“Great. Tell him to sleep well, because I’m gonna keep him busy tomorrow.” Cort hoped Kaley would go along with his plans. He had the idea both she and her son could use a hefty dose of holiday cheer.
“I’ll tell him. Be careful out there, Cort. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my best hired hand.”
“I’m your only hired hand. You just keep me around for the eye candy I provide on the place.”
“What? I… you… oh!” Kaley spluttered.
Intense gratification filled him, knowing he could ruffle her feathers.
“It looks like we’re about to get moving, Kaley. If I don’t end up stuck behind any more wrecks, I should be home in a couple of hours. If I’m not, don’t wait up for me.”
With no idea why he said that, he doubted she would sit up and wait for him regardless of the circumstances. It’s not like he and Kaley spent their evenings together. Sometimes they watched TV or talked about what needed to be done the next day on the place, but many times she disappeared down the hall toward her room and left him alone with his thoughts.
“Just be careful and drive safely.” The call disconnected before he could offer a response.
As the traffic slowly began moving, his thoughts played over his conversation with Kaley. Although he’d seen her the day before yesterday, it seemed like he’d been away from her and Jacob for weeks. He missed them both much more than he would have imagined possible.
A stop in Pendleton refueled his truck and gave him a chance to get a bite to eat. After stretching his legs in a short walk around the truck stop, he soon got back on the freeway. With new snow on top of the packed snow and ice, it made driving hazardous and slow. He’d never been so glad to see anything as the porch light gleaming on Kaley’s house as he pulled up her driveway.
He parked his truck at the end of the walk and noticed the big wreath with a cheery plaid bow on the front door. It looked welcoming, providing a festive reminder of the upcoming holiday season.
Quickly picking up his travel bag, he left the rest of the things in his truck and made his way up the walk. Tate told him the stubborn woman had deliberately beaten him to the job of shoveling snow before he got over there to feed. It appeared she’d been out with a shovel again recently, because the cement bore only traces of snow.
A light in the kitchen beckoned to him, shining through the softly falling snow and cold darkness. At the back door, he stamped his boots to dislodge the snow clinging to them.
In mid-stamp, the door flew open and Kaley threw herself into his arms with enough force he had to take a quick step back to keep from tumbling off the porch.
“I wouldn’t mind a greeting like this every night,” he mumbled against her silky hair. The familiar fragrance of her filled his senses as he dropped the duffle bag in his hand. He wrapped both arms around her trim waist, lifting her off her feet with his hug. “Did you miss me? Is it my dashing good looks and charming smiles you can’t live without?”
“Yes, you conceited man.” Kaley leaned back far enough he could look at her face and see humor twinkling in her light blue eyes. “Come inside before we both freeze.”
“You don’t need to tell me twice.” Cort held her around the waist as he stepped inside and set her down. He leaned out the door and snagged his bag, before shutting out the cold and dark of the snowy night.
The bag dropped to the floor as he removed his coat and hat, setting them on the bench by the door. Surprised by the change in her formerly frosty attitude toward him, Cort decided not to analyze it and just enjoy the moment. Something about her seemed different, more confident or sure of herself in some way.
“Let me see you.” Cort grabbed Kaley’s hand so she couldn’t get too far away from him as he studied her from the top of her head to the tips of her fuzzy slippers. Dressed in a robe that had to be one of the softest things he’d ever touched, besides her skin, her hair flowed loose around her face and down her back in a sea of brown waves highlighted with auburn touches.
As his gaze collided with hers, pink infused her cheeks, but she didn’t drop her head as she normally did. Instead, she looked at him with her heart in her eyes, drawing him in and holding him there.
“Kaley, girl, I sure missed you.” His tone was deep and husky as he brought up a hand and trailed his knuckles along her smooth cheek down to her chin.
“Cort,” she whispered, overwhelmed by the storm of sensations he created in her.
Full of vitality and rugged masculinity, he seemed larger than life as he stood looking at her with those sizzling silvery eyes.
Drawn to him, she took a step forward and found herself wrapped up in his arms again, held closely to his heart. Turning her head, she listened to the steady beat, felt Cort’s steady strength surround her. For the first time in her life she knew she’d found the place where she belonged.
Reluctantly, she pushed against his chest, realizing he had to be tired from his long day. She grabbed his hand, not quite ready to be completely without his touch. As his fingers entwined with hers, delicious ripples chased up her arms right to her heart.
“Are you hungry? Can I make you something to eat?”
“No thanks. I’m mostly beat.” He kissed her fingers, giving her a tender smile. “I see you and Jacob got started on Christmas decorating. I like the wreaths on the doors.”
Kaley nodded her head. “I found several things this morning when I went shopping with Kenzie and I have some ideas for a few decorations I want to make.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.” Cort continued to hold Kaley’s hand as he walked to the living room, taking note of a jolly-faced snowman throw on the rocking chair as well as a nativity set and large poinsettia on a side table. “It looks nice, Kaley. Good job.”
“Thank you.” Leisurely walking Cort to his bedroom door, she recalled she wore little more than a bathrobe and posed alarmingly close to treading in dangerous water. After kissing his cheek, she released his hand and took a step away from him. “I’m really glad you’re home.”
“Me, too.” Cort liked the idea of home being with her and Jacob. If he had anything to say about it, he planned to make it a permanent arrangement.
Chapter Eleven
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you missed me,” Cort teased Jacob as he clung to his neck the next morning.
After completing the morning chores, he entered the kitchen and hunkered down as the little boy ran to him. Jacob latched onto his neck and wouldn’t let go, so Cort stood and held the child to his chest. The sight of that eager little face and those tight hugs meant more to him than he wanted to admit.
“Did you eat turkey and all kinds of good stuff on Thanksgiving?” he asked Jacob, carrying him to one of the barstools and setting him down. Wide, muscled shoulders made him work to shrug out of the insulated coveralls he wore. He hung them by the door then removed his boots and stocking cap. The little boy clung to his leg as he walked to the sink to wash his hands and dry them. Cort picked up Jacob and tossed him in the air, making him giggle.
“What are you two doing?” Kaley asked with a bright smile as she entered the kitchen from the laundry room. Cort heard the washing machine filling with water and knew she must be doing laundry.
“Horsing around.” Cort tickled Jacob’s sides, making him giggle again. “What do you have planned today?”
“I thought I’d do some baking and work on a few craft projects. Why?” she asked, taking a pan filled with baked French toast from the oven and carrying it to the table.
“If you don’t mind, I brought a few things back from the farm I thought might look nice outside.” He carried warm syrup and butter to the table while Kaley poured him a cup of coffee and Jacob a glass of milk.
She slid sausages out of a skillet onto a plate, set it on the table, and took her seat. After asking Cort to give thanks and listening to his short but heartfelt prayer, she dished toast and sausage onto Jacob’s plate.
“I don’t
mind. Do whatever you like.” She watched Jacob drizzle syrup on his toast, ready to intercept the pitcher if he poured out too much. He didn’t, so she turned her attention to her own breakfast, curious about what Cort had in mind.
“Do you think if Jacob bundled up, and I made sure he didn’t get chilled, he could help me?”
The little boy’s head shot up and he grinned from Cort to his mother, expectantly looking at her.
“Of course, as long as he doesn’t get cold.” Kaley liked the idea of having time to work on a few Christmas projects in the house undisturbed. “Are there still some old wooden posts in the machine shed?”
“Yeah, there’s a pile of them.” Cort took a bite of golden French toast, smothered with the maple syrup. Even if Kaley didn’t pay well, the food and company more than made up for it, not that he worked for her because of the wages. She and her son had given him a purpose and helped turn his life around, even if they weren’t aware of it.
“Before you get started on whatever you have planned for the day, could you cut three of them for me in staggering lengths? The longest should be about three feet.” To demonstrate how tall she wanted them, she held her hand out to the side of her chair.
“Sure. How short do you want the third one?”
“Maybe two feet or so,” she said, trying to visualize the height of the three posts once she finished decorating them.
“Consider it done.” Cort winked at Jacob as the little boy hurried to finish his breakfast.
“There isn’t, by chance, any white spray paint out in the shop is there?”
“I’ll check and see. Any other colors you want?”
“Red and green if you come across it, please.” Feeling as excited as Jacob looked, it took restraint on her part to not shovel her food in as fast as her son and jump up from the table to get started. Instead, she sat back and slowly sipped her coffee, trying to hide her giddiness.
“I’ll see what I can find. I could always run into town if you need something.” Cort finished his last sausage and looked with longing at the two remaining on the serving plate. Kaley nudged it his direction. A cocky grin expressed his gratitude as he slid the sausages onto his plate and added one more piece of the French toast, covering it in the sweet syrup.
“No need for that. I’ll go to plan B if there isn’t any spray paint.”
“Plan B?” Cort quirked an eyebrow at her, wondering what she intended to do with the posts and paint. Too excited about his own plans, he didn’t give it much thought, though.
When he finished his breakfast, he helped Kaley clear the table while Jacob ran to his room to make his bed, brush his teeth, and dress in warmer clothes.
“Make sure you put on your long johns,” Kaley called after the excited little boy. Jacob sighed loudly, indicating he’d heard her request.
“I hated wearing them as a kid,” Cort said, as he wiped off the counter while she loaded the dishwasher. “It’s a lot different when you’re a grownup stuck out there about to freeze your tail off.”
Kaley smiled and glanced at Cort. “You mean to tell me you willingly put on those itchy things?”
“You bet I do.” Cort unsnapped his flannel work shirt enough she could see the warm undershirt he wore. “Besides, if you buy the right kind, they aren’t itchy or bulky.”
A vision of ripping open his shirt and running her fingers across the muscles of his broad chest compelled her to shove her fingers into her pockets while Cort snapped his shirt.
Kaley intently studied Cort’s exceptionally attractive posterior as he bent over to pick up his boots. “Not bulky at all,” she muttered, noticing a sudden spike in the kitchen’s temperature as she felt flushed and overheated.
“What was that?” Cort glanced at her over his shoulder as he tugged on his boots.
“Nothing.”
Jacob ran into the room, trailing a scarf behind him, saving her from further comment. She helped him dress in a snowsuit, tugging a stocking cap down over his ears and wrapping the scarf around his neck. Quickly checking to make sure he had on two pairs of warm socks, she shoved his feet into snow boots and handed him his gloves.
“Ready to get to it, partner?” Cort held out a gloved hand to Jacob.
“Remember, if he gets cold I want him back in here, pronto,” Kaley warned, giving them both a stern look as they trooped out the door.
The therapeutic task of mixing a batch of dough and kneading it gave her a sense of calm. She left the dough to rise then went to her craft room and sorted through some of the things she’d purchased the previous day.
The room had been Todd’s, but after his death Kaley had boxed up all his things and moved the boxes to the storage area above the machine shed. After selling the bed and a few pieces of furniture she no longer needed, she used the money to purchase a sewing machine. The room became her haven after painting the walls a soft shade of yellow and hanging fluffy, white curtains at the windows.
When she had spare time, which didn’t happen often, she retreated to her craft room to sew, make cards, design a scrapbook page, or create something unique.
She picked up a bag stuffed full of fake garlands and carried it to the living room. Upending the bag on the floor, she removed the garlands from their packages and draped greenery along the mantle above the fireplace and along the shelves in the built-in bookcase.
Garlands trailed along the big picture window ledge and she nestled a fat red candle in the center. The contrast of red and green made her smile as she went to the kitchen to check on the bread dough.
The sound of Cort stamping his boots at the back door, made her pause and count. One. Two. Three. The door opened and he stepped inside carrying three freshly cut posts of varying height.
“Is this what you wanted?” he asked, standing them together on the kitchen floor.
“Those are perfect.”
Jacob carried a box full of spray paint cans inside and set it on the table.
The rainbow of selections made her grin. “Look at all the colors. Thank you!”
“You might want to let those warm up before you do anything with them. And be sure you spray them outside,” Cort cautioned.
Kaley gave him a look that let him know she wasn’t completely brainless.
“I think I can take it from here.” She wanted to shove him and Jacob out the door so she could get busy. Instead, she walked over to Jacob and put a hand against his cheek. It was cool, but not cold. “Are you warm enough, buddy? Do you want to stay inside with me?”
Jacob shook his head and bolted out the door as fast as he could run, bundled up as he was.
“I guess there’s your answer. We won’t be outside the whole morning. I have some things to work on in the shop and it’s warm in there. If you need anything, call my cell.” Cort cast a curious glance her direction before he walked outside.
The craft room beckoned to her so she returned and stitched three plump pillows from holiday fabric. After arranging them on the couch, she located the jingle bells and ribbons she’d purchased the previous day. Fastening greenery on a coil of old rope she found in the tack room, she added the bells then tied a big, fluffy bow and attached it in the center of the greens.
Pleased with her efforts, she walked down the hall and hung the rope on the wall across from the kitchen door.
The yeasty scent of rising dough caught her attention, so she washed her hands and punched it down before rolling it out in a large rectangle on the counter. After melting butter, she poured it over the dough then liberally sprinkled it with cinnamon and sugar. She rolled the dough into a long log, working quickly to keep the filling from oozing out. Swiftly cutting the fragrant, cinnamon-filled dough into one-inch slices, she placed the rounds into a greased pan and left the dough to rise again.
She donned a hooded sweatshirt, her chore coat, and gloves then tugged on a pair of warm boots. Gathering the three posts and a can of white spray paint, she trooped outside to the backyard.
Methodical
ly painting the posts on an old stump, she set them on the back porch to dry before returning inside and studying the colors of paint in the box. With an idea forming in her head, she ran out to the storage shed and rummaged around, returning to the house with a beat-up old wooden sled and a box of pinecones.
The sled soon bore a coat of dark hunter-green paint and leaned against the porch to dry. The pinecones received a dusting of gold paint, making them shimmer and shine in the sunlight. Another trip to the storage shed unearthed a big woven basket. She wrapped red ribbon around the handle and tied a jaunty bow on the front.
Artfully nestling the pinecones inside, she set the basket on a small table near the front door. Adding a bow and some greenery to the sled, she leaned it against the porch next to the table, by her favorite chair.
Excited by her efforts, she ran down the steps and turned when she reached the middle of the yard to examine her handiwork. Buford bumped against her leg, so she gave his head a good rub on her way back to the kitchen door.
“You leave my wet paint alone,” she instructed the dog, giving his head a final pat before going back inside the warm kitchen. Newspaper layered on the kitchen floor provided a safe place for the posts to finish drying.
After removing her outerwear and leaving it by the door, she returned to the craft room and dug through her collection of craft paint. She set aside the colors she wanted then finished emptying the bags she’d brought home the previous afternoon.
A piece of red and white snowflake-patterned fabric became a valance she hung across the window above the kitchen sink.
While admiring how cheerful it looked, thoughts of lunch drew her from her projects. She popped the cinnamon rolls into the oven and put together a pot of soup with leftover turkey Kenzie sent home. The rich aromas made her realize she was hungry.
Since all had been quiet outside, she assumed Cort kept Jacob in the shop where it was warm. Just when she thought they might have gone to town without telling her, she heard the sound of stamping feet outside the door. She grinned when Jacob copied Cort in stamping each foot three times before walking inside the kitchen.
Wrestlin' Christmas: (Sweet Western Holiday Romance) (Rodeo Romance Book 2) Page 15