by Dahlia Rose
“What’s that, kitten?”
“I’m going to Wyoming.”
That got his attention. “Why?”
She straightened in her chair and raised her chin. “I’m going to make new, happier memories with Cody.”
“And have you discussed this with him?”
“No, but I know he went through something that helped him know where I was coming from with my grief, but he wouldn’t share it. He said he never celebrates Christmas, and neither does his brother. I didn’t get the sense that it was a religious thing, so I’m going out there to help him, like he helped me.”
The doubt in her uncle’s expression frustrated her because she knew she took a big risk even doing this. What if Cody had a woman by now? What if he slammed the door in her face or told her to go home? Uncle Cornell voiced all of these worries, but she refuted each one.
“He was a player when I was there. I know he didn’t take women seriously, and I’m not going there to be his girlfriend or his lover.”
“Are we that close we can discuss your love life, Kaleena?”
She smirked. “Yes, we are. And I’m telling you, that’s not why I’m going. He saved my life. I told you everything on the plane ride back. I think the fact that I was able to smile and laugh again is because of him. It’s only been a year and I’m not looking to try a relationship, but as Cody’s friend, I want to help him laugh and enjoy this time of year. I want to rebuild it for myself too. I don’t want to wallow in sadness every Christmas from now on. I want joy and happiness as the carols say. So whether it’s smart or stupid, I’m going. I thought I’d just let you know.”
He folded the paper and set it aside. “Then good luck. If he is rude to you, I will shoot him.”
Kaleena rolled her eyes and laughed. “Thanks, Uncle Cornell. I’m going to make my flight reservations. Just leave your dishes in the sink, and I’ll wash them when I come back downstairs. I love you.”
“I love you too. Enjoy Wyoming.”
“I definitely will.”
She made her plans quickly, and before she knew it her plane touched down at her destination. Excitement brewed in her stomach at seeing Cody again. Not because she had feelings for him—although she couldn’t deny there had been an awareness of him as a man that caused her guilt back then. The real reason was because he deserved to be happy. His sweetness when he looked after her told her he had a good heart. People like that tended to be hit harder by life’s trials. Hell, she’d felt like she wouldn’t come back into the light of day after losing Jeff, and sometimes it still felt that way. Hope she attributed to Cody kept her going forward, and she would offer him the same, even if she had to drag his ass out of the house to sing carols at the community gathering.
Oh to see his face when I suggest it. She smiled to herself and went to make arrangements for a ride out to Twin Falls Ranch. A stopover at the outlet store, and soon Kaleena arrived at Cody’s door. In the early evening, she caught sight of a couple ranch hands but not Cody, and she paid the driver, having him set her things on the porch.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked and waited.
“Uh, excuse me?”
She froze and then turned around, spotting a young woman with a very pregnant belly over toward the side of the house. Panic set into Kaleena. She swallowed. Had he not only found someone special but gotten her pregnant too? What would the woman think of her showing up unannounced without a call?
“Um-uh, hi,” she stuttered. “Maybe I’m at the wrong house.” She felt like an idiot and knew she had the right place. The ranch had a feeling of coming home even if she’d spent just a few days there. A sense of pain and loss also washed over her, but she refused to give into it. Her time with Cody, his kindness, needed to be the focus.
“If you’re looking for Cody, I think he’s in one of the buildings out back,” the woman said.
“I—”
“I’ll go get him.”
She disappeared before Kaleena could tell her never mind. She looked down at herself and what she wore, along with all the packages and her luggage. He would think she was a psycho stalker. He’d toss her on the next plane out of the state and tell her not to return.
No. Calm down, Kaleena. This isn’t that big a deal. If he had a woman, she’d deal with it—embarrassed as hell—and then go home. Besides, it wasn’t like she’d come to get with him anyway. She came as a friend and nothing more.
Cody must have come in through the back door because she heard boots on the hardwood floor coming closer. All Kaleena’s bravery drained away in an instant when the door swung wide and there he stood. Damn, how had she not remembered how sexy he was? No, she recalled all right. The times she’d cried in his arms were ingrained in her head, even if she couldn’t appreciate back then how it felt.
She perked up and smiled. “Merry Christmas. I’m here for a visit. Do you remember me?”
“Kaleena.”
That he pronounced her name with a hint of pain must be her imagination. She held her arms out to the sides and spun. “See? I’m going to be your elf.” She’d worn an outfit similar to the woman’s at the outlet store that time last year, but hers included bootie-type shoes, curled at the toes. She’d waited until they were on the way to the ranch to slip into them. “Well?”
He frowned. “You’re going to catch a cold. Where is your coat?”
“That’s your response?”
“It’s the only sane one.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I don’t remember you this grouchy.”
“I held it in because you didn’t need my sour attitude along with everything else you had to deal with. You already know this isn’t my favorite time of year, and that day is less than a week away.”
“I know, right? I almost couldn’t get a flight out here. There were last minute cancellations.” She turned to grab the biggest bag to drag into the house. “Well, I’m here now, so that’s the important thing.”
He reached past her, and in true Cody fashion, dwarfing her with his big, muscular size, he nabbed the bag from her hands, along with a few others. He left her with the lighter packages, and she followed him inside. The grin widened. He didn’t intend to leave her out in the cold.
“Will I get my usual room?”
Cody tossed her an annoyed look over his shoulder, but something told her he was less upset with her showing up out of the blue than he put on. He walked down the hall to her previous room and set her bags by the bed. She dumped the rest of the things on the mattress and glanced around. “This place didn’t get any more cheery since I’ve been gone.” She hesitated. “That pregnant woman I saw out front...”
“Henry’s wife.”
She just managed to cut off the sigh of relief. “Oh, okay. I didn’t remember seeing her before.” His ranch hand had married a younger woman. She guessed them to be about ten years apart in age. Good for him.
Cody studied her, and she shifted from one foot to the other under his intense gaze. “You’ve grown stronger. You seem happier.”
She smiled. “Thanks. I intend to be.”
“What are you doing here?” He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets, and she recalled how they had stroked her back on many occasions. A desire for him to stroke more than that took her by surprise, and she tamped down the thought.
“I’m here to celebrate Christmas with you,” she announced.
“I told you—”
“I know.” She gathered up the bags from the outlet store and started past him. “We’re making new memories, you and me. We’re going to turn this ranch and the surrounding area into a place of joy instead of depression.”
“You sound like a greeting card,” he grumped. “I can do without all the cheer.”
She hummed a holiday tune, ignoring him. Maybe she should go back into town and buy a CD player to blast some music in this house. No, that might drive him to strangle her. One step at a time.
In the living room, she began pulling out decorations. A
row of lights around the mantel, and a wreath above it. Cody hadn’t put anything on that brick wall, which was criminal in her opinion. She glanced around for a stool and then found one in the kitchen. Still humming, she climbed up and began arranging the wreath.
“Tell me when this is in the middle,” she called over her shoulder.
“Kaleena!”
She smiled with her back to him. His saying her name pleased her. Get a grip, Kaleena. Friend. She did not want to open herself up to another relationship. General life happiness was one thing, pursuing love another. She glanced back at him standing in the doorway to the hall. He did look good in his jeans.
“Is it straight?”
He frowned at her in response, and she sighed.
“You are such a grump. Do you really want me to be sad every Christmas forever? You saw how much pain I was in last year. Can you do this for me if not for yourself?”
“To the left two inches.” With that curt reply, he stalked from the room, but she’d won the battle. There would be more, but she would not give in. With the wreath in place and a few other holiday odds and ends placed, she attacked the banister out front, winding lighted garland all around it. In the windows, she tacked up lights with candles centering them. She blew up an inflatable Santa with reindeer just off the drive. From the looks of it, snow had fallen recently, and there would be more before she left no doubt. Half way through her setup, she realized she had no idea how to do the wiring and stood there frowning at everything.
“Kaleena.”
She jumped, hearing Cody behind her. When she turned, she found him closer than she thought and looked up into his eyes. Had they been that green last year?
“Is part of your plan to have me take care of you again?”
“What do you mean?”
Big hands began buttoning her coat, and she stood still to let him. Some sense of feeling special came over her. “I’m not trying to get sick, but would you consider doing me a favor?”
He glared. She let it roll off her.
“I can’t figure out how to do the wiring to light up everything at once. I bought outdoor extension cords, so that’s not the problem. Do you have outdoor jacks, or will I need to run this through a window or under a door?”
“I didn’t give you permission to transform my house! You can stay here as long as you like, but I have to draw the line at stupid men in a red suit and a moose.”
She blinked. “Seriously? Moose? You’re kidding, right?”
His face reddened, and she put her hands on his chest and extended up to her toes to kiss his cheek. “Thanks.”
Cody didn’t say a word as she walked into the house. The bag she’d brought to the kitchen on her way to her bedroom lay in the refrigerator, and she took this time to bring it out and unload it on the counter. She turned on the oven and searched Cody’s cupboards for pans and cookware. Just as she thought, there were none. Good thing she’d picked up disposable items. If she needed more, she would ask him to take her to town and buy reusable pans and other kitchenware.
Soon she had a pan of chocolate chip cookies in the oven and one cooling on the stovetop. She made sugar cookies and peanut butter as well. Because the day had grown late, she would wait to make an elaborate meal tomorrow and definitely on Christmas Day. Tonight, she intended to feed him spaghetti with homemade meatballs and garlic bread. For dessert they would eat some of the cookies, and she would brew hot cocoa with marshmallows for them to enjoy near the fireplace.
When Kaleena stepped from the kitchen to see what Cody was up to, she spotted him outside, stomping back and forth between her lawn decorations and the lights on the porch. Santa came to life, rising as air filled him from the automatic pump. The garland twinkled all around the porch, and she clapped her hands bouncing up and down. This would be the best Christmas Cody ever had, if she had anything to say about it.
Chapter Five
“This is good,” Cody said, sampling from the plate she’d handed him. She sat across from him, her legs tucked to the side on the couch and balanced her plate on one hand. Cody had dropped into a chair nearer to the fireplace and kicked his boots off. She figured he must be frozen after being outside in the snow.
“Thanks. Why does that compliment sound so grudging?”
“Your imagination.”
She laughed, and he stared at her as if struck.
“What? Do I have food on my nose or something?”
He glanced away and took a huge bite of garlic bread. The way he devoured half the serving of spaghetti, she figured he wasn’t flattering her saying he liked it. A warm, fuzzy feeling came over her, and she tucked into her own food.
“After this I have cookies and hot cocoa. I’m going to make enough for all of your staff to have some and extra to take home to their families.”
He grumbled. “I’m sure their wives or girlfriends make their own.”
“It’s a gift. I bet you don’t give them anything for Christmas.”
The offense stood plain in his eyes. “I give them a bonus in pay without fail.”
“Impersonal.”
“Kaleena.”
“Cody,” she mocked.
His glare made her smile, and she moved to perch on the arm of his chair. She drew her feet up, sitting so close her hip and part of her ass brushed his arm. She had no idea where the boldness came from, but the flush to his handsome face pleased her. After finishing off her food, she leaned forward and placed the plate on the coffee table then sat up licking a bit of sauce from her forefinger. She started to do the same with her middle finger, but Cody’s hand shot out and arrested her wrist. She blinked at him.
He held onto her and bent to place his plate on the table. To her surprise, he stuck her finger into his mouth and sucked. White-hot need shot straight down to her pussy. Her eyes widened, and she gasped. “Um…”
“Do you think you can tease me like that and get away with it?” he demanded. Green, sexy eyes full of anger and desire flashed at her.
“I didn’t…”
“Don’t you dare say you didn’t mean to tempt me. You meant it. Your ass in those tight pants, rubbing against my arm, then bending over to give me a good view of it, what exactly did you think would happen?”
Was he pissed off? Did he intend to throw her out?
Cody jerked her from the chair arm and into his lap. She breasts bumped his chest. A low growl escaped him, and she licked her lips. He watched the movement, locked on it as if he couldn’t look away. He released her wrist and rested his hands at her waist. A tug brought her even closer, and it came home real quick just how much she’d turned him on. His hard cock pushed against her ass, sending her heartbeat into overdrive.
“You need to understand what you’re getting into when you so obviously offer yourself to a man like me.”
The words “I’m not offering myself” rose to her lips, but who was she kidding? She wanted him. The guilt she’d felt being attracted to him, and the level of pain over the last year had lessened. If she was honest, she would admit all the talk about coming here as a friend was a lie she told herself.
She bought herself time. “So what are you saying?”
“You know exactly what I’m saying.”
She ducked her head, biting her bottom lip. If she let this go forward, where would that lead them? Would she find herself hurt when it came time to go back home? Last year, it hadn’t taken two seconds in town for her to realize Cody played the field. More than one woman preened in front of him, hoping he would give her the time of day. Besides, falling in love with Cody Everett wasn’t in the plan. She had one task, and that included learning to love Christmas again. Okay, now there were two—having hot sex. That too would be a memory to explore and re-explore over the next few months, maybe even years, when she slept alone with no one to love.
Kaleena hopped off Cody’s lap, and he let her stand. She kept her back to him, deciding again if she would go through with this. When she reached a decision, she sa
nk down and sat in the middle of his lap. With a small push, she ground into his cock. Cody sucked in a breath and gripped the chair’s armrests.
“Kaleena, baby, you better be sure about this.”
She turned and placed a knee on either side of his thighs. Leaning in close so her breasts were flush with is face, she popped open a button. “I’m sure. Do you want me?”
Another button opened and then another. His gaze dropped to her revealed cleavage. Kaleena had always liked the size of her breasts. As a C cup, she had just enough to please a man without being too much. Sure, there were other aspects of her figure she disliked, such as the extra junk in her trunk and the spreading of her hips. Over the last year, she struggled with gaining twenty pounds and losing only fifteen. Still, she didn’t look bad, and from Cody’s reaction, he agreed.
Her blouse hit the floor, and her pink bra with a see through quality over the breasts caught and held Cody’s gaze. Now she knew why she’d even worn the thing when she had plenty of serviceable ones that were less sexy. No matter how much she fooled herself with the reasons why she came, her subconscious knew the real deal.
Cody’s hands slid up her thighs to her waist and higher to the sides of her breasts. He thumbed the beginning swell there and moaned. Leaning in, he nosed into the valley in the middle and breathed deep. “You smell incredible.”
“It’s my body wash.” She reached back to undo the clasp on her bra, but he stopped her.
“Let me.”
She waited while he undid the hooks with one hand, a practiced movement, she guessed. No getting ideas about this man. He loved women, many women from what she’d seen. Cody dragged the bra straps over her shoulders and down her arms, allowing her breasts to pop free.
“Damn, damn, damn,” he murmured.
She shivered. The fire had died down some.
“Let me warm you, baby.”
When his lips closed over her nipple, fire licked her veins, and her pussy heated. She knotted her fingers in his hair and dragged him closer while arching into his touch. His tongue curled over her flesh, teasing her nipple until it puckered. He flicked the end and then sucked it deep between his lips. She moaned at the ache he caused in such a short amount of time. Just a few hours in his presence and cookies and cocoa be damned. Having Cody inside her far outweighed the special treat.