Her Cowboy Billionaire Birthday Wish

by Liz Isaacson

  Her skin was cold too, but it ignited a fire inside Colton that actually made him angry.

  He pulled his hand away, letting the matches fall to the hearth. Annie picked them up again, extending them out between two pinched fingers. “Sorry,” she said, and her voice was so kind and so soft that once again, Colton felt his heart doing something he’d thought it would never do again.

  Beat.

  Grow.

  Confused now, he took the matches and focused on his task. A few minutes later, with enough force and only a few smoking paper towels, the wood caught the flame and started to burn.

  He basked in the warmth coming from the fire, closing his eyes and breathing it in. “Mm,” he said, noting that Annie had done the same. He wanted to stay right there with her for the rest of the night, maybe to try to explain his erratic behavior. Maybe she hadn’t even noticed.

  “Let’s go downstairs,” he said. “This should be okay for a minute.”

  They repeated the whole process again, hauling wood downstairs and getting a fire going in a fireplace Colton hadn’t seen during the brief tour of the lodge.

  “Did you get the activities schedule?” she asked as he stuffed a wadded-up paper towel between two pieces of wood.

  “Is that what that link was?” He picked up the book of matches and struck one, immediately holding the fire to the paper towels.

  “Yes,” she said. “Who knows what will happen if we don’t have electricity. We won’t even be able to make coffee.”

  “That’s not good,” he said, glancing at her to find a smile on her pretty face. “We better start praying now that the electricity comes back on.”

  “Good idea,” Annie said, though Colton hadn’t actually meant it literally. But he thought Annie had. He tried to remember the last time he’d prayed for something, actually prayed vocally for something.

  It had admittedly been a couple of years, and he’d prayed out loud while he drove to the family farm when he couldn’t reach any of them who knew how to use a cellphone. He remembered the complete desperation, the utter fear, and he’d turned to the Lord.

  Why hadn’t he done that more often in his life?

  It’s never too late to start, he thought, and as he blew on the embers of fire still eating their way up the paper towel, he thought, Please, God, let the electricity come back on so we don’t have to babysit fires all day as our only source of entertainment.

  Hours later, Colton jolted awake as a door slammed somewhere nearby. He heard someone walking in the hall beyond the living room, and he held very still. The bathroom door clicked closed, and he sat up to put more wood on the fire in front of him.

  Annie groaned as she sat up too, rubbing one hand down her face and then up into her hair. Colton had dreamt about that pretty face, but now he wondered if it had really been a dream.

  “I’ll go check the fire upstairs,” she said.

  “What time is it?” he asked, yawning immediately after getting the words out.

  She checked her phone, as his had died after they’d built the fires and gotten their blankets to huddle in front of the comforting flames. They’d set an alarm every hour to check on the wood supply and keep the fires going, and they’d been swapping who had to go upstairs.

  “Six-fifteen,” she said. “People should be getting up soon. Well, at least Celia. She starts breakfast early when the lodge is full.”

  “Maybe not today,” Colton said. Annie nodded, got up, shrugged into her coat, and went upstairs.

  “Please, Dear Lord,” he said aloud, vocally praying for the first time in years. He’d been thinking his prayers all night as he and Annie worked to keep the lodge and all of its occupants from freezing. “Now would be a really great time to get the electricity back on.”

  His stomach grumbled, and he’d been looking forward to a hot cup of coffee and plenty of pancakes and sausages.

  God did not answer his prayer, and Annie came thumping back down the steps. “Still going strong up there,” she said. “It’s not nearly as cold as it used to be.” She discarded her coat and curled into her end of the couch, pulling her blanket all the way to her chin.

  Colton said nothing, because he’d just had a terrible, horrifying thought that perhaps God had answered his prayer. No, the electricity hadn’t come back on, but he felt it arcing through his whole body as he looked at Annie.

  What does this mean? he asked the Lord next, but He didn’t answer that question either.

  Chapter Five

  Annie took a tray of mugs into the living room, where she found Colton reaching for the coffee kettle hanging over the fire. “Wow,” she said, feeling like she sounded like a complete flirt. She tried to tame her voice back to itself when she added, “You’re like a real cowboy.”

  That got a partial smile from the man she’d been up with for half the night, tending the fireplaces. “I think it’s hot enough now,” he said. “How’s it going in the kitchen?”

  Annie set the heavy tray on the hearth. “Yeah, the range is gas, so Celia has all the burners going. The sausage is done, and she’s got pancakes in every pan now. They’re eating in shifts.”

  Colton nodded and set the tea kettle Celia had given him to make coffee in next to the tray. He hung the second pot on the hook and started filling mugs with coffee. Annie did like watching him work, because his movements were strong and sure, and she had the suspicion that the man could do anything he wanted to do.

  He stood and bent to pick up the tray, and Annie marveled at the way his biceps bulged with the weight. So this cowboy worked out. He flicked a look at her, and Annie set a smile on her face. “You’re going to be their favorite person.”

  Colton preceded her into the kitchen, where a cheer did raise up to the roof at the sight of coffee. “My man,” Eli said, selecting a mug and handing it to his wife before taking one for himself too.

  A variety of flavored creamers sat on the counter, along with sugar and plain cream. The mugs of coffee went quickly, and Colton didn’t seem to know what hit him. Annie stifled a giggle and took the tray from him. “I’ll be out in a second.”

  Colton turned and went back to the fire in the living room, and Annie started stacking more mugs on the tray. The scent of sausage and maple syrup filled the air, and Annie listened to Beau and Bree argue about the reality TV show they both liked. A slip of happiness moved through her as Annie basked in the energy at the lodge. If Celia had been able to use electricity, she’d have four griddles on the counter, with nine pancakes on each one.

  As it was, instead of making thirty-six pancakes at once, Celia could only make twelve, and she set a plate on the counter. “Pancakes are up.”

  “Let’s say grace,” Graham said, and Annie hurried to put the last two mugs on the tray. She didn’t pick it up though, and waited for the general chaos to die down in the kitchen so Laney could say grace.

  She gave a nice prayer about being grateful for the holidays, for the fireplaces in the lodge, and for food and family. The moment she said, “Amen,” and everyone had echoed it, Patsy jumped up.

  “And we have a new, updated schedule for today. We need people to watch the fires all day, and we’ll need people on firewood duty.”

  “There’s still time to do activities,” Bree said. “But we can’t do anything with electricity, obviously. So no movies, no baking contests, that kind of thing. But we can still go snowshoeing, and there’s a whole closet of games and puzzles upstairs we can bring down.” She smiled around at everyone, and Annie picked up the tray to go get more coffee for everyone.

  She didn’t have to work to feed everyone today, but she didn’t have anything else to do, and she liked going out into the living room to spend a few minutes with Colton. She found him loitering in the doorway leading out of the kitchen, and he reached for the tray.

  “Let me,” he said. “That’s heavy.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled at him, a shot of self-consciousness moving through her. She wondered how old she’d
be before she had the confidence she needed to hold her head high. In some things, she did. When she met with a potential new client, she carried her mini-clipboard and opened their closet doors as she took notes.

  She gave a price for the cleaning they said they wanted, and she signed ninety percent of the people who called her for a meeting to discuss their cleaning needs.

  With Ryan, she’d been confident. They’d worked well together as a team, and she could call him as she backed out of the driveway and say, “I forgot to put the trash can out, and they come early. Could you do it?”

  And he would. She served him, too, and there was nothing better than getting up early on Sunday morning and making cinnamon rolls just for Ryan. He loved them with a lot of butter and a lot of cinnamon and a lot of raisins. She could almost hear his laughter when he came out into the kitchen and found her rolling out the dough into a large rectangle on the counter.

  But with Colton…he made her doubt everything that came out of her mouth, every look she shot his way, just everything. And she didn’t like it. She was too old to feel like this.

  He set the tray down just as the kettle started to hiss, and he switched out the hot one for the cold one that needed to be brewed. She poured this time, aware that he watched her after he’d hung the kettle over the fire.

  “You know, I have made coffee over a fire before.”

  She glanced up for only a moment, because the last thing she needed was to spill hot coffee all over herself and the hearth. “That doesn’t surprise me.” She smiled at him. “What activities are you going to do today?”

  “I think going outside and getting cold isn’t a great idea,” he said. “So I don’t know. Maybe I’ll take a nap to make up for all the missed sleep last night.”

  Annie nodded, but she didn’t want him to disappear into his room. What that said about her, she wasn’t sure. “Maybe we could play a game.” She finished with the last cup of coffee and left the kettle on the hearth for him. He had a system of putting all the grounds in a filter and tying it closed and letting it brew over the flame, and she didn’t want to disrupt that.

  He didn’t move to pick up the tray, and Annie met his eye. “Just a board game, right?” he asked.

  Annie blinked. “Yes,” she said. “Can’t play video games without electricity, and I can’t imagine going outside to play like badminton or anything.”

  Colton tipped his head back and laughed, and Annie sure did like the sound of it. His laughter didn’t last long, and he leaned toward her. “I just meant, you know, we’re not going to play games with each other.” His dark, stormy gray eyes sparkled at her, and she felt sure he was flirting with her.

  Yes, she’d been out of the game for a while, but the connection between her and Colton felt very real.

  “No games,” she said. “I’m too old for that. But.” She hit the T hard. “I’m not too old for cribbage.”

  “Cribbage?” Colton’s right eyebrow went up, and Annie found that downright sexy.

  “Don’t you dare say you don’t know what it is.” She poked him in the chest. “Or that it’s for old ladies.”

  Colton grinned and put one hand over his heart. “I would never.”

  “So look it up before we play.” She nodded to the coffee. “If you don’t pick that up and take it into the kitchen, we’ll be dealing with a riot.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, picking up the tray and following her into the kitchen.

  By the time Annie and Colton got their hot coffee and fresh-from-the-pan pancakes, at least half of the people in the lodge had already eaten and left the room. That was just fine with her, and she noticed Colton sticking right next to her through it all. And she didn’t mind that at all.

  Later that day, just before lunch, Annie had just woken from a two-hour nap when the lodge came back to life. The lights brightened, and the whirring of machines starting up again filled the air. Out in the living room in the basement, Annie heard an outcry, and she jumped up to go join them.

  She opened the door and nearly ran into Emily as she came in to get her. “It’s back,” her daughter said, as if Annie couldn’t see the lights shining down from the bulbs in the ceiling.

  “I’m so glad,” Annie said.

  “Graham’s checking the furnace, and then Celia’s going to serve what she has for lunch.” Emily smiled at her, and Annie nodded as she left.

  Colton stepped beside her, and Annie startled as he did. “How many daughters do you have?”

  “Two,” she said.

  “Sons?”

  “None,” she said, tilting her head back to look at him. “Do you have any children?”

  “No, ma’am.” He shook his head, and she realized he wasn’t wearing his white cowboy hat. His dark hair had plenty of silver in it, and Annie wanted to reach up and run her fingers through it. Her hand actually twitched that way, and she cemented it to her side.

  “How long have you been single?” he asked. “I mean, I’m assuming you’re single. I suppose you could have a boyfriend. Okay, I’m going to stop talking now.” He cleared his throat, and Annie suppressed a giggle.

  Feeling bold and like she wanted to convey what she’d been feeling for the past twenty-four hours, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed. His fingers warmed the spaces between hers, and he actually squeezed back.

  “I don’t have a boyfriend,” she said. “My husband died twelve years ago in a helicopter accident.”

  “Oh, wow,” he said, his voice reverent and soft. “I’m sorry, Annie.”

  “Thank you.” She released his hand, and he took a step away from her. Annie didn’t know what to make of that, and she quickly cleared her throat.

  “Okay,” she said brightly. “I’m going to go see where I can be the most useful.”

  “We have a date with a cribbage board later,” Colton called after her, and Annie almost stumbled over the smooth carpet at the word date.

  At least he knows it’s a cribbage board, she thought as she started up the steps, ready for some of Celia’s homemade chicken noodle soup. The scent of toasty, garlicky bread reached her nose too, and Annie could really use a lot of carbs to make it through her “date” that afternoon.

  She’d barely reached the top of the steps when Amanda appeared in front of her. “Hey,” she said with a smile. “I just need a yes or no answer.” She held up her phone. “Beau just heard Colton say you two have a date later today?”

  Annie blinked at Amanda, sure this question was a joke. “We’re going to play cribbage,” she said.

  “So that’s a yes.”

  “No,” Annie said. “He’s just new here, and you Whittakers can be a lot to handle.” Annie gave her a pointed look, but Amanda just scoffed and waved her hand.

  “She’s right,” Finn said from somewhere behind Amanda, and she turned toward him.

  “I didn’t ask for your input,” she said with a laugh. She faced Annie again. “Do you like him?”

  “Is this a yes or no question too?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then sure, I like him.” Annie thought of the brief escapade of holding his hand. That had been really nice. “But he’s….” She searched for the right word. “Closed off. He’s got lots of walls up.” And she wasn’t sure she had the energy to break them down. She wasn’t as young as she once was, and while she was willing to capitalize on her birthday wish, she didn’t want to be the one pursuing Colton.

  Footsteps sounded on the stairs behind her, and she moved out of the way. “Don’t text all your sons about this. Please?”

  Amanda looked like Annie had just suggested something preposterous. Annie had known Amanda for years, and she just cocked her head; no words necessary.

  “Okay, fine,” Amanda said, tucking her phone in the pocket of her slacks. “But they have eyes.”

  Annie waited for Laney to pass, smiling at the woman who had tamed Graham’s most beastly qualities. “If that were true, Amanda, Beau wouldn’t have texted you t
o ask me a yes or no question.” She nodded once, her point made, and went into the kitchen to see what Celia needed from her.

  She buttered the bread and placed it on a sheet tray for Celia, who chopped fresh garlic like her life depended on having it on-hand all the time, like maybe a troop of vampires could attack the lodge at any moment.

  “Need some help?” Colton asked, and Annie dropped the butter knife. It landed on the counter with a clatter, and he picked it up for her.

  “Yes,” Celia said. “Can you get the bowls out of the cupboard there by your head? And as many spoons as you can find.” She started sprinkling the garlic over the buttered bread Annie had put on the sheet tray.

  “Spoons,” Colton muttered to himself, opening a drawer that had Tupperware lids in it. Annie couldn’t help giggling, and she nodded to the counter behind him.

  “They’re over there by the microwave.”

  “Oh, look at that,” he said. “It’s even labeled.”

  “Yep,” Annie said, another laugh coming out of her mouth. And suddenly, she thought maybe she could start kicking at the walls Colton had put around his heart—especially if she knew how they’d gotten there. So she’d just ask him during their friendly cribbage match.

  Which was really a date….

  Chapter Six

  Colton didn’t usually consider soup a complete meal. It was an appetizer at best, even if it did have homemade pasta and big chunks of chicken in it. But chicken noodle soup was what Celia had made and served for lunch, and Colton wasn’t complaining. He hadn’t anticipated getting all of his meals for free while at the lodge, especially home cooked meals.

  His mother had never been much of a cook, and Colton had been fending for himself since age ten. He could open cans and heat up the contents like nobody else, and he did enjoy a couple of bowls of cereal for any meal.

  As he got older and got a job, he became a big fan of fast food, pizza, and delivery. Living in the city made cooking something he didn’t have to know how to do, but when Annie bent to pull out a sheet tray of sizzling, toasty, golden garlic bread, Colton thought he’d really like to eat that for every meal for the foreseeable future.