Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas

by Carolyn Brown

  “Oh, my God. Forget the sheep. Where do you want me?”

  “Oh, no!” She stopped in her tracks. The Rudolph antlers that Silas had worn all evening were hanging on a tumbleweed. “He’s gone toward the springs.”

  “I’m within a hundred yards of there and I’m runnin’. He wouldn’t get into the water, would he?”

  “I don’t know. He’s fearless!” She clutched the phone to her chest as she ran even faster.

  Kasey could hear the water rushing over the rocks when the phone rang again. She didn’t even check to see who was calling but hit the right icon. “Tell me you found him, Nash.”

  “It’s Jace. I’m at the Texas Star. Looked through the house and even in the doghouse. On my way to the barn right now. No sign of him. How about you?”

  “Nash and I are on our way to the springs. I found his Rudolph antlers and he’s headed that way. I think that’s what Hero was trying to tell me.”

  “Let me check the barn and I’ll be there soon as I can.” Jace’s tone had almost as much fear in it as Kasey’s heart did.

  She wouldn’t have known Hero was speeding toward her if she hadn’t heard him panting. The black dog hardly even stopped before he reared up on his hind legs and put his paws on her thighs.

  “Have you found him?” Kasey asked.

  Hero barked once and then was gone down the path again, straight toward the springs. She wanted to call out to Silas, but she was afraid that if her boy was close to the water it might spook him and he’d fall in. So she kept silent and kept running.

  “Silas!” Nash hollered not far from her.

  “Silas!” She yelled right behind him.

  Which way should she go? Nash had stepped out of the darkness and wrapped her in his arms.

  “We’ll find him, chère. I promise.” He laced his fingers in hers and together they covered the next thirty yards to the springs.

  “He’s not here.” Ice ran through her veins. Her baby was in that cold water.

  She and Nash removed their coats and fell back on the ground to take off their boots. Then Hero growled right behind them. They turned and heard giggles from under the willow tree. Hero wagged his tail and yipped. Kasey took off in a dead run with Hero behind her, pushing the sheep out of the way.

  She grabbed Silas up and hugged him tightly. “Why did you run away? That was a bad, bad thing to do,” she said as she kissed him so many times that he squirmed.

  “See Nashie. Sheeps.” He pointed at Nash and then the sheep.

  Without letting go of him, she pulled out her phone and called Jace first. “We’ve got him. You can go back to the party.”

  “I’m at the fork in the road. Is he okay? Did he get into the water?”

  “No, Nash’s sheep and Hero were protecting him. It’s crazy but the sheep made a circle around him and Hero came back to the ranch to get me,” she said. “I’m going to Texas Star, Jace. Can you bring the kids over after a while?”

  “Sure thing, Sis. You want me to come help you get him and the sheep back home?”

  “No, just tell Lila and Brody that we’re fine and make an excuse for me.”

  “You got it,” Jace said. “See you in an hour or so and give that kid a hug for me. I don’t know when I’ve ever been so scared.”

  “Me, either.” Kasey sighed.

  She wasn’t even aware that Nash had stepped away until he draped her coat over her shoulders.

  “Thank you,” she muttered.

  He took Silas from her so she could put the coat on. “You have goose bumps the size of mountains on your arms.”

  She shoved her arms into the sleeves and slipped the phone into her pocket.

  Nash wrapped Silas in his coat. “How’d you get here, buddy?”

  “Nashie!” Silas put his little hands on Nash’s cheeks and kissed him on the chin. “Go to party?”

  “No, little man. I think it’s time for us to go home,” Nash answered.

  “Sheeps, too?”

  “They’ll follow us. Why did you run away like that?”

  “Me get Nashie. Got cookies.” He smiled up at him.

  “So Nash needed to eat cookies with you?” Kasey asked.

  He nodded seriously. “Go home now, Mommy?”

  “Yes, baby, we’re goin’ home now,” she said.

  “I’ll carry him. He’s too heavy for you to tote across rough ground for half a mile,” Nash said.

  “Can I help with the sheep?”

  “Walk right here beside me. The sheep will follow. I’m the one who needs help, not the animals,” he said seriously. “But the important thing right now is to get everyone home and warm. We can talk later.”

  Home.

  He was taking them all home. And that’s exactly where Kasey knew that she belonged.

  * * *

  Before they reached the fence, Silas had gone limp and was sleeping soundly. Kasey was silent, probably still in semishock and feeling the effects of the adrenaline rush subsiding. With one foot on the bottom line of barbed wire and holding the top one up with his hand, Nash watched her slip through and then handed Silas over the fence to her.

  He palmed a wooden post and hopped over it and took the sleeping child from her. “The sheep will slip through. They’ll leave some bits of wool but they’ll be fine.” He answered the questions written on her face.

  With a few bleats they were all on the Texas Star side of the fence in only a few minutes and following him toward the barn. When they reached the yard fence, he handed Silas off to her.

  “I’ll get them secured in the barn until morning and be right in. There’s a pot of soup on the stove if you’re hungry,” he said.

  Are you stupid? Talking about food? The pesky voice in his head yelled at him. You should be tellin’ her that you’re sorry for being such a dumbass, making a big deal out of driving and for not going to the café with her and the kids.

  “I couldn’t eat a single bite. I can barely even breathe yet,” she said as she headed toward the house.

  He nodded and led the sheep on out toward the barn. He checked the corral and found the rest of the flock bedded down for the night. There was a small place at the corner where the fence had separated from the post, but he couldn’t figure out just how six full-grown sheep had gotten through there, or why the rest hadn’t followed them.

  Magic. It’s the Christmas season. They were needed to protect the child. The voice sounded a lot like his mother and he suddenly missed her. He made a mental note to call her later that week. A true Cajun wouldn’t even question that.

  When he’d finished securing the fence, he brought the ones that he’d penned up inside the barn out to the corral. Maybe his mother was right—they’d escaped to take care of a little boy. It was the season, and all those years ago shepherds followed a star to find the baby. Maybe Silas’s little voice had floated across the fields and the sheep heard him.

  There had been a nice moon and twinkling stars in the sky when they were walking across the field but now it was all gray. The first sleet pellets hit him in the face as he jumped the rail fence around the yard and made his way toward the back porch. He stopped when Hero barked at him from inside the doghouse, then he bent down and rubbed the dog’s ears.

  “You done good tonight, boy.”

  His tail thumped against the walls of the doghouse, as if he understood.

  Nash scratched each dog’s head one more time before he rushed inside the house. “You guys curl up tight. It’s goin’ to be a cold one.”

  Warmth stung his face when he was in the kitchen. Coming in from the cold like that without even a hat, it was no wonder his face was prickly. But the flush that came next had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the beautiful woman right there in front of the stove.

  “We need to talk,” she said.

  “Mama, mama! Did Silas find Nash?” Emma tore into the kitchen from the foyer without even stopping to take off her coat. “Yep, he did!” She grinned up at N
ash.

  “Hey.” Jace leaned on the doorjamb. “Kyce and Zayne went home and Rustin was bored so I brought them on home. It’s way past their normal bedtime anyway.”

  * * *

  There was that word—home—again. Every sign in the whole universe kept pointing right at the Texas Star, not unlike that famous star in the sky that guided the wise men and shepherds to Jesus all those years ago.

  “Okay, kids, you had baths before the party, so up to bed with you. I’ll give you five minutes and then come tuck you in,” Kasey said.

  “Can I do that tonight?” Jace asked. “I kinda missed it when you left.”

  “Hey, Nash. Did you get lonesome without us?” Rustin asked.

  Nash laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Yes, I did, and I’m sure glad you’re home.”

  “Me, too?” Emma cross the room and wrapped her arms around his knees.

  “You, too, princess.”

  “Okay, Uncle Jace.” Emma left Nash and tugged on his hand. “You can read to me tonight.”

  “No books this time. It’s very late and we’ve got church tomorrow morning, so it’s straight up to brush your teeth, get into your pajamas, and go to sleep,” Kasey said.

  “Next time?” Emma cocked her head to one side.

  “Next time.” Jace slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Race you up the stairs, Rustin.”

  Giggles blended with boots stomping on hardwood steps.

  “Hey, y’all keep it down. Silas is asleep,” Kasey yelled.

  “That was a long walk for the little guy. Wild horses running right through the house probably wouldn’t wake him,” Nash said. “We were going to talk?”

  “In a little while, when Jace leaves and when the kids are asleep.” Anything they started right then would lose momentum as soon as Jace returned because he’d think that he had to step in and play the role of big brother.

  The next ten minutes were the longest of her life. Nash went to the living room and sat down in the recliner. He toyed with the remote but didn’t turn on the television. She tidied up an already spotless kitchen, wiping down counters that were shiny clean and rearranging the cans of food in the cabinet.

  Jace finally appeared in the kitchen and talked as he put on his coat. “I’m going back to the party. Emma yawned once and went right to sleep. Rustin had his knuckles in his eyes and tried to talk me into reading just one little bitty book to him. And Silas is sleeping sound. See y’all in church tomorrow?”

  Kasey nodded and said, “Thanks for bringing them home and for tucking them in tonight. My hands are still shakin’ and my heart is just now settling down. When I think of…”

  Jace drew his sister to his chest and hugged her tightly. “Don’t go there. We’ll just have to be sure to watch that critter closer from now on. Up until I was thirteen I was terrified of the dark, but nothing frightens our Silas. He must’ve gotten that from you. I can’t remember you being afraid of anything.”

  Until now, she thought. My own feelings scare the hell out of me.

  “Goodnight, Sis.” Jace planted a kiss on the top of her head. “You’ll be over the jitters by church time tomorrow mornin’, and dinner is at Hope Springs. Leftovers from the party, I’m sure, but I’m not complainin’. I love good barbecue.” He waved through the door into the living room. “Bye, Nash. See you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks for everything, Jace,” Nash said.

  Kasey waited until she heard the engine of the truck start up and then until she couldn’t hear it anymore before she took a deep breath and marched barefoot into the living room. She popped her hands on her hips and inhaled deeply.

  “You were a jackass, Nash Lamont. You had no reason to treat me like you did,” she said.

  He sat up straight in the chair, which put them on almost the same eye level. “You had no reason not to let me drive. You know how I’ve hated bein’ dependent on you like I was a little schoolboy.”

  You’re supposed to apologize and kiss me, she thought.

  You don’t need or even want a wimpy cowboy in your life. That was Lila’s voice for sure.

  “What’s the real issue here? This is too damn big for it to be nothing more than driving home,” she countered.

  “What do you think it is?” he fired back.

  She sat down on the sofa and leaned her head back. When she pinched the bridge of her nose, he immediately left the chair and took a seat next to her. He turned her around to face him and massaged her temples.

  “Is it a migraine?” he asked.

  “Just a hellacious headache,” she answered. “And I’m mad at you.”

  “I’m mad at you.” His fingertips were pure magic.

  “What’re we goin’ to do about it?” she asked.

  “Talk about what’s really goin’ on in our heads. I’ll go first,” he said. “These past weeks have been the happiest of my whole life. I had always wanted to go back to the service, but now I’ve changed my mind. I was miserable all day without you here. I was right back in the black hole with no bottom.”

  “I could never stand in the way of your dreams, Nash,” she said softly.

  He put a palm on the top of her head and one on the back of her neck and rotated her neck in several circles, then reversed the process, loosening all the tense muscles. “I’m not so sure that’s my dream anymore, but if I was to have the opportunity to reenlist—well, you’ve lost one husband to the war. That’s enough for any woman to endure.”

  She moved his hands and leaned forward until her nose was practically touching his. “And I don’t have any say in the matter?”

  Holy crap! He’d said husband. He was thinking permanent relationship? That was almost as scary as losing Silas.

  “Kasey, let me explain. You’re everything that Adam said you were, everything that all of us other members of the team wanted. I know how he felt and how much losing him must have affected you. I can’t cause someone to hurt like that twice in a lifetime.”

  “Again.” She said through clenched teeth. “What about how I feel? For the first time in two years I’m moving on and it’s because of you.”

  “How do you feel?” He kept his eyes downcast.

  She slipped her knuckles under his chin and raised his head so that she could crawl right into his eyes to his soul. “I like you, Nash Lamont. I may even be falling in love with you. You’re a good, kind man, and I’m not going anywhere until after Christmas. You can’t run me off again. We are going to talk about our feelings, not shove them under a haystack and fight around them. We might find that we don’t even like each other, but by damn, it won’t be because we were too uptight to express our feelings.”

  The veil over his dark brown eyes lifted. “You always speak your mind like this?”

  “No, sometimes I cuss a little more and yell a lot more,” she said. “Why’d you join the service anyway?”

  “Did you ever hear that song about where corn don’t grow?”

  “Travis Tritt.” She nodded.

  “I wasn’t college material. Made good grades but didn’t like school. I can’t remember when I didn’t want to be a soldier and see places where corn didn’t grow, or peppers or sweet potatoes or purple hull peas. So I joined the army and loved every bit of it until…well, you know. And I liked the hard work on Addy’s ranch, but all I could think about was getting my life and mind together so I could go back into the service where I belonged.”

  “And now?”

  “I’m finding that I’ve got this chance at happiness and I don’t want to let it slip through my fingers. And chère, I think I’m fallin’ in love with you, too.” Without taking his eyes from hers, he picked her up and carried her to his bedroom.

  “Are we about to have makeup sex?” she asked.

  He hit a button on a stereo and Travis Tritt started singing “Can I Trust You with My Heart?”

  “It can be anything you want it to be. Just tell me that I can,” he said as he peeled the form-fitting dress up
over her head.

  “Can what?”

  “Trust you with my heart,” he said. “I’m not too good with words but country songs are…”

  “Yes.” With one tug all the snaps on his shirt popped open. “And I love country music.”

  His smile was all the foreplay she needed. She hurriedly undressed him and pushed him backward on the bed. When she started to throw a leg over his body, he flipped her over and in seconds they were keeping time to the music playing in the background.

  Nash pushed her hair away from her eyes and locked gazes with her. Every single song that played on the mixed CD was a message to her from him, and good lord, but it was romantic as all get-out. The sex was like dancing in an old country bar with a live band. His hands were like tender feathers on her neck and ribs one minute and the next they were under her butt, demanding that she meet him thrust for thrust.

  She dug her nails into his back and latched onto his neck with her lips, her tongue feeling his racing pulse.

  They reached the climax at the same time and she thought her lungs would explode. Did she say his name there at the end or had she told him that she loved him? She’d couldn’t remember anything but knowing complete and ultimate satisfaction in the blur surrounding that moment.

  “God Almighty!” She finally got out two words.

  He cradled her in his arms and kissed her on the forehead. “Intense.”

  “Wild.”

  “Yes.” She ran her hands over his chest.

  “His thumb made lazy circles from her neck, down the valley between her breasts, and around the white stretch marks on her belly. “Every single inch of your body is amazing.”

  “Who told you that you weren’t good with words?”

  “I get tongue-tied around you, Kasey. There’s got to be a better way to tell you that you’re stunning and that you look like a movie star, but my mind gets all tangled up and all I can say is that you’re beautiful.”

  His hands roamed over her body and set a brand-new fire inside her. When he bent and made love to her lips and mouth with his tongue, she thought she would climb the walls. “I need…” she started.