by Emmy Eugene
“Not that one,” he said before she even had the bulbs all the way out.
“Colored lights or white?” she asked.
“White,” he said.
“We can put colored on the house, if you want,” she said. “A neighbor of mine down the street will come and hang them and then take them down. It’s a little pricey though.”
Travis didn’t even flinch, which meant money wasn’t a factor in what he decided to do. “Sure,” he said. “Sounds great. Colored on the house. I’ll call your guy.”
“I can arrange it,” she said. “You don’t need to be home or anything.”
“I’m always here,” Travis said, a small smile accompanying his words. “Will you come sit for a second? I want to tell you something.”
“Oh.” Millie stepped past a bin. “Sure.” She sat next to Travis, noting the serious expression on his face. She turned toward him and gave him her undivided attention. “What is it?”
“I don’t know why I feel like I need to tell you this, but I do. I—my mother is an Alameda.”
Millie tried to put the puzzle together with only half the pieces. The picture felt like it should be there, but it wasn’t. “Okay,” she said. “The make-up people?”
“Yes, right,” he said, exhaling heavily. “A few months ago, she cashed out, and now me and my brothers have a lot of money.”
Millie blinked, somehow expecting Travis to suddenly be better than he’d been a few moments ago. But he wasn’t. He was still him. Still handsome in that cowboy hat. Still calm in a way Millie really wished she could be. Still steady, and strong, and just…him.
“Okay, so you can afford to pay Mike to come hang your lights.” She cocked her head, trying to hear more. “Is that it?”
“Yes,” he said. “That’s it.”
“Okay.” She threaded her fingers through his. “Money doesn’t really matter to me, Travis.”
“Okay,” he said. “It’s just…some of my other brothers have had some trouble with women once they knew. I’m surprised you hadn’t heard. The gossip mill in Chestnut Springs must be rusty or something.”
“I don’t really care about gossip, either,” Millie said.
“Amen to that,” He pushed himself off the couch. “Okay, I think I might be able to help without smashing anything.”
“What color?” Millie stood too, wishing she’d worn slippers instead of these cowgirl boots. Then she remembered how Travis had looked at them, and she changed her mind again. Though there was something magical about decorating a Christmas tree with a hot cowboy, a cup of hot chocolate, and wearing slippers that Millie really wanted to experience.
But she’d settle for two out of three.
“Blue,” Travis said, picking up the box with the blue and purple ornaments in it. “With silver. Yeah?” He looked at her for confirmation, and Millie nodded.
“Silver is in the two bins on the end,” she said. “The gray ones.”
“Oh, wow,” he said. “The bins are color-coordinated. I see it now.” He laughed and shook his head. “You’re somethin’ else, Miss Millie.”
“Yeah, well, I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
“Good, because it was one.” He grinned at her and pushed the red and white bins out of the way, leaving only the blue ones. “Do you want some of that hot chocolate? We might have some popcorn in the cupboard too, and I might be able to pull off making that.”
“Absolutely,” she said. “Then you can use your muscles to get this tree set up.”
“Can’t wait,” he said, taking her hand and leading her into the kitchen. The space spread out before her, and she liked the huge room that housed the kitchen, eating area, and another, less-formal family room.
“This home is beautiful,” she said. “You guys have modernized it well.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I built these cabinets.”
Millie ran her fingers along the top edge of the cabinets in the island while Travis pulled a couple of mugs from one next to the stove. “Wow, they’re so beautiful.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Besides party planning and organizing ornaments in like-colored bins, what do you like to do for fun, Mills?”
“Same and different?” she asked.
He tossed her a look she couldn’t quite interpret before he turned to ladle hot chocolate out of the pot on the stove. “Sure.”
“Well, I still love to hike,” she said. “Remember we did a bit of that when we dated last time?”
He chuckled and kept that cowboy hat concealing his face. When he looked up, he wore delight in a smile on that strong mouth. “I remember you almost killed me on the hike up to Enchantment Rock.”
“Oh, please,” she said. “You’re the young, strong cowboy. Not me.”
“You said you had enough water, Mills.” He advanced toward her, a heated look in those eyes now. “And you so did not.”
“We didn’t die,” she said, taking the mug of hot chocolate he extended toward her and lifting it between them. Wow, he was still fun to flirt with too.
“Different hobby now?” he asked, putting one hand on the counter next to her hip.
Nerves buzzed through her, and she hadn’t even broken out the mistletoe yet. She hadn’t kissed him the last time they’d dated, and the only kiss they’d shared had been blessed by the magic of a weed. But still. Millie really wanted that zing in her muscles again, the weakness in her back and knees, and everything else that came with kissing a handsome cowboy.
“I think you’ll laugh at this one,” she said, dropping her gaze to his lips. “But I like to play cards now.”
“Cards?”
“Yeah, you know, like bridge and bunko and whatever.”
“Like my mother,” he said, that smile toying with that mouth.
“I like the older ladies who play, yes,” she said. “They’re fun, and they don’t constantly ask me who I’m dating.” She swallowed the rest of the reason she’d stopped hanging out with women her own age, and that was because she’d lost too many boyfriends to supposed best friends.
“Hmm.” Travis leaned down and brushed his lips along her cheek. “And what would you tell someone if they asked who you were dating now?”
“I’d say I have this new guy that really makes me smile,” she whispered. “And he’s so handsome, and I wish he’d take off that cowboy hat and kiss me more often.”
Travis pulled in a breath and straightened so he could look right into her eyes. As if in slow motion, he reached up and took off his cowboy hat.
Millie followed his motion, running her fingers through his hair. His eyes drifted closed, and Millie’s did too.
“Bro!” A door slammed, and before Millie could register what had happened, Travis was several steps away, a ladle in his hand.
Two men entered the kitchen, one of them saying, “Did you hear the news? Momma and Daddy—oh.” He stopped in body and mouth, and she recognized him as the brother who’d told Travis he and Millie were dancing under the mistletoe. “Hello, Millie Hepworth.”
A grin curved his lips. “What are you doin’ here?”
Not kissing your brother, she thought. Unfortunately.
Chapter Nine
“She’s here to get the homestead lookin’ festive,” Travis said, nearly knocking the pot with hot chocolate in it on the floor. “What’s goin’ on with Momma and Daddy?” He cut a look at Millie, wondering what she thought of his crazy family. First Russ acting all weird about Janelle, and now Rex and Griffin showing up out of nowhere. And Seth wasn’t even here to complicate things with his bad jokes and kissing Jenna in public.
“They’re going to the Dominican Republic next summer,” Griffin said, and Travis did drop the ladle into the pot this time.
“What? Dad can’t do that.”
“They say the doctor cleared him for that clean-water mission they wanted to do.”
“That’s insane,” Travis said. “He can hardly walk.” He handed the mug of steaming hot chocolate to Rex, who opened th
e fridge.
“Do we have any of that canned cream?”
Millie choked, and all three men looked at her. A gorgeous blush moved into her cheeks, and Travis really wished they were alone. “You know, with a hand mixer, you can improve your quality of life,” she said.
“Uh, what?” Griffin looked at Travis as if he could translate Woman.
“Do you have a hand mixer?” she asked.
“Yeah.” Travis opened a cupboard in the island. “Right there.”
“And cream?”
“Rex?”
He pulled it out of the fridge and set it on the counter. Millie got to work plugging in the mixer and pulling a bowl from the same cupboard that the mixer had come from. “You just whip it with a little sugar. It’s so much better than that canned stuff.”
“Get ‘er the sugar, sugar,” Griffin teased, and Travis glared at him as he turned to get out the sugar bowl. Millie got the mixer going, and that meant they couldn’t talk. She added a few healthy pinches of sugar, and a few minutes later, there was homemade whipped cream on the counter for their hot chocolate.
“Wow,” Rex said, spooning some onto his drink. “Thanks, Millie. This is great.” He licked his finger and grinned for all he was worth.
And that was Travis’s cue to get Millie away from his younger brother. He’d never worried about his brothers stealing his dates as a teenager, because Russ had such different taste in women than him, and Griffin hadn’t seemed interested in girls until Travis was finished with school.
But Rex was definitely his biggest competition as an adult, and he didn’t need him making eyes at Millie right in front of him. “Should we go decorate the tree?” he asked her, and she scooped a spoonful of cream onto his hot chocolate.
“Yep.” She went into the front room, and Travis glared at his brothers.
“Sorry,” Griffin said. “We thought you might like some company with Russ gone with Janelle again, bless his heart.”
“Yeah,” Rex said. “We didn’t know you were here with her.” He grinned like a wolf, though, and neither of them seemed keen to get gone.
“Well, I am,” he said. “So take your hot chocolate to-go.”
Griffin burst out laughing, and Rex just watched him from under the brim of his hat. In that moment, Travis knew exactly what Rex was wondering, because he had the same thoughts in his head—where’s my cowboy hat?
And why wasn’t he wearing it?
He stooped to gather it from where it had fallen on the floor at some point and followed Millie into the living room. She wasn’t fluttering around the tree, because he hadn’t set it up yet. He gave an exaggerated sigh and sat beside her on the couch, maybe a little too close.
She didn’t seem to mind, and he stirred his whipped cream into his hot chocolate. “Sorry about that,” he murmured.
“I have brothers,” she said. “No apology necessary.”
“At your house?” he asked. “Maybe our next date should be there.”
“Have you forgotten that I live with my mother?” She giggled and took a sip of her drink. “And is this a date?”
“No,” he said. “And yes.” He looked at her, glad when their eyes locked. She seemed interested in him, that was for sure. She’d practically told him to kiss her, and Travis had been ready to do it—at least until he heard Rex’s voice outside. At least his brother’s obnoxiously loud voice had finally benefitted Travis. He’d managed to put plenty of distance between him and Millie before Griffin and Rex had come in.
Not that it really mattered. He could kiss who he wanted to. And he and Millie had already locked lips on the dance floor, in front of a lot of people. Surprisingly, no one had said a word to him about it. Maybe they’d been occupied with their own dates and dances. Didn’t matter. Travis wasn’t going to bring it up, that was for sure.
“What?” Millie asked.
“What what?” Travis echoed.
“You’re staring at me.”
“Maybe because you’re so pretty.”
She rolled her eyes though her smile stayed on her face. “Stop it.”
“I think I was judging how you took the news that this was our second date.”
“Hm.” She finished her hot chocolate and set the mug on the end table he’d knocked over earlier. Why he lost control of his body awareness around this woman, he wasn’t sure. Something about her simply put his equilibrium off kilter.
“Hm?” he asked.
She snuggled into his side, and he switched hands, holding his hot chocolate in his right only now so he could lift his left arm around her shoulders.
“I kinda thought I was here to work,” she said. “You did hire me as your party planner, right?”
“Totally,” he said. “But baby, you didn’t put those jeans on, with those boots, because you thought you’d be working tonight.”
“Trav.” She swatted his chest, her mock outrage super cute on her face and in her voice.
“Mills.” He pressed a kiss to her temple and whispered, “I really like the boots.”
She giggled quietly, and they settled into silence, the array of decorations still in front of them. He sipped his hot chocolate, content to let the moment play out for now. Soon enough, Millie straightened, sighed, and said, “All right, cowboy. Break’s over. Time to impress me with your Christmas-tree-setting-up skills.”
“Oh, you’re in for a disappointment.” He put his mug on the opposite end table and stood up. “But I’ll try.” He pulled his pocketknife out of his pocket and sliced open the box that held the artificial tree. He hated how the branches felt against his skin, but he got the widest part into the tree stand with relative ease. The other sections went right on top, and Millie plugged them all into each other, and then into the wall.
The tree lit up with brilliant white lights, and Travis marveled at it. “How did you know I’d say white lights?” he asked.
“Not sure,” she said, and she was so angelic in the light from the tree. “But I’m glad I guessed right.” She handed him a box of blue and purple ornaments. “It’s your turn for the same-different game.”
“Mm hm. What was the topic?”
“Something you like to do.” She began to hang ornaments on the tree, and Travis joined her, the warmth from her body making him feel woozy. Or maybe that was the rich hot chocolate Russ was famous for.
“Bro,” Rex said from the doorway, and Travis turned toward him. “We’re heading back to town.”
“Okay,” Travis said. “Good to see you guys.”
“We’ll be out in the morning to help with the chores.”
“Yeah.” Travis turned back and hung a blue ball on a limb. “Oh, wait. Did Russ text you about the new dog enclosure?”
“No.” Rex took a step into the room, allowing space for Griffin to join them. “What’s that about?”
“We’re ordering the supplies tomorrow,” he said. “Christmas present for Seth. It would be awesome to have you guys help.”
“Of course.”
“Brian, Tomas, and Darren are going to pick up the slack around the ranch.” At least Travis hoped they were. Russ had said he’d text everyone.
“Perfect.” Rex nodded, and the two of them turned to leave.
Travis waited until he heard the back door close, and then he took a deep breath. “Let’s see. Something I still really like is building things with my hands.”
“And something new I don’t know about?”
He searched for something new and exciting about himself. “I dunno, Mills. I’m about the same.”
“Come on,” she said. “That’s not true at all.”
“No?”
She shook her head, her eyes gleaming. But she didn’t offer him any suggestions, and Travis knew she wouldn’t give up either. “Uh, I like sour candy.”
“Uh, lame,” Millie said. “I could’ve said I like peanut butter cups, but I told you something real.”
“Something real,” he muttered as he moved around the tree,
adding another ornament in a bare spot. “I’d like to play the guitar better than I currently do.”
“We’re getting there now,” she said. “You should take a lesson.”
“I don’t have time for lessons.”
“Sure you do,” she said, joining him in the narrow space between the tree and the wall. “And bonus, you could get off the ranch and come see me in town after the lesson.”
Travis glanced at her. “Do you have a neighbor who does lessons?”
“As a matter of fact…” She laughed, and Travis hooked another bulb over a limb.
“Wow, you know everyone,” he said.
“I’ve been back in town for a couple of months,” she said. “I literally don’t know anyone.”
“You know me.”
“Well, that’s true.” She pressed in close to him and stretched up to place a kiss on his cheek. “And you’re all that matters.” She slipped away from him then, and Travis wondered what good deed he’d done to get this woman in his life.
His head spun a little bit, because the speed at which their relationship had taken off would made anyone a little lightheaded. He needed to know when he could see her again, but tomorrow night was dinner at his parents’ house. Even Seth had come while he was dating Jenna, but Travis told himself that Jenna worked in the evenings and couldn’t have come anyway.
Millie could.
The real question was: Did Travis want her to?
Millie appeared at the edge of the tree again, something silver and glinting in her arms. “These are called picks. You just stick them straight into the branches.” She plucked one from the pile and did so. “Anywhere that needs filling.”
“Are they flowers?”
“Silver poinsettias,” she said. “And some holly berries. They’re pretty, right?” She gave him an armful and took his empty ornament box. “I didn’t get a tree skirt, because I wasn’t sure what you had or what color scheme you would choose. But I can do that tomorrow and come back.”
“I have dinner at my parents’ tomorrow,” Travis said, his mouth suddenly dry. Why was asking her out so dang hard? They’d kissed already, for crying out loud. But wow, the thought of doing it again had his palms sweating and his heart scampering around his chest. What if the first time was a fluke and he crashed and burned the second time?