Christmas Kisses with My Cowboy

by Diana Palmer

  “I made it clear from the beginning, Pax and I are a package deal,” she said, her voice shaking with heartache. “You’re no different from every guy I’ve ever dated.”

  His face went completely blank, giving away nothing. “Are you seriously going to lump me in with those jerks from the past?”

  “If it walks like a stocking stuffer and talks like a stocking stuffer . . .” She held open the front door. “Now get out of my house.”

  Chapter Twelve

  There weren’t many times Noah read a situation wrong. He was fluent in body language, subtext, and all things female. And when those skills failed, he always had his instincts to steer him right. But it didn’t take an Ivy League education to realize he’d missed the mark. By a mile.

  No matter how many times he replayed the events of that morning in his head, he came no closer to pinpointing the precise moment things had gone off the rails. He’d promised to never let her down, which was why he’d gone there in the first place—to make things easier on her. In the end, he’d only managed to break her heart.

  Noah couldn’t have screwed things up more if he’d set out to make Faith hate him.

  Believing in people hadn’t worked out so well for him in the past. But Faith wasn’t people, she was his person, and he should have believed in her. He was so busy trying to remind everyone where the line of right and wrong lay, he’d overlooked the most important thing.

  Love and trust were earned. Yet she’d taken a chance on him and he’d reconfirmed every fear she’d had about letting him into her world.

  Noah had blown it in a way that only a Tucker could. And that hurt worse than the unwelcome ache in his chest. He didn’t stand a snowflake’s chance in Austin of fixing things with her, but there was no way he was going to let her face this alone.

  Hopping out of his SUV, he walked toward her front porch, regret growing with every step he took. Taking off his hat, he knocked.

  “She isn’t home,” Pax said, and Noah turned to find him sitting on the porch rail, his eyes red-rimmed. “She’s dropping her cookies off at the bake sale.”

  “Do you know when she’ll be back?”

  Pax shrugged. “Why? You here to arrest me?”

  The enormity of his actions hit him like a bull busting out the gates. Noah had never felt so low. “Actually, I’m here to apologize.”

  “For what?”

  Noah rested a hip against the railing. “Walking in here with my mind made up. That’s not how friends treat each other. Friends trust one another and I blew that. So I’m hoping you’ll give me another chance.”

  Pax studied him. “Do you think I did it?”

  “Nope,” he said, and meant it. “I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt, like I should have from the start. If you say you didn’t steal that stuff, then I believe you.”

  Pax let out a breath. “Good, cuz I didn’t do it.”

  “But you know who did?”

  “You asking as a cop or my sister’s boyfriend?”

  Noah laughed. “I doubt your sister would take warmly to me being called her boyfriend right now. I’m asking as your friend.”

  Pax studied him for a long moment, most likely trying to figure out if Noah’s word was any good. He couldn’t fault the kid. Noah hadn’t acted all that trustworthy.

  “Faith’s making me work off my community hours, so I started helping Mr. Wilkins move trees around his lot,” Pax began. “It was supposed to be for free, you know, as part of my punishment, but Mr. Wilkins said, ‘A day’s work means a day’s pay, and as long as it’s between us men, no one will be the wiser.’”

  “You weren’t supposed to be getting paid and he wasn’t supposed to be hiring kids too young to get a work permit?” Noah guessed because he’d once been one of those kids working for under the table pay for folks around town.

  He nodded. “Faith is always going on about how we have to do things the right way on account of our dads. So I was going to tell him no, but a guy in my class offered to sell me his laser gun set for cheap. It was almost brand-new, but he said he got two sets for Christmas,” he explained. “Even though I knew Faith would freak because she hates guns, I told Mr. Wilkins yes. Yesterday, I gave Decalin the money for the laser guns, but I had to swear not to tell anyone where I got them because his parents didn’t know he’d sold them.”

  “Does this Decalin have a last name?”

  “Beaumont.”

  Interesting. According to Logan, the witness who’d ID’d Pax was a Beaumont.

  “If I promise Mr. Wilkins won’t get in trouble, would you mind my going down and having a talk with him?”

  “You going to tell Faith about me working for money?”

  Noah ruffled the kid’s hair. “No, buddy, you are.”

  * * *

  Sweet’s Holiday Shindig was in full swing and Ester had yet to show, which left Faith working the booth alone. She was dressed in a red sweater with a green snowcap, doing her best to exude holiday joy, which was difficult when inside she felt like crying.

  She’d hoped today would be a game changer for her family, and it had been. Just not in the way she had envisioned. In the season of hope and joy, Faith was short on both.

  Seated at the booth to her right was Gina, head of Faith’s legal counsel, who worked for ginger bear cookies, lecturing her on different codes and laws. On her left was Shelby, emotional support friend and advocate for love trumps all.

  “Never let a man get the best of you,” Gina said. “Once they know they have you vulnerable, it’s game over. Guys suck that way.”

  “Not all guys,” Shelby argued.

  “You’re right,” Gina said. “Just the testosterone toting, alpha-egomaniacs. You need a sweet man, who’s also good in bed and isn’t afraid to tap into his emotions for you.”

  “Noah was pretty open about his feelings,” Faith said.

  “Look, if you want encouraging, ask her.” Gina pointed to Shelby. “I tell it to you straight.”

  She was right. Faith didn’t need help remembering all the wonderful things about Noah. She had a mental spreadsheet already exceeding Santa’s Naughty and Nice list. What she needed was someone to remind her why ending things was best for everyone.

  Shelby scooched closer to Faith. “Can I ask you something?”

  “If I said no, would you still ask?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then who am I to stop you?”

  “I’m not making excuses for Noah’s boneheaded move because, good intentions aside, his execution had Tucker written all over it. Believe me when I say, I get it. I live with the most stubborn of the brothers.” Shelby gentled her voice. “But are you really upset over him barging in like a Ranger instead of your boyfriend? Or was it that you’d started to feel something and it scared you, so you used the situation to push him away?”

  “I didn’t push him away.” She sounded a little more defensive than intended. “I told him to go.” Which he had, right out the front door and out of her life.

  “Did you want him to go?”

  “Yes,” she said as her head shook in betrayal. “No. I don’t know, maybe. He’s leaving in a week anyway, so maybe it’s better this way, before I become too invested.”

  What was she talking about? She was already so invested her heart felt as if it was pieced together by twice-used Scotch tape, ready to fall apart at the slightest breeze.

  Her friends gave her identical looks of disbelief.

  “You know we’ll support you, no matter what,” Shelby said. “But take it from someone who almost lost the best two things in her life. Relationships that really matter take work. I was so afraid of getting hurt or hurting the people I loved, I thought it would be easier to walk away. It wasn’t.”

  “My whole life, I’ve been the one to put in the work,” Faith said, forbidding the tears to fall. “With my dad, my mom, and even though I love him to pieces, with Pax. For once, I want to feel what it’s like to have someone work for me. To know
they think I’m worth the effort.”

  “Sweetie,” Shelby said. “You are such a treasure. I don’t know how I would have survived these past few years without you.”

  In a rare sign of emotion, Gina slipped her arm around Faith’s shoulder. “You know that we love you, right?” The three of them did a group hug that had Faith sniffling. “Who needs men when you’ve got girlfriends like us?”

  “I do,” Shelby said. “But you guys are pretty great, too.”

  They laughed and Faith breathed in the sweet scent of gingerbread and friendship. Noah had been right about one thing. Faith wasn’t alone. She’d made a family of her own. People who loved her as she was, and always had her back.

  “I heard someone here hasn’t had their hot cocoa yet.”

  Faith looked up to find Noah standing at her booth, with two steaming cups in hand and a heavy expression. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, as if it was trying to escape. Which was exactly what Faith considered doing. She started to stand, and a steady hand came down on either shoulder, holding her in place.

  “You’re worth it,” Shelby whispered, not letting Faith get up. “But you’ll never know if you run.”

  “I’m not above chasing,” Noah said quietly.

  Faith took in his long legs and knew he could easily outpace her. “It doesn’t really seem like a hot cocoa–appropriate day.”

  “That’s on me.” He set the paper cups down and took off his hat. “And something I’d sure like to fix. Because if you allow me the chance, I’ll make sure every day is a hot cocoa–appropriate day for you.”

  Faith was having a hard time seeing through the growing moisture. “You won’t be here every day.”

  “No, probably not,” he admitted. “But I’m thinking of putting in for a transfer.”

  “To Sweet?”

  “Yeah I’m hoping to spend more time with this amazing woman I met. Actually, it was more of a reconnection and I told her I wanted to court her, then acted like a jerk. Making her feel as if I didn’t trust her. Treated her feelings like an afterthought when she’s my every thought.”

  Gina gave him a hard look. “Big words for a man who should wear a Bah Humbug shirt to alert people that his superpower is ruining Christmas.”

  “Gina,” Faith scolded.

  “She’s right,” Noah said. “I should have believed you when you said Pax was innocent. Because he is.”

  Faith gasped. “What do you mean?”

  “Turns out the eyewitness was Decalin Beaumont. He knew how the toys disappeared because he got hold of his dad’s key to the storage room at the community center and took them and the money. Then sold Pax his old laser gun set.”

  “Why didn’t Pax say that? And where did he get the money in the backpack?” When she’d left Pax at home, it was with strict instructions not to leave the house until she returned. And when she did, they were going to have a serious come-to-Jesus meeting.

  “I’ll let Pax tell you the rest. Just know that he wasn’t lying. Another person reluctantly came forward to confirm that Pax earned every penny of the money we found.”

  “Reluctantly? As in you brought him to the station?”

  Noah neither confirmed nor denied it, but she knew he was the reason Pax’s Christmas might still be saved.

  “All this because someone made a false statement, fingering my brother?” Faith wondered how one person could cause so much devastation and harm. It hadn’t even been more than a few hours since she’d opened her front door, and yet it felt as if a lifetime had passed. “Does Pax know his story has been corroborated?”

  “No, ma’am, I came straight here to tell you.”

  “Thank you.” Relief shot through her, leaving her weak.

  “No, angel, thank you,” he said gently. “When I walked into your house, my place was by your side, not behind the badge. See, I sometimes use my badge and job to keep people from getting too close. That’s why I was so set on coming to the rescue. Only, you didn’t need rescuing.”

  “I didn’t?” Faith asked on a breath, because Noah was giving that intense stare of his, the one that always made her feel as if she were the only person in the world.

  He shook his head and slowly made his way around the table, taking her hands to help her stand. “I should have come directly to your house and said, ‘Angel, whatever happens, I’ve got you. Wherever you need me, I’m there. And whenever things get rough, I will never stop loving you.’”

  Flutters by the thousands took flight in her chest. “What did you say?”

  “I said I love you.” There was a seriousness to his tone that had that little flame of hope growing warmer. “I’ve never done love before, and I’m sure I’m going to make mistakes, but I’m hoping that you can be patient with me. Help me get it right.”

  “You seem to be doing fine on your own,” she said, tugging at the zipper of his coat.

  A shadow of a grin appeared. “Is that right?” He moved closer. “Because another thing I should have done this morning was this.”

  Noah dipped down, placing a tender kiss on her lips. His arms went around her waist and she slid her hands up his chest to his shoulders. He was holding her so gently she wanted to cry. The next moment, it shifted from a simple kiss to a silent conversation about love and belonging. Because when he held her like that, Faith felt as if she’d found home.

  Eventually, he pulled back and she took the moment to look up at him. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, too, Noah Tucker.”

  “Pretty sure?” A challenging gleam lit his eyes. “Then I’d better do that again until you’re damn sure.” And, man of his word, he did.

  “I love you,” he whispered against her lips. “I came home believing love was a weapon, but then an angel fell into my lap, showing me how wrong I was.”

  “I guess I was wrong about something, too,” she admitted. “You’re not a stocking stuffer.”

  With a tender smile, his thumb skated along her jawline. “I guess I’m making headway.”

  She wrapped her arms tightly around him. “I blame it on the mistletoe.”

  Mistletoe Detour

  KATE PEARCE

  Also by Kate Pearce

  The House of Pleasure Series

  SIMPLY SEXUAL

  SIMPLY SINFUL

  SIMPLY SHAMELESS

  SIMPLY WICKED

  SIMPLY INSATIABLE

  SIMPLY FORBIDDEN

  SIMPLY CARNAL

  SIMPLY VORACIOUS

  SIMPLY SCANDALOUS

  SIMPLY PLEASURE (e-novella)

  SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE (e-novella)

  The Sinners Club Series

  THE SINNERS CLUB

  TEMPTING A SINNER

  MASTERING A SINNER

  THE FIRST SINNERS (e-novella)

  Single Titles

  RAW DESIRE

  The Morgan Brothers Ranch

  THE RELUCTANT COWBOY

  THE MAVERICK COWBOY

  THE LAST GOOD COWBOY

  THE BAD BOY COWBOY

  THE BILLIONAIRE BULL RIDER

  THE RANCHER

  The Millers of Morgantown

  THE SECOND CHANCE RANCHER

  THE RANCHER’S REDEMPTION

  THE REBELLIOUS RANCHER

  Anthologies

  SOME LIKE IT ROUGH

  LORDS OF PASSION

  HAPPY IS THE BRIDE

  A SEASON TO CELEBRATE

  MARRYING MY COWBOY

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corp.

  Thanks to Maddy Barone for pet pig help, and Jerri Drennen for reading the novella through for me. I hope you all enjoy this little bit of holiday magic!

  Chapter One

  Morgantown, California

  When his cell rang, Ted jerked upright, and almost knocked his beer over as he leaned across to find his phone. It was late, it was snowing, and he’d settled in to watch a rerun of his favorite baseball team’s memorable moments from last season. From the drool on his chin he might have been na
pping....

  Even as he swiped frantically at the chips on his chest, he answered the phone in a professional manner. His father and grandfather had instilled that in him from birth.

  “Baker’s. How may I help you?”

  “Hey, Ted, it’s Nate, your friendly neighborhood sheriff. I passed a broken-down vehicle on my way out of Morgantown, and stopped to tell the driver to expect a tow truck in the next fifteen minutes. Sorry to pass the buck, but I’m on my way to a multi-vehicle pileup near Bridgeport because some idiots don’t know how to drive in ice and snow.”

  “It’s not a problem, Nate. I’ll go out there right now.” Ted stood and a veritable shower of orange crumbs peppered the floor. “Where’s the vehicle?”

  “It’s a small, white rental. Hazard lights are working fine. It’s pulled over just before the entrance to Morgan Ranch. Should be easy to spot unless we get more snow.”

  “Okay, no problem,” Ted said. “I’ll get out there right now.”

  “Thanks, Ted. I’d prefer it if the car was taken off the road so no one can drive into the back of it. Let me know if you have any problems, okay?”

  “Will do. Drive safe, Nate.”

  Ted ended the call and glanced guiltily at the collection of empty packets on his side table. Chips, peanuts, and a protein bar counted as dinner, right? With his father being away, he hadn’t bothered to cook. There didn’t seem much point when he lived right opposite a pizza parlor.

  He set his untouched beer back in the refrigerator and put on his heaviest jacket and boots. Whenever he was called out, he always tried to start the car and get people moving before deciding to take it into the shop. At this time of year, that usually involved standing in the snow and ice while he froze his nuts off, so he’d learned to be prepared. As the sole mechanic, with the only garage and gas station in Morgan Valley, he was called out to all kinds of situations.

  He went down the stairs into the garage below his apartment, and spent a few minutes making sure he had everything he needed stashed in his tow truck before opening the doors and heading out into the inky blackness. Once he got out of the town proper, and into the sparsely populated Morgan Valley, there weren’t many streetlights.