a rodeo town and we’re known for cowboys. You’ve seen all of the females who show up to our events hoping to snag a cowboy. Think how many would show up for the chance to spend an evening with one of you.”

  “Most single cowboys I know don’t want to be put up for auction.” Ty’s deadpan expression made it clear that meant him included.

  Well, at least he’d stopped looking at her like he wanted to fix her. With a common focus, maybe he would stop seeing her as the wounded widow and things could go back to normal between them.

  “The auction would be for a good cause.” She batted her eyelashes at him. “Not only will it help the town draw in tourists, it could potentially raise a lot of money for our friends.”

  Based on his tireless work all night, Ty was obviously a fixer, which explained his hesitation. He didn’t want to be auctioned off, but he also wanted to help. She could read it in his eyes. So she basically had him right where she wanted him. “We could also do a cowboy calendar,” she suggested while she had his attention. Why quit when she was on a roll? “All you cowboys could dress up in seasonal costumes.” She smirked and wriggled her eyebrows. “In fact, with a little tinsel and a Santa hat, I think you’d make the perfect Mr. December.”

  A hint of his signature grin shadowed his lips. “That so?”

  “Oh yeah. You’d make a great stocking stuffer.” She poked him in the shoulder, baiting him. “I betcha those babies would sell like hotcakes.” Without meaning to, her gaze slipped below his neck. He had the body to pull off a sexy tinsel costume, she knew that for sure.

  Ty stared her down. “Maybe we should do a business owners calendar instead,” he suggested. “You could wear a chocolate bikini.”

  “Ha!” She eased a step closer, drawn in by their familiar flirtatious vibe. “And what would Ginny Eckles wear? Hmmm? A skimpy little apron and nothing else?”

  Ty squeezed his eyes shut as though the image pained him. “How about a snowsuit instead? She’d make the perfect Ms. January.”

  Darla shook her head at him. “It has to be cowboys and you know it. We could sell a fund-raiser calendar for a good twenty bucks a pop. From the talk I hear during girls’ nights at my wine bar, I’m pretty sure every female in Topaz Falls from ages eighteen to ninety-seven would be making that purchase. Not to mention any out-of-town tourists we manage to attract.” With her old marketing contacts from her restaurant days in Denver, she could have the calendars made for next to nothing. “I’d guess that’d be at least five thousand dollars right there.” And the auction…that could bring in thousands more. Especially if Ty invited his brother. She didn’t know much about Rhett Forrester—only that he played in the NFL—but that was enough. If they could auction off an NFL star, they’d definitely raise some serious money. Now might not be the best time to bring up Rhett though. Ty and his brother didn’t seem exactly close. So she could save that conversation for another time.

  Ty didn’t say anything. Instead, he looked past her to where Everly and Mateo stood locked in an intimate embrace. Everly had her forehead nestled into her husband’s chest, and he was rubbing his hands up and down her back while she sobbed.

  Sympathy for her friend bubbled up again, and Darla could see that Ty was just as affected. How could he say no now? “So do we have a deal?”

  “You’re unbelievable,” he said, turning away from the spectacle like he couldn’t stand to watch their friend cry.

  Darla decided to take that as a compliment. “And you’re not going to say no.”

  “Oh yeah?” The man turned back to her and leaned down, bringing his face in line with hers. “No.” He straightened back up. “I could get on board with a rodeo, but no calendar. No auction. You may be a master at getting your way, but it’s not gonna happen this—”

  “She’s pregnant,” Darla blurted. “They haven’t told anyone yet, but she’s pregnant.”

  Ty snapped his mouth shut.

  “I’m not telling you that to manipulate you.” She’d already given that her best effort and he’d shot her down. Now she had to resort
to honesty. Everly and Mateo having a baby was the best news ever, and she knew it would matter to him. It would make a difference. He and Mateo had been best friends since they were eighteen years old. They’d traveled and competed together, and based on Ty’s actions all night, both Mateo and Everly mattered to him a whole lot. “I’m telling you that because they need our help.”

  “Fine.” His lengthy sigh could’ve blown down what was left of the Farm Café. “We can talk about a calendar and an auction. But I’m not making any promises.”

  “Of course not. We can discuss it later. Tomorrow night, actually. At the Chamber meeting.” They didn’t have one on the books, but she’d put out an emergency meeting request earlier tonight.

  Once some of the other women on the board caught wind of a cowboy calendar, Darla had a feeling she wouldn’t be the only one trying to convince Ty to dress up in a Santa costume. He had plenty of admirers who wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  Chapter Three

  I think a calendar is a wonderful idea.” Ginny Eckles, the owner of the Butter Buns Bakery flicked her bifocals down and gazed at Ty from across the large table in Darla’s wine bar. “In fact, maybe each of the cowboys could pose at a different business in town to give us a little publicity, hmmm?” She fluffed her frizzy gray curls and winked at him. “I have a few aprons you could wear for the pictures. Oh! And you could lay on the counter holding one of my buns.”

  Darla snorted next to him, but quickly covered the sound with a cough.

  Ty tried his darnedest not to grimace. Yeah. Real funny. How was it that he’d gotten roped into showing up at the Topaz Falls Chamber of Commerce meeting when none of the male business owners were able to make it? That was more than a little fishy, if you asked him. Bruce—the guy who owned the hardware store—likely wouldn’t have voted for a sexy cowboy calendar. Or maybe he would have, considering that everyone in town loved the Farm Café. As much as he disliked the idea of wearing tinsel, unfortunately, Ty hadn’t come up with any better ideas for how to make that kind of money. “If I do the calendar—and that’s a hearty if—I’m wearing jeans and my boots,” he informed the females in the room.