Slade was quiet as she spoke to the minister and introduced him. They left the church, and Slade’s silence on the way to the van bothered Emily. Concerned, she clasped his arm. “What’s wrong?”
Standing in the glare of the floodlight that lit the parking lot, Slade’s Stetson shaded his face. “If you want to go to dinner at the O’Neills tomorrow, feel free.”
She knew how many Christmases Slade had spent alone. She would never leave him alone this year, not just out of kindness but because she wanted to be with him. “You’re invited, too.”
“I’m an afterthought.”
“That’s not true, and I won’t go unless you come with me. I don’t want to spend Christmas without you.”
“You’re a good-hearted woman, Emily, but I don’t want your pity.”
“Do you see pity?” she asked as she looked up at him.
When he didn’t answer, she released his arm. “We can do whatever you’d like, Slade. I can make dinner or we can go to the O’Neills. It doesn’t matter to me either way.”
Some of the rigidity went out of his stance. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll go with you to the O’Neills tomorrow if you go with me to that New Year’s Eve party and we call it a real date.”
She thought about Slade moving on, she thought about his conversation with his brother and what that would mean to his life. “You’ll be staying after Christmas?”
“I’ve given it some thought. Mark asked me to go with him to his Fun Festival next week. You still need someone to handle the chores. It’s probably better if I just stay put until Hunter gets back to the country. Then I’ll work out what comes next.”
Her heart rejoiced that he wasn’t leaving yet, but her common sense told her not to be too happy about it. Still the idea of a real date was thoroughly exciting. “I’d like to go with you to the Diamonds’ party.”
He tilted his head and the play of light shone in his eyes. Or maybe the sparks there had nothing to do with the light. Maybe they came from the desire that she felt acutely, too.
“It’s a date, then,” he said, his voice deep and husky.
A night alone with Slade. She realized their relationship had just moved to another level. That idea made her all quivery inside, and she didn’t know if the feeling was from anticipation or fear.
On the ride home, Slade switched on the radio and the soft strains of Christmas carols filled the inside of the van. Slade let Emily out at the door when he reached her house. She was accepting Mavis’ invitation to Christmas dinner as he came inside.
Mavis gave Emily a hug. “We’re glad you’re going to join us tomorrow.” Then she shook Slade’s hand. “Merry Christmas, Slade. I hope you like ham because that’s what we’re having this year.”
“Ham’s just fine, ma’am.”
As Emily hung up her coat, Slade walked Mavis to her car and made sure she was safely on her way.
“I know it’s late,” he said when he’d returned to the kitchen. “But I have something for you, and I’d like to give it to you tonight.”
“Slade, you didn’t have to—”
“It’s Christmas, Emily. Just have a seat on the sofa. I’ll be right there.”
But instead of doing as he suggested, Emily went to the tree and beneath it found a package she’d wrapped. She sat on the sofa, nervously made sure the baby monitor was adjusted properly and was laying the present on the coffee table when Slade came back into the room. He’d taken off his jacket and his shoulders seemed even broader in the white shirt. His hair fell rakishly over his brow, and his crooked smile made him look like a boy on Christmas.
He handed her a present wrapped in red paper and tied with a gold bow. “Go ahead,” he said, sitting down beside her. “Open it.”
After she untied the bow, she ripped off the paper and found a shoe box.
He grinned at her. “It was the only one I could find.”
When she lifted the lid, she found tissue paper. Pushing it back, she didn’t know what to expect. Inside lay a carved fawn, and she took it out reverently. “Slade, this is beautiful.” And then she guessed. “Did you do this?”
“I’ve been carving since I was a boy. In my spare time. It keeps me out of trouble.”
Examining it more closely, she turned the fawn in her hand and tears came to her eyes. “Thank you. It’s the most beautiful present I’ve ever received.” Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. It was a different kind of kiss than the others they’d shared, but in its way, it was just as special. She could see that Slade thought so, too, when she looked into his eyes. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her package from the table and laid it on his lap.
Slade made quick work of the wrappings then lifted the lid of the flat box. He saw the socks first and held them in his hand. “These will be great for working out in the barn. They’ll keep me warm.” Then he noticed the book. It was small, and as he lifted it out, he saw that it was a guide to the heavens.
“I didn’t know if you still had the other one,” she said softly.
“I don’t. One of the bunkhouses I stayed in leaked with the rain and it got ruined a few years ago.” Looking down at her, he said, “Thank you. Maybe you and I could go stargazing some night.”
There was a mesmerizing quality about Slade’s blue eyes that kept her from looking away, that kept her from wanting to hide, that kept her right where she was. Taking the deer from her hands, he set it on the coffee table and then his presents, too. There was a masterfulness about his movements and a surety. The same was true of his lips when they came down on hers, and she leaned into his kiss. He pulled back once, studied her face, and then kissed her again with demand, hunger, and the desire that had been building between them from the moment they’d met. Emily was totally lost in the sensuality of his lips and his tongue and his scent when she heard sounds coming from beside her.
Pulling away from him, she shakily ran a hand through her hair. “It’s Amanda. I have to go to her.”
Slade nodded. But as she picked up the fawn and went to the stairs, his gaze followed her. Finally he said, “One of these nights, Emily, nothing’s going to interrupt us.”
All the breath went out of her lungs and the force of what she felt for Slade made her put her hand on the banister for support. Then with a murmured “good-night,” and “I’ll see you in the morning,” she mounted the stairs, needing the refuge of her bedroom.
She’d fallen in love with Slade Coleburn. What would she do when he left?
Chapter Eight
Big, fat flurries of snow blew around Emily and Slade as they entered the training arena where the Diamonds’ New Year’s Eve party was being held. Christmas had surpassed Slade’s expectations for the day, beginning with Mark’s look of glee as he saw his presents, his exclamations of delight as he opened each one. Emily had thanked Slade again for the fawn, and he’d felt pleased that she was keeping it near her in her room. Maybe it meant something to her. Maybe he was beginning to mean something to her.
That thought startled him. Did he want to mean something to her? He didn’t know how to settle in one place. He didn’t know how to be a husband or a father or the type of man a woman could need for longer than it took him to get restless and move on. The thing was—he’d had no sign of restlessness since arriving at the Double Blaze. He put aside that consideration to ponder later.
Slade wondered if Dallas O’Neill would be here tonight. He expected he would. Christmas Day would have been perfect if he hadn’t been around. But Slade had managed to make polite conversation with him and act friendly for Emily’s sake.
The inside of the arena was a sight to behold. Tables and chairs lined the perimeter. Bales of hay were stacked here and there for sitting, for leaning, and just for atmosphere, Slade supposed. At the far end, there was a stage, and a band was playing. A woman stepped up to the mike and began a familiar country tune. Evergreen boughs and red bows, intertwined with tinsel garlands, draped the walls.
“Thi
s is some shindig,” Slade said close to Emily’s ear.
When she turned to look up at him, her cheek almost brushed his. “Amos Diamond knows how to throw a party. He’s not necessarily well-liked, but he is respected, and cutters come from all over the country to buy his quarter horses and have them trained.”
A few coatracks filled the entryway to the arena. “Would you like to shed your coat?” Slade asked. “Or do you want to take it with you?”
“I can leave it here, then it won’t be in the way.” Holding it for her as she took it off, Slade’s fingers brushed her shoulders and their gazes met. It had been that way since Christmas—the electric charge that ran through him whenever they touched, the tingling awareness of just being around her. He hung his own jacket beside her coat. He’d worn the white shirt and string tie along with the black jeans, and the way she was looking at him, he was glad he had.
“You look pretty tonight,” he said simply, liking the way she’d fixed part of her hair in a barrette in the back, pulling it away from her face. She’d worn lipstick again, too. Her long-sleeved red blouse had a ruffle around the collar and around both cuffs. Tiny blue embroidery decorated the placket. Her blue denim skirt was full and had a ruffle around the bottom that almost touched the instep of her boots.
“Thank you,” she murmured, blushing with his compliment.
“You’re welcome,” he said with a smile, then rested his hand at the small of her back and guided her into the party. She didn’t move away from him, and he could feel the heat of her skin under the cotton blouse. His fingers tingled, and his body knew desire that was aching to be satisfied. Yet he knew it might not be. He knew Emily’s values.
They found seats at a table with people Emily told him she had a nodding acquaintance with. Unlike the women in the social hall after Thanksgiving, these neighbors didn’t seem curious about his relationship with Emily. They just wanted to have a New Year’s Eve to remember and that was fine with him. Soon squares formed in the middle of the arena and a caller came to the mike.
“Do you square dance?” Slade asked Emily.
“Since I was a kid,” she answered with a smile.
Standing, he offered her his hand. She took it and they joined one of the squares.
During the next hour, Slade glimpsed a side of Emily he wished he knew better as she do-si-doed and kicked up her heels with the best of them. She was almost carefree while she laughed and talked and joked with those around her as if she didn’t have a responsibility in the world. In his estimation, she had too many responsibilities, and he was glad that for this one night she could have some good old-fashioned fun. He’d like to see to it that she had more. He’d like to see to a lot of things.
When the squares broke up, they went back to the table for snacks and a drink, but then the band started playing a slow Kevin Sharp ballad, and Slade longed to hold Emily in his arms.
“Do you slow dance as good as you square dance?” he asked.
“I guess you’ll have to dance with me to find out,” she bantered back with an almost flirtatious look.
She was irresistibly pretty, sexy and sweet, and he led her out to the middle of the floor and took her into his arms. They’d touched and passed and connected now and then while they’d square danced, but this was altogether different. Holding her close, he brought her hand into his chest where he was sure she could feel the beat of his heart. The scent of her perfume was more intoxicating than years-old whiskey, and the ache inside him grew higher and wider and deeper. It was more than sexual and he didn’t begin to understand it. It had to do with holidays and family and belonging in one place…to one person.
For how many years had he told himself he was a loner, and he liked it that way? But holding Emily in his arms, savoring the way she made him feel, told another story.
Her breasts pressed against his chest, and he ran his hand caressingly down her back. When she looked up at him, time seemed to stop. He bent his head, aware that her neighbors could be watching. Instead of kissing her, he brushed his cheek against hers, touched his lips to her temple and felt the softness of her hair across his jaw. It was more erotic than kissing in a way. More tantalizing. Bringing her even closer, he locked his hands at her waist and she linked her arms around his neck. They were swaying now rather than actually dancing. The closeness seemed necessary, part of who they were becoming…what they were becoming to each other. He was almost ready to forget about neighbors and gossip and kiss her right here in the middle of the party.
The music and voices and smells of hay and food and evergreen boughs seemed like a hazy reality to Emily as she danced with Slade. At that moment, he filled her world with power and strength and a protectiveness that felt oddly good. She’d never wanted to be protected, but with Slade, lots of things were different. A curling tension in her belly told her this man could arouse her to a height she’d never experienced. His looks, his slight touches, his scent, incited such a basic need in her that she’d been afraid of it. But tonight she was embracing it rather than fearing it. Tonight she wanted to explore it and, from the way Slade was holding her, she got the idea he wanted to explore it, too. When his lips grazed her temple, she drew in an unsteady breath.
But then suddenly, he put space between them.
When she looked up, she realized why. Dallas was standing there, looking serious and determined. “May I cut in?” he asked politely.
“That’s up to Emily,” Slade said tersely.
She didn’t want to leave Slade’s arms, but she couldn’t slight Dallas. Besides, she’d have the rest of the evening with Slade and a breather might do them both good. When she nodded and smiled at Dallas, Slade’s arms slipped away from her, and she suddenly felt cold. One look at Slade’s face told her she might have made the wrong decision.
But before he could turn away, she touched his hand. “Again later?”
His stormy blue eyes softened. “I’ll be waiting,” he said.
Dallas took her in a looser, less intimate hold.
“Are you getting serious about him?” Dallas asked without any preliminary conversation.
“I’m not sure what you mean by serious.”
“Don’t play word games with me, Emily. Are you losing your heart to him?”
She studied her longtime friend—the wayward lock of brown hair falling across his brow, his handsome face, his green eyes. “We’ve been friends a long time, Dallas. But I’m not comfortable discussing Slade with you.”
“That about says it all.” He gave her a probing look. “I guess it won’t do any good if I warn you that you’re going to get hurt.”
“My eyes are wide-open and I know Slade will be moving on, if that’s what you mean.”
“I didn’t think you were that kind of woman, Emily.”
She stopped dancing. “What kind of woman?”
“Never mind,” Dallas mumbled, looking unsettled.
“The kind of woman who sleeps with a man and then forgets about it?” she asked, angry now. “Seems to me, men find that idea just dandy. I don’t see a ring on your finger yet. Are you going to tell me you’ve kept yourself for the right woman?”
Dallas’s cheeks flushed and his green eyes flashed with gold, but then he let out a sigh. “Of course I’m not.” He shook his head. “I should have remembered you can give as good as you get. Can we finish this dance or are you going to stand in the middle of the floor not moving?”
Wrinkling her nose at him, they took the traditional position again. “So when are you going to be home to stay?” she asked.
“At the end of August, I hope. But I’ll be back and forth a few times before then. I’ve decided to build a house on the crest overlooking the north pasture. I’ll be supervising basics from a distance, but then I’m going to do all the finish work when I get home.”
“What type of house?” she asked.
He grinned as if just thinking about it made him happy. “A log home. Maybe you can help me decorate it.”
> “You don’t want one of those big city ladies doing it?” she teased.
“You know what I think about city ladies, Emily.”
The music stopped and she and Dallas separated. But he looked down at her fondly. “I wish you the best. You know that, don’t you? I want you to be happy.”
“I know you do. Thanks for caring about me, Dallas. It means a lot.”
An emotion passed over his face that she didn’t quite understand, but then it was gone and she thought maybe she’d imagined it because he smiled at her again. “Have fun with Slade tonight if that’s what you want. And if I don’t see you again later, I’ll let you know when the ground breaking’s going to be.”
Emily stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. He moved away and waved before he headed for the front entrance. It looked as if he wasn’t going to stay. She wished he’d find someone special.
Slade was involved in a conversation with the man beside him when she returned to their table. He ended it and stood. “Dallas left?” he asked with one arched brow.
“It looks like it.”
“Good. Then I won’t have to worry about anybody cutting in again. It sounds like another slow one. Are you ready?”
She was ready to be held in Slade’s arms again and maybe she was ready for more.
As the saying went, they danced the night away, returning to the table now and then, but always eager to hold each other, sway to the music and sample pleasure that seemed forbidden in the midst of a crowd.
It was nearly midnight when Slade guided her away from the couples that were still dancing. Taking her hand, he led her behind a stack of hay bales.
“What’s wrong?” she asked breathlessly as they finally stopped in a secluded corner.
“Nothing at all’s wrong. I just thought we could use a little privacy when midnight finally struck.”
Strains of Auld Lang Syne floated from the stage and someone began a countdown. She didn’t need a crystal ball to figure out what Slade had in mind. “I think privacy’s a great idea.”
Just the Man She Needed Page 11