Smokin' Hot Cowboy Christmas

by Kim Redford

  She took a good look at Rowdy. He was thoughtful. He was sensitive. He was making sense. And he was doing it in such a way that she listened to him. She wanted to know him better. She wanted to know what made him tick…and why he set off her inner alarm system that nothing was as it appeared to be with him. She felt a little shiver run through her, as if her body was giving her information about him that her mind had yet to process.

  She must get her head in the game. She finally had somebody here who seemed to know what he was doing and was willing to do it. She couldn’t let the opportunity slip through her fingers by questioning each and every little thing about him. She was a professional, and she’d better start acting like one or she’d never have the place ready for Christmas.

  “All right,” she finally agreed. “We don’t really have time for me to do anything else, do we?”

  “It’s more than about time.”

  “I understand what you’re saying, but we still don’t have much time.”

  “Did they leave it in a mess?”

  “No.” She stepped into the foyer and motioned him forward. “At least, I’d say mostly no. See for yourself.”

  “The hardwood floors look in good condition.”

  “I agree. And we don’t have to replace carpet, so that’s a plus.”

  “Isn’t there carpet in the upstairs bedrooms?”

  “Yes. I don’t mind it up there. At least for now. And it’s been cleaned, so it looks fresh.”

  “Good. There’s no time to replace flooring.”

  She led him past a staircase with a wood railing that led upstairs. She walked into the living room with its beamed ceiling and slate-wood walls set at an angle around the brick fireplace that reached from floor to ceiling. She touched a light switch on the wall and flicked on the amber light globes that hung from two ceiling fans with wooden blades to illuminate a large, open area with a leather sofa, love seat, and two recliners that she had selected for the room.

  She took a step up to a large alcove that had once served as a formal dining room. She thought it would make a terrific area to set up catering tables where guests could pick up drinks and food as they walked around the living room or stood in groups to chat about Lulabelle & You. Unfortunately, the area had been decorated with floral wallpaper in gold and rust with rust-tinted wainscot beneath. At least it was still in good shape.

  She opened a side door and stepped into the kitchen that had an eat-in section framed by several bay windows to accommodate a table and chairs for cozy family meals. She paused as she looked at the kitchen itself. Lots of dark-wood cabinets and almond laminate countertops with an almond porcelain sink.

  “I suppose you’d like chrome appliances with quartz or granite countertops,” he said as he glanced around the area.

  “It’s really dated, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. Still, everything works, doesn’t it?”

  “True.” She sighed. “It’s just that…well, there’s not even a microwave. And no bar.”

  “There’s plenty of room to turn this kitchen into what you’d like and still keep it period.”

  “But not by Christmas.”

  “We could try, but I’d hate to leave it in a mess.”

  “That’d be worse than outdated.”

  “I agree.”

  “Come on. I want to show you my favorite room in the house.”

  “I bet I know what it is.” He chuckled as he followed her. “I always liked it best, too.”

  She walked back down the hall off the entry, past the living room, opened an interior door, and stepped onto the terra-cotta tile of a long garden room. A bank of windows with a single door at one end stretched across one side of the room and gave a beautiful view of pastureland and a small barn in back. Beyond that was a newer, bigger barn along with outbuildings and corrals.

  “What do you think?” She glanced over at him as she walked to a window and looked across the ranch stretching into the distance.

  “It’ll be great for your party.”

  “I think folks will love it out here in this room more than anywhere else. If the weather is good, I could even throw open all the windows.”

  “I wonder,” he said thoughtfully as he walked over and looked outside. “You’ve got nothing but grass out there. This room might not be large enough to accommodate all your guests.”

  “That’s true.”

  “What would you think about installing a flagstone patio that stretched outside down the length of the windows? We could even get fancy and put in an outdoor kitchen or at least a grill. A firepit for winter would work well, too. We could match the brick of the house out there.”

  She glanced over at him in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to be so creative. “I love it.”

  “Really?” He smiled at her with a hint of dimple.

  “Would it be terribly difficult to do? Would there be time before Christmas? Would you need help?”

  He glanced away from her, appearing thoughtful, and then he looked back with a smile on his face. “We could give it a try, although I’m not sure if there’s time.”

  “I hope we can do it.” She felt more lighthearted about the house and party than she had in quite some time. Rowdy was turning out to be better than she could ever have imagined him to be. She definitely wanted to do something nice for Hedy Murray since she’d recommended him.

  “What about the old pool room?”

  “I turned it into my office since it’s a large area.” She quickly turned, walked across the tile, and opened a door into another room with beamed ceilings, a wood floor, and a brick fireplace between two large windows. A built-in bookcase with lower cabinets and a desk made of dark wood stretched across one end. She wasn’t fond of the beige wallpaper, though she did like the line of running horses above the dark-wood wainscot.

  “Perfect place for an office,” he said.

  “I’m still getting set up, but you’re right, there’s lots of room here.”

  “Do you want to make changes?”

  “Yes. But we don’t have time now, do we?” She didn’t have space in her calendar to make decisions for the room anyway, but someday she wanted to make it all her own by featuring designs from Lulabelle & You on the walls.

  “There’s nothing really wrong with it.”

  “Except the decor.”

  “Wallpaper and colors can be easily changed when you get the chance,” he said.

  “I’m all for it.”

  “I’d like to take a look upstairs.”

  “Let’s go.”

  She quickly led the way up the stairs where she opened the double doors into the large master bedroom, bath, and closet. Rose and white were the primary colors with ecru-tinted Country French cabinetry in the bathroom and a huge, outdated whirlpool tub with gold faucets and towel bars.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “I can live with it for now.”

  “Good. We could replace the tub with a smaller one and add a shower beside it.”

  “I’d like that a lot.”

  “But there’s not time before—”

  “Christmas.”

  “Right.”

  She just shook her head as she headed back into the bedroom with the sliding-glass door that led out to a small balcony. She could actually imagine sitting there watching horses and cattle in the distance. She glanced over at Rowdy. He looked at her about the same time. Something zinged between them, as if this was their bedroom on their ranch and if there had been a bed in the room it would have been perfectly naturally for them to settle on it…and into each other’s arms.

  Surprised at her vision, she quickly glanced away from him, cleared her throat, and walked out of the room. She heard him follow her, but she didn’t look back. She didn’t want to see the expression on his face because she di
dn’t want to know if he’d read her thoughts or if he’d had the same ones. Professional. She must maintain that level of relationship with him.

  “I’m afraid from here on out we’re mostly pink.” She threw open a door to reveal a pink bedroom.

  “Three daughters.” He chuckled as he peeked into the room. “At one time, they were all about pink.”

  “Lots of girls are at a young age.” She joined his laughter. “I should know since I design some of their clothes.”

  He gave her an admiring look. “That must be interesting and satisfying.”

  “Thanks.” She could tell he meant it. “It is that, but it’s also hard work, and sometimes I just don’t get it exactly right.”

  “That’s the thing with creativity, isn’t it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “People don’t always get your vision, but when they do, it’s the greatest feeling in the world, isn’t it?”

  She felt her breath catch in her throat. He was exactly right. But how did he know? Maybe his woodworking was like that. Otherwise…who was this man who could so easily understand her desire to reach others through her creativity?

  “Come on. I want to see the polka-dot room again.”

  She smiled, knowing just the room. She walked down the hall, threw open another door, and stepped inside. The bedroom was painted aqua with large pink polka dots here and there on the walls and a thick pink carpet on the floor. What she really liked was the deep window seat with a cushion that could serve as a small bed. There was even a light above it and drawers underneath. The bathroom had reverse colors, pink walls with aqua polka dots.

  “You like this room, don’t you?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure I’d ever change it since it’s so original and fun.”

  “It totally suited that particular daughter. She’s all grown up now and lives in Dallas, but she put her mark on Wildcat Bluff before she left for the bright lights of the big city.”

  “From the looks of this room, I can just imagine.”

  “So, what do you think?” He glanced over at her. “Do we need to do anything upstairs?”

  “Once I get furniture up here, I think we’re good to go.”

  “Then let’s focus on downstairs.”

  “And outside.”

  “Right.”

  She hesitated as she saw that look in his eyes again that gave her pause. “You do want the job, don’t you?”

  “Sure.” He placed one hand over a big polka dot. “I’m here to make sure everything goes exactly right…for Wildcat Bluff County.”

  Chapter 4

  Bert Two trailed Belle down the staircase, wishing he was anywhere else. No, he didn’t mean it. He wished he was here to really help her turn the Lazy Q into the Lulabelle & You Ranch. He liked her idea, except not to update and upgrade till the house was a shadow of its former self. He’d like to see the creative center she was developing here bring new excitement to the county…if she wasn’t going to dude ranch the whole thing into a mockery of normal life.

  He tried not to sigh as he watched the sway of her hips. Christmas couldn’t come soon enough. Between lying and lusting, it was going to be six weeks of hell for a cowboy who just wanted a simple life.

  When they reached the entry, he hesitated…still watching her as she sauntered outside, put her hands on her hips, and surveyed the area. Yeah, Christmas was going to be a long time coming.

  She turned back and cocked her head to one side. “Rowdy, where do you want to start?”

  Without thinking about it, he looked over his shoulder for Rowdy. Not good. He’d better start remembering that was his new name or he’d never be able to answer to it. For that matter, folks in the county ought to get used to it, too. Now that it was too late, he should’ve thought of the ramifications before he came up with a new name. It could go bad fast.

  “Rowdy?”

  “Yeah. That’s me.”

  “I know.” She gave him a puzzled stare.

  He didn’t want her to consider the possibility that he might be using an alias, so he had to be quicker and sharper about it in the future.

  “Well?”

  “Right.” He wrenched his thoughts back to the matter at hand. He had to pretend to make some sort of headway…or at least do something that looked like progress to her. “Maybe I’d better have a look at the material out front and get it in some sort of order so we know what we have and what we need.”

  “Good idea.” She smiled, appearing happy. “All that stuff makes little sense to me. Plus I’d be grateful if it was stacked and organized in such a way that it wasn’t underfoot with us coming and going through the front doors.”

  “That’s doable.” He said the word, but it didn’t mean much since he’d gotten fixated on her being grateful to him. How grateful? If he took care of her needs, would she take care of his needs? He squashed the idea. He was taking care of nothing for her. Christmas was shaping up to be a lump of coal in his stocking while everyone else received goodies. Unlucky didn’t begin to describe his situation.

  Maybe his new name would change his luck. If he looked on the bright side, it might be time he moved beyond his dad’s mantle, not only in name but in purpose. Not that he didn’t admire his dad and not that they didn’t work well together on their ranch and all, but his dad spent a lot of time with Hedy now, so they didn’t hang out as much. Maybe it was time he pursued something of his own more diligently…like his cowboy poetry. He could even write as Rowdy the Cowboy. He chuckled at the idea. Maybe Belle and the whole cockamamie dude ranch were a blessing in disguise because they got him thinking in new ways.

  He followed her outside, stopped, and glanced up at the blue sky dotted by fluffy white clouds. It was dry and fairly warm, so it was a nice day, all in all. As a volunteer firefighter, he kept an eye on the sky, always scanning for a telltale sign of smoke that would give him an early warning sign that trouble was brewing in the county. Sometimes he’d smell smoke, but usually a visual alert worked best to save lives and property.

  “It’s so pretty here.” She walked over to him. “In East Texas you don’t see far for all the trees and hills. Here, it’s like you can see forever.”

  “That’s flat plains and prairies for you.” He caught her scent, tantalizing orange-and-clove. “Do you like it here?”

  “Yes.” She took a deep breath. “I wish I’d come to the ranch sooner.”

  “No point in should’ve or could’ve. You’re here now.” He looked away from her and scanned the horizon again. The sun was in an early-afternoon position, so the heat of the day was coming on strong even in November.

  “True. And I’m glad to be here now.” She gestured around the lawn. “Guess I’d better let you get to work. If you need anything, I’ll be in the office.”

  “I’ll call your cell if I have any questions.”

  “You can just come find me, too. If you need water, there are cold bottles of it in the refrigerator.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Will you be here tomorrow?”

  “Eight okay?”

  “Perfect. I’ll have coffee on if you want some.” She smiled, and it lit up her bright eyes.

  He smiled back, catching her happiness. She looked as if the weight of the world had just lifted off her. He wished like hell he was worthy of that smile and trust. If only…but her happiness wasn’t his goal.

  He turned away and glanced across Wildcat Road to get his mind off her. He thought he saw smoke spiraling upward from the dry grass. He blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t imagining fire. Nope. It was there all right. He felt his body stiffen in response.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  He didn’t want to alarm her, but he had to drop everything like all the volunteers did when they needed to fight a fire.

  She stepped closer to him.
“What do you see out there?”

  “Looks like the beginning of a brush fire beside the road.”

  “I see it now.” She put a hand protectively over her chest. “Let’s get the fire extinguishers in my kitchen.”

  “Wait.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial for the fire station.

  “Wildcat Bluff Fire-Rescue,” Hedy answered in her no-nonsense voice. “Bert Two, what’s going on?”

  “It’s Rowdy.”

  “Right…uh, Rowdy,” Hedy said.

  “I’m at the Lazy Q. I see smoke on the other side of Wildcat Road.”

  “Class A fire?”

  “Right. Looks like it’s just getting started, but it’ll spread fast.”

  “You know it. I’ll send you a booster.”

  “Thanks. I’ve got gear in my truck. I’ll try to get the blaze under control before it spreads too far.”

  “Don’t put yourself in danger. Help will be there soon. And I’m calling Sheriff Calhoun right now.”

  “Appreciate it.” He clicked off and shoved his phone back in his pocket. Good thing she was sending a rig just in case they needed backup. They had a dandy new red booster truck with a three-hundred-GPM pump capacity and a 250-gallon water tank. It could easily handle small fires that didn’t require the big engine.

  “What do you want me to do?” Belle asked.

  “Best stay safe here. The fire would have to jump the road to get to you. We’ll have it contained before then.” He liked the fact that she didn’t panic and offered assistance, but he didn’t want her anywhere near trouble.

  “Let me help. I can fight a fire. Maybe not as well as you, but I know the basics.”

  “You’ve had training?”

  “Everyone in my family is trained to handle whatever might come up on a ranch, and that includes brush fires.”