A Cowboy's Christmas Promise

by Maggie McGinnis

  “Okay. Okay, okay, okay.” Hayley blew out a breath, looking back out over the stall door for a moment. “This is just like kittens. Ju-ust like kittens.”

  “You okay?”

  She turned back around. “Yup! Good! Ready!” She rolled up the sleeves of the sweatshirt and crouched beside Stardust’s head. “Let’s do this.”

  —

  Half an hour later, Hayley sat cross-legged in the hay beside Stardust’s head, trying to soothe her as another contraction took hold. It felt like they’d been at this for hours, not thirty minutes. The poor horse was exhausted, and Hayley’s back was screaming from sitting for this long, leaning over Stardust’s head, but she’d be damned if she’d complain. Not when the poor horse probably felt like—well, Hayley wasn’t sure what she felt like.

  “Are we making any progress?” She looked toward Daniel, who had shed his sweatshirt and was working in a T-shirt and jeans that did nothing to hide his muscular physique. Hayley took a deep breath and tore her eyes away.

  She’d made a pact with herself on the way over to McDougall’s that she wouldn’t even look at him, let alone think about how those pecs had felt under her hands. Wouldn’t think about how she maybe could have spent the last three days with him instead of inventing enough dawn-to-dusk chores to keep her too busy to question her decision to back off.

  But maybe she’d take just one more quick look.

  “We need to get her back on her feet.” He looked at his watch. “We’re getting too close to the thirty-minute mark for my comfort. I’m going to try one more time to see if I can manipulate the foal.”

  Hayley stood up, pulling gently on Stardust’s halter. “Come on, girl. Almost done. You’re doing great. Come on, sweetheart. Up you go.”

  With Daniel’s help, the mare lumbered to a standing position, but obviously wasn’t happy about it. “Okay, hold her tight. She isn’t going to like this.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “You do not want to know, but I’ll explain it later.” He braced himself and reached somewhere Hayley didn’t want to think about. Stardust tossed her head as Hayley struggled to hold her. “Okay, here comes another contraction. Talk her through it, nice and slow.”

  One minute later, Daniel motioned with his chin for her to come to him. “Brute strength time.”

  Hayley took Stardust’s nose in her hands and looked in her eyes. “You can do this, baby. We’re doing this.” Then she jumped over the hay bale and to Daniel. “Okay. Ready. What do I do?”

  “See that?” He indicated a little hoof with his chin.

  “Oh, God! Yes! How’d you—?” Hayley looked at him, smiling widely. He’d done it! “Never mind. I think I don’t want to know. What do I do?”

  “Grab it, and when I say the word, pull like you’ve never pulled before.” He put his free hand on Stardust’s flank. “Okay, five-four-three-two-one. Pull!”

  Shoulder-to-shoulder with Daniel, Hayley took hold of the tiny hoof and pulled as if her own life depended on it, not just this foal’s. Twenty seconds later, she and Daniel were both falling backward into the hay, a squirming foal in their arms.

  Hayley looked down at the baby horse as she toweled off its head, and she was grinning so widely she thought her face might break. She’d just delivered her first foal! It was a beautiful brown baby with white socks and a white zigzag on her forehead.

  She turned to Daniel, who was looking at her with the same warm expression she’d seen when she’d held his girls at the rehearsal dinner.

  “Look! She’s gorgeous! Look! Omigod, we did it! She’s perfect!” She dodged a hoof as the foal tried to scramble to its feet. “And there she goes!”

  She watched as the foal wobbled in the hay, all long legs and tiny body, and marveled at its ability to stand just moments after being born. She couldn’t stop smiling as she watched the mare nuzzle her baby. What a miracle.

  “You get to see amazing stuff like this all the time, don’t you?”

  He nodded as he watched, not yet getting up from the hay. “I guess I do, yeah.”

  “I can’t believe I just got to do that.”

  “You totally did.”

  “That was hands-down the coolest thing ever.” She smiled as she watched the horses. “I know it isn’t magical like this all the time. I get that. But wow. I wish—” Her voice faded as she felt the smile fall slowly from her face.

  “You wish what?”

  “Nothing. It sounds so ungrateful.” She sighed as she stood up and leaned against the wall. “When I started down the horse route, this is the kind of thing I envisioned. But then my uncle had this incredibly generous plan, and what could I say, really? It was guaranteed income, my own practice, right out of vet school. That kind of thing doesn’t just fall in your lap. I couldn’t say no, even if it did mean I’d spend the best part of my days treating teeny beasts.”

  She motioned toward Stardust and her foal, shaking her head slowly in awe. “But this. Omigod, this.”

  He stood up beside her, handing her a towel, then wiping his arms with a clean towel as well. “Y’know, there’s no reason you couldn’t do this someday.”

  “Maybe. I don’t know.”

  “Probably not in downtown Boston, though.”

  “Definitely. Want to trade practices?”

  He laughed. “Can you picture me treating cockapeekapoodledoos?”

  “Those are not a thing.”

  “Not yet.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “It would be a chance for you to broaden your horizons, right?”

  “I like my horizons just fine out here, I’m afraid.” He pointed out the window toward the mountains. “That horizon in particular.”

  “But Boston’s just like Denver. Just less mountains and more ocean. Maybe more nonsensical roads. Ooh! And side benefit? It’d be harder for your mother-in-law to get to you then.”

  He laughed quietly. “Now you’re talking. I can’t imagine what she’d do if we went to the East Coast. She’s already angry enough that I moved them up here from Denver.”

  She knew she shouldn’t ask, shouldn’t be nosy—but she couldn’t help remembering the night of the rehearsal, when the girls had talked about he and Nana trading mad words.

  “She sounds like a peach.”

  He sighed. “Evelyn thinks we should still live back in Denver. Or at least the girls should. She’s making noise about taking steps to make that happen.”

  Yikes.

  “What kind of steps?”

  “That I don’t know yet. Possibly legal ones.”

  “Omigod. Seriously? What are”—she moved her boot through the hay at her feet—“what are the chances she could actually be successful?”

  “Hopefully zip, but that may not stop her from trying.”

  Hayley grabbed a couple of industrial-sized wipes to wash up with, but her hands shook a little as she envisioned an iron maiden-type grandmother stealing off with Bryn and Gracie. “I can’t believe she’d go through with something like that. I’ve only known you for a week and a half, but even I can tell that your girls adore you. I could tell that the first time I saw the three of you together.”

  “I apologize once again for that being the moment you realized I had children.”

  “Well, I’m sorry for acting so shocked. I knew you’d been married. I just hadn’t realized—kids.”

  “I assumed Kyla had told you, and she probably assumed I had.”

  “Something like that.”

  “I should probably tell you they’ve been asking me if you can come over for a playdate.”

  Hayley laughed. “They’re adorable.”

  “They really, really like you.”

  “Well, who can blame them?” Hayley fake-preened, knowing her hair was a disaster and there was who-knows-what all over her clothes now. “I’m big-city fabulous, as you know.”

  Maybe if she kept things all light and fluffy, she’d be able to ignore the gnawing in her gut that made her wish he’d
instead dared to say something like “I really, really like you.”

  But she’d effectively erased that possibility at the gazebo, so she had no one to blame but herself.

  “They don’t warm up to just anyone, you know. Especially since Katie died.”

  “Really?” Her chest warmed at his words.

  “Really.”

  “Thanks for telling me.” Hayley kicked softly at the hay around her feet. “I think they’re really special. I’m glad I got to meet them.”

  “They, uh, they also think you should move out here.”

  Oh, if only that were a remote possibility. Hayley looked out the window, aching in so many ways. “They’re not the only ones.”

  “You could.” His voice was quiet.

  “I really can’t.”

  “You’re the master of your own universe, right?”

  She groaned. “Well, for right now, Wells Fargo is the master of my universe. I may have mentioned that my student loans are currently scheduled to outlast my expected life span.”

  “There’s money to be made out here, too, you know.”

  “I know. I do. But my uncle gave me that practice. He was ready to retire years ago; he only held on to it so he could give it to me. There’s no way I can just say no-thanks and give it back to him.”

  Daniel nodded. “Well, that doesn’t make it any easier, does it?”

  “Not a bit.”

  He was quiet for a long time, just watching the horses. Then he looked back at her.

  “Maybe you need a better reason to come out here.”

  Chapter 18

  “Does Cole have you on retainer or something?” The next afternoon, Daniel heard Hayley’s voice coming toward Sky Dancer’s stall, where he sat on an overturned bucket, examining her hoof.

  Hayley crossed her arms on the top of the stall door, looking down at him. Today she had her white Stetson back on, and her hair was tied in some sort of loose ponytail in the back. Unfortunately, the rest of her was hidden by the stall door.

  Or maybe that was fortunate. After all, if he couldn’t see her delicious body, it was easier not to think about it.

  “What’s wrong with Sky Dancer?”

  Daniel had his suspicions that absolutely nothing was wrong with the horse, but he was doing due diligence, just in case. “Cole thinks she’s still a little lame.”

  “So here’s a question. With the amount of hours you spend at Whisper Creek, how do you ever get to your other clients?”

  “This is why I need a partner.” He looked up at her, raising his eyebrows. “Know any city vets who might be interested in a job out here in Big Sky?”

  “Bringing a city vet out here would be a terrible business decision.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they’re spoiled rotten. They want regular hours, big paychecks, and plenty of backup vets around the corner if they want to take a vacation.”

  He nodded. All good points. “I can promise absolutely none of those things.”

  “Then I think you might have a tough time filling the position. Do you offer a 401(k)? Dental plan?” She looked like she was trying to suppress a smile. “Profit-sharing?”

  “None of the above.” He raised his eyebrows. “But you saw what I can promise.”

  Her face immediately flamed—confusing him for a second until he realized how she’d interpreted his words.

  “The foal. Magic. Remember?”

  “Ohhh.”

  She put a hand to her throat, and the flush started to die down. He looked back down at Sky Dancer’s hoof, biting his cheek, giving her a moment to compose herself.

  Good to know he wasn’t the only one still thinking about that brief hour in the Whisper Creek gazebo.

  After he’d thoroughly examined Sky Dancer’s hoof and found it perfectly fine, he finally looked back up. “Well, if you can think of any way I might be able to convince someone like you, do let me know.”

  “I’m—people like me—are demanding, impetuous, and domestically-challenged.”

  “That sounds awful.”

  “Bad risk all the way around.”

  He stood up and crossed the stall toward her, folding his arms on the door only inches from hers. She smelled like cookies again, which was sort of ironic, since her skills in the kitchen were apparently limited to warming up soup in the microwave.

  He touched his elbow to hers, and watched the flush creep up her neck again. God, how he’d like to kiss the soft skin right below her earlobe again. Maybe trail his fingers down her collarbone. Bury his hands in her curls.

  He touched her cheek, careful. “Maybe I like risk.”

  Her mouth opened slightly as he moved closer, and her eyes started to close. As he slid his hand slowly along her jaw, he could feel her pulse flipping like a baby bird’s, and it made him feel powerful and vulnerable at the same time. He was doing this to her. He was rocking her out of her own self-preservation mode and leaving her hungry.

  This time when he kissed her, he wasn’t going to let her go.

  Her eyes fluttered closed, and he took a long moment to just look at her face, to see the tiny freckles dotting her nose, to notice for the first time that she had a little scar above her left eyebrow. He wondered how it had happened, and suddenly felt like he needed to know. There were so many things he wanted to know.

  Just as he tipped her chin upward, just as he was a millimeter away from kissing her lush lips, Cole blasted into the barn—and Hayley leaped backward, eyes open wide again. With barely a glance back at him, she took off at a brisk walk toward the door at the other end of the barn.

  Cole had a half-amused smile as he sauntered toward the stall where Daniel still leaned. “Shit. My timing could use some work, couldn’t it?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Sorry, man. I really didn’t know she was in here.”

  Daniel shook his head. “It’s okay. She’d either be running now or running later. This way, she has less to regret, I guess.”

  “Damn.” Cole slapped the top of the stall, rolling his eyes. “You two are a piece of work.” Then he looked over the top to check out Sky Dancer. “How is she, anyway?”

  “She’s perfectly fine, as you well know.”

  Cole tried to master an innocent look, but he failed miserably. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Daniel sighed, looking out the now-empty doorway where Hayley had disappeared.

  “Look, I appreciate the effort, but it’s not going to happen. You can stop pretending your poor horses have issues. She is going back to Boston in two days, and there’s nothing I can do to stop her.”

  “Oh. About that.” Cole started toward the tack room. “Turns out I’m not gonna be able to get her to the airport after all. Think you could take her instead?”

  —

  “Airport limo, at your service.” Daniel smiled widely and doffed his Stetson when Hayley opened her cabin door Saturday morning. He smelled like he’d just stepped out of the shower, and his green eyes sparked with amusement.

  She stutter-stepped backward. “I—where’s Cole?”

  “He couldn’t make it, apparently. Asked if I’d do the honors.”

  “Oh.”

  Hayley swallowed. Oh, boy. She’d bet twenty bucks that Kyla was the reason Cole was suddenly unavailable. This meant she was going to spend the next two hours sitting on a bench seat next to the man who’d been occupying her fantasies for two weeks straight. Not good. Not good at all.

  “Do you—have any luggage?” He raised his eyebrows, looking amused. Dammit.

  “Yes. Umm. Yes. Hold on.” She turned toward the little living room where her two suitcases were ready and waiting. She was going to kill Kyla and Cole.

  “Don’t forget to bring tip money for your driver.” His voice came through the screen, playful.

  “If you weren’t my only chance of getting to the airport this morning, I might have a retort for that.” She took a deep breath and grabbed the ha
ndles of her suitcases, clattering them across the bumpy wide-plank floor.

  He opened the door for her and took the biggest bag. “I appreciate your self-control.” The truck was parked next to the cabin, and he slid the suitcases in like they weighed nothing at all. “And also I should probably tell you that I brought my assistants.”

  “The girls are here, too?”

  “They insisted. Hope that’s okay.”

  Hayley smiled for the first time. With the girls along, she wouldn’t have to worry about—well, all the things she was worried about. They’d carry the conversation and keep Daniel and Hayley too distracted to think about themselves. Or each other.

  “It’s perfect. I’m glad you brought them.”

  “I figured you’d say that.”

  He opened the passenger door and Hayley pulled herself up and in, only to be greeted by two very excited little girls.

  “Hayley! We’re taking you to the airport!” Gracie grinned.

  “And we get to go in and everything! Daddy said!” Bryn added.

  Before Hayley could answer, Gracie practically jumped up and down in her booster seat. “Daddy said you helped deliver a baby foal!”

  Hayley buckled up, then turned around, grateful that the chatter had started before they even left the driveway. “Well, I did my best. I’m not sure how much help I was. It was my first time ever seeing a foal born.”

  “You did just great.” Daniel smiled as he turned the truck around and headed up toward the road. As they went by the main lodge, Hayley glanced at the empty porch and felt her throat close up a little bit. Ma had made a huge good-bye dinner last night, but Hayley had snuck back to the cabin early so she didn’t risk getting all emotional.

  Dammit, she was going to miss Whisper Creek.

  “Have you ever seen kittens get born?” Gracie asked.

  “I sure have. They’re too cute for words. Maybe one of these days one of the barn kitties at Whisper Creek will have kittens and Ma will let you see them.”

  Bryn leaned toward her. “How do the kittens get in the mommy?”