“Yes, I do.” She started to put the pad away.
“Not yet,” he said. “Hudson, Paxton, Benjy, and something to send over to Alana’s place. Granny usually makes a pumpkin bundt cake for them, since that is Alana’s favorite dessert, but…”
“I can make that for you to give to her. I have Nana’s recipe right up here.” She tapped her forehead.
“That would be great. Thank you.” He turned to her and flashed one of those sexy smiles that melted her insides. “Reckon you could make two? The second one can be my Christmas present from you.”
“If you promise not to buy Laela a pony, I’ll think about it.” She smiled back at him.
“Can I buy her a stuffed one?” he asked.
“That’s fine,” she replied. “Just not a real one. She’ll throw a fit to bring it in the house with Ducky and Dolly, and you know how hard it is for you to tell her no.”
“Then it’s a deal.” He turned onto the major highway leading north to Amarillo.
The sky that morning was pale blue. The ever-present wind moved fluffy, white clouds from one side of it to the other. A couple of jet planes left long streaks in the sky, but they soon disappeared. Was that a symbol of her life in Ireland? If she never went back, would Sean and her other acquaintances soon forget her? More importantly, would she forget her life there and become a Texan like Iris had done?
“What are you thinkin’ about so hard?” Maverick asked.
“Life and decisions,” she said.
“Can’t help you with that, darlin’. I got too many of those things already on my plate,” he said.
“Don’t we all,” she said as they passed a sign welcoming them to Happy, Texas. Deidre would have told her that was an omen, for sure. Deidre read her horoscope the first thing every morning, even before her first cup of tea. She believed in signs too and was always saying that in another life she had been a psychic.
Her heart knew exactly what it should do, but she’d been arguing with it. Sean had most likely already sent her stuff to Texas. Home is where you hang your hat and your heart. Nana had said that often through the years. In one of those boxes was Nana’s favorite old felt hat. Bridget imagined hanging it on one of the hooks on the hall tree back at the ranch and then giving her heart to Maverick. That brought a deep inner peace that she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
The first thing she noticed when Maverick pulled into the mall parking lot wasn’t the enormous building housing the one hundred stores, but the acres and acres of vehicles of all kinds. Some were already parked. Some were circling in search of an empty slot.
“Does everyone in this state come here to Christmas shop?” she asked.
“No, but a lot of the folks from the panhandle do, and it’s only six days until Christmas, so everyone is out getting last-minute stuff done.” Maverick drove up and down several lanes, and then snagged a spot not far from the main entrance.
“The stroller.” She groaned. “We should have brought it.”
“They have them right inside the door for rental. We can get one of those. Laela will love it because it’ll be something new,” Maverick said.
“Did you date a woman with a child or something?” she asked.
“No, darlin’, but remember Retta? The lady that you thought had my baby? Well, I’ve been in shopping malls with her a couple of times, and I’ve also seen mothers pushing their kids in rental strollers,” he explained as he got out of the truck.
He’d gotten pretty good at putting Laela into her seat and getting her out, so by the time Bridget was out of the vehicle, he had the baby in his arms. “I need to visit the western wear store on the other end of the mall from right here. If it’s all right with you, I’ll take the baby with me. That’ll give you time to look around at whatever you want. When I start back, I’ll call you to see what store you’re in.” He bent toward Laela to protect her from the fierce north wind.
When they were inside the noisy mall and had a stroller rented, he waved at Bridget and disappeared into the crowd. Suddenly, she was totally bewildered. Where did she start, and what did she buy?
She passed a kiosk selling soft throws and stopped to look at them. They’d be perfect for Wanda and Iris, since they were going to be going to the assisted living place. She was about to pay for two when she noticed one with a longhorn steer printed on it. She added it for Maverick and paid the bill. That was three of the seven, all done in five minutes. That gave her a little more confidence. At the next kiosk, she found a key chain with a Texas fob on it for Sean. It wouldn’t get there before Christmas at this late date, but he’d be tickled with it when it did arrive.
She looked around at all the beautiful decorations in the store and listened to the Christmas music. She watched the people scurrying around hunting for that perfect gift for someone special in their lives, and thought about how sweet it was for Maverick to take the baby with him. The holiday spirit wrapped itself around her like a warm blanket.
“Speaking of which.” She decided to give the longhorn blanket to Paxton and find something more personal for Maverick.
She almost passed right by the western wear store, but a belt buckle in the window caught her eye. She went inside and asked to see it and the saleslady brought it to her from the window.
“It’s one of a kind. We have a silversmith who makes our buckles and he never makes two just alike,” she explained.
That was even better, because in Bridget’s eyes, Maverick was one of a kind. A longhorn bull was engraved in the middle of the buckle. The word TEXAS was above it and COWBOY below it.
“Can you do writing on the back of it?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. You just write down what you want to say, and we can have it done in about five minutes.” The lady slid a pad and pen across the counter.
Bridget thought about it for a few seconds, and then wrote: Merry Christmas to my own Texas cowboy. Love, Bridget.
“That’s sweet.” The woman took the buckle and the note to the back room and handed it off to a man. “Can I interest you in anything else while we wait?” she asked when she’d returned.
“No, ma’am. Just the buckle is enough,” Bridget said.
“Would you like for us to gift wrap it for you? We offer that for free.”
Bridget nodded. “That would be wonderful.”
“Where are you from? England?” The woman got out a lovely bright red bow and a piece of gold wrapping paper.
“Ireland,” Bridget answered.
“Well, I do love that accent. It’s soothing.”
They visited a while about exactly where in Ireland Bridget was from while she paid for the buckle. The lady deftly wrapped the present and handed it to her, told her to have a merry Christmas, and Bridget shoved the buckle down into the bottom of the bag with the throws. She was in the toy store and had picked up three gifts for Laela when her phone rang with a call from Maverick.
“Hello,” she said. “Where are you?”
“Right outside the toy store. Where are you?” he asked.
“I’m in the toy store.” She laughed. “Wait for me. I’ll be out there in a minute.”
“We’ll sit on the bench until you get your shopping done. Then, will you come out here and sit with her a few minutes and let me do some lookin’ in there?” Maverick asked.
“I’m in line to check out now, and I’m starving,” she said. “Can we eat right after you get through in this store?” She leaned around the woman in front of her and saw Maverick sitting out there with the baby still in the stroller.
“We sure can.” He waved at her.
She waved back and then put the toys she had selected on the counter to be checked out. She stole sideways glances at Maverick. He was downright sexy in his cowboy hat and boots, but what appealed to her even more was the way he was pointing at the huge Christmas tree in the middle of the mall. No doubt he was telling Laela all about the oversize ornaments and the pretty lights.
Bridget paid an
d toted her bags out to the bench where Maverick waited. Several large sacks with different logos on the fronts were stacked up around the stroller. How on earth he’d managed all those plus the baby was a mystery.
“Your turn,” she said. “Just for your information, I checked, and there are no ponies in the store.”
“Oh, yeah.” He wiggled his dark brows. “I’ll just have to check out every corner for myself. You might have missed one.” He brushed a sweet kiss across her lips, right there in public, and disappeared into the store.
“Well, lassie, what do you think of this mall?” Bridget propped her elbows on her knees. “It’s the biggest place I have ever been in, for sure.”
Laela’s little eyes kept shifting from the huge Christmas tree not far away to the decorations at all the stores. Wreaths, garlands, lights, and ornaments were everywhere. Christmas music was being broadcast through a sound system. There was an area just down the way a bit where Santa and the elves were set up. There was a sign that said she could buy a picture of her child for only two dollars. The line didn’t look very long, and she really did want a picture of Laela on Santa’s knee.
Bridget took her mobile from her purse and called Maverick. When he answered she said, “I’m going to take Laela for her first picture with Santa Claus. I didn’t want you to be worried when you came out of the store.”
“I’m checking out in about two minutes. Wait for me, please. I want to see her reaction,” Maverick said. “Don’t tell her, but I did find a pony. It’s not real, but if you go back to Ireland, you’ll have to buy another suitcase just for this big feller.”
“We’ll talk about that later.” She ended the call.
Deidre would say that his buying a toy that big and thinking of getting her a real pony later was a sign that she should marry the man, even if she had to chase him down and drag him to the church. He came out in a few minutes toting a huge bag. If her new pony was that big, she would think she had a real one, even if it didn’t actually eat hay and breathe.
“Why don’t I take all these bags out to the truck and shove them in the backseat?” Maverick suggested. “I can be back by the time you get to the front of the Santa Claus line. If you’re finished shopping, we could go find a better place to eat than a food court.”
“I’m done,” she said. “What have you got in mind?”
“There’s a great steak house not far from here.” He loaded both arms with sacks.
“That sounds good.” She stood up and pushed the stroller toward the Santa line. She was third in line when Maverick joined them.
“Y’all are such a lovely little family. The baby looks exactly like her daddy,” the tall blonde said from behind them. “Isn’t that just the way it goes? We go through swollen ankles, cravings, pure old bitchiness, and then labor and delivery, and the baby comes out looking like the father.”
“Happens that way, ma’am.” Maverick tipped his hat toward her. “Good-lookin’ boy you got there, no matter who he looks like.”
“And your daughter is precious,” she said.
“We’re hopin’ for a red-haired boy next time around.” Maverick grinned.
Bridget looped her arm in his. “That’s what he wants. I want twin boys who look and act just like him, so he can pay for his raising.”
“Where are you from?” the woman asked. “It sure ain’t Texas.”
“Ireland,” Bridget answered and looked up at Maverick. “It’s our turn, darling. You want to put her on Santa’s lap or shall I?”
“Twin boys?” he asked out of the side of his mouth as they made their way to Santa. “Just remember, you’ll have to help me raise them.”
“That’s not fair.” She took Laela out of the stroller and set her on Santa’s knee. “I shouldn’t have to pay for your raising.”
“If we should have another daughter, I’ll have to pay for yours with both Laela and the new baby, so it seems pretty fair to me.” Maverick stepped back and took a dozen shots of Laela pulling Santa’s beard and coming close to removing his wire-rimmed glasses. She cried when she had to give up her spot on Santa’s lap to let the lady behind them bring her son forward.
“It’s all right, baby girl,” Maverick crooned. “We’ll buy you a little stuffed Santa to play with if you like him that much.”
“We can’t leave,” Bridget gasped. “We didn’t get Iris’s picture frame, and we didn’t get any pictures done for it.”
“I found the perfect frame in one of those kiosks,” Maverick said. “I thought we’d pick out the pictures together, and then I’d get prints made.”
“I didn’t get a dress, either.” She moaned.
“We’ve got plenty of time to come back. Alana’s party isn’t until New Year’s Eve,” he told her. “Let’s go eat, and then if you still want to shop for a dress, you can call Alana and ask about the best store to shop for that.”
“Let’s just eat and go home,” she said, and that time, saying the word home felt even more right than ever before.
* * *
Laela was fighting sleep on the way to the ranch that afternoon. She finally gave in to the droopy eyes and the whiny attitude and was limp as a noodle when Maverick got her out of the seat. He carried her into the house and took her straight to her crib. He removed her shoes, hat, and coat and tucked a teddy bear next to her.
“Poor little thing is exhausted,” he said. “Shopping wears out a big old cowboy and babies about the same.” He tiptoed out of the room and met Bridget coming out of the room at the end of the hall.
“I took some of the shopping bags in there. The rest are in the foyer,” she said.
“Want to curl up with me for a nap before we go to the church to work on the decorations for Sunday?” he asked.
“No, I want a warm bath. The tub is big enough for both of us. Want to go skinny-dipping in it with me?” She took him by the hand and led him to the bathroom.
“Are you serious?” He grinned.
“I bet I can get my clothes all off before you can.” She had already taken her coat off and was working on her boots.
“What’s the stakes?” he asked.
“Whoever loses has to get up with the baby tonight,” she said.
If he hadn’t been going commando, he would have lost for sure, but he won the bet when he kicked his jeans over into the pile with her things and laughed. “I hope that when we’re old and gray, we’re still making bets like this.”
“You win.” She tossed her bra into the pile. “But guys don’t have to wear bras, so you had less to take off.”
Maverick started the bathwater and took her into his arms. “We’ve never danced naked.”
Her arms snaked up around his neck, and she pressed her bare flesh to his. “What song is in your head?”
“Have you heard ‘Speechless’ by Dan and Shay?”
She nodded.
“That’s the one that I’m hearing, especially those lines that say that you are my weakness.” He swayed with her in the bathroom while their bath ran.
Nothing could possibly go wrong, now that she’d made her decision to stay in Texas, she thought.
Chapter Twenty-two
Bridget had been wrapping gifts and putting them under the tree all morning. She was rushing to the kitchen to get dinner ready when she noticed Maverick standing under the mistletoe hanging above the door into the dining room. Laela made a beeline in that direction, crawling as fast as she could across the kitchen floor. Bridget walked up behind him, slipped her arms around his waist, and laid her cheek on his broad back.
“I never did pay my debt with a kiss under the mistletoe, did I?” She noticed that Laela had stopped in the middle of the floor, paused a few seconds, her little dark brows drawn down, and then she flipped around and crawled away as fast as she could.
“Did you what?” Maverick asked as he came through the back door.
Bridget looked around the man she was hugged up to, gasped, and jumped. The man turned around—definit
ely not Maverick—with a big smile on his face. “You must be Bridget. I’m Paxton.”
“I hope that hug was meant for me.” Maverick grinned as he began to peel out of his coveralls.
“I believe Bridget owes you a kiss under the mistletoe.” Paxton chuckled.
The two brothers looked enough alike to be twins. Paxton was a tiny bit taller and a few pounds heavier, but they had the same dark hair. Maverick’s green eyes were a little lighter than his brother’s, and his face a little more rugged. Bridget should have known the moment she put her arms around Paxton that something wasn’t right. Not one single steamy jolt of heat rushed through her body when she splayed her hands out on his chest. It all happened so fast, that she hadn’t had time to even think about it.
Bridget was so flustered that her words came out in a rush. “Why didn’t you tell me your brother was coming today? Does Iris know?”
Maverick pulled her to him for a sideways hug. “I didn’t know until he called ten minutes ago and showed up at the barn. We got to talkin’, and I realized it was time to come in for dinner, and he beat me to the house. Sorry about that.”
“Granny knows,” Paxton said. “I called her last night. She told me to put all the boxes that are in my room over in her bedroom, and that she’d see me tomorrow in church, and that I’m not to go to the Wild Cowboy Saloon tonight.”
Laela peeked around the end of the bar and crawled over to Maverick. He picked her up and said, “Meet my brother Paxton. This is Laela.”
Paxton’s eyes widened. “Are you sure that…”
“Very sure,” Bridget declared. “While I get over being so embarrassed, you two can wash up. Dinner will be on the table in five minutes.”
“No need to be embarrassed.” Paxton smiled. “I thought it was a very nice welcome-home gesture.”
Bridget felt another blush flushing her cheeks. “Get on with the both of you before I feed the meat loaf to Ducky and make you eat peanut butter sandwiches.”
She was putting the food on the table when her phone rang with a call from Iris. She answered with, “I just made a fool out of myself,” and went on to tell Iris what had happened.
Christmas with a Cowboy Page 23