Christmas Texas Bride (The Brides 0f Bliss Tx. Book 4)

by Katie Lane

  He looked at her. “Excuse me, ma’am?”

  “My matchmaking list. You’re not on it. So you can stop running from me every time you see me.”

  Before he could get his mouth closed, she walked to the coat rack and hung up her hat and coat. She tugged off her gloves and folded them neatly before tucking them in her coat pocket, then she walked over to the counter and sat down on the barstool next to him.

  He couldn’t help it. He had to ask. “So why am I not on your list?”

  “Because your mind is preoccupied at the moment with Ryker. And until you can get that figured out, you aren’t husband material.”

  Damn, the woman knew more about him than he’d thought.

  “Good mornin’, Ms. Marble.” Bella Sanders came out of the kitchen. She worked at the diner with her sister Stella. She was a nice woman and a major flirt. She winked at him. “Now don’t you be tryin’ to put the moves on Ms. Marble. You’re all mine, cowboy.”

  Cord wouldn’t have joined in on the flirting if he hadn’t known that she was happily married with two kids. “You know my heart belongs to you, darlin’. Just so long as you keep my coffee black and my bacon crispy.”

  “You are such a tease, Rodeo Man.” She poured some hot water in a cup and added a tea bag, then carried it over to Ms. Marble. “Here’s your regular, Ms. Marble.”

  “Thank you, Bella.” Ms. Marble took the cup. “I guess Carly is still staying home with Zane Junior.” Carly Arrington was the owner of the diner, and until she’d had her son, she’d worked there most days.

  “She sure is,” Bella said. “And I’d stay home too if I had a sweet baby like that to cuddle. My babies are all grown up. Rob’s playing high school basketball and Jeff is doing what all freshman college boys do—drinking too much and not studying enough.” She wiped off the counter with a wet towel. “So who are you fixing up now that all the Hadley girls are married off? It sure would be nice to have a Christmas wedding in the little white chapel. What about Granny Bon? I heard she was on your list.”

  “She is, but I haven’t yet found the right man for her.”

  Bella looked at Cord. “What about this cute cowboy? Of course, he’s a bit younger than Granny Bon.”

  “Love is blind to physical looks and age,” Ms. Marble said. “But I’m not concerned with my friend Bonnie Blue at the moment. Right now, there’s another woman who needs to find a good man. Do you know Christie Buchanan?”

  Cord choked on the sip of coffee he’d just taken. Ms. Marble patted him on the back until he stopped coughing. He cleared his throat. “Sorry. It must’ve gone down wrong.” He didn’t know why he was so surprised that Christie was on Ms. Marble’s list. Christie was single and pretty as a bouquet of spring flowers. And she deserved to find a good man. A young man who wasn’t haunted by his past.

  “Of course I know Christie,” Bella said. “She’s the sweetest little thing this side of the Pecos. And from what I hear, she’s had some bad luck with men. It sure would be nice if she got herself a man like my Ronny. And Carrie Anne could certainly use a loving father. One with a firm hand who can handle a sassy little girl.”

  Cord’s brow knotted. He didn’t much care for the thought of a daddy using a firm hand with Carrie Anne. “I wouldn’t say that Carrie needs a firm hand.”

  Ms. Marble glanced over at him. Her intense blue-eyed stare made him feel like a kid who needed to explain why he didn’t have his homework.

  “I realize that Carrie Anne can be a handful,” he said. “But I happen to like a little spunk. And I would hate to see her with a strict daddy who would discipline the sparkle right out of her.”

  A smile lit Ms. Marble’s face. “I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been tutoring Carrie Anne twice a week and I’ve grown quite fond of her. I want her to get the kind of father who would love her as his own.”

  “Christie needs that kind of caring love too,” Cord said. “She’s been hurt. And hurt people—just like hurt horses—need careful handling.” Not that he had been careful with her the night before. He cringed at the thought of the way he’d manhandled her.

  Ms. Marble patted his hand. “You are absolutely right.”

  Bella leaned on the counter. “But how are you going to be sure the man you try to fix Christie up with will be a perfect daddy and husband? Some men are quite good at putting up a false front just to get into a woman’s panties.”

  Cord had to agree. He had done his share of manipulating women just to get into their panties. And he didn’t want some jackass doing the same thing to Christie.

  “I think I’m a pretty good judge of character,” Ms. Marble said as she got up. “I have the perfect man picked out for her. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some Christmas baking to get done.”

  “But you didn’t finish your tea,” Bella said. “You want me to put it in a to-go cup for you?”

  “No, thank you, dear. And could you put it on my tab?”

  “No need for that. I’ve got it.” Cord stood and pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. “You already have this man picked out? Who is he?”

  “Oh, I never divulge who I’m matchmaking until we’re at the little white chapel.” Ms. Marble smiled and patted his cheek. “But I’m sure you’ll be invited to the wedding and we can have us a nice little chat then.”

  Cord watched as she pulled on her coat, hat, and gloves and disappeared out the door in a swirl of cold air. When she was gone, Bella headed back to the kitchen while Cord sat there and puzzled over who the man could be. He went through all the young men he knew in town, but none seemed like the right fit for Christie and Carrie Anne. And he started to worry that Ms. Marble wasn’t as good a matchmaker as she claimed. She hadn’t known Christie for longer than a couple months. How could she make a good choice for someone after only knowing them for that short a time?

  Of course, just because Ms. Marble tried to match Christie with someone didn’t mean that Christie would go along with it. She was one prickly woman when it came to men. Although she hadn’t been all that prickly last night. Of course, the holidays did crazy things to women. It made them get all sentimental and hungry for holiday romance. Cord just wanted to make sure she had that romance with the right man. He certainly wasn’t the right man, but he was starting to have his doubts that Ms. Marble had found the right one either. The thought of Christie being stuck with the wrong one did not sit well.

  The door of the diner opened and Ryker stepped in. Cord was surprised to see his son. Ryker wasn’t an early riser. Especially on a Saturday morning.

  “Hey there, son. What are you doing up so early?”

  Ryker took off his cowboy hat. His jaw was unshaven and his eyes still held the last dregs of sleep. “Summer had a craving for a breakfast burrito.” He cringed. “With pickles and lots of green chiles.”

  Cord chuckled. “Your mama used to want potato chips and mint chocolate chip ice cream. I thought that was weird, but Summer might have that beat. How’s she feeling?”

  “A little temperamental.” Ryker grinned. “But she wouldn’t be Summer if she didn’t show that phenomenal temper every now and again.” He sat down on the stool next to Cord. For just a second, Cord thought he was going to lean in and hug him. But of course he didn’t. “So what are you doing here so early? You usually don’t get into town for breakfast until after you take care of the horses.”

  “I had trouble sleeping last night.” It wasn’t a lie. After the kiss, he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep.

  Ryker nodded. “I guess it’s hard getting used to sleeping on a real mattress. Savannah did a great job on the house by the way.”

  Cord was relieved to hear that Ryker liked it. “Savannah did do a fine job. And now that’s it done, I was thinking about having a little family dinner party. Maybe get some pictures of us trimming a tree for social media.”

  “Yeah, sure. Just tell me when so I can give Summer the heads up. We should probably invite Christie too so she can take pictures.”

&nb
sp; Cord didn’t want to invite Christie. He wanted to stay away from her as much as possible. He wasn’t about to fire her when she needed the money, but he didn’t want to socialize with her either. “Doesn’t your newfangled phone have a timer for taking pictures?”

  “Yes, but it’s a pain in the butt. It would be much easier if Christie just took them.” Ryker studied him. “Do you have a problem with that? I thought you liked her.”

  “I do.” A little more than he wanted to. “I just thought it would be nice to have just the family.”

  Ryker looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he picked up a menu and started studying it. As he did, Cord couldn’t help studying him.

  It was like looking at himself when he was twenty years younger. Except Ryker was a much better man than he’d ever been. And Cord was so proud. So damned proud. But he couldn’t take a speck of responsibility for the way his son had turned out. He hadn’t been there to raise him into the man he was.

  Bella came back out of the kitchen to refill Cord’s coffee cup and take Ryker’s order. When she left, Ryker’s phone pinged. He pulled it out of his pocket and frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” Cord asked.

  “Summer just texted that the toilet in the master bathroom is stopped up.”

  “You want me to come home with you and help you fix it?”

  Ryker shook his head. “No, thanks.” He went back to texting, and by the smile on his face, it wasn’t about the plumbing anymore. Cord didn’t mind being ignored. He was fine just getting to be in his son’s company.

  After he’d gotten off the booze and sobered up, he’d worried that he wouldn’t have any kind of emotional attachment to his son. Close to twenty years had passed, and he’d been concerned that not only would his son not be able to love him, but he wouldn’t be able to love his son. His worry was for nothing. As soon as he’d set eyes on Ryker, he’d almost wept with the strong emotions that had punched him in the chest. And those emotions had nothing to do with his son looking like him. It was a deeper connection—something that was felt, not seen. Cord figured that all parents had that invisible umbilical cord to their kids. Even bad parents like him and Carrie Anne’s father.

  Danny Ray.

  Cord knew the man’s name now. He also knew that Christie still loved him. It was too bad that Danny Ray couldn’t be the good husband and father Christie and Carrie Anne needed. That would solve everyone’s problems. Christie would have a husband she loved. Carrie Anne would have her actual daddy. And Cord would have temptation removed. But Danny Ray sounded as screwed up as Cord had once been. Without someone to knock some sense into him and show him what he was missing out on, he’d probably continue to be.

  Cord froze with his coffee cup inches from his mouth.

  Wait a minute. Danny Ray did have someone to knock some sense into him. Someone who knew exactly what he was missing out on and exactly what the ramifications of being a bad father would be.

  The waitress brought out Summer’s burrito, and Ryker got up and took the bag before pulling out his wallet. “I better go before my wife comes charging down Main Street in her pajamas to get it. Let me know what day you want to have dinner.”

  Cord stood. “Will do.” He couldn’t help it. He grabbed Ryker and gave him a tight hug. Ryker didn’t exactly hug him back, but he didn’t pull away either. He just stood there until Cord finally let him go. After an uncomfortable moment, he pulled on his hat and headed out the door.

  Once he was gone, Cord sat back down and took out his phone. It was still early, but Jasper Wheeler was a good friend who wouldn’t mind being woken up . . . at least not too much.

  “Whoever is calling me this early better have a damned good reason,” Jasper snapped in a gruff voice.

  Cord grinned. “I’m callin’ about a horse.”

  There was a pause before Jasper laughed. “Why, Cord Evans, you sonofagun. How the hell have you been?”

  “Fair to middling, which is better than any of us old bronc busters can expect. How have you been?”

  “About the same. My broke back gives me fits when it rains, but I have a pretty little señorita to rub me down when it does.”

  “Liar,” he said.

  “You’re right, but I keep looking for one. So what has you callin’ so bright and early on a Saturday mornin’?” Jasper paused. “You aren’t on the juice again, are you?”

  “No. I’ve had enough juice to last me a lifetime. I’m staying sober and living in Texas in a little town called Bliss. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, you should stop by. Its name is pretty accurate.”

  “I might just do that. I could use a little bliss in my life.”

  Jasper had had a life as hard as Cord—just not of his own making. He’d lost his wife a few years back to breast cancer and didn’t have any kids to ease his grief. He had been Cord’s mentor when Cord had first started rodeoing . . . until Cord had become too damned big for his own britches and they’d had a falling out. They had hooked back up as part of Cord’s Alcoholics Anonymous twelve-step program. Jasper was one of the reasons Cord was still sober. The ornery old cuss had refused to let him give up. And he felt bad that he hadn’t kept in closer touch with his friend.

  “I’m going to hold you to that,” he said. “There’s more than enough room in the new ranch house I built.”

  “You always did enjoy blowing money. Of course, you’ve got enough of it. Every cowboy I run into is sporting Cord Evans boots. I prefer Tony Lama myself. Only wear yours ’cause you sent me a pair.”

  Cord smiled and shook his head before he got to the reason for his call. “Do you still have a connection at the rodeo association?”

  “Do ticks love hound dogs? What did you need?”

  “I need a phone number and address of one of the rodeo cowboys.”

  “I could probably manage that. Whose?”

  “Danny Ray Corbett.”

  Chapter Nine

  It was happening again. She was losing her wits over another rodeo cowboy. All because of one sizzling, mind-blowing kiss that had rekindled the flame of desire she’d thought Danny Ray had permanently doused.

  Thankfully, Cord was smarter than she was and had pulled away when he had. He’d called it a mistake. And he was right. Getting involved with Cord would be a huge mistake. Christie had way too many irons in the fire to add sex with a man who had proven he wasn’t relationship material. But even knowing that, she was having a hard time forgetting what it had felt like to be pressed against his hard body and kissed like there was no tomorrow.

  “Are you hot?”

  She jumped and glanced over at Summer, who was taking molasses cookies out of the oven. “Excuse me?”

  “I asked if you were as hot as I am.” Summer set the cookie sheet on top of the oven and took off her oven mitt. “I swear Ryker turns up the heat every time he stops by.”

  Relieved that Summer hadn’t read her mind, Christie relaxed. “He just wants to make sure that his wife and baby aren’t getting cold.”

  Summer rolled her eyes, but there was a content smile on her face. “Crazy man.” She picked up a spatula and started placing the cookies on a cooling rack. “So if you’re not hot, explain those flushed cheeks. Autumn used to blush whenever she was embarrassed. Now she blushes whenever she’s thinking dirty thoughts about her husband, Maverick. So what man in Bliss has you thinking dirty thoughts?”

  Christie’s eyes widened. Damn, her half-sister had read her mind. “Uhh . . . I wasn’t . . . I mean I didn’t—”

  Summer turned and looked at her with surprise. “I was only kidding, but it looks like I’ve hit the nail on the head.” She laughed. “Ms. Marble strikes again. That woman just put you on her list a week ago and already she found you a perfect match.”

  “What list?” Christie set down the piping bag of royal icing she’d been using to attach chocolate shutters to the gingerbread boot.

  “Her matchmaking list. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard about Ms. Mar
ble’s matchmaking. She’s helped almost every couple in town get together.”

  “Including me and Waylon.” Spring breezed into the kitchen. She had shown up that morning and offered to take over for Christie at the front counter, stating that Waylon had gone out to the Tender Heart Ranch to help Raff and she was bored silly. But Christie thought it had more to do with Spring wanting to give her time to work on the gingerbread house.

  The sweet gesture was just more proof that Cord was right. The Hadleys were good people who wouldn’t hold a grudge against Christie. But there was no way they wouldn’t be a little upset when they found out she’d lied to them. Which probably explained why she kept postponing telling the truth. She had finally gotten the siblings she had dreamed about, and she couldn’t stand the thought of them being mad at her. She would tell them. She wanted to tell them. But after the first of the year. The holidays were chaotic enough without adding any more drama.

  She picked up the piping bag and continued attaching the shutters on either side of the melted butterscotch candy windows. “I find it hard to believe that one woman can play matchmaker to an entire town.”

  Spring helped herself to a molasses cookie from the cooling rack and took a bite. “Then you don’t know Ms. Marble. She is an extremely perceptive person. She knew that Waylon and I were a perfect match from day one. Without her forcing me to stay with Waylon when he was sick, I might not have ever found out what a great kisser he was and wanted more.”

  Christie knew all about great kissers and wanting more. She had wanted a lot more from Cord. She still did, but she refused to give into that want. “Well, I don’t need to be on Ms. Marble’s list. Carrie Anne and I are doing just fine without a man screwing things up.”

  “If that’s the case, then who were you just daydreaming about?” Summer asked. “Or sex-dreaming if your heated cheeks were any indication?”

  “You were sex-dreaming?” Spring’s eyes sparked with excitement as she sat down on a stool next to Christie. “About who?” She held up a hand. “Wait, don’t tell me. Cord Evans.” Holy Cow! Sisters really could get into your head. “I swear if my heart didn’t belong to Waylon,” Spring continued, “I’d go after that hot cowboy in a New York second.” She flashed a smug smile at Summer. “Then I’d be both your sister and your step-mommy.”