A Cadence Creek Christmas (Cadence Creek Cowboys)

by Alward, Donna

  “Thanks,” she said, deflated but unwilling to rise to any bait tonight. Not on Callum’s day.

  “When are you going to stop playing and start putting that business degree to good use?” he asked.

  “I am putting my degree to use,” she returned, moving automatically to the music. “Just ask my accountant.”

  “Planning parties?”

  “I know you’ve never understood that. You wanted me to be a fund manager. I’d be bored to death, Dad.”

  She made herself look into his face as she said it. For a moment he’d almost looked hurt. How was that even possible?

  Conversation dropped for a minute or so before Harry recovered and changed the subject, talking nonstop about Nell and how it was wonderful to have a grandchild to spoil. The dance ended just in time—she was starting to worry he was going to ask her when she was going to do her duty and provide some more grandchildren. Her father’s opinions were clear enough and pretty much paralleled with what John’s had been. Personal and professional failure. And if not failure, at the least disappointment.

  When the dance was over Rhys gave her a wide berth and she attempted to perk up her mood by spending a half hour with the pregnant Clara, chatting about Angela’s charity foundation Butterfly House, and the other initiatives the Diamonds were involved in. It was all quite fascinating and before she knew it, the call went up for the single women to gather on the floor for the throwing of the bouquet.

  She was not going to do that. Not in a million years.

  Except Avery put up the call and every eye was on her. “Come on, Taylor, you, too!” Taylor spied Rhys standing against a pillar, his arms folded smugly as his eyes teased her, daring her to take part in the silly custom. She lifted her chin and ran her hands down her skirt before joining the half-dozen or so women ready to do battle for the mythical status of the next to be married. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of backing out. Not that she’d actively try to catch it...

  When Avery let the bouquet fly, Taylor had a heart-stopping moment when she realized it was heading right for her. Without thinking she simply reacted, raising her hands. But just before the ribbon-wrapped stems reached her, another hand neatly plucked it from the air.

  Cheers went up when Amy Wilson held up the bouquet in a sign of victory.

  Taylor was really ready to leave now. As she backed off the dance floor, she looked over at her mother, smiling from the sidelines, still cradling a sleeping Nell in her arms. Taylor wondered if her mom knew how much Taylor admired her. It was always her dad in the spotlight, but Taylor knew how hard her mom worked to keep the ship on course. Once, when she’d been about ten years old, she’d discovered her mother in the kitchen, making lists for an upcoming party they were hosting. That was when Taylor understood how, when everything seemed smooth and effortless on the surface, it was because of a well-oiled, well-organized machine running things behind the scenes. The machine, in that case, had been her mother, who handled everything from start to finish and still found time to run the kids to sports and especially Jack to his ski meets.

  Maybe her dad was the one with his picture in the business magazines, but it was her mother Taylor truly admired. Her mother was the reason she’d chosen event planning as her career. Taylor hated how her father minimized the hard work she did, so why did her mother not resent his attitude? Why had it never been an issue for them?

  There was another loud shout and Taylor lifted her head to see a stunned Rhys holding the bridal garter. According to tradition, Amy then took the chair in the middle of the dance floor while Rhys slid the garter on her leg. Taylor stifled a laugh. He didn’t look too happy about it, especially when the DJ announced that the next dance was for the “lucky couple.” Served him right.

  As the music started, she headed toward her parents. “I don’t suppose you’re heading back to the B&B anytime soon, are you?” she asked, kneeling by her mom’s chair.

  “As a matter of fact, I was just suggesting to your dad that we should take Nell and go. She’s staying with us tonight so Callum and Avery can have the place to themselves before they all fly out tomorrow. Poor little mite’s had enough excitement for today.”

  “So has this big mite. I’m beat. Mind if I catch a lift?”

  “Of course not, but don’t you want to stay at the party?”

  Taylor saw Rhys and Amy out of the corner of her eye. For all he said he didn’t date local girls, Amy sure was snuggled close to him, her arms wrapped around his ribs and her head nestled into his shoulder. “I’m sure. I’ve had a long few days and this will pretty much run itself now.”

  “Get your things then. You did a beautiful job, sweetheart. Proud of you.”

  The words warmed Taylor’s heart. “Thanks, Mom. I had a good teacher.”

  “Oh, go on.”

  But Taylor took a moment to press her mother’s hand in hers. “I mean it. I don’t know that you were appreciated enough for all you did to keep things running smoothly. I should have said this before, but when I started my business you were the inspiration behind it.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “Well, it’s true.”

  Taylor went to pull away but her mom held tight to her hand. “Mind if I give you a little extra food for thought?”

  Surprised, Taylor paused. “Sure.”

  Susan looked into Taylor’s eyes and smiled. “None of it would have meant a thing without your dad and you kids. I know sometimes it looked like I played the dutiful wife...”

  “You worked hard.”

  “Yes, I did, and I enjoyed it. Still, I would have missed out on so much if I hadn’t had you kids. I could have gone on and done anything I wanted, you know? And I don’t regret my decision for a second. Work is work, but family is forever.”

  “Didn’t it ever bother you that Dad, well, took you for granted?”

  Susan laughed. “Is that what you think? Oh, heavens. He wanted you kids, too. Honey, you get so wound up and defensive about this division of labor expectation, but it goes both ways. We did what worked for us. Being home with you three was my choice to make.”

  “Is this leading to a speech about settling down?”

  Susan smiled and patted her hand. “I know better than that.”

  Taylor let out a breath. “Phew.” But after a moment she looked at her mother again. “Mom, maybe I will settle down. When I find the right guy.”

  “That’s a good answer,” her mother replied. “Now, let’s get going. I want to spend a little more time with my new granddaughter tonight.”

  Taylor got her coat from the coat check, snagged her purse and checked in with the staff one last time. Her mother was making sure they had all of Nell’s stuff—including her car seat—while her dad went to warm up the car. She was just pulling on her gloves when Rhys came up behind her.

  “You were just going to leave without saying goodbye?”

  She held on to her purse strap. “It’s been a long day and I’m catching a ride with my folks.”

  “That didn’t answer my question.”

  She frowned. “What do you care? You’ve amused yourself with me a bit for the last few days but the wedding’s over, we’re not paired up anymore and we can both go about our business.”

  Rhys stared at her quizzically. “Really?”

  “Is there some reason why we shouldn’t?”

  He looked like he wanted to say something, but held back. She wondered why. And then got a bit annoyed that she kept wondering about Rhys’s state of mind at all. She blew air out her nose in an exasperated huff. “What do you care anyway? You seemed to enjoy having Amy Wilson plastered all over you.”

  “Jealous?”

  She snorted. “Hardly.”

  He stepped forward until there was barely an inch between them. “Amy Wilson is th
e last woman on earth I want to be with!”

  Silence rang around them, and then, almost as one, they realized someone had heard the entire outburst. Amy stood not ten feet away, her creamy skin stained crimson in embarrassment as humiliated tears shone in her eyes.

  “Amy...” Taylor tried, taking a hesitant step toward the woman.

  But Amy lifted a hand to halt Taylor’s progress, and without saying a word she spun on her heel and disappeared into the women’s powder room.

  Rhys sighed heavily, let out a breathy expletive.

  “Good night, Rhys.”

  “Taylor, I’m...”

  But she didn’t listen to the end. She turned and walked, quickly, toward the exit. She could see the headlights of her dad’s rental car as it waited by the front door, saw him helping her mom in the passenger side. She went outside and was met by a frigid wall of arctic air. As she climbed into the backseat, she made a promise to herself.

  Tomorrow she was going to stock up on groceries, wine and DVDs. Then she was going to go to Callum’s house and as God as her witness, she wasn’t going to venture out into the icy cold for the entire week. She was going to be a hermit. No work. No worrying about freezing her tail off.

  And especially no men!

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  TAYLOR ROLLED OVER and squinted at the sunshine coming through the bedroom window. Why hadn’t she thought to close the blinds last night? Her first full day of vacation and she’d looked forward to sleeping in. She checked her watch. It was only eight-fifteen!

  She burrowed into the warm blankets and closed her eyes. Maybe if she breathed deeply and relaxed, she could fall back asleep. But after just a few minutes she knew she might as well get up. She was awake for good now. Besides, just because she was up didn’t mean she had to actually “do” anything. She could lounge around in her fuzzy pajamas, drink coffee, read one of the paperbacks she’d brought along.

  Come to think of it, that sounded pretty darn good. Especially the coffee part. It was going to be awesome having some peace and quiet. No ringing phones, no buzzing email, no wedding plans and especially no Rhys Bullock to get in her way now that the wedding was over.

  She was terribly afraid she was going to be bored to tears within forty-eight hours.

  She rolled out of bed and shoved her feet into her favorite sheepskin slippers. On the way to the kitchen she pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail, anchoring it with a hair elastic that had been left on her wrist. While the coffee was brewing she turned up the thermostat and chafed her arms. Even the soft fleece of her winter PJs was no protection against the December cold.

  She poured her first cup of coffee and, in keeping with the celebratory nature of the week, substituted her usual cream with the festive eggnog she found in the refrigerator.

  She was halfway through the cup when she chanced a look out the front window. The mug paused inches away from her lips as she stared at a familiar brown truck. What on earth was Rhys doing here?

  As she stared, the man in question came out of the barn. Even with the hat pulled low over his head, she’d recognize that long-legged stride in a heartbeat.

  Irritation marred her idyllic morning and before she could think twice she flung open the door and stepped to the threshold. “What on earth are you doing here?”

  His head snapped up and even though he was too far away for her to see his eyes, she felt the connection straight to her toes. Stupid girl. She should have stayed inside. Pretended she wasn’t home. Not risen to the bait, except Rhys seemed to get on her last nerve without trying. She swallowed thickly, feeling quite foolish but standing her ground as a matter of pride. He hadn’t actually baited her at all. He hadn’t done anything.

  Except show up.

  “Well?” she persisted.

  “I’m doing the chores.” His tone said, What does it look like I’m doing?

  She frowned. Callum had said at the reception that someone had looked after the chores and would continue to do so during his absence. He couldn’t have meant Rhys. Rhys had been occupied with the wedding all day on Saturday. She would have noticed if he’d slipped away.

  “Why?”

  He came closer, walking across the yard as if he owned the damned place. “Well, I would suppose that would be because Callum hired me to.”

  “He did not. He hired someone else.”

  Rhys was only twenty feet away now. “He told you that?”

  The wrinkle between her eyebrows deepened. Was that exactly what Callum had said? “He said he hired someone to do the chores during the wedding and during his absence, too.”

  Rhys stopped at the bottom of the steps to the veranda. “He hired Keith O’Brien on the day of the wedding, because I was in the wedding party.”

  Oh, hell.

  “Why didn’t he just hire him for the whole time, then?” She gave a huff that went up in a cloud of frosty air.

  “Because Keith left yesterday to go to Fort McMurray to spend the holidays with his family.”

  “So you’re...”

  He shifted his weight to one hip, a move that made him look unbearably cocky. “Here for the week,” he finished for her, his whole stance screaming deal with it.

  And then he smiled, that slow grin climbing up his cheek that was at once maddening and somehow, at the same time, made her whole body go warm. His gaze slid over her pajamas. “Penguins? Seriously?” he asked.

  Her mouth dropped open as she realized she was standing in the doorway still in her nightwear. Jolly skiing penguins danced down the light blue pant legs. The navy fleece top was plain except for one more penguin on the left breast.

  She stepped back inside and slammed the door.

  It was eerily quiet for the space of five seconds, and then her heart beat with the sound of his boots, heavy on the steps, then two more as he crossed the narrow porch.

  He was just on the other side of the door. Less than two feet away. He didn’t even have the manners to knock. It was like he knew she was standing there waiting for him because he said, in a low voice, “Aren’t you going to ask me in for coffee?”

  “Humph!” she huffed, taking a step backward and fuming, her hands on her hips. As if. Presumptuous jerk!

  “Come on, Taylor. It’s cold out here. A man could use a hot cup of joe. I can smell it, for Pete’s sake.”

  “I hear the coffee is good at the Wagon Wheel. Price is right, too.”

  Was that a chuckle she heard or had she just imagined it?

  Softer now, he answered, “But the company isn’t nearly as good.”

  She shouldn’t be persuaded or softening toward him at all. He was used to getting his own way and she wouldn’t oblige.

  Then he said the words she never thought he’d ever utter. “I’m sorry about the other night.”

  Damn him.

  She opened the door. “Come in then, before you let all the heat out. It’s like an igloo in here.”

  He stepped inside, all six-feet-plus of him, even taller with his Stetson on. She wasn’t used to seeing him this way—he looked like the real deal with his boots and hat and heavy jacket.

  “You smell like the barn.”

  “My grandfather would say that’s the smell of money.”

  “Money?”

  He grinned. “Yeah. Anyway, sorry. Occupational hazard. Me smelling like the animals, that is. Though usually I smell like horses. They smell better than cows.”

  She didn’t actually mind. While she wasn’t interested in getting her own boots dirty, she did remember days on her uncle’s farm. The smell was familiar and not too unpleasant.

  “Just take off your boots if you’re coming in for coffee.”

  While he toed off his boots she went into the kitchen to get a fresh cup. “What do you take in it?” she
called out.

  “Just cream, if you’ve got it,” he answered, stepping inside the sunny kitchen.

  She handed him the cup and then took a plastic container from a cupboard. “Are you hungry? Avery left a mountain of food, way more than I can eat in a week. This one is chocolate banana bread.”

  “I couldn’t turn that down.”

  She cut several slices and put them on a plate. “Come on and sit down then.”

  Before Rhys sat down, he removed his hat and put it carefully on a nearby stool. She stared at him as he sat, pulled his chair in and reached for his coffee cup.

  “What?” he asked, pausing with the cup halfway to his lips.

  She shrugged. “You can be very annoying. But you have very good manners.”

  He laughed. “Blame my mom, I guess. So, enjoying your vacation?”

  “Well, I’ve only officially been on holiday for a few hours. Yesterday I slept in, then spent last night hanging with my family. My mom and dad booked a place in Radium for the week and are coming back on the twenty-third for Christmas with Callum and the family. And Jack flew back to Montana this morning for a meeting of some sort. Lord only knows what deal he’s cooking up this time. Anyway, I’ll probably enjoy my vacation for a few days. And then I’ll start going stir-crazy.”

  Rhys reached for a slice of cake. “You strike me as one of those ambitious, type A personality people.”

  “You mean I’m driven? Yeah, I guess.” She sighed. “I might as well ’fess up. I like being my own boss. Sometimes it’s stressful because it’s all on me, you know? But I don’t like being told what to do.”

  He began coughing, crumbs catching in his throat. When he looked up at her again his eyes had watered and he was laughing. “Sorry. Stating the obvious shouldn’t have been that funny.”

  “Hey, I know how you feel about it. You think I’m crazy. Most guys are intimidated by it.”

  “Most guys have a hard time with a woman who is smarter than they are.”

  She nibbled on her cake. “Careful, Rhys. That almost sounded like a compliment.”