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

by Katie Lane

  As it turned out, Summer cared nothing about birth order. “Sorry, but the die has already been cast. Audie, go place those cooled pumpkin pies in the display case. Spring, get back to the sheriff’s office, your break is over. And Christie, call my niece and tell her that her mama is the best gingerbread house baker in all of Texas.”

  Everyone followed her orders with smiles on their faces. When Christie pulled her phone from her purse, she was surprised to find five messages from Cord. She wondered why she hadn’t heard her phone ring, and then remembered that she had turned off the sound that morning when Carrie Anne had been playing a noisy game during breakfast. She flipped the side button to turn the volume back on and called Cord. He answered on the first ring. Just the sound of his voice made her heart beat faster.

  “Where have you been?” he said. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for the last hour.” He sounded extremely worried, and she couldn’t help but smile.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Evans, but you need to know that I’m not the type of woman to be at a man’s beck and call.” She thought her teasing would make him laugh. Instead his voice remained serious.

  “I don’t want you to get upset, Christie. Carrie Anne is fine. She’s just had a little accident out at the ranch.”

  Christie’s heart had been thumping with joy. Now, it raced with fear. “What kind of accident? Is Carrie Anne hurt?” Summer stopped pouring red velvet cake batter into a pan and turned to her.

  “The doctor thinks she broke her arm. We’re at the emergency room of the county hospital.”

  “I’ll be right there.” As soon as she hung up, Summer walked over to her.

  “What happened?”

  “Carrie Anne broke her arm. She’s at the county hospital.”

  “I’ll drive you.” Summer called into the store. “Autumn, lock the front door and put up the closed sign. Carrie Anne had an accident.”

  The trip to the hospital felt like it took forever. Once there, she didn’t even wait for Summer to park before she jumped out and ran into the emergency room entrance. She was going to ask the woman behind the information desk where Carrie Anne was when she saw Cord and Jasper sitting in the waiting room. She hurried over to them.

  “How is my baby? And why aren’t you with her?”

  Cord quickly got to his feet. He looked as upset as she felt. “She’s fine. She wanted Danny Ray to stay with her.” That didn’t sound right. Carrie Anne had gotten closer to Danny Ray, but she still didn’t trust him as much as she trusted Cord.

  “Where is she?”

  “This way.” Cord led her through two automatic doors to a room with multiple beds. He pulled back the second curtain to reveal Carrie Anne propped up in bed with her casted arm resting on a pillow.

  “Mama!” she yelled as soon as she saw Christie.

  Christie hurried over and hugged her close, careful not to touch her arm. She continued to hold her until she’d gotten her tears under control, then she sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled. “Are you okay, Baby Girl?”

  “Yeah, Mama. And you know what? Hospitals are fun. They took pictures of my bones with this machine and then the doctor looked at the pictures and showed me where my bone was frac-chaired. Then they put this cast on my arm so the bone wouldn’t move and covered it in this pretty pink tape. And Cord said I can get all my friends at school to sign it once I go back after holiday break, but I didn’t answer him ’cause I’m not talking to Cord. And he also said that it wasn’t Maple’s fault that she moved and I fell off her. It was his fault ’cause he had hurt my feelings. And he did. He hurt my feelings real bad.”

  Christie was completely confused. She glanced back to see if Cord was still standing there. When he wasn’t, she looked at Danny Ray. “Cord let Carrie Anne ride Maple?”

  Danny Ray got up. “That’s not how it happened. Carrie Anne decided to go riding all by herself. And before the mama yelling starts, I’m going to go get me a breath of fresh air. Hospitals give me the willies.” Surprisingly, he placed a kiss on Carrie Anne’s head before he disappeared through the crack in the curtain. When he was gone, Christie turned to her daughter.

  “You got on Maple without Cord being there?” Carrie Anne’s eyes went wide, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears. That was enough of an answer for Christie. “What were you thinking, Carrie Anne? Why would you do that?”

  Her bottom lip trembled. “Because I wanted to prove to Cord that I was better at riding than Ryker. And then maybe he’d love me more than Ryker. And then maybe he’d ask me to come live with him on his ranch instead.” A tear dripped down her cheek. “But he’s not gonna do that. He doesn’t love me and he never will.”

  Christie took Carrie Anne’s hand. “That’s not true, honey. Cord does love you. He’s shown it time and time again.”

  Another tear dropped and another. “Then why doesn’t he want us? Danny Ray doesn’t want us either. He told me he’s leaving right after Christmas is over and heading back to Wyoming.”

  Christie smoothed her daughter’s hair out of her eyes. “I’m sorry, Baby Girl. I know you’ve started to love Danny Ray, but he lives in Wyoming. And just because Danny Ray is leaving that doesn’t mean Cord is.”

  Carrie Anne shook her head. “But he still doesn’t want us. He only wants Ryker. I heard him talking to Jasper in the barn about how he was going to invite Ryker to come live with him so that he could teach him fun things like fishing and being a cowboy, and Jasper said what about Christie and Carrie Anne, and Cord said that you could still work for him and I could still come see him, but that we couldn’t live with him because Ryker was his family and we were just his friends.”

  Just friends? While she had been talking to her sisters about possibly being in love with Cord, he had been talking to Jasper about them being just friends? Of course, maybe Carrie Anne had misunderstood. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  But before she could question her daughter more, the curtain was pulled back and a doctor with a clipboard appeared. For the next few minutes, Christie’s mind was focused on the details of her daughter’s injury. Then the doctor gave her a prescription for pain medicine, a pamphlet on home care, and instructions to make an appointment for Carrie Anne after Christmas so they could see how her arm was healing. After the doctor left, an orderly arrived with a wheelchair and rolled Carrie Anne out to the waiting room. It was filled to the brim with Hadleys. Not only Summer, Spring, and Autumn, but also Dirk, Gracie, Waylon, Ryker, Maverick, Granny Bon, and Ms. Marble.

  Christie was touched. “You didn’t have to all come,” she said.

  “Of course we did.” Granny Bon winked at her. “That’s what family does.”

  It was obvious that the triplets had spread the word about her being Holt’s daughter, and it looked like no one was upset about it. In fact, everyone circled around Carrie Anne and showered her with attention and concern. It was a scene she had hoped for: her daughter surrounded by a loving family.

  The only person missing in the circle was Cord. He stood in the far corner of the waiting room, holding his cowboy hat. When she’d arrived at the hospital, she’d thought the look on his face had been concern. Now she realized that it was more regret.

  A lump of foreboding settled in her stomach. Or maybe it wasn’t foreboding as much as acceptance of the truth. She didn’t need him to confirm Carrie Anne’s story. Cord had never promised her more than friendship, and she had always known that Ryker came first with him. It was only her heart that had started believing she’d found the man who would finally put her first.

  Foolish heart.

  Still, if it was just her heart she had to worry about, she might accept friendship. But it wasn’t just her heart. It was her daughter’s. And she couldn’t let Carrie Anne be hurt any more than she already was.

  She walked over to him. They stood there looking at each other for only a moment before he spoke.

  “I’m so sorry, Christie.” She knew he wasn’t only talking about C
arrie Anne breaking her arm.

  She glanced away. “It’s not just your fault. I shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did. I should’ve learned my lesson with Danny Ray.”

  “Don’t say that, Christie. It’s not the same thing.”

  She looked back at him. “Then what is it, Cord?”

  He frantically rolled the plastic beads of his hatband between his fingers. “I just need some time to fit all the pieces together.”

  She clenched her fists to keep from slapping him. “All the pieces? That’s what Carrie Anne and I are to you? Just pieces of a puzzle that you can’t figure out how to squeeze into the beautiful picture you have of you and Ryker? Sorry, but my daughter and I aren’t just misplaced pieces that you need to try to fit into your life. Carrie Anne deserves better than that.” She thumped her chest. “I deserve better than that.”

  Before Cord could answer, Autumn walked up. Her eyes held concern. “Everything okay?”

  Christie nodded. “Cord and I were just clearing some things up. But they’re perfectly clear now.” She looked at him and tried to keep her voice from showing the emotions that squeezed her heart. “Goodbye, Cord.”

  “No!” He took her arm. “Please don’t go like this, Christie. Please let me take you and Carrie Anne home so we can talk this through.”

  She pulled away before the tears in her eyes could fall. “There’s nothing more to say.” She glanced back at the Hadleys who were still fussing over Carrie Anne and smiled. “And my family will take us home.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Are you sure Ruckus is ready for a rider?” Danny Ray stood on the other side of the corral fence and held onto the horse’s bridle. “He don’t look ready to me.”

  Ruckus wasn’t ready. His eyes were wild and his ears slicked back as Cord tightened the cinch on the saddle. But Cord needed an outlet for the frustration that had consumed him the last few days and being tossed around on the back of a horse was better than drowning in a bottle of tequila.

  Or at least that’s what he thought until he settled into the saddle and Ruckus started to raise a ruckus. Cord had forgotten how bone-jarring riding a bucking horse could be, and it took all his concentration to stay on as Ruckus kicked up his heels. When the horse couldn’t shake Cord with bucking, he tried to shake him by running. Which was exactly what Cord wanted.

  “Open the gate,” he called to Danny Ray. Once outside the corral, he gave Ruckus free rein and the horse took flight. As they flew across the pasture, Cord leaned low over the horse’s neck and yelled into the cold wind that hit his face. “Give me your worst! I can handle it.”

  He didn’t know if he was yelling at the horse or God. More than likely God.

  Cord had worked so hard to get his life on the right track. He hadn’t had a drop of alcohol. He hadn’t caroused. He’d built a ranch for his son and tried to be the best father he could be. But regardless of all his hard work, his life was still in shambles.

  His best friend had moved out—Jasper had gotten a job on Dirk and Gracie’s ranch working with Gracie’s barrel horses and no doubt chasing after Granny Bon. Ryker still wouldn’t call him Dad or spend time with him. And Christie had quit and refused to take his calls.

  He’d lost her. He’d known it the moment she turned to him in the waiting room. She’d had the same look Carrie Anne had given him when she’d overheard him talking with Jasper. A look that had ripped his heart right out of his chest. And no matter how fast Ruckus ran, Cord couldn’t seem to outrun the pain.

  He finally reined the horse in near a familiar corpse of trees. After the hard ride, Ruckus was more manageable and allowed Cord to guide him down the path that led to a wide-open meadow. In the spring, the meadow was filled with bluebonnets. Now there was nothing but brown winter grass surrounding the pristine little white chapel.

  The chapel had been built over a hundred years earlier for the mail-order brides and their cowboys to be married in. Recently, all the Arringtons and Hadleys had been wed here, including Ryker to Summer. It was a quaint little church with its tall steeple and pretty stained-glass windows. It looked even quainter with the two holly wreaths hanging on the double doors.

  Cord dismounted and led the horse to a nearby pine tree. He wrapped the reins around a lower branch and left him to cool down and graze while he headed to the double doors. Once inside, he took off his hat and moved down the center aisle. A lit Christmas tree filled one corner of the altar and swags of greenery were draped above the windows.

  He took a seat in the front pew. During his recovery, he’d done a lot of praying. But he didn’t pray now. He didn’t know what to pray for. So he just sat there and stared at the large wooden cross hanging on the wall. He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there when the door opened and Ryker rushed in.

  “Dad!” He stopped short when Cord turned to him with surprise. “What the hell, Cord? You scared the crap out of me.” He pointed a finger at one of the stained-glass windows. “When I saw Ruckus grazing by himself, I thought he’d thrown you and you were lying dead somewhere. I searched the entire area before I thought to look in the church.”

  Cord wanted to jump up and hug the hell out of Ryker for calling him Dad. Ryker did think of him as his father. And he did care. It showed in his eyes, which still held concern. But rather than force himself on his son like he’d done in the past, Cord kept his seat.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Ryker moved down the aisle. “You should be sorry. You shouldn’t ride off without telling people where you’re going. And what are you doing riding Ruckus when he’s not saddle broke yet? You’re not a spring chicken anymore, you know.”

  Cord’s eyebrows popped up. “Thanks for pointing that out.”

  “That’s what kids are supposed to do for their parents.” Ryker sat down next to him. “So what are you doing here?”

  “I was just thinking.”

  “About Christie?” When Cord glanced at him, Ryker shrugged. “Summer told me the entire story about you two getting together.”

  “The entire story?”

  “Pretty much.” Ryker grinned. “Something you should know about sisters is that they don’t keep secrets from each other.”

  He wasn’t surprised that Christie had finally shared her secret. He’d gathered as much at the hospital. “I’m glad the Hadleys welcomed Christie and Carrie Anne into their family.”

  “They’re good people. Unless you’re on their shit list, which you are. Summer wants to kick your butt. And Spring and Autumn want Waylon and Dirk to run you out of town on a rail.”

  “And what does Granny Bon want to do to me?”

  “She and Ms. Marble think that you just need to figure things out. In order to do that, they think we need to have a good father-son talk.”

  Smart women. It was past time that he and Ryker had a talk.

  He nodded. “They’re right. We do need to talk. I should’ve told you my plans a long time ago. Deep down, I guess I knew they were pretty crazy.” He cleared his throat. “I built the ranch house for you. I was hoping that you and Summer would come live there with me and we could somehow turn back the hands of time—that we could recapture all the moments I missed when you were growing up. But it’s been brought to my attention recently that there are no re-dos in life. Some mistakes we make we just have to live with.”

  He waited for Ryker to either laugh or stare at him with shock. He did neither. He just sat there looking down at his boots before he finally spoke. “You built an entire ranch for me? That is pretty crazy.” He glanced over and grinned. “You could’ve just bought me a pony like other dads.”

  “I did that too—not a pony but a horse. Raise-a-Ruckus is yours.”

  Ryker’s eyebrows lifted. “That ornery horse? Are you trying to kill me?”

  Since Cord had just had the ride of his life, he couldn’t disagree. “You do have a point. Maybe I better give you Maple instead.”

  Ryker’s smile
faded. “You don’t have to give me presents to get my love, Cord. You already have it. I know I’ve been acting a little like a belligerent teenager. I guess I was still holding a grudge and wanted to punish you. But it turns out that I was just punishing myself because I really did need your help fixing my toilet. And I really could use some fishing time to unwind after dealing with a pregnant woman who changes her mind at the drop of a hat. And I’d like to meet for breakfast some time just so I can talk about how scared shitless I am about becoming a father. The best person to do all these things with is a dad.” He smiled. “My dad.”

  Cord had been taught by his father that tears were for women, but he wasn’t going to teach his son that. He was going to teach his son that sometimes tears were the only way to express intense pain or overwhelming happiness. So he let his tears fall as he pulled Ryker into his arms. This time, his son hugged him back and held on tight as if he never wanted to let go. They stayed that way for a long time until Cord finally pulled back and grinned.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come live with me?”

  “I’m sure, but I know a couple people who should.” Ryker gave him a knowing look. “You want to talk about it?”

  Cord sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I screwed up again. I opened my big mouth and broke a little girl’s heart . . . and her mama’s trust. And I’m not sure how to fix it.”

  “I guess the first question is do you want to fix it?”

  “Of course I do. I love Carrie Anne and I love—” He cut off and hesitated for only a second before he accepted the truth. “I love Christie too. I love them both. But it’s too late. Jasper was right. God gave me a second chance at being a good husband and father and I blew it.”

  Ryker shrugged. “Maybe not. They are still right here in Bliss and so are you.”

  “But they hate me.”

  “I hated you too, but you won me over. And I’m pretty sure I hated you much more than they do.”

  Cord rolled his eyes. “Gee, thanks.”