by Katie Lane
“I’m buying it. Call it payment for all the pictures you’re going to be taking tomorrow night.”
Once the trees were loaded into the back, they headed home. On the return trip, there was a lot more talking. Too much talking as far as Cord was concerned. Danny Ray and Christie continued to stroll down memory lane until Cord wanted to open his door and jump out on the highway. He finally turned up the radio and tried to drown them out. Christie shot him an annoyed look, but Danny Ray just started singing along. Like his rodeoing, his voice was nothing to brag about. He sounded like a coyote pining for its mate. It was a relief to finally get to Bliss.
“Can you drop me off at the school?” Christie asked. “I need to pick up Carrie Anne.”
“Isn’t she coming out to the ranch today?” Danny Ray asked. Cord was happy he was finally taking an interest in his daughter. All he needed was a little more time with Carrie Anne, and Cord knew he’d fall head over boots.
Cord sent Christie a beseeching look. “She’d be more than welcome.”
Christie only hesitated a second before she nodded. “Okay. Just drop me off at the bakery before you go get her.”
When he pulled up to the bakery, Cord hopped out to open Christie’s door. But Danny Ray beat him to it, and he was left standing there feeling like a fool as Danny Ray helped her out of the truck. She glanced over at him and he lifted a hand in a lame wave. “I’ll drop your tree by your trailer on the way back to the ranch.”
She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but then she closed it again and nodded. “Thank you.” He watched her walk into the bakery, then stood there staring at the door until Danny Ray spoke.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go get my kid.”
Ms. Marble was standing outside the school with all the other parents when Cord and Danny Ray got there. She was dressed all in red again, wisps of her white hair sticking out from the edges of her red knit stocking cap. She smiled at him, but looked intensely at Danny Ray as if she were trying to read him. Cord figured it wouldn’t take her long. Danny Ray was like a comic book, a quick glance through and you knew what the story was about.
“I’m assuming you got the gingerbread house there on time,” she said.
“We shore did.” Danny Ray fielded the question. When Ms. Marble lifted an eyebrow at him, he pulled off his cowboy hat. “Ma’am.”
She nodded. “That’s good. I was worried you wouldn’t be back in time to pick up Carrie Anne from school, but it looks like you’re home safe and sound.” She looked at Cord. “Which is a little surprising because you two didn’t leave on the best of terms. I’m assuming you settled your differences.”
They had settled their differences. He felt more than a little relieved that Christie wasn’t mad at him any more. He smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
She returned his smile. “Road trips are always good for talking things out. Now if you’ll excuse me, my good friend Bonnie Blue has arrived in town and I want to stop by and see her. You know Granny Bon, don’t you, Cord?”
“We’ve met, but I don’t know her all that well.”
Ms. Marble’s smile got even bigger. “You will.” She winked before she turned and headed down the street.
When she was gone, Danny Ray spoke. “I know she’s just a little old granny, but that woman scares the hell out of me.”
Cord released his breath. “Yeah, me too.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Your hair is down.”
Christie tried not to notice how handsome Cord looked in the forest green button down western shirt as she and Carrie Anne stepped into his house. She self-consciously smoothed a hand over hair, wondering if the wind had made it look like Medusa’s.
“I probably should’ve put it in a braid with all this wind,” she said lamely.
“No!” His abrupt reply startled her. “I mean, I like it like that. It looks . . . soft.”
“My hair is soft too, Cord.” Carrie Anne lifted a curl. “You want to feel it? Mama used her curling iron and wound it around and around. And I had to stand real still so I wouldn’t get my cheek burnt. And it took forever and a day, but I think I look as pretty as a picture. Do you think I look as pretty as a picture, Cord?”
Cord looked down at her and smiled. “I think you look more than pretty, Half Pint. You look beautiful.” His gaze lifted to Christie, and his smile faded. “And so does your mama.”
Just like that, Christie got all weak-kneed and breathless. She wished she could blame it on rodeo cowboy fever, but Danny Ray didn’t make her breath catch or her pulse race. Only Cord did. And she was terrified that Cord Evans fever might be fatal.
“Your tree is gi-normous!” Carrie Anne’s loud exclamation interrupted the stare-fest she and Cord were having. “How did you get those twinkly lights all the way to the top? Did you put Mr. Jasper on your shoulders like you did me? And how am I gonna get the star up there? I can’t reach that toppity-top even on your shoulders. Our Christmas tree isn’t nearly as big, but it still didn’t fit in our trailer and mama had to leave it outside. Mama said once we decorate it, it will be even better because now we’ll have a beautiful Christmas tree to share with nature. But I’d rather have a gi-normous tree inside like yours.”
“I think having a pretty decorated tree right outside your front door is much better than having one inside,” Cord said. “And I have a ladder for you to use to put the star on. But you’ll need to be careful climbing up and down it. I’m sure your daddy will be happy to help you.”
Carrie Anne didn’t look thrilled with that suggestion. “Can’t you help me? I mean Danny Ray is good at dancing—he taught me how to two-step in the barn yesterday—but I don’t think he knows how to help kids get on ladders.”
Her daughter’s reply spoke volumes. She liked Danny Ray, but she didn’t trust him. She trusted Cord. By the softening of Cord’s eyes, Christie knew he cherished that trust. But he also knew how it felt to be on Danny Ray’s side of the fence.
“But don’t you think your daddy will get his feelings hurt if you don’t want his help?” Cord asked. Christie’s heart squeezed. She knew that was exactly how he felt every time Ryker declined his help with anything.
Carrie Anne thought for a moment before she nodded. “Okay. He can help me as long as you’re right there to catch me if he gets to talking and forgets about me.” It showed how smart her daughter was that she had a back-up plan where her father was concerned.
Cord placed a hand on her shoulder. “I promise. I’ll be right there to catch you, Half Pint. Now let’s get your coats off so you can join the party.”
While Cord was helping them off with their coats, Spring, Summer, and Autumn came over. Each woman carried one of Dirk and Gracie’s triplet girls. The toddlers were adorable and looked so similar that Christie always had trouble figuring out who was who. Although she recognized Lucinda as soon as she opened her mouth. The little girl spoke as loudly as Carrie Anne.
“Kiki! Kiki!” It was the name she used for Christie. Her sisters parroted her, and Christie gave them each tummy tickles until they chortled.
“It’s about time you two showed up.” Summer ruffled Carrie Anne’s hair. “Hey, Squirt.”
“Don’t mess up her hair,” Autumn said. “Can’t you see that it’s been beautifully styled?”
Carrie Anne beamed. “Mama did it with a curling iron. I even got a spray of par-fume.” She held up her wrist. “Wanna smell me?”
Summer leaned closer and took a dramatic whiff. “Why you smell better than a bouquet of flowers.” She held the baby closer to Carrie Anne’s wrist. “Doesn’t she smell good, Luana?” The baby instantly held out her arms to Carrie Anne.
“Can I hold her?” Carrie Anne begged.
“She’s a little too big for you to hold,” Summer said. “But you can hold her hand.” She set the toddler on her feet and Luana immediately took off for the tree with Summer and Carrie Anne chasing after her.
Cord laughed. “If you l
adies will excuse me. I better go check on Ms. Marble and Ms. Davidson and see if they are finding everything okay in my kitchen. Those two women brought enough food to feed an army.”
“Who is Ms. Davidson?” Christie asked.
“Our ornery grandmother.” Spring tried to keep Luella from pulling out her dangly earring. “But you don’t have to call her Ms. Davidson, Cord. Everyone calls her Granny Bon.”
“I think I’m a little too old to be her grandchild.” His gaze wandered to Christie. “Something I need to remember.” He turned and walked away.
Once he was gone, Spring exchanged looks with Autumn. “That man is so hot,” they said in unison before they laughed.
Her sisters were right. Cord was hot. And what made him even hotter was that he didn’t even know it. While Danny Ray was arrogant and obnoxious about his looks, Cord was humble and unpretentious.
“And speaking of hot guys,” Spring said. “I think I’ll go join my hot sheriff who is no doubt comparing notes with Ryker about their pregnant wives.”
Hearing Ryker’s name, Lucinda almost jumped right out of Autumn’s arms. “Wy-ka! Wy-ka!”
Spring shifted Luella to her other side and took Lucinda from Autumn. “Come on, Sweetie. Auntie Spring will take you to your Wyka.”
When they were gone, Autumn turned to Christie. “I noticed you didn’t say much about Cord being hot.”
Christie shrugged and lied through her teeth. “I don’t really pay much attention to his appearance. He’s just my boss. I appreciate him giving me a job when I needed it and being so good to Carrie Anne, but that’s all.”
Autumn studied her with blue eyes almost as piercing as Ms. Marble’s. “That’s what I thought before I left, but something has changed between you two while I’ve been gone. First, you got all bent out of shape about him taking you to Austin, and then there was the scene I witnessed when you got back.”
“What scene?”
“When Cord dropped you off yesterday. Danny Ray might’ve opened your door, but you only had eyes for Cord. And Cord only had eyes for you. It was like watching two love-struck characters in a romantic comedy. The same thing happened tonight when you walked in that door. You couldn’t stop looking at each other. You like Cord as more than just a boss, Christie, and he likes you as more than just an employee.”
She should’ve kept up the charade, but she was tired of running from the truth. Tired of not being able to confide in anyone about what had been happening with Cord. She glanced around to make sure no one was listening before she leaned in and spoke in a low voice. “We kissed. Twice. And they were the best kisses I’ve ever had in my life.”
Autumn didn’t look surprised. In fact, she looked ecstatic. “I knew it.” She gave her a hug. “This is so great.”
Christie shook her head. “No, it’s not. I can’t get all loopy for a man again. I can’t do it, Autumn. I just started to get my life back together. I just started to give my daughter a mama she can be proud of.”
“I’m sure you’ve always been a mama that Carrie Anne can be proud of.”
“No, I haven’t. I spent the first five years of her life pining over a rodeo cowboy that I didn’t even love. Then once Mama passed away, I became a crazy person who dragged Carrie Anne across the country looking for—” She cut off before she mentioned Holt. “For no good reason.”
“It wasn’t for no good reason. You were looking for a home.” Autumn glanced over at Cord who had come out of the kitchen carrying a big tray of cheese and crackers. “And maybe you found more than that.”
“I don’t want more,” Christie said. “Things are perfect just the way they are. I don’t need another man messing that up.”
“You don’t want another man? Or you don’t want another Danny Ray?” Autumn placed a hand on her shoulder. “I get that you’re scared. Like you, I didn’t trust men. Because of my daddy, I thought that one bad apple ruined the entire bushel. So I fought against giving my heart. I looked for any reason not to fall completely in love with Maverick. As it turned out, I had already fallen completely in love with him. I just hadn’t accepted it.”
Christie held up a hand. “I’m not in love with Cord. And I have no plans of falling in love with him. We are attracted to each other—physically attracted. But that’s all it is. I made the mistake with Danny Ray of confusing physical lust with love. I refuse to make the same mistake again.”
Autumn studied her. “But how will you know the difference?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean how will you know it’s just physical lust unless you give whatever is going on between you two a chance?”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying? You think I should have sex with Cord? I can’t do that. I’m a mother.”
“And mothers don’t need sexual release?”
“Of course mothers need sexual release.” Maverick walked up and slipped an arm around Autumn’s waist. “I intend to make sure the mother of my child gets plenty. And if we didn’t have an announcement to make, I’d take you back to our little apartment over Ms. Marble’s garage and—”
Autumn placed a finger on his lips. “Would you hush? You’re embarrassing Christie.”
Maverick winked at Christie. “My apologies. I’m just a newlywed husband whose wife has him tied around her little finger.” He lifted Autumn’s hand and kissed her pinkie.
Autumn rolled her eyes. “Right. You weren’t tied around my little finger last night when you, Waylon, Stuart, and Race were going over this past season’s game film. You didn’t even answer my text.”
“Now, honey, just because I get distracted with football, doesn’t mean you’re not the most important thing in my life. And the only reason I was watching the game film with the boys was because you were at the new library with Joanna Daily.”
“How is that going?” Christie asked, hoping to keep Autumn from going back to the subject of Cord with Maverick standing there.
The excited look that entered Autumn’s eyes said it all. “It’s going great. The library is completely finished and we have most of the books cataloged. I was worried about being able to work there after the baby’s born, but Maverick says he can watch the baby in the mornings and Joanna has another librarian lined up in the afternoons.”
“Baby?” Dirk stepped up behind Maverick and Autumn. “You’re pregnant, Audie?”
Autumn looked at Maverick and smiled. “I think it’s time to make that announcement. But first we need to get everyone in the kitchen into the great room.”
“I’ll do it,” Christie said. She hesitated, not wanting to leave until she could ask Autumn not to repeat what they’d talked about. But she couldn’t do that with Dirk and Maverick there. Luckily, Autumn read her hesitation and leaned in to give her a hug.
“I won’t say a word,” she whispered.
When Christie got to the kitchen, she found Ms. Marble slicing loaves of pumpkin bread and Granny Bon holding out a spoonful of whatever she was cooking on the stove for Cord to taste. It must’ve been good because he closed his long-lashed eyes and made a yummy sound that had Christie heating up like a convection oven. And she couldn’t help thinking about her conversation with Autumn.
She couldn’t have sex with Cord. She wasn’t the type of person who slept around. Danny Ray had been her one and only, and she had to wonder if sex had only confused her feelings for him. She refused to let her feelings for Cord get any more confused. Which was why it was best if she continued to ignore their attraction. As long as she didn’t touch him and he didn’t touch her, everything would be fine. Once she quit working for him, hopefully her libido would stop rearing its ugly head.
“That green chile stew has to be the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life, Ms. Davidson,” Cord said.
“Then you haven’t tasted my chicken enchiladas.” Granny Bon set down the spoon. “I got the recipe from my friend, Rosa Martinez, who got it from her grandmother who lives in Mexico. I’m telling you, it will knoc
k your socks right off and have steam coming out of your ears. And call me Granny Bon. Ms. Davidson was my mother-in-law and she was one mean-natured woman.”
“Well, if your chicken enchiladas are as good as this, Granny Bon, then I can’t wait to taste them.”
Granny Bon glanced over at Ms. Marble and the two women shared a look before Granny Bon spoke. “I’ll be happy to bring you a casserole dish of enchiladas.”
“It certainly would be appreciated. Jasper has been trying his hand at cooking, but he’s as bad as I am in the kitchen.”
“Sounds like you need to hire a cook.” Ms. Marble looked at Granny Bon. “What do you say, Bonnie? Do you want to come out of retirement to cook for Cord?”
Granny Bon went back to stirring the pot of stew, a smile quivering around her lips. “Well, I certainly can’t let three good-lookin’ cowboys go hungry, now, can I? But I have to have my mornings off so I can spend time with my sweet great-granddaughters.”
Cord looked a little confused about suddenly having a cook when all he’d wanted was enchiladas, but he didn’t say anything as Ms. Marble handed him a plate of pumpkin bread.
“Just set that on the dining room table with the other desserts, dear.”
Cord turned and finally noticed her standing in the doorway. He froze, and his gaze immediately went to her hair. It was a struggle for Christie not to self-consciously smooth it again.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said, “but Maverick and Autumn want everyone to come into the living room for an announcement.”
“An announcement?” Ms. Marble exchanged looks with Granny Bon once again and smiled conspiratorially. “Now I wonder what that could be.”
Once Maverick and Autumn made their baby announcement, there were hugs all around followed by toasts with the cranberry juice and ginger ale punch Ms. Marble had made. Then Cord turned up the Christmas music and everyone started hanging decorations on the tree.
Christie couldn’t help feeling a little out of place. She was fine when it was just she and the triplets at the bakery, but the entire family was a little intimidating. She had to wonder if Cord didn’t feel the same way. While everyone else was gathered around the tree, he stood by the fire that crackled in the fireplace. She expected him to be watching Ryker with the same look of longing he always had when his son was around. But instead, every time she glanced up, he was watching her. It made her feel even more uncomfortable, and she was relieved when Carrie Anne started distracting him with her non-stop chatter.