A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe

by Jessica Clare

  He looked at the boots and then back at her. “Why are you such a good person?”

  She shook her head, the smile returning to her lips as she came back around the counter. Once she was in front of him, she picked up the boots and offered them to him again. “Perhaps I’m just trying to help out another good person.”

  She was so damn sweet. As she looked up and gave him another dimpled smile, he fought back the sudden urge to cross the distance between them and kiss her. To tilt that pretty face up and watch her hair spill down her back, her dark eyes getting heated with arousal as he leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. God, he wanted that. He wanted to drag her back under the mistletoe and see how she reacted if he kissed the heck out of her.

  But . . . she was just being friendly. She was lonely and bored, and he was just a project to her, like Greg’s cookies. He was a wreck of a person, and she was just being nice.

  “I don’t deserve your friendship,” he told her, wishing that it was more than just that. That she’d look at him with real interest instead of sympathy.

  “Sure you do,” Sage told him with another gorgeously dimpled smile. “You’re going to be my date, remember? This is a give-and-take relationship. Friendship.” She corrected herself quickly, and her cheeks pinked again. “And trust me, I’m going to appreciate that date far more than you can ever know.”

  “Because you want to make him jealous?”

  “No. Well . . . maybe. Am I a bad person if I say I wouldn’t mind it?”

  He laughed. “Not at all.”

  She pushed the boots toward him again, and this time, he took them. “Have you eaten dinner? I’m just about to finish up here and then go make cookies at home, but I’d love some company.”

  Now that he wasn’t out of his mind with anxiety, he realized he was rather hungry. Exhausted, yes, but hungry, too. “I could eat. I kinda left the ranch pretty quickly once the day was done. I needed to get away.”

  “Come on, then,” she said, and picked up her keys. “I make a mean dinner omelet.”

  * * *

  • • •

  He spent the rest of the evening with Sage, enjoying her happy chatter and, surprisingly, telling her all about his day and how he’d handled things. Her dinner omelet was great, just as she’d said, and he helped her make cookies for Greg just to pass the time, even though he secretly wanted to shove a stray hair or two in them just for kicks. They gnawed on Cass’s cookies, and because Sage thought of everyone, she made another batch of her peppermint brownie cookies and plated them for him to take back to Cass as a thank-you.

  It was late when he left, promising to text her the next day to keep her abreast of how things were going. He was relaxed, too. Surprisingly so. Sage’s presence was calming to him, and she never let him sink into his thoughts so deeply that they started to go wild on him. He wasn’t sure if she was doing that on purpose, but whatever the reason, he was grateful for it. The calm stayed with him until he pulled up to the Price Ranch and parked his truck. He got out, and immediately, the quiet gave him goose bumps. It was just something he’d have to get used to this far out of the city, he reminded himself. It didn’t mean there was a problem. The layer of snow on the ground muffled everything, too.

  But it was still hard to cross the short distance to the front door and open it. He saw a few of the dogs piled near the Christmas tree on their beds, and they raised their heads when he entered but didn’t get up. He went into the kitchen with Sage’s cookies and set them carefully on the counter. Somewhere in the house, he could hear a TV playing, the only sound to break up the quiet. He’d had a good evening. He should have headed to bed.

  Instead, Jason couldn’t stop thinking about the silence outside. How still everything was. How both Cass and Annie had young children and were likely curled up sleeping, oblivious to any danger that might be outside. And because he knew it was going to bother him, he opened the back door and headed toward the barn. He was going to check over everything one more time and then head to bed. One of the dogs followed him out—one that looked like a blue-eyed collie. It padded behind him quietly, and whenever he turned back to look at it, the dog sat down and wagged its tail. It was as if it wanted to figure out what he was doing . . . or just wanted to keep him company.

  For some reason, the little guy’s presence wasn’t irritating. It was kind of nice. Like it wasn’t just him against the world tonight. With his new friend at his heels, Jason checked the stalls, and every nook and cranny in the barn. He circled the perimeter of it and then went completely around the house, just in case. He checked near the cars parked in the carport. When he was done, he headed back toward the house . . . and was surprised to see Dustin rubbing his eyes, standing on the porch in slippers and flannel pajamas. “Everything okay, man?”

  “Just thought I’d heard something,” he lied. “Wanted to check it out.”

  “Could be raccoons or coyotes. We see a fair number of both around here. You want me to get dressed and help you look?”

  “Nah, I looked over everything and didn’t see anything strange,” Jason said, heading inside. “And your dog didn’t go on alert for anything.”

  Dustin dropped to a squat and reached for the collie, who went to him happily. “Bandit’s a good boy. He’d tell you if there was a critter out there.”

  “There was nothing,” he said again, and headed inside. Because there never was anything. It was always in his mind, always, except for the one time in Afghanistan that had scarred his mind ever since. He went to his room and undressed, took a quick shower, got under the covers, and stared at the ceiling. Even though he was utterly exhausted and it was growing late, he couldn’t close his eyes to go to sleep.

  Even after all these years, Jason was still afraid that every time he went to sleep, he’d see all the things he tried so desperately hard to forget in the daytime.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sage hummed as she sorted through the outgoing mail, readying it for the driver. She loved seeing all the different Christmas cards that came in, but her hands were covered in glitter by the time she was done, and no amount of washing got every speck. She’d probably end up with some of it on her face, and then Jason would laugh at her. The thought made her smile, and for a moment, she briefly considered putting a few flakes on the end of her nose deliberately, just because Jason needed to smile more.

  Her poor, rookie cowboy. The greenhorniest of greenhorns with the saddest eyes.

  Thinking about him made her get out her phone, and he’d promised last night that he’d text her throughout the day. She hoped that if he was sending her messages, that it could be a good distraction for whatever he was going through, and if he had questions, she could discreetly help without making the other cowboys aware that he was getting assistance.

  But since she hadn’t heard from him, she jumped the gun and sent him a picture of her torso.

  SAGE: U like? It’s the Grinch, done Mona Lisa style. And the Grinch’s face is fuzzy, no less.

  It took a few minutes for the reply to come in, but she expected that.

  JASON: God, that is ugly.

  JASON: It’s an affront to my eyeballs.

  JASON: I’m laughing so hard.

  Oh good. That was exactly her intent. She chuckled to herself as she typed out another response.

  SAGE: I wore it just for you!

  JASON: You shouldn’t have. I mean that.

  JASON: I showed it to one of the horses and it screamed in terror.

  Now she was the one giggling.

  SAGE: I hope you’re not texting from horseback. That’s dangerous! Comparable to texting while driving, but the horses probably have bigger teeth than your truck.

  JASON: Nope.

  He sent her a photo of the inside of a stall, along with a gloved hand holding a pitchfork.

  JASON: I’m on muc
king duty.

  JASON: I think Eli hates me. He gave me a few dirty looks today and suggested I clean out the barn. I’m here by myself while they’re moving the cattle.

  Her heart squeezed. She was sure Eli didn’t hate him. Eli was a nice man. He was quiet, but he’d always been very kind to her. He doted on his wife and his baby son, but she also knew he was fiercely proud of being a cowboy and rancher, and had no time for other people’s nonsense. He probably didn’t know what to make of Jason and his post-traumatic stress disorder, especially since Jason hadn’t told anyone but her.

  SAGE: Cleaning stalls is just a big part of the job, I’m afraid.

  SAGE: I don’t think it means he hates you. Maybe he just didn’t have the time for chitchat today?

  JASON: He noticed me triple-checking the barn and stared at me for a while.

  Sage winced.

  SAGE: How is it going today?

  JASON: About the same as yesterday.

  JASON: Texts are helping tho. Please keep talking to me.

  Oh, she would. She’d text him all day long if that was what he needed. She’d pull every ugly sweater out of her closet and put on a virtual fashion show if it would keep him out of the dark places in his mind. So she texted him a mindless, innocent question.

  SAGE: Have you finished your Christmas shopping? I have to buy some office gifts and some presents for the food pantry a few towns over, but I really don’t have many people to shop for. It’s a shame—I love giving presents.

  JASON: As evidenced by my new kicks. Thank you, by the way. They fit perfectly with a pair of thick socks.

  SAGE: Fantastic! I’m so glad. My dad would be pleased, too. No sense in letting them go to waste.

  JASON: You’re too nice, Sage. Anyone ever tell you that?

  SAGE: Most people forget I’m alive. : ) Unless they have to pay the water bill.

  JASON: Then they’re morons.

  She didn’t know what to think of that response. He was so flattering to her, but she was just being a nice person, wasn’t she? Wouldn’t anyone try to help someone like him?

  It didn’t hurt that he was tall and handsome beyond her wildest dreams. Even now, just thinking of his smile made her heart flutter. How he looked at her with such an intense gaze. He was probably the only person in town that truly, truly saw her. He didn’t think she was just Sage, another town fixture and about as interesting as a lamppost. He talked to her. Listened to her.

  He thought Greg was crazy for ignoring her.

  She bit her lip, smiling to herself.

  Just then, the bell on the door clanged even as her phone buzzed with another text. For the first time in a long time, she was irked at the sight of Greg. She knew he’d only come by to check if she’d made his cookies, and his insistence was starting to irritate her. Couldn’t he make his own cookies? Didn’t he realize she didn’t sit around waiting to fulfill all his needs?

  Then she realized that he didn’t know that, because she’d always leapt at the chance to help out in the past. Gosh, she was a dummy sometimes. “Hey, Greg.” She pushed her phone into her pocket, hoping this wouldn’t be a long visit. “I have those cookies for you and the mail.” She grabbed the tray and put it on the counter, along with his stack of catalogs. “Tell Becca I said hi.”

  He paused at the counter, frowning down at the stack of cookies. But his words were kind. “You always think of me, don’t you, Sage?”

  That was an odd thing to say. She didn’t point out that he’d nagged her about the dang cookies for the last two days. “I’m your friend,” was all she replied.

  Greg toyed with the plastic wrap on the edge of the tray, not leaving, and she tried not to be impatient as her phone buzzed with yet another text from Jason. She really, really wanted to check her screen, but she’d just have to wait until Greg left, because she didn’t want to field any questions.

  But he didn’t leave. He sighed heavily—twice—and then looked at her, frustration on his face. “What do you think of bachelor parties?”

  She blinked. “Are you inviting me? Because I’m not sure I’d be comfortable—”

  “No, no. I’m not having a bachelor party.” His tone took on a bitter edge. “Becca doesn’t like the idea. And I think she’s being ridiculous.”

  Oh. Sage opened her mouth wordlessly, then snapped it shut again. Becca was extremely sweet, but she definitely wore the pants in her relationship with Greg. Sage didn’t realize that he’d minded. Somehow she felt like this question was a trap. If she told him that she agreed with him, she worried he’d use it as ammo against Becca in an argument. But if she agreed with Becca, she was a bad friend to him. “I see.”

  “It’s my wedding, too, you know?” Greg sighed again and leaned on the counter. “I just can’t believe she’s being so stubborn about this.”

  “Perhaps she has strong feelings about it.” Diplomacy was a good tactic.

  “I should have just married you. You’d have let me have a bachelor party, I bet.” He gave her a winsome smile.

  Stunned, she blinked at him for a moment. He should have just married her? He was in love with Becca! They’d never even dated! How was that possibly on the table?

  “Thanks for making my cookies,” Greg said, oblivious to her shock. He took one out and bit into it. “Finally.”

  “I’ve been busy,” she said automatically, still reeling from the first part of their conversation. What on earth was eating at him? Her phone buzzed again, and as Greg leaned on the counter, it was clear he was here to hang out, so she excused herself and moved away a few steps. “I need to check my phone.”

  She practically galloped to the back of the room and pulled her phone out, turning her back to Greg so he wouldn’t see her expression while she checked her messages.

  JASON: No Christmas shopping. And I think this horse must be Eli’s. He hates me.

  JASON: Oh man, and this next stall smells. I think Eli planned this.

  JASON: Oh god. Not to be gross, but can horses get diarrhea? What the hell do I do?

  A horrified giggle escaped her as she imagined poor Jason dealing with a sick horse.

  “Sage?”

  She whipped around to look at Greg. “Huh?”

  He’d straightened and was frowning at her like she’d done something wrong. “Something funny?”

  “Oh no. Just, ah, a friend texting me.” She shoved her phone into her back jeans pocket, mentally hoping Jason wouldn’t think she was ignoring him. “He’s my plus-one to your rehearsal dinner tomorrow night, actually.”

  Greg gave her a shocked look. “You have a date? Who?”

  Why did he look so floored? Feeling defensive, she lifted her chin. “Just a friend.”

  “The friend you spent the weekend with? Or last night? Someone said you left here with a guy.”

  Gosh, news really did travel fast in a small town. Was that why Greg was lurking at the counter today? He wanted to gossip about her actually having a social life?

  “You’re blushing,” Greg pointed out. The look on his face was unreadable, but she could have sworn he almost looked displeased.

  “Just a friend,” she repeated quickly. “You’ll like him when you meet him, I promise.”

  “Huh.” He shrugged. “I’m glad you found a date.” Except he didn’t sound all that glad. He sounded irked. What, did he expect her to wait around in case he changed his mind? Please. The moment she’d heard he’d gotten engaged, she’d been thrilled for him and her crush had dissipated like a soap bubble. Greg was nice and cute, but it just wasn’t meant to be, and she wasn’t one to dwell on the past.

  Seemed like Greg was one to dwell on it, though.

  The door to the post office/municipal office opened again, sleigh bells clanging, and in walked Cass, her baby bundled in a fuzzy red outfit. Here was someone that
liked Christmas as much as Sage, at least.

  She beamed at Cass. “Hello, stranger!” Maybe now Greg would leave. Normally, she loved the company during slow times of the day, but Greg was just being downright weird.

  “Hey there! I love your sweater!” Cass giggled, her nose red from the cold as she stepped inside. Her arms were full of Travis, and Sage immediately moved forward and put her hands out so she could hold the baby. He was the cutest, most roly-poly little thing with the fattest cheeks.

  “I’ll talk to you later, Sage,” Greg said, rapping his knuckles on the counter in goodbye. He picked up his tray of cookies, nodded at Cass, and headed out even as Sage moved to Cass and took Travis in her arms.

  “See you at the dinner,” Sage said absently, and cooed at Travis. “Aren’t you the cutest! You look like one of Santa’s little helpers!”

  Cass chuckled, smiling at the two of them. “That is outfit number two, believe it or not. Outfit number one had a horrible accident before I could even leave the house. It’s definitely gonna be a laundry day.” She smiled and gestured at two envelopes that she’d pulled out of her diaper bag. “Can I leave these with you?”

  “Of course! This is the post office. Regular delivery okay?”

  “That’s fine. They’re just Christmas cards, and I know I’m late sending them out, but it’s the thought that counts.” She studied Sage. “How are you? Enjoying this mild weather?”

  “It beats the blizzard from two years ago,” Sage said with a wink, because everyone knew the story of how Cass had crashed her car in that very blizzard while heading to her parents’ cabin in the mountains, only to be rescued by Eli. They’d been snowed in together and fallen in love.

  It was the most romantic thing, Sage thought. Well, except for the car crash and blizzard. Two years later to the day, they were married and had a sweet baby.