The Cowboy's Christmas Plan

by Shanna Hatfield

  “I think we can remedy that problem,” Trey said. He drove through town and pulled into the parking lot of an Italian restaurant.

  Quickly ushering Cadence inside, he kept his hand at the small of her back and waited until she slid into a booth before he removed his hat and sat down. His fingers burned like they were on fire the entire time he touched her and he wondered if she felt it, too.

  As she browsed through the menu, Cadence was surprised by the variety of delicious selections. It was going to be hard to choose.

  “See anything you like?” Trey asked, flipping through his menu.

  “Several things. Have you eaten here before?” Cadence asked, narrowing down her options.

  “A few times,” Trey said. “Usually I grab a hamburger to go on the way back home.”

  Cadence glanced up from the menu, realizing her presence doubled the time of Trey’s trip. They still had to go to the grocery store.

  “I’m sorry. I just realized bringing me along has added a lot of wasted time to your day.”

  “Cady…” Trey turned his warm blue gaze on her face, waiting for her to look at him. When she reluctantly lifted her eyes to his, he continued. “Spending the day with you has got to be the best time I’ve ever wasted. If I wanted to make this a quick trip, I wouldn’t have asked you along. I’m not in any hurry, so just enjoy yourself.”

  “Whatever you say, boss man,” Cadence said, relieved. Bill would have reminded her how a female tagging along always proved to be a time-consuming, annoying waste of time. Once again, she was glad Bill was no longer a part of her life.

  Cadence ordered the spinach manicotti while Trey chose grilled pork chops. From the Italian seasoned salad to the soft breadsticks, the entire meal was wonderful. Cadence couldn’t complain about the company, either.

  After lunch, they went to the grocery store. Each of them took a cart and filled it from Cadence’s long list. Once they had the groceries loaded into the pickup, Trey made her go back inside with him to return the carts. Cadence found herself standing at an authentic Starbucks counter, located inside the grocery store. Inhaling the heady scent of rich coffee, Cadence ordered a pumpkin-flavored specialty while Trey ordered a caramel laced coffee.

  “If you so much as even hint to the guys I drink this sissified coffee, you’ll be looking for a new place to work, darlin’. Got it?” Trey teased as they walked toward the pickup with the steaming cups of coffee.

  “Got it,” Cadence said with a smile, wondering how any female could resist Trey’s charming smile.

  ><><

  The following afternoon, Cadence dug through a box of patterns she found in the parlor closet when she heard boots stamping at the back door. The kitchen door clicked shut, so she set down the box and headed toward the kitchen. She turned the corner and bumped right into Trey.

  “Cady!” He grabbed her arms to steady her. “Sorry, I was just looking for you.”

  “What can I do for you?’ she asked, taking a step back.

  “Well, nothing, really,” Trey said, swirling the toe of his sock in a circle in front of him, acting like he was a kid about to be scolded. “I was hoping… well, um, I had some time this afternoon and thought maybe you might want to learn to ride.”

  “Ride?” Cadence asked in disbelief. “You mean like a horse? That kind of ride?”

  “Yeah,” Trey said, with a laugh. “Unless you prefer to ride a ladder.”

  “No, thank you, Mr. Thompson.”

  “No? To the horse or the ladder?”

  “Both.”

  “But I think you’d enjoy riding a horse. Have you ever tried?”

  “No.”

  “So…” Trey gave her an encouraging smile. “Put on your coat and let’s give it a whirl.”

  When Cadence continued to stare at him like he’d lost all his sense, he decided to treat her like he would one of the skittish colts he worked with. He relaxed his stance, gently rubbed her arm, and spoke softly.

  “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, Cady. You’ll be safe with me. I promise.”

  Cadence didn’t know how to tell Trey he’d broken his promise before he ever got her to the door. She wasn’t safe with him. Not at all.

  With him rubbing his hand so gently up and down her arm, he was about to send her over the edge of reason. Sensations she’d never experienced before meeting him swirled through her, making her light-headed and overheated.

  Those sensations were why she couldn’t let him teach her to ride. She was just about to burst from wanting to learn to ride a horse, but not from Trey. Although spending the day with him yesterday was wonderful, once they arrived home she returned to being the employee and he returned to being her boss. She couldn’t let that professional distance be breached.

  “Please, Cady,” Trey pleaded, giving her a smile he hoped would melt her reserve. “Just one afternoon? If you hate it, I promise I won’t ever ask you again.”

  She closed her eyes and chewed on her lip. Cadence knew she shouldn’t give in, but she had no willpower to deny his request.

  “Fine. I’ll go.” Trey beamed a smile that made her feel weak in the knees when she opened her eyes and looked at him.

  “Put on warm gloves, and a hat, and your hiking boots.” Trey studied her from head to toe. “You might want to put on a sweater or something warmer than that pretty shirt you’re wearing. When you’re ready, come meet me at the barn.”

  An hour later, Cadence rode one of the mares around the corral, laughing at the pure joy of being on the back of a horse.

  Trey said she was a natural. Cadence knew that was pushing it, but she did love the experience. Exhilarating was the best word she could think of to describe it. She didn’t know when she’d felt so vibrantly alive, despite the cold.

  ><><

  Trey had mush for brains.

  He would freely admit it.

  If he had any sense at all, he would keep far away from Cadence Greer and maintain a professional level of separation with his employee.

  Only he couldn’t think of her as Cadence Greer, the uptight business professional who was cool and aloof, not to mention one of the best cooks to ever set foot in a kitchen.

  At night, when he closed his eyes, she was Cady - with the glorious dark hair, sparkling hazel eyes, rosy cheeks, and kissable lips.

  As she cantered the horse around the corral, the sound of her laugher and the look of happiness on her face would be permanently emblazoned on his heart and in his head.

  He didn’t know how it had happened, but in one afternoon of teaching her to ride, she chipped right through the shield he’d been keeping around his heart since his dad died.

  Trey knew he was in way too deep with his emotions and there was no hope of recovery.

  Despite his best intentions, he had fallen in love with Cady.

  Chapter Seven

  For the happiest life,

  days should be rigorously planned,

  nights left open to chance.

  Mignon McLaughlin

  “Aunt Viv, I had no idea riding was so exhilaratingly wonderful!” Cadence proclaimed, sitting in the café, sipping tea with her aunt one afternoon.

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying it honey,” Viv said, passing Cadence a plate of cookies.

  “It’s beyond enjoyment, Aunt Viv.” Cadence wasn’t sure how to explain her feelings. “I feel like I’ve gone from living in black and white to bright, beautiful color. I had no idea life could be so full, exciting, and amazing. I finally feel alive. Does that make any sense?”

  “It sure, does, honey, and I’m glad to hear it.” Viv’s knowing smile was wasted on her niece. She was fairly certain Cadence’s joy came from Trey, not life on the ranch. She might not have realized it yet, but the girl was falling for that boy like water running downhill. “So the Thompson’s treat you well and you enjoy the work?”

  “Absolutely. Trey and Trent couldn’t be nicer and the hands are all polite. I finally get to put my cooking classes
to good use and do something I enjoy. And to answer your next question, no, I don’t miss the city, at least not much. I do miss Neil and a few of my friends, but I wouldn’t want to go back. I like it here.”

  Pleased, Viv grinned and gave Cadence’s arm a loving pat.

  “Well, if you’d listened to me years ago, you could’ve been living the good life all along. But no, you didn’t want to come visit your old auntie in the middle of hickville,” Viv teased.

  “If you had made it perfectly clear what I was missing out on, I’d have come a lot sooner,” Cadence said with a saucy grin.

  She noticed a red head bobbing beneath the windows at the back of the restaurant and lowered her voice. “What do you know about a sweet little red-headed girl named Cass?” Cadence inclined her head toward the back of the café.

  “She comes most every day to see if I have any scraps. She tells me they’re for a stray cat, but I think what I send home with her is all she and that worthless mother of hers have to eat. I found her digging in the garbage one day and that about sent me over the brink. After that, I told her to come in the afternoon and I’d keep the good scraps inside for her. I save leftovers from breakfast and dinner the night before and send home with her. She usually doesn’t come in if she thinks there is someone else here. Let’s see what she does today.”

  Cadence took a sip of her tea, and pretended not to notice Cass peeking in the window. Apparently, the child decided Cadence was a friend rather than a foe because she opened the door and ran over to their table, taking a seat next to Viv.

  “How are you today sweetie-pie?” Viv asked, giving the little girl a hug.

  “I’m fine, Miss Viv? How are you?” Cass asked, hungrily eyeing the plate of cookies.

  Cadence slid the cookies toward the little girl and smiled. “Would you like a cookie, Cass?”

  Timidly reaching out her hand, she snatched a cookie and gobbled it up. Cadence went into the kitchen and returned with a glass of milk, setting it by Cass.

  “You better have some milk with your cookies. You need something to wash them down,” Cadence said, trying to look serious.

  “Yep. I guess I better drink it all,” Cass said, taking a huge gulp before snatching another cookie.

  “That’s right, you better drink it all.” Viv gave Cadence a wink.

  Cass studied Cadence, and a smile lit her face when she recognized her from her Halloween visit to the ranch.

  “You’re the lady who gave me a trick or treat. You’re Miss Dense?”

  “Cadence, that’s right.” Cadence tried not to laugh at the child’s mispronunciation. “But some of my friends call me Cady. Why don’t you call me that instead?”

  “That’s a pretty name,” Cass said, taking another cookie. “I want to grow up to be pretty like you but my hair is the wrong color.”

  “I think you’ll be much prettier than me.” Cadence reached out to ruffle the little girl’s red curls. “Not everyone has beautiful curly red hair like you.”

  “My daddy did. That’s what my mommy said. She says I remind her too much of him. That’s why she drinks that smelly stuff and sleeps a lot.”

  Viv hugged the little girl, rolling her eyes in disgust. “Anytime you need something or get scared, you come right here and get me.” Viv turned Cass’s little face to look into hers.

  “Okay, Miss Viv.” Cass hurried to her feet and took one more cookie for the road. “Do you have any scraps today?”

  “You bet I do, kiddo,” Viv said. “They’re in the box right back there on the counter. You can get it and come right back.”

  Cass ran into the kitchen and was soon back with the box.

  Cadence couldn’t help but notice the child’s threadbare coat that was a size too small, the lack of gloves or a hat, and pants with holes in the knees. The child would freeze if they had much of a winter, and the men at the Triple T predicted it would be a cold one.

  Swiftly swallowing back her tears, Cadence waited while Viv gave Cass another hug before asking if she could give her a hug as well.

  Cadence gently hugged the little girl, then pulled back to find Cass looking at her.

  “You smell so nice, Miss Cady,” Cass said, staring at her new friend with big, bright eyes.

  Cadence impulsively grabbed her scarf and wrapped it around Cass’s neck and over her ears.

  “Thank you for that most wonderful compliment, Cass. And for that hug,” Cadence said, tucking the ends of the scarf into the little girl’s coat. “A hug like that deserves a little treat, don’t you think Aunt Viv?”

  “Absolutely, honey,” Viv said, then waved as Cass walked to the door. “You take care of that scarf and don’t lose it. You might want to take it off right before you go home.”

  “Okay, Miss Viv,” Cass said as she opened the door. “Thanks for hugging me, Miss Cady. Bye.”

  They watched as Cass ran across the busy highway and up the street toward her tiny run-down home.

  “What can we do for that poor child, Aunt Viv? There must be something.” Cadence brushed away her tears. “She won’t make it through the winter in clothes like that. Doesn’t her mother care at all?”

  “Unfortunately, the more Micki drinks the less she seems to care. I’m just afraid she’ll drink herself right into the grave and leave Cass alone.”

  “I just feel so helpless. Are you sure there isn’t something we can do.” Cadence stared out the window, unaccustomed to the maternal feelings surging through her.

  “Pray, honey, just pray.”

  ><><

  A few days before Thanksgiving, Henry came in for dinner complaining that his joints were aching “something fierce” and it was going to snow.

  The rest of the crew gave him a bad time and reminded him they rarely had snow before the middle of December.

  “You mark my words, you bunch of smarty-pants whippersnappers,” Henry said in disgust. “There will be snow on the ground in the morning.”

  Once the kitchen was set to rights after dinner, Cadence went into the parlor where she had set up the sewing machine and worked on making a simple pieced quilt in hopes of giving it to Cass. She found a bunch of fabric scraps in a box and Denni told her to do whatever she wanted with them.

  After that first phone call, Denni called once a week to get Cadence’s update on what was happening at the ranch since her boys tended to leave out the details a woman preferred to hear. They talked about horses, cattle, fences and feed. She wanted to hear about the cardinals nesting in the tree by the mudroom, that the mums around the front porch were still blooming, and how a squirrel drove the dogs mad as it packed in nuts for the winter. She longed for the details about home the boys didn’t notice.

  Cadence enjoyed speaking with Denni and found they had many things in common. They liked several of the same authors, enjoyed crafts and sewing, and they both played the piano.

  Denni planned to join them for Thanksgiving dinner, along with her mother. Cadence had been busy for days baking and finalizing the menu. She wanted everything to be perfect for Trey’s mom and grandmother.

  As she stitched the quilt, she kept one eye looking out the window, watching for snow. Unable to focus on the square she sewed, Cadence finally turned off the machine and light. Quietly walking into the great room where the guys were watching a football game on TV, she bid them good night, then went to her room.

  Turning on her laptop, she realized she hadn’t checked her messages for a while and spent some time responding to friends, Neil, and a message from her mom. As she browsed a few recipes, she tugged out her hair band and ran her fingers through the waves, letting it fall down her back. She glanced at the clock, surprised by the lateness of the hour. She shut off the computer then jumped when a knock sounded at her door.

  “Come in,” she called, not certain which of the Thompson men would knock on her door this late at night.

  Trey opened the door and leaned against the frame. He had to take a minute to catch his breath and chase his tho
ughts back together.

  Cady sat on the bed with her hair falling around her like a silk curtain, backlit by the bedside lamp. She was so beautiful. His mouth went dry and his heart began to gallop.

  Finally remembering the reason for disturbing her, he offered her an enticing smile.

  “I was wondering if I could talk you into riding with me.” Hesitantly, Trey gave her a questioning look.

  “Sure,” Cadence said, surprised Trey would knock on her door to ask her that before going to bed. “I should have time tomorrow to go with you.”

  “Not tomorrow, Cady. Now. Would you go riding with me now?” Trey hoped like everything she would say yes.

  “Now? But it’s late and cold and we’ve both got a lot to do tomorrow.”

  Trey raised his hand and pointed across the room. “I know all that, but look outside.”

  Cadence stood and walked over to her patio door, swinging it open. Soft, feathery snowflakes drifted down. The whole world rested beneath a white blanket in a special kind of quiet reserved for the first snowfall of the season. Holding out her hand, she caught a few flakes and watched them melt in her palm.

  “Trey, it’s lovely.” She grinned over her shoulder at him. Glancing back outside, she decided to throw caution to the wind and go for a ride. How many opportunities would she have to do ride in the first snowfall with a handsome cowboy?

  “Does that mean you’ll go?” He stepped away from the doorframe and walked into the room.

  “I’ll go.” It would take a woman with incredible fortitude to resist Trey’s considerable charms, much more willpower than Cadence possessed.

  “I was prepared to bribe you if need be.” Trey handed her a box wrapped in plain brown paper.

  Accepting the box, Cadence tore off the paper and gasped as she recognized the boot box. Rapidly tossing it on the bed, she whipped it open and nearly jumped up and down in her excitement.