The Cowboy's Christmas Plan

by Shanna Hatfield

  “Let’s not borrow trouble. After we meet the caseworker tomorrow and hear what she has to say, maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised. I can’t see any reason she wouldn’t approve all of us as fit foster parents. Besides, it has got to be a plus that there are three adults in the house to watch after one little-bitty girl.”

  “Are you always so positive and confident?” Cadence asked with the faintest hint of a smile forming on her lips.

  “Why not? It’s better than sitting around thinking the world’s gonna end every time you turn around,” Trey said, moving across the hall to Cady’s room. “How did you get experience taking care of kids? You seem to know what you’re doing with her.”

  “I used to babysit evenings and summers to make extra money for college. Several of our neighbors had kids when I was growing up and I never lacked for babysitting jobs.”

  “Well, you might have to teach Trent and me a thing or two about taking care of kids. We don’t know the first thing about caring for human offspring although we do pretty well with the four-legged variety.”

  “You seem to have a natural talent for it. Relating to kids, I mean,” Cadence said, giving him such a warm smile, he momentarily got lost in it.

  Leaning against the frame of her bedroom door, he gave her a kiss that took her mind completely off Cass and everything else, except what was shared between them right at that moment.

  When she could catch her breath, she stared at him, longing written all over her face, heat filling her cheeks. “What was that for?”

  “To keep you thinking on the positive.” Trey gave her one last longing look before he sauntered back toward the kitchen. Turning before he reached the end of the hallway, he sent her a teasing grin. “It’s not right to fret so much this close to Christmas, darlin’. Believe in a little holiday magic.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  In difficult and hopeless situations

  the boldest plans are the safest.

  Titus Livy

  The caseworker called early the next morning to ask for directions and told Cadence to expect her around ten.

  Cadence rushed around cleaning an already spotless house, made Cass take another bath and dressed her in the dress and shoes Viv had bought her for Thanksgiving.

  Viv arrived after breakfast that morning with a box full of things from Micki’s she thought the little girl should have. She brought the clothes that still had some wear in them, including Cass’s Thanksgiving outfit. She also drug along the paper chain from the café which Cass insisted go back over the kitchen curtain rod.

  While Viv helped Cass take off that day’s paper chain, Cadence hurried to her bedroom and changed into a pair of navy dress slacks, low heels, and a lavender cashmere sweater before styling her hair up into a loose bun.

  Returning to the kitchen, Viv gave her an encouraging hug then headed back to town. Cadence couldn’t focus on anything, instead fidgeting and fussing with the holiday decorations, waiting for the caseworker to arrive.

  Trey and Trent weren’t fairing much better. The two men took showers after they finished the morning chores then dressed in freshly pressed jeans and shirts along with polished boots. They both combed their hair instead of their usual slap-dash attempt at taming it and sat in the gathering room with Cass where she looked through a book about the ABCs.

  All three of the adults kept an eye on the clock and the closer it got to ten, the antsier they became.

  Cadence went into the kitchen and made a fresh pot of coffee, prepared a tray with cups, sugar and creamer, and added a plate of raspberry coffee cake left over from breakfast. She was arranging the tray on the coffee table when the doorbell rang.

  Trey jumped up and hurried to the door while Cadence and Trent looked at each other and gave Cass another once-over. Cadence quickly ran a hand over Cass’s curls to make sure all was in place, then stood to greet the caseworker with a smile.

  “Hello, Mrs. Bisbee,” Cadence said, extending her hand to the middle-aged woman who bustled inside the room.

  “Miss Greer,” she said, taking Cadence’s hand in a firm handshake. “It’s nice to meet you. Please call me Barbara. And this must be the other Mr. Thompson. Trent.”

  Trent shook her hand and motioned for her to take a seat.

  She chose to sit next to Cass. As she watched the little girl watch her, she offered a warm smile. “And you must be Cass. How do you do?”

  “Fine,” Cass said, with a shy smile.

  They visited for a few minutes then Barbara asked them several questions while taking notes. After filling out paperwork, she had them sign copies, and then asked to speak to Cass alone.

  Cadence, Trey and Trent retreated to the kitchen.

  “What do you suppose she’s asking her?” Trent asked, leaning against the counter.

  “Who knows? I didn’t know anyone could have so many questions,” Trey said. “And some of them were a little personal.”

  “A little?” Cadence whispered hotly. “I think asking if I was having ‘intimate relations’ with either of you exceeds a little more than personal. And thank you, Trent, for clarifying that I have ‘gone sweet’ on your brother.”

  “Just doing what I can,” Trent said, not looking remorseful in the least.

  “Well, what if …” Cadence cut off her thought mid-sentence as Barbara came entered the kitchen, holding Cass’s hand.

  “We had a wonderful little chat and Cass tells me that she loves staying here. I think that can be arranged at least through the holiday season,” Barbara said, watching the three adults sigh in relief. “We don’t usually push through the paperwork so quickly, but the sheriff gave you all a glowing recommendation, the house is perfect, you all obviously care about this child and she, quite frankly, adores all of you. For now, we will come out weekly to monitor how things are progressing. Once the paperwork is finalized, you’ll receive notification of your certification.”

  “That’s wonderful, Barbara,” Cadence said, pulling Cass to her and giving the little girl a hug.

  “I’ll keep in touch. If you have any questions, I’m always available by phone. I left my card on the coffee table along with a copy of the paperwork process. If there are no further questions, I’ll be on my way.”

  Trey retrieved Barbara’s coat and helped her put it on while Trent volunteered to walk her out.

  As soon as the door shut behind her, Trey tugged both of his girls into his arms and gave them a jubilant hug.

  Cadence had all she could do not to break into a lively dance. Trey didn’t seem to have any problem giving in to his desire as he swept up Cass and did a few fancy steps around the front room.

  When Trent came back inside, he gave Cadence a hug and high-fived Trey, then snatched Cass into his arms and tossed her into the air. “Looks like you are stuck here with us for a while, Cass. What do you think of that?”

  “Hurray!” The little girl patted Trent’s face before kissing his cheek.

  The hands were checking in one-by-one asking how things had gone. Cadence decided to fix them all lunch so they could share the news together.

  That night after they had finished the camel story, listened to Cass’s bedtime prayers, and tucked her in for the night, Trey left Cadence in the gathering room working on Christmas cards with Trent while he went to try on the Santa suit. He hadn’t had time since it came back from the cleaners to see how it fit.

  Standing in front of the mirror, he thought he made an altogether sorry spectacle. Where Santa should be round and jolly, Trey was muscular and trim. Even with the padded belly strapped on, he still didn’t look very Santa-like. Sticking his head around the corner at the end of the hall, he called to Cadence.

  “Cady, can you come here a minute, please?”

  He returned to his room, gave himself another critical look in the mirror, and wasn’t happy at what he saw.

  “Trey?” Cadence asked, peeking into his room. “What did…”

  As soon as she spied him in the Santa sui
t, she burst out laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Trey asked, turning to look at her with a scowl.

  “You and that suit…” She laughed so hard she couldn’t even stand and sank down on a corner of his bed.

  Trey had on the entire suit from plush red hat to red velvet pants. Instead of looking jovial and fun, he appeared mad and more than a little intimidating. The wig was bunched up on one side, the beard was on crooked, and, if she wasn’t mistaken, Cadence thought he might have the stomach pad on upside down which would explain why it looked so ridiculous. The pants fit him well and with his black cowboy boots on, they should work fine.

  “I’m sorry, Trey, it just looks a little… humorous,” she said, reaching up to take off the hat and wig, then the beard. “Take off the jacket and let’s try this again.”

  He pulled off the wide black belt, unbuttoned the jacket, then removed it. While he did that, Cadence fluffed the hair of the wig and straightened it out, then finger combed the beard.

  When she turned around to look at Trey, she sucked in her breath.

  Her eyes roved over Trey’s upper anatomy. He wore a white tank-style undershirt that accented every firm, impressive muscle in his shoulders, arms, and chest. If that wasn’t bad enough, the red suspenders of the pants drew vertical lines across those rippling muscles. Cadence couldn’t help but visually follow the red stripes both up and down and back up again.

  Trey watched her eyes get wide and stormy, pleased at his ability to ruffle her feathers, even if it was unintentional. Not caring at this moment if he looked like an elf on steroids, he was feeling smug at Cady’s obvious attraction to him. He wasn’t all that experienced when it came to wooing women, but he assumed her intense perusal coupled with her inability to say anything was probably a good sign.

  Unable to stop himself, Trey placed his hands on his lean hips, drawing up his muscles in a way he hoped showed them off to his best advantage. “What do you think, Cady?” he asked with a devilish gleam in his eye.

  “Huh? Think? What?” Cadence asked, trying to bring herself back to reality. Blinking her eyes, she focused on the stomach pad Trey had put on upside down. She gave the elastic band running over his shoulder a firm snap.

  “Ow! What was that for?” Trey said, jumping back from her.

  “You’ve got this thing on upside down. Turn it around and let’s see what it looks like.”

  Cadence busied herself with the beard again while Trey took off the pad, turned it over and slipped it back on. He pulled on the jacket, buttoned it, and put the belt back on.

  “Okay, does this look better?” he asked, noticing in the mirror that it looked much more Santa-like, even without the beard and hat.

  “Much better. You don’t look so deformed now,” Cadence teased, putting the beard, wig and hat on Trey. She tugged the hat at a jaunty angle, then stepped back to give him a critical once-over.

  “I think you’ll do.”

  Trey looked in the mirror and was surprised to see Santa staring back at him. An undeniably young Santa with extremely bright eyes, but Santa nonetheless.

  “Not too bad,” Trey agreed. “Now I guess I better work on practicing my ho-ho-hos.”

  “No time like the present,” Cadence said, sitting down on the one chair in Trey’s room. “Let’s hear it.”

  “I don’t think so.” Suddenly, Trey felt exposed and vulnerable. It was one thing to do it for the kids at the program. It was something else entirely to have Cady sit and watch him.

  “Don’t tell me big, bad, tough, take-no-prisoners Trey Thompson is scared to say ‘ho, ho, ho,’” Cadence teased.

  “I’m not scared.” Trey couldn’t hide his annoyance.

  “Then let ‘er rip.”

  “No.”

  “Come on, Trey, don’t be a baby. You’ve got to practice. The program is coming right up.”

  “I’m not a baby and I’ll practice when I’m good and ready.”

  “Is that so?” Cadence rose from the chair and placed her hands on her hips, shooting him a determined look. Stepping directly in front of Trey, she stood toe to toe with him, refusing to back down.

  “Yes, that’s so,” Trey snapped, breathing in her fresh scent and wanting to kiss her so badly his lips tingled.

  Cadence switched tactics. “Maybe you need an incentive.”

  “What kind of an incentive?” Trey wondered what thoughts flew through Cady’s head. He hoped it involved relieving his need to kiss her. Repeatedly.

  “How about a kiss? If I kiss Santa, would that help?” Cadence asked as she glanced sideways at him with a flirty smile.

  “Maybe,” Trey growled. “But I think two kisses would work better.”

  “My goodness, Santa is a greedy little elf, isn’t he?” Cadence teased.

  Reaching up she pulled Trey’s head down and planted a kiss on one bearded cheek, then the other.

  “I’m not sure I like kissing a man with a beard,” she said, taking a step back. “Now, let’s hear it, Santa.”

  “Those weren’t real kisses.” Trey shook his head in disappointment. “You can do better than that.”

  “Here’s the deal,” Cadence said, enjoying their banter and being close to Trey. “One kiss before, and one kiss after. Got it?”

  “Got it.” Trey pressed his lips to Cadence’s in a kiss that made her so dizzy, she clung to his coat for support. When he raised his head and released her, she took a weak-kneed step back and sat on the bed.

  Bemused by his successful efforts to distract her, she smiled. “Proceed, Santa.”

  “Ho, ho, ho.” Trey couldn’t muster much enthusiasm.

  “That was pathetic.” Cadence shook her head. “Even I could do better than that. Give it some gusto, put some jolly in there.”

  “Ho, Ho, Ho,” Trey said, doing a little better, but not trying very hard.

  “You are seriously wasting my time, now.” Cadence stood and starting toward the door. Trey caught her by the arm and pulled her to him before dropping her into a dip and kissing her thoroughly and fervently. When he raised her back up, he let out a perfect, “Ho! Ho! Ho!”

  “Now, that’s more like it,” Cadence said with a huge smile.

  “I think Santa deserves a little reward.” Trey lowered her into another dip. He was just going in for a kiss when Trent cleared his throat at the door. Trey held Cadence bent over his arm. They both looked up at Trent. The end of the Santa hat dangled over one of her eyes and she batted at it while her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

  “I wondered what you two were up to. Guess I really didn’t want to know.” Trent smirked and walked away.

  Trey stole a quick kiss then pulled Cadence upright.

  “I think that is my cue to leave.” Cadence tugged her twisted sweater back into place. She’d never had so much fun with a man before or felt so carefree as she did around Trey.

  “Be careful, Cady.” Trey ran his hands up and down her sides.

  She looked up at him, confused.

  “I think you’ve just about let all those tight stays loose. You let your hair down, learned to laugh and have a little fun. At this rate, I can’t wait to see what happens next.” Trey’s hot blue eyes bore into hers with an intensity that made her catch her breath.

  Leaning into him, she pulled down his beard and kissed him with all the longing and passion he had stirred inside her. When she thought she would explode from the wonder of it all, she stepped back and let his beard go with a snap.

  Trey’s yelp followed her as she raced down the hall and into the gathering room. Half-surprised he didn’t chase her, she giggled as she sank down onto a chair.

  As she sat addressing Christmas cards, she couldn’t help but think about Trey. Even though she’d only known him for two and a half months, she felt like she’d loved him for a lifetime.

  That thought caught her entirely off guard. As she sat with her writing pen between her teeth, she wondered how she could have thought she was in love with Bill. She real
ized she’d never loved him and was grateful their relationship ended when it did. Thanks to being dumped by good ol’ Bill, she found her way to the Triple T, Trey, and Cass. How full, challenging, and amazing her life had become.

  Jilting her was the nicest thing Bill had ever done.

  If it wasn’t for him, she would never have had the opportunity to meet and fall in love with that fine cowboy in the other room.

  Chapter Fourteen

  To achieve great things, two things are needed;

  a plan, and not quite enough time.

  Leonard Bernstein

  The weekend passed quickly. A snowstorm blew in and covered the ground in white once again, although the sun shone and would likely melt the snow before long.

  Trey took Cass with him for the morning. She was enthralled with the horses and hardly knew what to think when Trey asked if she’d like to go for a ride with him while he checked fences. Cadence made sure Cass had on plenty of layers of clothes along with the new coat and snow boots she had purchased for her the day after Thanksgiving.

  Cadence’s heart somersaulted as she watched the little girl run out the door holding tight to Trey’s big hand. She’d pictured herself being a mother someday, just not in such an unconventional manner.

  Although she and Trey hadn’t yet spoken of love, she felt their bond growing to include little Cass in the center of it all.

  The ringing of the phone interrupted Cadence from her musings while she rolled out piecrust and listened to Christmas carols. Quickly wiping her hands on a dishtowel, she grabbed the phone on the third ring.

  “Thompson Ranch, may I help you?” she asked politely.

  “Cadence? This is Barbara with DHS.”

  “Hi, Barbara. How are you today?”

  “I’m fine, Cadence, but I have some news I’d rather not have to share,” Barbara said, sounding distressed.

  Cadence sank onto a barstool, waiting for Barbara to drop the bomb. “Go on.”

  “We found Micki’s sister. She lives in Portland and has decided she wants to keep Cass.”