Capturing Christmas

by Shanna Hatfield

  Kash pulled out Celia’s chair and waited for her to take a seat next to Cort’s boy before he sat down on the other side of her, across from Tate.

  “Man, you’ve got some impressive stock this year, Kash. The paint that sent ol’ Sam right over his head in the saddle bronc event was really something,” Tate said.

  Kash recalled the days when Tate competed in that very event and took the world champion title right before he retired and married Kenzie. “You remember that bronc we had named Howdy Do?”

  “Sure. I once got a ninety-one point ride on him.” Tate glanced over at Cort. “You remember him, the big cuss that liked to twist to the left?” He looked back at Kash. “He was a great horse. Didn’t he win a Bucking Horse of the Year title before you retired him?”

  “He did. Anyway, Doing it Right is from the same bloodline. This is his second year on the circuit, but I think he’s on track to become a world-class bronc.”

  “If today was any indication, I’d agree,” Tate said. He grabbed Gideon before the toddler took a header off the back of his chair and settled him on his knee.

  Kash watched Tate and Cort, fully absorbed in their domestic roles of husbands and fathers, and felt a pang of envy. For the first time in his life, he wanted what they had — a woman who loved him, a child that adored him.

  He glanced over at Celia as she laughed at something Kaley said. A picture of a little girl with her red hair, dancing around the yard in a frilly dress filled his thoughts. He almost choked on the drink of cold pop he’d just swallowed.

  Celia thumped him on the back and gave him a curious look then turned back to Jacob.

  “Aunt Seal?” he asked, glancing up at her with his mother’s blue eyes.

  “What is it, sweetheart?” She placed a hand around his shoulders and gave him a gentle squeeze, hugging him against her side.

  “Are you going to stay at our house tonight?”

  She smiled at him and ruffled his dark brown hair, exposing the scar on his forehead. Subconsciously, she brushed her thumb over the spot and placed a kiss there. “You bet I am, kiddo. If you don’t mind, I’ll stay at your house until Monday, then I have to go home.”

  “Really?” Jacob asked, sounding excited. “Will you go riding with me and show me how to blow bubbles again?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll have time Saturday morning before the rodeo. Let’s make it a date.” Celia held out her hand to Jacob and he shook it excitedly. He leaned around Cort and grinned at his mother, showing off the gap in his smile where he’d lost a front tooth. “Mama! I’ve got a date with Aunt Seal!”

  The adults all laughed and the conversation moved on to everyone’s plans for the next few days. Kash wished he didn’t have obligations and responsibilities that required the bulk of his time and attention. Although Ransom was there, he was no help when it came to the animals or the business side of things.

  His father also attended the festivities. He said he was simply there to observe, but Kash had caught him covertly following Ransom around a few times and wondered what the old man was plotting. He didn’t get his hopes up that his dad wanted to find out first-hand how much trouble Ransom stirred up at rodeos.

  Purposefully turning his thoughts from his family to Celia’s, he rejoined the conversation and agreed to attend a barbecue at Tate and Kenzie’s ranch Sunday afternoon. It would give him an opportunity to spend more time with Celia since she’d be there.

  The group was eating dessert when Ransom wandered by with a woman on each arm. He stopped and glanced down at Kash. Kenzie and Kaley both tried and failed to hide their shock at seeing him.

  “This is my twin brother, Ransom, for those of you who haven’t met him. Ransom, you remember Tate and Cort. This is Kaley and Jacob McGraw.” Kash motioned to Cort’s wife then nodded across the table to Kenzie. “And Kenzie and Gideon Morgan.”

  Ransom sneered. “It looks like retirement agrees with you both, even though I heard Cort accepted his a little reluctantly.” He turned with a mocking look at the former steer wrestler. “Last time I saw you, you were with a buxom little blonde drinking everyone under the table at a bar in Boise.”

  Cort stiffened at the comment. Kash started to rise out of his chair but Celia put a hand on his arm. “At least my brother realized there was more to life than being a womanizing, drunken moron.” She offered Ransom a fake smile filled with enough venom he should have fallen to the ground with convulsions. “Enjoy your evening.”

  Determined to ignore the annoying man, she turned to Kenzie and asked about her work for a popular direct sales company.

  Ransom took the hint and sauntered off with his friends. Not long after he wandered in the direction of the Let’er Buck Room, Frank Kressley appeared and settled a hand on Kash’s shoulder.

  He glanced up at his dad, got to his feet, and made introductions. Tate and Cort both knew him from their rodeo days, but Frank removed his hat and offered polite words of greeting to the women and children.

  “It’s nice to see you again, too, Celia. Enjoy the rodeo.” Frank settled his hat on his head and thumped Kash on the back. “Have a good time, Kash. I’ll keep an eye on things this evening.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I’ll talk to you later.” Kash regained his seat and they finished dessert.

  By the time they were through, Jacob and Gideon both yawned. Cort picked up his little boy while Tate carried his son.

  “I think it’s time for us to hit the road. We’ll see you tomorrow, though.” Tate shifted Gideon in his arms and reached out a hand to shake Kash’s.

  “And don’t keep this wild girl out too late. Miss Fancy Pants turns into a pumpkin at midnight,” Cort teased as he ruffled a hand over Celia’s head and mussed her hair.

  She huffed and smoothed it back down, shooting Cort a sisterly glare. “Just leave the porch light on for me. I’m too exhausted to stay out late and Kash is too busy to keep me occupied that long anyway.”

  Together, they walked out of the barbecue. Kash escorted Celia past the teepee encampment and over to the park where a number of Native American booths sold everything from painted feathers to hand-tooled leather items.

  A display of jewelry stirred Celia’s interest, so she stopped to peruse the contents of the booth. Several pieces contained colorful stones infused with fascinating scenes.

  “What are those?” Kash asked, picking up a necklace with a stone that resembled a miniature painting of an autumn lake. The deep brown tones looked like trees while shades of blue and teal appeared to be water and sky.

  “Owyhee jaspers. They’re semi-precious stones taken from the Owyhee Mountains on the Oregon-Idaho border. The stones are prized for their incredible desert and mountain scenes.” Celia browsed over the selection.

  “It’s a pretty amazing example of God’s handiwork,” Kash commented as he set down the necklace and studied a ring with a gray and brown stone.

  “Oh, my goodness!” Celia nearly squealed as she picked up a hand-tooled leather bracelet with one of the stones set into the band. Different from the others, the background was a rich cream color with dark red swirls across it. Muted into the rock was a soft gray pattern that almost looked like a lotus flower. “This is amazing!”

  Kash took the bracelet from her hand and fastened it around her wrist. “It looks like you.”

  He barely managed to refrain from expressing his thoughts that the light background reminded him of her creamy skin while the splashes of red put him in mind of her hair and feisty personality. The soft hint of the flower fit her as well. Beneath her sassy façade, Celia had a tender heart and was one hundred percent feminine.

  Celia glanced at the price tag and started to take it off, but Kash put his hand over her wrist. “Let me buy it, Celia. Please? I want to give you a gift that will help you remember today.”

  “I can remember today without you dropping a hundred bucks on a reminder. It’s way too much, Kash.” Celia grinned at him. “But since you offered and since I really want it, I’ll
agree, just this once.”

  Kash grinned and paid the vendor then he and Celia wandered through the rest of the booths as the evening light began to fade into darkness. They sat on the grass beneath a tree and shared a piece of Indian fry bread. When they finished, Kash rose to his feet and extended his hand to her.

  “As much as I’d like to spend hours with you, I’ve got to be up early and you do, too. You have almost an hour’s drive to Cort’s place, so I’d better send you home.”

  “Party pooper.” Celia took his hand and let him pull her up against his chest. Moisture flooded her mouth. She stared at his lips, wishing he’d kiss her again. She didn’t care if they were in the middle of the park with hundreds of people wandering around them. A desperate need to feel his lips on hers again washed over her.

  As though he sensed her thoughts, Kash grabbed her hand and hurried her back to where she’d parked. He took her keys and unlocked her pickup door. It served as a shield to block the view of passersby as he tantalized her mouth with a series of kisses that left her dizzy and dazed.

  “Wow! You are some kisser, Kash Kressley, and I’m not just saying that to be nice.” Celia leaned her forehead against his chest as she caught her breath. Her hands held fists full of his shirt to keep her upright since her knees wobbled and her mid-section trembled.

  A chuckle rumbled in his chest and she smiled at the sound. She inhaled a deep breath, filling her nose with the scent that permeated her dreams every night. Since the day he’d kissed her at the apartment elevator more thoroughly than she’d ever been in her life, she couldn’t get him or his kisses out of her system.

  “From that comment, you’re making me wonder how many frogs you’ve kissed over the years.”

  Celia took a step back and planted a fist on her hip. “Are you insinuating these lips would let something warty and gross touch them?”

  “Well, you did have that knucklehead propose to you back in June. Oh, there was also the matter of you kissing my brother,” Kash teased. “There aren’t too many things more disgusting than thinking about those delectable lips touching his.”

  A shove followed the smack she delivered to his arm, but she reached out and grabbed hold of a belt loop before he took a step back.

  “Ransom kissed me, not the other way around. Even though I didn’t know there were two of you at the time, I found him completely revolting. I even wondered if you had some sort of split personality disorder thing going on.”

  Kash wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck.

  A pleased sigh escaped her lips as she trailed her fingers through the back of his hair. “I should have known by the scent it wasn’t you.”

  Confused, he drew back and stared at her. “Scent? What’s that mean? Do you go around sniffing men like a dog?”

  “No, you lunkhead. I mean that Ransom smells like beer, sweat, and arrogance. Most of the time you could add tacky perfume to the list from whatever cheap date he’s been hanging with.”

  “Is that right?” Kash ran his hands down her back to her waist and nudged her a little closer. “And what do I smell like?”

  Celia hesitated to answer. It made her feel vulnerable and somehow silly to tell him her thoughts, but the imploring gleam in his eyes prompted her to speak. “Like the first snowfall of winter and a warm fire, mixed with a little leather and horses, highlighted by something deliciously masculine and entirely provocative.”

  His eyebrow shot up and he studied her to make sure she was serious. At the timorous look on her face, he smiled and kissed her cheek. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  She relaxed against him and grinned. “Even my friend Kelly mentioned how good you smell.”

  “Kelly?” Kash tried to remember meeting a friend named Kelly. He recalled the girl who’d slapped his face at the rodeo outside of Portland. “Ah, the face slapper.”

  Celia reached up and softly brushed her hand against his cheek. “I’m sorry about that. I had no way to know.”

  “I know you didn’t, so let’s not talk about it again, unless you want to tell me how good you think I smell and how much Ransom stinks. You can mention those details anytime.”

  Celia hugged him, wishing she never had to let go.

  He bent down and breathed deeply. His breath on her neck made goose bumps break out along her arms. “You smell pretty good, too. Is that all you, or do you have a favorite fragrance? Your scent reminds me of something fruity or flowery with a healthy dash of good ol’ sexy stirred in.”

  Grateful Kash couldn’t see her blush in the gathering darkness, she thought she might morph into a puddle of mush right at his feet if he continued saying things like that. “I do have a favorite scent. I use body wash and lotion most days, and perfume for special occasions.”

  Kash took a deep whiff and closed his eyes. “Is today a special occasion?”

  “Every day that I get to see you is special,” Celia said in a breathy tone that sent his pulse skittering into overdrive.

  “What’s the name of this alluring fragrance?” Kash nibbled on her ear and felt her tremble in his arms.

  “Red Evermore.”

  He pulled back to see if she was teasing and realized she wasn’t. “Well, if that isn’t the most fitting thing, I don’t know what is. Red Evermore.”

  She closed her eyes as his lips settled on hers and masterfully drew out a response. By the time he finished kissing her, she had no idea how she’d manage to drive herself to Cort’s place and didn’t have enough functioning brain cells to care.

  Thoughts of Kash consumed her. All she wanted was to spend the rest of forever in his arms.

  “Come on. You get yourself to your brother’s house before I decide to keep you here with me.” His voice sounded husky and rough, even to his ears. He’d never wanted a woman like he wanted Celia and the whole notion of it threatened to knock him into a tailspin.

  Without waiting for her to reply, he picked her up and set her on the seat. “Have a good night, Red. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “You can count on it, Kash. Sweet dreams.”

  “You, too. Drive safely.”

  He shut her door and watched until she drove away, wondering how he’d ever fall asleep when she’d taken his heart along for the ride.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kash knew he should drive through Boise without stopping. It was almost two in the morning. Yet, he couldn’t force himself to do it. Not when he might have the opportunity to see Celia.

  After the few days they spent together at the Pendleton Round-Up, he’d traveled to California for a series of rodeos that wrapped up the regular season.

  Several of his horses and bulls competed at the regional circuit finals. Once the animals were back on the ranch, he’d headed out to meet with various rodeo committees about contracts for the coming year and had spent the last few weeks on the road.

  The day started out in western Washington and he planned to end it at the ranch. He wanted to look over the stock and check in with his dad before leaving for a round of meetings in Utah.

  Normally, his dad handled all the paperwork and negotiations. This year, he’d originally planned to turn all that part of the business over to Ransom. However, when Kash said he’d take care of it, neither his dad nor Ransom argued with the decision.

  Although Frank Kressley remained adamant both of his sons be involved in the business or he’d sell, Kash hoped his father would change his mind. Otherwise, he’d busted his tail the last year for nothing.

  Ransom’s rotten attitude toward the business reflected in everything he did, making it easy to see how much he wanted out. Kash couldn’t even remember the last time his brother had ridden a horse or helped with the stock.

  Fast cars, faster women, and football seemed to be the only things that held any interest for Ransom, other than tormenting his brother. In that particular area, he excelled.

  Tired of dealing with Ransom and his childish behavior, Kash ign
ored him as much as possible. Focusing on the future, on seeing Celia again, kept him going.

  Right now, all he wanted was to wrap his arms around her and lose himself in her kisses.

  Just thinking about the enticingly sweet yet undeniably spicy flavor of her kisses made his mouth water with longing. He hadn’t seen her for fifty-three days, eleven hours and some odd minutes. It seemed more like fifty years as he put his phone on speaker and waited for her to answer.

  On the fourth ring, it went to voice mail.

  Kash smacked the steering wheel in disappointment. “Hey, Red, it’s me. I’m passing through town and wanted to say hello. I’m gonna swing by your place, on the odd chance you might be awake. If you’re asleep and don’t get this until tomorrow, I miss you and hope to see you soon. Bye.”

  He’d almost ended with “I love you,” but he wasn’t quite ready to say those three little words. In all his thirty years, the only female he’d said them to was Barb, and that’s because she had been like a mother to him since he was ten.

  The past made him wary of trusting a female, even a woman as perfectly suited for him as Celia.

  Although he’d like to think he still maintained control of his heart, she’d held it in her hands for months and there wasn’t a single thing Kash could do about it.

  The woman dominated his thoughts, ransacked his dreams, and left him more frustrated, exasperated, and exhilarated than he’d ever been in his life.

  Despite how much he wanted her, cared for her, fantasized about a life with her, he worried about blending their two busy lives together. Her career was based in Boise, he had the stock contracting business, and the likelihood of making a long distance relationship work seemed slim.

  Regardless, the fact it didn’t seem impossible gave him hope that maybe they could sit down and talk about their future one of these days.

  First, Kash had to get through the national finals rodeo where he’d provide several broncs and bulls for the ten-day of event.

  The day after Thanksgiving, he’d make the day-long drive to Las Vegas where he’d spend almost two and a half weeks for the granddaddy of all rodeos.