Her Cowboy Billionaire Blind Date: A Whittaker Family Novel (Christmas in Coral Canyon Book 7)

by Liz Isaacson

  “So we know the judges are kids…chocolate chip cupcakes?”

  “That’s a great idea,” Amanda said. “In the cake batter and the frosting.” They walked under the trees, the scene serene and quiet, and Amanda breathed in deeply, a measure of peace moving through her.

  “I love these mountains,” she said.

  “They’re beautiful,” Finn said. “Not many mountains where I’m from in Kentucky.”

  “Not many in Texas either.” The stroll calmed her, and she turned back to the lodge. “We should get back. I bet we’ll have to go up against Bree and Andrew.” She started back along the path, and Finn moved his hand to hers.

  At the edge of the trees, she paused, wanting another kiss before she had to go back inside and bake her way to victory. Finn seemed to be able to read her mind, because he brought her close and touched his lips to hers for just a moment before growling and claiming her mouth as his.

  She never wanted to kiss another man again. Only him. Only Finn.

  Later, she stood in the kitchen, sweating as she watched the children taste the cupcakes on the table. They had gone up against Andrew and Bree, and Bree had somehow made a caramel apple cake in only thirty minutes. With candied apples and a caramel frosting, the cupcake looked delicious.

  Their chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake didn’t seem as impressive, and she couldn’t tell how the judges felt about it. The whispered conversation seemed to go on and on, and she thought she might squeeze off Finn’s hand before the winner was announced.

  Celia finally beamed at the kids and looked at Amanda, Finn, Andrew, and Bree, who stood in the kitchen as if the cash award for this Cupcake Wars was substantial. The other participating couples loitered around too, and the tension in the lodge could’ve been cut with a knife.

  “And the winner is…Bree and Andrew!” The kids cheered, and disappointment cut through Amanda. But she grinned and hugged her son and Bree before stepping over to the table to try their cupcake.

  It was salty and sweet, and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head at the deliciousness of it. “This is so good,” she said around her mouthful of treat. “No wonder they won.”

  Finn approached her, a smile on his face. “We tried.”

  “We sure did.”

  “I’m starving for something without sugar,” he said. “Want to go to dinner with me?”

  They’d driven separately, but she could drive down the canyon and go to dinner with him. “Sure. What did you have in mind?”

  “Nothing fancy. Just a boring steakhouse or something.”

  “Want me to cook?” Amanda started combing through her memory for what she could possibly make for them. “I can make a mean skillet lasagna in a half an hour.”

  “Your place?” he asked, the interest in his expression off the charts. Amanda imagined kissing him in her kitchen, on the back deck.

  “Yep,” she said, popping the P.

  “I’ll meet you down there,” he said. “I’ll stop and get something to drink. Sound good?”

  “Sure. Let me say good-bye to my kids.”

  “Take your time.” He reached in his pocket and withdrew his keys. “I’ll see you in a bit.” He started for the front door, and she went with him, not daring to kiss him in front of the few people sitting on the couch in the living room.

  She’d just turned around to find Celia and thank her for the fun Cupcake War and to say good-bye to her family when Beau approached.

  “Ma,” he said. “Nice job in the kitchen. I’m sure you deserved to win.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Did you taste that caramel apple cupcake? It was amazing.”

  “And you and Finn? Looked like you were plenty sympatico while making cupcakes….” He grinned at her, but Amanda had never discussed her dating life with her kids. She kept things neutral, letting her actions show her feelings for a particular man.

  “He’s a good man,” she said. “Thanks for setting us up.”

  “That was Graham,” Beau said, holding up both his hands. “I mean, maybe I suggested him, but Graham did all the contacting and arranging.”

  “Well, we’re getting along,” Amanda said. “Give your mother a hug. I’m leaving.”

  Beau engulfed her in a big bear hug, and Amanda laughed. “Bye, Ma.”

  “Love you, Beau. Tell your brothers good-bye for me. Kiss your wife. Squeeze Charlie.” She smiled and headed for the door. The silence in her SUV felt heavenly, and she basked in it for a few moments before starting the engine and adjusting the air conditioning.

  She beat Finn to her house and started getting out ingredients. The past month flowed through her mind, and she paused as the ground beef sizzled in the pan. What would life be like with him in it permanently? If she’d been home when the buyer from Spirit Lake came, and if she had to arrange her schedule to fit his, or tell him exactly what she did and where she went all day.

  He didn’t seem like the controlling type, and her thoughts weren’t negative. She was simply seeing if she had room for that type of commitment in her life. Not that she needed to make it right now, though she certainly wasn’t getting any younger.

  The doorbell chimed, startling her. She looked frantically toward the front of the house, though she couldn’t see the door from here, and back to the pan of ground beef she’d started and had done nothing with. It snapped angrily now, and she flipped the knob to turn off the flame.

  Feeling giddy for a reason she couldn’t name, she pulled open the front door, almost throwing herself in Finn’s arms. But he held a fountain drink in one hand and a case of strawberry lemonade in the other.

  “They had that Lemonhead brand you like,” he said, lifting it up with a smile.

  “Come on in.” She held onto the door as she stepped back, a glow spreading through her when he walked in.

  He whistled as he looked up at the vaulted ceilings and around at the lobby. Amanda knew the house was a little ridiculous. But she’d raised four teenage boys here, and she’d always dreamed of having them bring their families here, stay the night, fill the walls with laughter again.

  Then Ron had died, and Graham had bought the lodge. That had become the epicenter of Whittaker family events, as every son had lived there, every son had fallen in love there. Every Christmas was spent there, and Amanda had made peace with it.

  Sometimes she kept a grandchild overnight, but not often. Now, when Eli and Meg came to town, they stayed at the lodge. Amanda’s heart pinched, because she knew she didn’t need to hang onto this house, but she wasn’t sure she could give it up.

  “Nice place,” he said.

  “Thank you,” she said simply. She walked past her army of plants that welcomed everyone to her home, and went into the kitchen. “You can put the lemonade in the fridge if you want,” she said.

  He did as she turned the flame back on and turned to chop an onion. His arms came around her from behind, causing goosebumps to erupt over her arms. She smiled, sighed, and sagged back into him.

  “You really don’t have to cook,” he murmured, his lips skating down the side of her neck. “If you’re too tired, let’s order something.”

  She wanted to do exactly that. Kiss him until she didn’t have to think about selling her house, or the death of her husband, or Whiskey Mountain Lodge.

  Setting down the knife, she turned in his arms and kissed him, the union almost frantic at first. He pulled away and looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Amanda,” he said, concern filling those blue eyes now. “You were okay when I left you at the lodge. Did something happen?”

  She shook her head, unable to look at him any longer. She ducked her head and tucked herself against his chest. “I’m fine. Just thinking about some things.” And she really needed to stir that meat or turn off the burner.

  “What kind of things?” Finn asked. “Maybe I can help.”

  She disentangled herself from him and moved back to the stove. “Ron and I
built this house so we could have our family here as it grew and expanded.” She didn’t look at him as she returned to the cutting board. She made quick work of the onion as she said, “I sometimes have one of my sons here, or a single grandchild, but it’s not the family meeting place I imagined it would be.” She glanced at him but couldn’t hold his gaze for long. “Sometimes it upsets me a little bit that Graham bought the lodge, and everyone gathers there. That’s all.”

  “Understandable,” Finn said.

  She turned and dropped the onions into the pan, stirring them around. “We eat there every Sunday. There’s a huge shin-dig at Thanksgiving and Christmas, though it’s really Christmas that takes the cake at the lodge.” She tried to smile, but it wasn’t as easy as she’d like it to be.

  “Ron died just after Christmas,” she whispered. Trying to gather her emotions back into the box where she kept them, she lifted her head high and moved to the pantry to get the homemade tomato sauce and a bag of pasta.

  “I only have campanelle,” she said when she came back. Finn hadn’t moved, and he watched her with guarded eyes. “Hope that’s okay.”

  “I don’t even know what that is,” he said, his tone trying to be playful and failing.

  “It’s a little cone-shaped pasta,” she said, ripping open the bag and taking one out. “It’s got a ruffled edge, see?”

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he said.

  “It holds the meat and sauce pretty well.”

  “Great.”

  Amanda was aware she was avoiding the conversation, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want tonight to be heavy, not after a great afternoon and a spectacular kiss. She poured in the tomato sauce, satisfied at the instant boil, and added the pasta, stirring everything around.

  With a lid on the pan and a timer set for ten minutes, she turned back to Finn. “I’m fine, Finn,” she said. “I don’t want to dwell on unhappy things tonight, okay?”

  “Okay,” he said.

  “What’s in the cup?” She nodded toward it. “I didn’t realize you were a big soda drinker.”

  A smile danced across his lips. “Oh, I love the stuff.”

  “Is that right?” she asked, warmth filling her chest. Having him in her house felt intimate and…right, and she was so glad he was there.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Tell me something about you I don’t know yet.”

  Wanting to keep things light between them, she moved over to a drawer on the same side of the counter as the stove. “This is my spice drawer.” She opened it. “I labeled it.”

  “Labeled it?” He joined her, bringing the delicious scent of cologne and chocolate with him. Peering into the drawer, he said, “Oh, wow.”

  “I might have an unhealthy relationship with my label maker.” She laughed, the sound and action freeing up some of the tension in her chest.

  Finn’s slow, passionate kiss broke up the rest, and Amanda finally relaxed in his arms.

  She’d save the heavy conversations for later. Tonight was about her and Finn—and a bubbling skillet of lasagna.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Fireworks exploded overhead, and Finn’s whole body felt like someone had shoved a sparkler inside him. He’d spent the day with Amanda, first at a parade in Coral Canyon, then at a family picnic up at the lodge. She didn’t seem upset that the event wasn’t at her place, but he could easily see how it could be.

  Her house was as large as the lodge, without as many bedrooms upstairs. More shared living spaces, which would actually be conducive to having a large group of adults around. But he said nothing. He appreciated that she’d opened up to him, and the weeks since had been filled with fun text conversations, random lunch dates, and loads of kissing.

  Oh, yes, Finn really liked Amanda. They weren’t moving very fast, but he was too old for such things anyway.

  They’d gone to dinner alone, but then they’d met her family at the rodeo grounds for the fireworks. She’d been entertaining Ronnie for most of the evening, and she held the little boy on her lap now during the show.

  Finn liked the way she leaned into him as she looked up into the sky. He liked holding her hand. He liked the orange and rose scent of her hair. He liked the way her lips felt against his, and he liked having someone to share his life with.

  They’d been seeing each other for nearly two months now, and he felt like his simple life had been laid out on paper pretty early on. He didn’t have a lot of surprises to reveal, other than things he did for his job, and Amanda had been a little shocked to learn he organized and ran a jockey training camp in August.

  Only a month away, and he was seriously behind in his preparations for it. He’d secured a location months ago, and he’d been watching the registrations. They’d filled last week, and he had a healthy waiting list now, too.

  He’d done the camp before, but there was plenty to prepare each time, and he needed to dig into that soon. Very soon.

  The music crescendoed around him, and the sky filled with dazzling lights and pops and bombs. It seemed to go on for a very long time, and then the crowd cheered loudly.

  “All done,” Amanda said to Ronnie, pure happiness on her face. Finn didn’t have grandchildren yet, but he could plainly see how much she loved hers. “Go sit with Finny for a second, Ronnie. Grandma needs to get your stuff.” She passed the little boy to Finn, who froze with the child on his lap.

  A moment later, everything relaxed. He could hold a three-year-old. The boy didn’t even know him, but he sank into him, his fist clutched around a glow-in-the-dark stick. “What color is it?” he asked the boy, who turned and looked up at him.

  “Green,” he said.

  Finn smiled at him. “Good boy.” He hadn’t been to a fireworks show in a long time. He never set them off at home either, as the Labs didn’t like the loud noises. The horses either. Finn barely tolerated them. But tonight, as he watched families clean up and start heading down the aisles, a sense of wonder and joy filled him.

  Life was meant to be lived—outside the walls of his home and the fences on his farm. Sure, he loved those things, but he could have more. He loved spending time with Amanda and her family, and he realized in that moment that if things progressed with them, and they got married, he’d be taking on the entire Whittaker family. Four new sons. Four new daughters-in-law. Six grandchildren and counting.

  And he wanted them all.

  “I’ll take him,” Laney said, breaking into Finn’s thoughts as she bent to pick up her son. “Come on, buddy. It’s way past bedtime.”

  He held up his toy. “Green, Mama.”

  “I know. It’s green.” She flashed a smile at Finn and added, “It’s good to see you, Finn.”

  “You too, Laney.” She moved out into the aisle behind Graham, and Finn stood up too. He folded the blanket he’d been sitting on and tucked it under his arm.

  “Ready?” he asked Amanda. He’d driven to her place, and she’d had her SUV loaded up with blankets and a cooler.

  “Yep.” He stepped out into the aisle and waited for her to go in front of him. They battled the crowds, something Finn usually didn’t appreciate. But tonight, holding Amanda’s hand, everything was fine.

  Back at her place, he helped her carry in the cooler and stack all the unopened bottles of water and cans of soda in her fridge. He took the ice out to the backyard and dumped it out before turning the cooler upside down and leaving it propped against the bottom step of the deck.

  Returning the house, he found Amanda holding a small box wrapped in silver paper. “What’s going on?” he asked, his step slowing.

  “I saw this and thought of you,” she said, a smile covering up some of her exhaustion.

  “I don’t have anything for you.” He approached slowly, feeling somewhat foolish.

  “A return gift is not required.” She handed him the box, and it was lighter than he’d imagined it would be. His mind raced as he lifted the top of the box off to peer inside.

  A packet of seeds sat there.
He grinned and looked at Amanda. “What is this?”

  “Take them out.”

  He did, but they weren’t the kind of seeds he would buy at the nursery, and they didn’t come in a fancy, labeled package. They came with earth attached, and he quickly realized they were bulbs, not seeds.

  “Amanda.” He didn’t meant to say her name with so much reverence. So much…love. It just happened. “You didn’t just find these. You had to go looking.” He met her eyes, finding the truth there. “Where did you get them?”

  “Did you know there’s only a few places that will ship bulbs out?” She grinned at him. “And it should be above freezing for the required time if you plant them now.”

  Since the package bore no writing, he had no idea what color they’d be. “Thank you,” he said. “I know right where to put these.”

  “I know you do.” She took them from him and set the bulbs back in the box. “You told me all about it a few weeks ago as you took me on a tour of your yard.” She put herself in his arms and stretched up to kiss him.

  Finn kissed her back, a new thrill entering his bloodstream. “Thank you,” he murmured against her lips before claiming them again. He couldn’t help wondering if her giving him something to grow on his land meant she’d come live with him if they got married.

  He couldn’t believe he was thinking about marriage again, but his mind seemed to go where it wanted to go. They had a lot to discuss to merge their two lives, but in that moment, late at night on the Fourth of July, he just kissed Amanda—and that was enough for now.

  Weeks passed, and he saw her a little bit less than he would’ve liked. But summer was a busy time on the farm, and he had the jockey training camp to prep for. He worked from sunup to sundown, and the only times he saw Amanda in the flesh were when she brought food to his house for dinner, or they met for a quick lunch in Dog Valley.

  The day before the camp, he was supposed to take Amanda to dinner, but his phone rang that morning, the name of a past client on the screen.