Cooper headed to Santa’s Village in the town square. The line to see St. Nick wound around the block. Mistletoe drew a lot of visitors during the holiday season. Parents from all over the county brought their kids to visit the town and claim a kiss beneath its namesake. He peered around the crowd and caught sight of Burt’s scooter near the front of the line. Had his father gone off the deep end? He made his way through the throng of people but before he reached Burt, Finley bumped into him, her sons trailing behind her.
“Look, Mom, it’s the reindeer man,” one of the twins said.
Cooper swore Finley’s brown eyes sparked when their gazes clashed.
“What are you doing here?” Burt asked.
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Cooper said.
“Burt’s holding our place in line.” Finley handed Cooper’s father a bag of roasted chestnuts.
He nudged Burt’s arm. “You could have texted me your whereabouts so I wouldn’t worry.”
“Sorry, I forgot.”
Yeah, sure.
A little hand tugged Cooper’s coat. “Can we come visit your reindeer?”
“Flint, stop pestering Mr. Hollis,” Finley said. “I told you those weren’t reindeer in his barn.” Tonight Finley wore a snow-white cape, concealing most of her body except for her angelic face.
He tore his gaze from her and studied the boys’ pouting expressions. He remembered the excitement of visiting Santa as a kid. “What do you two want for Christmas this year?”
“I want a—”
“Let me talk—”
“No, you got to tell Burt about the basketball hoop and—”
Jeez, he hadn’t meant his question to trigger an argument between the kids.
“Did not!”
“Did, too!”
“That’s enough,” Finley said. “It’s not polite to shout in front of people.”
They moved up a few feet in line. “How long have you been waiting?” he asked.
“Almost an hour,” she said.
They had at least fifteen minutes before they arrived at Santa’s stoop. “Dad, have you had anything to eat besides nuts?”
“I’m not hungry.”
His father needed a decent meal if he was going to drive the van home later tonight. “After the boys visit Santa, why don’t we all grab a bite to eat at the Mistletoe Café?”
“Yeah!” The twins jumped up and down.
“We don’t want to intrude,” Finley said.
“You won’t be intruding.” This wasn’t how Cooper had envisioned his quick trip into town would end, but he wanted to repay Finley for being kind to his father. The least he could do was buy dinner for her and the twins.
“Finley!” Jim Jenkins, the hardware-store owner, made his way toward them.
“Hello, Jim. You know Cooper Hollis.” Finley placed her hand on the back of the scooter. “And his father, Burt.”
“Jim and I were in the same high school class,” Cooper said. He didn’t appreciate the way Jenkins’s gaze roamed over Finley. The former football quarterback had slept his way through the cheerleading squad.
“Haven’t seen you in town, Hollis.” Jenkins inched closer to Finley. “Thought you’d moved away.”
Like hell. When Jenkins touched Finley’s arm, a surge of jealousy ripped through Cooper.
“How would you like to take a sleigh ride with me later tonight?” Jenkins asked Finley.
“She can’t.” The words were out of Cooper’s mouth before he could stop them. Ignoring Finley’s startled gaze, he said, “I’m taking her and the boys out to eat after they visit Santa.” He stared, daring the man to object.
Jenkins turned to Finley. “I’ll take a rain check on the sleigh ride. I heard you’re participating in the children’s parade next Saturday.”
“Yes, but I haven’t come up with an idea for a float yet,” she said.
“I’ll stop by the store and brainstorm ideas with you.” Jenkins walked off. The schmuck hadn’t even said hello to the twins.
“Who was that?” Flint slid his hand into Finley’s.
“Just a friend, honey.”
The line moved forward, and they reached the stoop of Santa’s house.
“Is Burt your friend, too?” Tuff asked.
“He’s our friend.” She glanced up. “And so is Mr. Cooper.”
Cooper wasn’t sure what to make of Finley’s statement or the warm feeling squeezing his chest.
“Are you ready to talk to Santa?” she asked. “You’re next.”
Flint motioned for Cooper to bend down. “I know he’s not the real Santa. That’s Mr. Walker.”
Roger Walker was married to the owner of the Mistletoe Café. His big belly and gray hair won him the role of Santa each year.
Cooper whispered in Flint’s ear. “When I was a kid, Mr. Pumpernickel pretended to be Santa.”
“Who’s that?”
“Mr. Pumpernickel died years ago.” The former Harley-Davidson motorcycle club member had owned a rough-and-tumble bar on the outskirts of Mistletoe and usually arrived at Santa’s Village each night inebriated.
“Flint, it’s your turn.” Finley guided her son forward. Tuff had already taken a seat on one of Santa’s knees.
“You boys sure are getting big,” Santa bellowed. “Ho, ho, ho.”
Cooper tapped his father’s shoulder and motioned for him to move his scooter aside so the child next in line could watch the twins.
Tuff wiggled on Santa’s lap. “I want a Yo Baby Kick Flipper.”
“What the...?” Santa cleared his throat. “I’ve never heard of that.”
“It’s a skateboard,” Tuff said.
“I want a Stomp Rocket. You jump on the pad and the rocket shoots into the air.” Flint raised his arms above his head and made a whooshing sound.
“I’ll be sure to tell my elves to make those toys.” Santa handed the twins a candy cane. “Stay on my nice list. You don’t want a chunk of coal in your stocking.”
“We’ll be good,” the boys echoed in unison, then slid off Santa’s lap.
Finley reached for their hands but Tuff pulled free and patted Santa’s knee. “And if your elves can’t make my Yo Baby Kick Flipper, then can you let Burt be our grandpa?”
Santa gaped at Finley.
“C’mon, boys. It’s time to eat.” She led the twins through the crowd.
Cooper walked next to his father’s scooter. “What was that all about?” he asked when Finley and her sons were out of earshot.
“Haven’t any idea.”
“Did you tell the twins you wanted to be their grandfather?” Cooper should check into senior day care in their area—Burt needed to socialize with people his own age, not five-year-olds.
Finley and the boys crossed the street, but when Cooper and his father arrived at the corner, the light turned yellow. “Wait, Dad.”
“We can make it.” Burt shot onto the crosswalk and Cooper raced after him. If he didn’t know better, he’d think the scooter was powered by rocket fuel and not a battery.
* * *
“HERE THEY COME!” Flint stood on the booth seat and pointed at the café door.
Finley glanced over her shoulder and watched Burt and Cooper enter the restaurant. She didn’t know what to make of Cooper’s reaction to Jim Jenkins. The dark tone in his voice when he’d informed Jim that she and the boys were eating supper with him had left no doubt in her mind that he objected to Jim’s interest in her. But how could that be when she and Cooper barely knew each other?
Maybe Cooper senses you’re attracted to him.
Finley couldn’t argue with the voice in her head. Cooper had occupied her every other thought since she’d paid him a visit at his ranch. Then yester
day when he’d stopped by the store to give her the items Burt had taken, there’d been no denying the awkwardness between them that Finley was certain stemmed from their attraction to one another.
Burt arrived at the booth and parked his scooter on the end while Cooper sat with Tuff across from her and Flint.
“Well, this is a surprise.” Suzie Walker, the owner of Mistletoe Café, stopped at their booth. “How do you all know each other?”
Burt’s face glowed red and Finley rescued him. “Burt kept the boys occupied today while I was busy with the store.”
Suzie laughed. “Ever since Cooper bought you that van, Burt, you’ve been tooling around town like a teenager looking for a hot date.”
Cooper sent Burt an exasperated look and Finley hid a smile behind the menu.
“Did you boys visit Santa?” Suzie asked.
The twins nodded. Then Flint said, “Mom’s gonna take us again next week.”
“Can’t hurt to remind Santa what you want for Christmas.” Suzie pulled a pencil from her curly red hair. “What can I get you folks?”
Finley ordered chicken-tender baskets for the boys and a deli sandwich for herself. Burt said he’d eat what the twins were having and Cooper asked for the meat loaf special.
“This on one ticket?” Suzie asked.
Cooper nodded. “And milk shakes for everyone.”
Milk shakes were expensive. Finley opened her mouth to protest, but Cooper held up a hand. “My treat.”
The boys chose chocolate, she picked vanilla and Cooper and Burt both ordered strawberry. While they waited for their food, the twins carried the conversation, telling Cooper about their adventures with Burt. When they got to the part where the scooter drove off the church ramp, Finley entered the conversation.
“I didn’t realize what they were doing until I looked out the window and saw all three of them sprawled on the ground,” she said.
“Mrs. Keller got mad at Burt.” Tuff grinned.
“Mrs. Keller has a crush on me.” Burt winked at the boys.
“Is that so?” Cooper scowled at his father.
“What’s a crush?” Tuff asked.
Finley ignored her son’s question and said, “Viola came out of the church when she heard the commotion.”
Flint said, “Burt was gonna take Mrs. Keller for a ride in his van but she said no.”
Cooper’s laugh caught Finley by surprise. She didn’t know if it was his deep, sexy chuckle or his bold smile and white teeth that made her breath catch. She and Cooper had gotten off on the wrong foot, but she sensed a subtle softening in him compared to his stiff demeanor when they’d first met. She couldn’t deny that she wanted to get to know him better. His good looks aside, he intrigued her, and she wouldn’t be a female if she weren’t curious about why his fiancée had broken off their engagement last Christmas.
“Food will be up in a few minutes.” Suzie set the shakes on the table.
“Mr. Cooper,” Flint said, “can me and Tuff play with your reindeer tomorrow?”
Finley intervened. “Not tomorrow. We need to figure out what kind of float we’re making for the parade.”
“Burt can help us,” Tuff said.
“Mr. Jenkins offered to help,” Finley said. “I’ll call him—”
“Bring the boys out to the ranch,” Burt said. “We got stuff in the barn you can use to build a float.”
“I appreciate the offer, but we don’t want to interfere with your day.”
“Ouch!” Cooper glared at Burt. “Dad, could you get your wheel off my foot?”
“I don’t like Mr. Jenkins,” Flint said.
“Yeah.” Tuff licked the glob of milk shake hanging off the bottom of his straw. “He never talks to us.”
“I’m sure he’ll speak to you when we work on the float,” Finley said.
“Burt’s right.” Cooper cleared his throat. “There’s got to be something in the barn that would make a good float.”
Finley sensed the invitation had been given reluctantly. “Thanks, but—”
“It’s the least I can do for all the trouble—” Cooper nodded at Burt “—someone caused.”
He’d offered to help only because he wished to make amends for his father’s shoplifting. Even knowing that, she couldn’t deny Cooper intrigued her, and she was hard-pressed to reject the invitation.
“Please, Mom,” Tuff begged. “Can we go to Mr. Cooper’s ranch and see the reindeer again?”
“Yeah.” Flint joined his brother’s campaign. “Mr. Jenkins has bad breath.”
Burt chuckled.
“Okay, we’ll visit the ranch tomorrow after church.” Finley’s gaze connected with Cooper’s across the table and the corner of his mouth curved upward. Suddenly tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
CHAPTER FOUR
“STARING OUT THE window won’t make them arrive any sooner,” Cooper said.
His father powered the scooter across the room and stopped short of the kitchen, where Cooper loaded lunch dishes into the dishwasher. Most days he didn’t care if the dishes piled up in the sink—then again, a woman hadn’t entered their house since Denise had left him.
“You should ask Finley out on a date.”
“Are you smoking weed again?” Cooper had found a toke in the pocket of his father’s jeans several weeks ago when he’d done laundry. He’d threatened that if he ever found another joint in the house, he’d take the keys to the van and that would be the end of Burt’s freedom.
“What’s wrong with asking the young filly out on a date?”
“Finley isn’t a horse.” She was a hot-blooded woman.
“She’s pretty.”
“Yes, she is.” And last night when he’d gone to sleep, he’d imagined what it would feel like to hold her in his arms. Then Burt’s shout for help getting out of bed this morning had reminded Cooper why he couldn’t get involved with Finley.
“Ask her out before that butthead Jenkins gets to her first.”
Cooper agreed that Jenkins was a butthead, but dating Finley was out of the question. No way would he risk his heart to another woman, then have her leave him high and dry when she realized Burt and Cooper were a package deal. “What happened to the twins’ father?”
“Suzie at the café said Finley never married the guy and he isn’t involved in the boys’ lives.”
“That’s too bad.” And Cooper meant it. He loved his father and they’d always had a close relationship despite their bickering. He had fond memories of Burt teaching him how to hunt and fish. Flint and Tuff were missing out on all those father-son adventures. After Burt had been thrown from a horse and broke his back, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, they’d switched roles and Cooper had become more of a father, taking care of Burt’s basic needs.
“What’s up with the twins’ names? I’ve never heard of Flint or Tuff.”
“The boys said their mom named them after rocks because their father’s a geologist.”
“I know what flint is, but I’ve never heard of tuff,” Cooper said.
“I searched it online. Tuff is a rock formed from volcanic ash.”
Cooper wondered if the boys’ father even appreciated that Finley had thought of him when she’d named his sons. “They’re cute kids.” He and Denise had talked about starting a family right away when they married, but after their breakup, he’d let go of that dream. “What’s going on between you and Viola Keller?”
“Nothing.”
“You offered to take her for a drive. That sounds like something,” Cooper said.
“If anyone needs to worry about their love life, it’s you.”
A car engine echoed outside, and Burt went to open the door.
The twins were the first to rush into the house, the
ir eyes wide as they took in their surroundings. Then Finley arrived, and Cooper felt a zap shoot through his chest. When she spotted him in the kitchen, her smile widened. “I didn’t know cowboys did dishes.”
Wow, she was pretty when she smiled. He dried his hands on a towel, then joined the group in the living room. “Glad you could make it.”
“Hey, boys,” Burt said. “It’ll take a while for your mom and Cooper to figure out what they’re gonna use for the float. How ’bout you stay inside with me and bake cookies?”
“What kind of cookies?” Tuff asked.
“Any kind you want.”
“I wanna make cookies,” Flint said.
“Are you sure, Burt?” Finley frowned. “The twins will make a mess.”
Burt waved a hand. “We’ll be fine.” He scooted into the kitchen and searched the pantry. “Tuff, climb on that stool and hand me the bag of flour on the top shelf.”
Cooper knew exactly what his father was doing—making sure his son had time alone with Finley. He grabbed his jacket from the hook by the door and shrugged it on. “After you.” As they cut across the driveway to the barn, a gust of wind carried Finley’s scent past Cooper’s nose—she smelled like spring.
When they entered the barn, he broke the silence. “I was thinking about the twins believing the whitetails are reindeer.”
“I tried to explain that the deer don’t belong to Santa.” She approached the pen at the back of the barn. “Why are these little guys in here?”
“They weren’t eating enough. I’m fattening them up before putting them back with the herd.”
Cooper couldn’t drag his eyes from the soft expression on her face when the fawns nuzzled her jacket. “Here.” He gave her a scoop of feed. “If you don’t mind the slobber, they’ll eat right out of your hand.”
Finley fed the babies and giggled. “Their tongues tickle.”
One of the fawns licked the inside of the scoop. “This one reminds me of Tuff. He’s greedy.”
“It must be difficult raising twins by yourself,” he said.
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