The Cowboy's Christmas Plan

by Shanna Hatfield

  “Other kids?” Trey asked. “What other kids?”

  “Well… I… um...” Cadence stuttered. This was ridiculous. It was just Trey after all. Her husband. Joint parent of Cass. Her lover.

  “So you think you want to make some babies with me?” Trey teased, exceedingly pleased at the idea of the process taking a lot of time and effort.

  She swallowed hard, unsettled by a sudden case of nerves and shyness. “Yes, Trey, I think I would like to make babies with you. They would be beautiful. I hope they have your gorgeous eyes and giving heart.”

  “And what else?” Trey asked, keeping her distracted as he entered the homestretch on unfastening the buttons.

  “Your hair the color of warm honey and your ears, which are perfectly shaped, in case you didn’t know,” Cadence said, closing her eyes to see him better in her mind. “If they are boys, I hope they have your strong jaw and chin, your wide shoulders and broad chest and your hands. Those hands are calloused and strong, yet they can tenderly comfort a little girl, gently pat a dog or make the knees of your wife go weak.”

  Trey lifted his head and smiled a slow, lazy smile. “They do?”

  “Yes, they do,” Cadence whispered, blushing again.

  “How does it work exactly?” Trey asked, as he undid the last button. Slowly sliding his hands inside the back of the dress, he pushed at the sleeves with gentle fingers until they glided down Cadence’s arms and the dress fell in a satiny pool at her feet.

  “Just like that,” Cadence whispered, whooshing out the breath she held. He watched goose bumps break out on Cadence’s skin and felt her tremble. Glancing at what she now wore, Trey couldn’t believe what he saw.

  “Cady, what have you gone and done?” Trey asked, appreciation and surprise coloring his voice.

  Cadence wore a white lace corset with matching undies, white stockings with garters and her cowboy boots. Walking in a circle around her taking it all in, Trey felt desire and heat flood his entire being. The ability for rational thought left him about the time her dress hit the floor. This Cady, his Cady, was nothing short of spectacular.

  Trey moved behind her again, studying the ties on the back of the corset, figuring out the fastest way to get them undone short of slicing through them with his pocketknife.

  Cadence turned to smile at him with a look he hadn’t seen before as the full strength of her feminine powers swept through her. “I believe you once told me I shouldn’t wear my stays so tight. Care to help loosen them up?”

  “Oh, darlin’…” Trey scooped her up and carried her to the bed. He gently laid her down, then stood and pulled off her boots before kicking off his own. Hurriedly rolling down her stockings he pulled off one, followed by the other, and tossed them aside, kissing a blazing trail of heat down each leg clear to her toes.

  Not completely certain her traitorous knees would hold her, Cadence slipped off the bed and untucked Trey’s shirt, slowing unfastening each button. Trying to embrace this new experience, her hands shook as she pushed off his shirt and placed fiery kisses across his chest. Trey closed his eyes, lost in the sensations Cady stirred. Sensations he’d never felt before that were about to push him beyond the point of reason.

  Kissing her until he thought he would explode from wanting, he spun her around and began tugging at the corset ties. Before he could get one loose, Cadence laughed and turned back around.

  “Why don’t you try the hooks? I think that might be easier.” Cadence looked down and Trey followed her gaze to the front of her corset, fastened with a row of tiny hooks. He was sure he would die in his impatience to get them undone. When he finally did and the corset fell away, Trey swept her up in his arms.

  “Cady, my beautiful Cady. I love you,” he whispered softly against her ear, laying her down once again on the bed.

  ><><

  Watching the last embers of the fire flicker and the light from the candles grow dim, Cadence rolled over in Trey’s arms so she could look into the face she had memorized, knowing every curve, every valley, every tiny scar by heart.

  “Trey?”

  He opened his eyes, gazing at the lovely face of his bride. “What, darlin’?”

  “How long do you think we’ll be married?”

  Although surprised by her question, he didn’t need long to respond. “At least fifty or sixty years. Why?”

  “That might give me enough time to get used to being loved by you,” Cadence said, kissing his chin. “If this was all part of your master plan, you done good, cowboy.”

  Trey laughed and pulled Cadence closer.

  “It won’t take nearly that long, darlin’,” he said, lowering his lips to hers again. “And, no, this was not part of the original plan. Trent and I were just hungry for some good food and you reeled us in with the best apple pie we ever tasted. Loving you wasn’t anything I planned, but exactly what I needed. Just like Cass becoming our little girl. Thank goodness someone wiser than me already had a plan in place for the two of us to fall in love.”

  “It was, as Cass would say, the best plan, ever.”

  ><><><><

  Here are a few of the recipes Cady made for the Triple T cowboys. Enjoy!

  Chicken & Noodles

  1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  salt and pepper to taste

  2 10-3/4 oz. cans cream of chicken soup

  1 14-1/2 oz. can chicken broth

  16-oz. package of wide egg noodles, cooked

  Place chicken in a slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with both cans of cream of chicken soup, cover, and cook on low setting for six hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and add broth along with the cooked noodles. Mix well, cover and cook on low setting for an additional 30 minutes or until heated through. Serves six.

  Apple Pie

  6 large firm, tart apples (I like Granny Smith the best)

  2/3 cup sugar

  2 tbsp. flour

  2 tsp. cinnamon

  1 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces and softened

  Piecrust

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  Roll out your piecrust and line the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. You can use pre-made dough or whip up a batch of your own. My favorite piecrust recipe is below.

  Peel, core and thinly slice your apples. Place in a microwave safe bowl and stir in sugar, flour and cinnamon. Let rest about 10 minutes. Microwave a minute at a time, stirring after each setting, until the apples are hot and begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Spoon apples into the crust and drop in several pieces of butter. Place the second crust on top, seal the edges and poke in a few air holes with a fork. Slather the rest of the butter over the top of the crust then bake about 35-40 minutes until juices are bubbling and crust is golden brown. If you are worried about the edges of the pie getting too brown, cover them with a strip of foil then remove foil about 10 minutes before the pie is ready to take out of the oven.

  Serve warm with a drizzle of caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream or cinnamon laced whipped cream.

  Piecrust

  2 1/2 cups flour

  1 tsp. salt

  2 tbsp. sugar

  1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices

  1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces

  1/4 cup cold vodka

  1/4 cup cold water

  Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble coarse crumbs). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

  If, like me, you do not have a food processor, get ready to apply some arm muscle and work the dough together with either a fork or pastry cutter until all the flour is m
ixed in and it is crumbly.

  Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With a rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to two days.

  Generously flour a clean, flat surface and your rolling pin. Divide dough in half and roll out one half, turning dough over between rolls to keep from sticking to counter or surface. Roll to desired thickness then transfer to pie plate.

  Popcorn Cake

  24 cups of popped popcorn*

  1 bag of spiced gumdrops

  1 1/2 cups of peanuts

  1 large bag of mini marshmallows

  1/3 cup oil

  1/2 cup butter

  Mix oil, butter and marshmallows in a large bowl. Microwave at 20-30 second increments, stirring between each set until marshmallows are melted and oil and butter are mixed in well. (It will still look a little oily). Mix in popped popcorn, peanuts and gumdrops. Grease hands and press into greased bundt or angel food cake pan. Leave standing at room temperature for an hour until the cake is set, then slice and serve. You could also press into balls and wrap individually.

  * For a fun variation, use colored popcorn kernels.

  Thank you for reading The Cowboy’s Christmas Plan. Now that you’ve finished Trey and Cady’s story, won’t you please consider writing a review?

  I would truly appreciate it.

  Reviews are the best way readers discover great new books.

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  Grass Valley Cowboys Series

  Meet the Thompson family of the Triple T Ranch in Grass Valley, Oregon.

  Three handsome brothers, their rowdy friends, and the women who fall for them are at the heart of this contemporary western romance series.

  Book 1 – The Cowboy’s Christmas Plan

  Book 2 – The Cowboy’s Spring Romance

  Book 3 – The Cowboy’s Summer Love

  Book 4 – The Cowboy’s Autumn Fall

  Book 5 – The Cowboy’s New Heart

  The Cowboy’s Spring Romance - Trent Thompson has carried a torch for the new schoolteacher since she moved to Grass Valley more than three years ago. Instead of asking her out, he’s dated every single female in a 30-mile radius, giving her the impression he’s not interested in her at all.

  Lindsay Pierce moved to Grass Valley to teach and quickly fell in love with the small community as well as the delightful people who live there. Everyone welcomes her warmly except for one obnoxious cowboy who goes out of his way to ignore her.

  Will Trent be able to maintain the pretense when he has to babysit his niece, who happens to be in Lindsay’s class? Will love blossom along with the first flowers of spring?

  Romance is in the air as spring fever hits the Triple T Ranch!

  Turn the page for an excerpt from

  The Cowboy’s Spring Romance,

  Book 2 in the Grass Valley Cowboys series.

  Chapter One

  Romance is everything.

  Gertrude Stein

  "What's a honeymoon?"

  Trent Thompson looked down at his five-year-old niece regretting, yet again, his decision to play babysitter while his brother enjoyed a trip to Mexico with his new wife.

  Slowly rubbing his hand across the back of his neck and trying to think of a suitable response, he didn't have time to provide one before he was pelted with another round of questions.

  "What do peoples do on a honeymoon? Do they play and have fun? What do they do, Uncle Trent?” Cass asked, standing on Trent’s feet with her arms wrapped around his knees, looking up at him with questions burning in her bright blue eyes. “How come I couldn’t go? Is Daddy going to kiss Mama like he does when they think I’m asleep? Is that why I couldn’t go? Why, Uncle Trent? Why?"

  He was going to die.

  Gently picking up the little redhead, he gave her a hug before setting her down on the kitchen counter.

  "Well, Cass..." Trent racked his brain for an answer. His standard response to her tricky questions was to tell her to go ask her mother. Now that he didn’t have an escape route, he was going to have to come up with something to stop her questioning. “People do go on a honeymoon to have fun. They usually go somewhere they can enjoy spending time together. You couldn’t miss school, that’s why you had to stay here with me and Uncle Travis.”

  Smug with his response, he hoped it answered Cass’ questions.

  “Oh, okay,” Cass said, swinging her feet on the edge of the counter, looking around the big kitchen. “Where’s Uncle Travis?”

  “He went out to warm up the pickup so you wouldn’t freeze your toes on the way to school.” Trent lifted Cass’ coat and helped her put it on. Being responsible for a little person was new to Trent. Actually, it was new to all of them.

  Cass’ mother died right after Thanksgiving. Trey and Cady, who also happened to be their cook and housekeeper, held a special interest in the little girl long before she became an orphan. After spending time with her, Trent had grown quite attached to Cass as well.

  It only took a few days of her staying with them after her mother passed away for Trey and Cady to decide they wanted to keep her on a permanent basis. They went to court to get custody, putting their blossoming romance on hold until they received the court ruling on keeping Cass.

  When they were granted custody just two days before Christmas, the lovebirds plunged ahead with their plans and began the New Year with a wedding. With the help of the judge who awarded them custody, Cass’ adoption papers were pushed through and finalized, making them a ready-made family.

  Now that Cass was settled into a regular routine, the newlyweds felt comfortable leaving her in the care of her two uncles so they could finally get away for a honeymoon.

  Trent didn’t blame his brother for wanting to take the trip. Trey and Cady rarely enjoyed the luxury of spending time alone and if he had a wife as pretty as his new sister-in-law, he’d want to take her off to some warm, sunny beach and keep her all to himself.

  That thought conjured up an image of Lindsay Pierce, Cass’ kindergarten teacher. She was a leggy blonde with a beautiful smile, and a scent that reminded him of a walk through the woods on a warm afternoon. Not that he noticed these things, especially about Lindsay.

  The woman positively hated him.

  Annoyed with himself for thinking of Miss Pierce, Trent pulled Cass’ stocking cap on with a little more force than necessary and tugged the whole thing down to her chin.

  “Uncle Trent! That’s not how it goes!” Cass huffed, jerking the cap off and sending her head of red curls into a wild tangle.

  “Sorry, Cass.” Trent helped her put the cap on properly. Once he made sure her mittens were on, he set her on the floor, took her hand, picked up her backpack, and walked out the back door into the bright morning light.

  Although the sun was shining, it was bitterly cold outside. His breath came out in puffs and the packed snow crunched beneath their boots. It was a typical February day in Grass Valley, Oregon.

  Located between the deep canyons of the John Day River on the east and the Deschutes River on the west in north central Oregon, Grass Valley was a rancher’s paradise in the growing season with rolling fields of wheat and barley, as well as pastures full of cattle.

  Now, though, it was cold and barren as winter swept the landscape.

  After helping Cass to his pickup, Trent buckled her into the booster seat in the back, handed the backpack to her and climbed inside.

  Irritated at his younger brother, Trent didn’t know why Travis refused to take Cass to school. He knew how much Trent didn’t want to see Lindsay. Travis probably thought it would irk him to have to do it and unfortunately, he was right.

  For three long
years, Trent watched Lindsay from a distance. She always looked at him as if he was something that stuck to her shoe while walking across a barnyard. He tried to ignore her, dated every single female in the area, and hoped to feel some interest spark with another girl.

  Instead, his playing the field seemed to increase Lindsay’s dislike of him and made Trent that much more fascinated by her.

  When she served as one of Cady’s bridesmaids, he assumed the time they spent together would help chip away at the icy wall she erected between them. His efforts at teasing her seemed to have only made things worse. After she called him a contemptible clod, he knew that meant he was not on her list of dating prospects.

  He managed to avoid her since the wedding, even though they attended the same church. Now, though, he was about to be forced into some form of interaction with her until Trey and Cady came home unless he could make it perfectly clear to Travis that school pick up and drop off needed to be on his list of “uncle duties.”

  Sighing, he pulled off the highway and turned down the lane to the school. Kids ran all around the playground, laughing, throwing icy snowballs, and enjoying the few minutes of freedom before it was time for their classes to begin. A quick glance at his watch confirmed the bell would ring any minute.

  He parked the pickup, got out and helped Cass climb down, handing her the little backpack.

  “Okay, goofball,” Trent said, using his pet name for Cass, making her giggle. “Give me a hug and off you go.”

  Cass hugged his long legs, hitting him at the knees, then turned her big blue eyes up to his face. “Please come in with me, Uncle Trent. I want you to see my desk. Pretty please?”

  Unable to say no when she turned those baby blues on him, Trent nodded his head and took her hand.