by Jaci Burton
Alice looked up at Clay. “He deserves all the love.”
Clay shook his head. “How about breakfast?”
“Sounds good. How about you let me fix it?”
He paused, figuring she felt she was putting him out, which she wasn’t at all. “How about we do it together?”
She leaned forward and grasped his chin, then kissed him. “We do ‘together’ things very well.”
“Yeah, we do. And together sounds great. I’ll give you a minute. I’ll be in the kitchen.”
He left her alone and went into the kitchen, grabbing all the stuff they’d need. He got out eggs and bacon and bread and started slicing fruit. Within a few minutes, Alice appeared wearing his sweatshirt—again. He really liked her in his clothes.
“I used your toothpaste and brushed my teeth with my finger. So not good enough. Also, I need a shower and a change of clothes,” she said.
“I’ll take you back to the Bellinis’ after breakfast.”
“Sure.” She came over and grabbed the egg carton. “How do you like them?”
“I’ll take them any way you want to fix them, but my favorite way is over easy.”
“That works for me, too.”
They were even egg compatible. That made him smile for some lame reason. She pulled out the cast-iron skillet, heated it up and cooked the eggs in it, while he managed the bacon and toast. Once the eggs were ready, they arranged everything on the plates and sat at the island.
“Do you have to do anything today?” he asked as he dragged his toast through his eggs.
“Not really.”
“I thought maybe you could help me get a tree and some decorations.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
He shrugged. “Since you brought it up, I figured it wasn’t a terrible idea to make this place look like Christmas.”
Her eyes lit up. “This is the best Christmas gift ever. I’d love to go with you.”
“If only all women were as easy as you.”
She choked on her food, then laughed. “Excuse me? Did you just call me easy? And what ‘all women‘?”
“That didn’t come out right. I don’t have any ‘all women.’ I meant like my mom, who tells me she doesn’t want anything for Christmas or her birthday. And any woman I’ve ever dated in the past who either wanted the moon or wouldn’t give me any idea what they might want for a birthday gift. I’m not a mind reader. And here you are, going shopping with me today like it’s the best gift, when it isn’t a gift at all.”
“Oh. I see what you’re saying. I’ve had people like that in my life who make gift giving next to impossible. My mother is easy to buy for. She cooks and knits and loves needlepoint and pottery and has tons of interests. My dad, on the other hand, still works full-time as an engineer. Then he comes home and likes to sit in front of the television and watch the news and sports and comedy shows. He doesn’t really have any outside interests, and whenever I ask him for gift ideas, he shrugs and says he doesn’t want anything.”
Clay nodded. “Yes, like that.”
“Is your dad like that, too?”
“Not really. My dad likes to fish. So I can always buy him line or lures or a new pole or some kind of fishing gear. He’s pretty easy.”
“That’s great. Do you fish?”
He took a bite, swallowed and nodded. “Yeah. We have several ponds on the property, and there are lots of lakes in Oklahoma. And we have boats.”
Her brows lifted. “Boats, as in plural?”
“Yes. Come out here in the summer and I’ll take you out on the lake.”
She took a bite of fruit and chewed thoughtfully, then said, “Mmm. Don’t tempt me. I love the water.”
“It’s not the same as your ocean.”
She laughed. “People think everyone who lives in LA goes to the ocean all the time. We don’t. And the ocean in Southern California isn’t all that warm for swimming.”
“Huh. Interesting. I think I’ll stick with the lakes here.”
“Probably a good idea. Though you could travel. There are wonderful oceans all over the world that you might love.”
He swiped the last of his toast through the last bit of egg yolk and popped it in his mouth. When he finished, he took a swig of coffee. “Yeah? Where have you been?”
She sighed. “Oh. The Maldives, Seychelles, Bali, Greece, Kauai, Fiji . . . There are so many places I want to go that I haven’t been yet.”
“You like to travel.”
“Yes. I can work anywhere, so it’s nice to take my laptop and phone, sit on a beach under an umbrella, watch the ocean and work. It’s very relaxing.”
“I’m sure it is. Too bad I can’t run cattle from every location in the world.”
She smiled. “That is a drawback to your job. But surely you have people who can operate the ranch while you take a vacation now and then.”
He shrugged. “I hadn’t thought much about it.”
“You’ve never taken a vacation?”
“I go to the lake on the weekends in the summer now and then. Being a rancher is a full-time job. We work all the time.”
“You’re not working today.”
He paused. “Okay, you’re right. But I have a special guest today, and I’m taking the day off. The foreman and hands can feed the cattle.”
“Uh-huh.”
Okay, so she’d figured out he wasn’t working today. He’d called the house and told his dad he had a houseguest he was entertaining. His dad never asked questions, just said he and the other hands would take care of things, which they would.
Alice pushed her plate to the side and grabbed her coffee cup, taking a sip. Clay could tell she was studying him. Maybe she thought he was boring because he worked all the time. Right now he felt boring after hearing her talk about all of her adventures.
“I think you work all the time because you don’t have anyone in your life to make you want to take trips,” she said.
“Is that an offer?”
She laughed. “Maybe. I don’t know. We’re so different, Clay. I live in LA. You live here. We don’t have the same lives. But, you know, somewhere out there is the right woman for you.”
He had to admit, her words hurt. So maybe he was a country guy and she was a city girl, but he didn’t much buy into those stereotypes. “Yeah. Sure. So we should get you back to the house so you can change and get ready for today.”
She frowned. “Okay.”
* * *
* * *
Alice stood at the bathroom counter in her room at the Bellinis’ house, blow-drying her hair, still confused over Clay’s sudden change of demeanor at breakfast. She didn’t know what she’d said or done to upset him, but he’d gone uncharacteristically quiet.
Then again, if he was mad, he surely would have canceled their shopping plans, and he said he was still game. In fact, he was currently outside in the barn taking care of his horse while she was upstairs getting ready.
She slipped into a pair of jeans, a blue sweater, and the boots, which she’d decided she would try to buy from Erin. They were soft and pliant and they fit her perfectly. And they certainly kept the snow from oozing into her socks, unlike the ankle boots she’d brought from home.
She finger-brushed her hair and put on lip gloss, then checked herself in the mirror.
She looked fine. Better than the wreck she’d looked like this morning. Then again, this morning she’d looked sex-ravaged. Her body felt sore in the best way after staying up all night with Clay. She inhaled and smiled at her reflection.
Last night had been good. No, not just good. Outstanding. Clay was a magnificent lover. She wanted more.
More than just sex with him, actually. And that was the problem. Getting emotionally attached to Clay wasn’t going to do her any good. In fact, it would only hurt wh
en she had to leave. She had to just look at this as a fun fling and leave it at that.
Because that’s what she was going to do on Sunday—leave.
She went downstairs to find Clay in the hallway, talking to Erin. Arguing with Erin. She tried not to eavesdrop, but if she lingered on the stairs, that was exactly what she’d be doing, so she took the last few steps.
“Just be careful with her, okay?” Erin asked.
“Like I’d do anything else?”
Erin noticed Alice standing there and grasped Clay’s arm, then smiled at Alice.
“I hear you two are going shopping to make Clay’s house look less like a gray prison.”
Clay frowned. “Hey.”
Erin laughed. “Just kidding. Listen, I have an appointment, so I have to run. Have fun. Take pics of the finished product, Alice.”
“I will.”
She turned to Clay, who gave her a genuine smile.
“You look gorgeous.”
If he kept that up, she was never leaving Oklahoma. A woman could get used to being complimented like that several times a day.
“Thank you.”
“You ready to go?”
“Absolutely.”
He took her to a store that was loaded with holiday decorations first. He grabbed a cart, and they started to browse.
“Any thoughts on what you might like in terms of décor?” she asked.
“No clue. Just pick up what you think fits the house.”
“It’s not my house, it’s yours,” she said as they wandered down the first aisle. “Give me some idea of what you like.”
“I like the idea of something on the mantel. Maybe some lights there and a sign somewhere like you mentioned.”
That was a start. “Good. How about a budget so I know where to stop?”
He cocked his head to the side as if he was thinking, then said, “Under a million.”
She laughed. “Funny. I’ll be modest about it.”
The store had a little bit of everything, from country to über-modern. Since she knew his décor, she went a little on the rustic-modern side and kept it to a minimum. He didn’t need much, just a few touches to bring the holidays inside. She selected some oversized ornaments for the tree in silver and white, and a brightly lit star for a tree topper.
They also picked up white twinkling lights for the tree, and bright white lights for outside the house. She’d found some adorable twisty decorative twig garland for the mantel, entwined with tiny lights that would look amazing.
Next stop was the Christmas tree lot. It was cold and cloudy outside, and she buttoned her flimsy winter coat, mentally cursing herself for not having bought a thicker one. Fortunately, the lot sold hot chocolate. Clay bought two cups and handed one to her. She warmed her gloved hands on it while they wandered the lot.
“Choose one you like,” she said.
She figured he’d just point at one and call it good. He surprised her by wandering for a while, turning down several she didn’t like at all, which made her sigh in relief. He finally stopped in front of a beautiful eight-foot noble fir with wide, healthy branches and a nice thick trunk. It was beautifully green, and when she ran her hand over it, the needles stayed put.
“I like this one,” he said.
She looked up at the tree and nodded. “It’s perfect.”
He also picked out a tree stand, then had the tree set in the truck and used rope to secure it. She stood and admired the confident but gentle way he tied down the tree.
“Anything else?” he asked.
“I think we’re good.”
They stopped for lunch and grabbed turkey wraps to bring back to the house, along with tortilla chips and salsa and some oversized iced teas. When they arrived home, they let Homer out and ate their sandwiches, then Clay untied the tree and carried it inside while she brought the other bags in. She helped him set up the tree.
“It needs to let its branches unfold some,” she said.
“Okay. While we’re waiting, let me show you the ranch.”
She gave him a smile. “I’d love that.”
“Ever been on a horse?”
She gave him an uncertain look. “Uh, no. Isn’t the snow a little high for that?”
“It is. I was just asking if you’ve ever ridden before.”
“I haven’t.”
“We’ll take the truck today. Come on.”
She wasn’t sure if she was grateful not to have to ride a horse, or disappointed. But she grabbed her coat and they climbed into the truck. And seemingly rode for miles as he showed her the ranch. It was magnificent, even covered in all the snow. There were barns and incredible hills and valleys and ponds, along with cattle spread out everywhere.
In LA, there was traffic and people crowded together like sardines in a can. Here, Alice didn’t see anyone during their entire drive around the property.
“Where is everyone?” she asked.
“Probably inside the barns or off in one of the more remote areas. Here we get up before sunrise to feed and work the cattle. And when the weather is bad like it is now, we’ll spend the afternoon loading up hay bales to take out the next morning. Then we’ll look at fences to make sure everything’s secure, and check on all the cattle. Some have to be moved when there’s no snow on the ground to make sure they’re always on prime grazing land.”
“It must be amazing to be able to work on land like this.”
He glanced over at her and smiled. “I’ve never thought much about it. It’s just what I do.”
“It sure beats working in an office. Surely you have an appreciation for living your life outdoors.”
“Oh, that, yeah. I’d never be able to do that. This is my life.”
“And an incredible one at that. To have this grand panorama as your daily office space? This was something.”
He gave her a smile. “It doesn’t suck, that’s for sure.”
They finally headed back and went inside. Alice hung up her coat and surveyed the Christmas tree. Now that the branches had fully opened up, it looked stunning in the living room by the window, so tall and majestic.
“I can’t wait to decorate it.”
Clay swiped his hands over his jeans. “Let’s get to it.”
They strung the lights, then hung the ornaments. She didn’t want to overwhelm the beauty of the tree with too many ornaments, so they’d only bought a handful. Plus she figured if Clay got a few personal ornaments from his parents, he could add those later. The beautiful lighted silver star tree topper was the perfect finishing touch.
Then she pulled out the few things they’d picked up to add some holiday flavor to the house. Blankets, pillows, a Merry Christmas sign for the mantel along with the lighted twigs, stockings and holders. She’d also picked out metal snowflakes to hang on the wall to give the room a rustic feel. And, of course, a cowboy snowman wall hanging that she had Clay put on the empty wall space just before the hallway.
Clay crossed his arms and glared at the snowman adorned in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat.
“What?” she asked. “He’s adorable.”
“He looks stupid.”
She laughed. “He does not. He fits here. With you.”
“If you say so.” He shook his head.
They hung a wreath on the door, then Clay decided to head outside to string the lights before it got dark.
“Can I help you with those?” she asked.
“It’s cold outside. You stay in here. I’ve got this.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded and put on his coat and gloves—and his hat, of course, then went outside, closing the door behind him. While he was out there, Alice cleaned up all the debris from their decorating and found his vacuum in the hall closet. She vacuumed up the needles that had shaken loose from carrying
the tree inside.
Then she went into the kitchen and investigated his fridge to see what she might make for dinner. She found some hamburger, so she defrosted that and opened up some cans of sauce and peeled tomatoes, then tossed in some garlic and olive oil and found the seasonings she needed to make spaghetti sauce. She let that simmer and rooted through his wine collection, finding a bottle of Bellini-brand cabernet that would be a perfect accompaniment for their meal.
She put on her coat and went outside. It was near dark, but Clay was still out there on the ladder, hanging lights from the gutters.
“How’s it going?”
“Almost finished.”
“Awesome.” He probably hated her for suggesting the outside lights, but they were going to look amazing.
It was freezing, and she had no idea how Clay managed to stay out so long. Clearly, he was used to the cold. She noticed that Homer had come inside with her and had settled in his spot in front of the fireplace. If she knew how to start a fire, she’d do that, but there wasn’t much need for a fire where she lived, and she hardly ever used her gas fireplace, which had a remote start, so she was pretty useless in that regard. However, she hoped making dinner would at least help out a little.
She’d already found the spaghetti, so she put a pot on to boil, and then made a quick-rising bread, grateful that Clay had a well-stocked pantry.
He came inside about twenty minutes later.
“Want to come take a look?” he asked.
“I’d love to.” She ran and grabbed her coat, slung it on and dashed outside, and they walked to the bottom of the drive to get a full view of the house.
With the lights on, the house sparkled. And somehow he’d climbed up on the roof and also put lights along the roofline, which only added to the home’s Christmas beauty.
She laced her arm with Clay’s. “It’s spectacular.”
“I don’t know about that, but it turned out okay. It was a good suggestion.”
She was happy he didn’t hate her. “I’m glad you like it. And you’re probably freezing, so we should go inside.”
“It is a little cold out here.”
They headed in, and Clay took off his coat. She pulled off her boots and left them by the door. Clay did the same, rubbing his hands together.