Cady took a seat, her legs didn’t quite reach the ground, but she perched up there holding out a carrot for Miss Molly. After some cautious sniffs and some huffing, the mare took the treat. A few seconds later, the skittish foal inched his way toward her.
“He’s so pretty. Those patches are adorable.”
“He’s a paint. Took all his coloring from his mom.”
“Is his dad one of your horses?”
“Aye, Popeye, the bay down the end.”
“Hmm, so you need a name little fella? Well, it’s a shame you are not a girl as we could have called you Olive, to keep the theme with your dad.” She petted the foal as it licked carrot juice from her fingers. “Perhaps something Christmassy, like Noelle or Mistletoe… hmm, except, I’m not sure you look like a Mistletoe and you were born in September.”
She looked up at Miles, and he couldn’t help but think just how damn perfect she looked in his stable. Goddamn it, had these past four months of texting and chatting already chipped away at his old frozen heart.
“Oh, I know! What about Good Golly?”
Miles frowned. “What?”
“Then we’ll have Good Golly and Miss Molly! It’s perfect don’t you think? Because when I first saw him, I thought golly-gosh this is the cutest foal I have ever seen.”
Miles rubbed his chin and pondered her reference to the song. It did kind of suit the mischievous foal. “You know, as crazy as it sounds, I like it.”
With the foal named, Miles stepped aside as she exited the stall. She hesitated as she passed him, putting her hand gently on his forearm. Mmm, would one more kiss be such a bad thing? Then the barn door scraped open a little further, and as his eyes flew to the intrusion, and he instinctively jumped away from Cady.
Harriet stood in the open doorway, her arms folded across her chest and Miles suspected she’d known what was on his mind. Cady, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice his sister’s blatant animosity.
“Oh, Harriet, come and see Good Golly, he’s just so adorable.”
Harriet walked towards them, her eyes never leaving Miles. As she drew level, she threw him another scowl. “We’re ready to decorate the tree.”
Cady brushed the straw off her jeans. “Great, let me find where I left my hat and gloves. She skipped off down the barn, her coat flapping open as those shiny copper curls bounced around her. Christ, he needed to make sure they were never alone together or he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions.
When Cady was at a safe distance, Harriet took a step closer to Miles. “What are you doing?”
He sighed. “Nothing, Harriet. Nothing’s changed, has it? I see you still jump to conclusions.”
She stared daggers at him. “Nothing has changed with you, either, has it, Miles? You never could resist a pretty face. Though I’m a little surprised. What happened? Did you run out of blue-eyed, blonde-haired women to lust after.”
“Harry, do we have to do this? I already said I was sorry. Fuck, honestly you can’t possibly understand how sorry I am that I ever looked at Clarissa.”
“Not sorry enough, obviously. Are you really going to let history repeat itself?”
Cady, at the far end of the barn, put her gloves and hat back on, and turned to look at him. The last thing he needed was her to suspect something was wrong between him and Harriet. “You know what, this isn’t any of your business.”
Harriet gave him one last withering look. “Does Jules know you have your sights set on her friend?”
“I don’t have my sights set on anyone, Harry. Cady and I have been friends for a while. We got in touch with each other by accident and now chat or text all the time. Jules thought it would be fun for us to meet, and when I heard Cady was gonna be alone for the holidays, I was only too happy for Jules to bring Cady with her. That’s all there is to this.”
Seemingly out of venom, Harriet leaned over the stall and petted Good Golly. Taking that as a signal that the conversation was over, Miles strode down the barn toward Cady.
Harriet didn’t take her eyes off of him, and a few minutes later, all three headed back over to the house.
10
Cady
Jules hadn’t been exaggerating about how magical Christmas was at her home. The house smelled of sugar cookies and apple pies, and it seemed like every square inch was decorated with greenery. While Sarah bustled around in the kitchen preparing the evening meal for the ranch’s paying guests, the rest of the Carmichael clan were congregated around the tree in the private great room. Already strung with lights, Cady wondered if it could be any more beautiful. Caleb and Miles dragged in half a dozen huge plastic crates, and their sisters dove right in.
There was a brief squabble about the color scheme and Nolan rolled his eyes at her. “Every year they do the same. Jules always wants red and silver and Harry always wants gold and silver. When it is finished, the whole damn lot ends up on there, anyway, so I have no idea why we have to go through this charade.”
A few minutes later, the girls agreed to start with hanging the silver baubles and the guys, happy to get started, grabbed a box each. Miles set up a huge step ladder and Caleb dashed up it. He remained on top of the ladder patiently taking directions from Harriet and Juliet, who seemed very particular about which branch each of the decorations hung from.
Miles led Cady behind the tree, and together they began filling in green spaces with red, gold, and silver ornaments. “I find it best to just hide around here and get as many as I can in place before either of my sisters notice what I’m doing. We have a rule, once the bauble is on the tree, it stays where it is put, otherwise we’d still be decorating the damn thing on January 1st.”
Cady helped him out, trying not to laugh at the orders being barked by Juliet and Harriet. “Who decorated the trees in the dining room and the yard?”
“Me and Caleb. Honestly, it would be so much faster if we did this one too, but my sisters would have a fit. They’re big on tradition.”
Her hand brushed his as they both went to place a bauble on the same branch and her skin tingled at his touch, triggering a delicious memory of their kiss in the barn. How the hell she had found the courage to be so forward, she didn’t know.
Since she’d arrived, things had been a little stilted between them, and Miles hesitancy and quietness had made her nerves jangle. In the end, she surmised that perhaps they just needed to get it over with. Not that she quite knew what the “it” should be. She did know the ice needed to be broken, after all, she had come here with a certain expectancy… hadn’t she? Jesus, she had been dreaming about the guy last night and her dream did not show them being shy with each other. Seriously, she had to know what it would be like to kiss him.
And oh boy, had she found out!
That kiss was a whole lot more than she bargained for. Miles Carmichael knew exactly how to deliver a scorching smooch. She’d been a teensy bit disappointed when Harriet had turned up at the barn a little later because she’d hoped for a little repeat action.
Miles took a bauble from her outstretched hand and hung it on a high branch, his smoky-gray eyes drifting to hers. She got the distinct feeling that he might be thinking about that kiss, too.
Oh Lord, she was playing with fire but she didn’t care. After years of avoiding the dating scene, she suddenly found herself happy to get burned. Even though she knew there could be no future in whatever this thing was, she feared if she returned home without even trying she’d regret it. Besides, after the week she just had, she reckoned it was time she let her hair down and had a bit of fun.
She glanced up at Miles as he stretched to reach the much higher branches. His biceps flexed where the short sleeves of his black T-shirt stopped, and it sent a shiver down her spine. The way he held her earlier was glorious. She could feel his strength, but at the same time, his hands were gentle. She wanted more of that, wanted to know what it would feel like to be held and stroked by this man when there wasn’t a chance of being interrupted. Surely, she cou
ld risk her heart just this once. They were both adults, what was the harm in…
“Earth to Cady?”
She blinked up at him. He had his hand clasped around the bauble she was still clutching.
“Sorry.” She relinquished it and then took several more out of the box to hand up to him.
“Oh, God, Miles, you finished this side and did it all wrong!” Juliet stood with her hands on her hips and an exasperated expression on her face. Miles stepped back and looked at both sides of the tree. “Looks grand to me.”
“Me too. I’m calling it done.” Nolan said, as he sank back into the sofa, pulling Olivia with him onto his lap.
A unanimous agreement drifted around the room. Still not content, Juliet reached out to one of the baubles Miles had positioned but he swept her hand away, playfully. “Oh no you don’t! You know the rules.”
Before the siblings had a chance to argue further, Sarah appeared at the door. “Oh, my goodness, it’s the best decorated tree yet!”
Miles rolled his eyes and whispered to Cady, “She says that every year.”
“Is everyone hungry?” Sarah waved towards the kitchen. “Come on, the food’s ready.”
There was a mad scramble and everyone followed Sarah, leaving Cady and Miles alone. The twinkling glow from the tree made the whole room shimmer. Cady’s knees grew weak, and she hoped Miles might pull her into his arms, but instead, he turned away from her.
“Look.” He pointed to the French doors, and she saw the snow coming down. Taking her hand, he led her to the door, and they stepped out onto the covered porch. Miles quietly closed the door and silence settled around them.
“This is so pretty.” She held out her hand like a little kid, catching the fluffy fat flakes as they landed. There was something even more magical about snow at this time of year.
As she leaned on the rail, watching the big snowflakes swirling slowly around them, she could see through a break in the clouds the twinkling lights of a thousand stars.
“I’ve never seen so many stars.”
Miles stepped up behind her and put his hands on either side of hers on the rail. He was so close she could feel his body heat. If she turned around they’d be face-to-face, nose-to-nose, and from there, it would be an infinitesimal distance between their lips.
“You should see it on a really clear night. There is nothing better…” Miles thumb brushed against her hand, and Cady shivered at the thought of what might happen next.
But then his hands were gone, and she sensed his body disappear. When she turned around, he was all the way over by the door.
“We should go in. The others will notice we’re gone.”
A little puzzled at the way he had backed off, Cady nodded and followed Miles through to the kitchen. She took the chair he pulled out for her next to Juliet, and then Miles went and sat at the head of the table.
Caleb distributed bottles of beer and when everyone had popped the tops, Miles raised his into the air. “To another Carmichael Christmas roundup, may there be plenty more to come.”
It was followed by a little chaos as everyone tried to connect their bottles for the toast, then Sarah appeared at the table with two trays of lasagna. Harriet jumped up from her chair and went to fetch the salad and garlic bread, while Miles began to dish out the food and pass the plates around.
All the Carmichaels were so welcoming that Cady’s earlier feeling of being overwhelmed vanished without a trace. Most of the conversation revolved around family stuff, each of them catching up on what the others had done since last Christmas.
Cady took the opportunity to watch the siblings interacting. Even though Miles had a different mother, you’d never have known it by the way he acted with Sarah. As he filled her plate and passed it to her, Cady could see the love he held for his father’s second wife. Cady had a hunch that Sarah might have been a lot younger than her husband because she had a hard time seeing her as much over fifty.
Although the meal was noisy, and the Carmichaels made sure to include her, Cady couldn’t help but notice that Miles was a little quiet and distant. Perhaps that was his natural way. After all, she didn’t know him very well. Maybe Miles was one of those men that didn’t talk unless he had something specific to say.
But as the evening went by, she realized her initial observation wasn’t true. Miles did chat to those around him, it was her that he seemed to have lost his voice with.
After eating, they went back to the great room and Harriet selected a movie. Cady might have been feeling a little paranoid, but she got the distinct impression that Miles was keeping his distance from her. He stood all the way over on the other side of the room, deep in conversation with Nolan, while she sat sandwiched between Juliet and Harriet. A couple of times, their eyes met across the room but he quickly pulled his gaze away.
They barely said more than half a dozen words to each other the entire length of the movie. As the credits rolled, Cady rose. “I think I’ll turn in for the night. It’s been a long day.”
She said her goodbyes, and went to the hallway to pull on her boots. Juliet had shown her where she was sleeping just after they arrived. Although actually attached to the house, her bedroom was reached by going outside and around to a little staircase at the side.
Miles appeared in the hallway, tugging the door to the great room closed behind him. Cady pulled on her coat, unsure what to say to him. It was funny to think that most nights she and Miles had chatted for a couple of hours, yet tonight it was like neither of them had anything to say to each other.
He stared at her for a moment, and she wished she could read him better. Though she was kidding herself if she pretended she didn’t know what his silence meant. It was quite obvious that Miles regretted their kiss in the stables–and that was probably her fault. She’d been caught up in the romance of meeting him for the first time, but she was foolish to think the ease they had on the phone and through texts was going to translate.
“I’ll walk you to your room.”
“You don’t have to, I am sure I can…”
He stepped into his boots. “I’ll walk you.”
Outside, the world was muffled by the falling snow. It was truly beautiful and Cady couldn’t help but wonder what it looked like each season. It would be hard to pick a favorite, she was sure, but she’d like to see the meadows painted with spring flowers, or the rich fall colors on the trees.
Their boots crunched in the snow as they made their way around to the steps. At the bottom of them, she could not stand it any longer. “I was right, wasn’t I?”
He frowned back at her.
“About it being weird between us… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come.”
Miles looked at his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry, Cady… I… fuck, I don’t know what is wrong with me. I was looking forward to your arrival and…”
“And I was a disappointment to you.” She sighed. What did she expect?
“What? No, I…”
“Goodnight, Miles. I’ll see you in the morning.” Before he had time to answer, she flew up the stairs and shut the door behind her.
Built above a small garage, the room was comfortable and quaint. A wooden four-poster dominated the space and it looked inviting, decked out in sumptuous rich-colored quilts. But despite the cheerfulness of the space, a lump formed in Cady’s throat. She shouldn’t have forced that kiss. Honestly, Miles must have been scared to death when she leaped on him like that. No wonder he had been quiet all night.
Well, she’d pretend it didn’t happen, and try to make the best out of this. After all, she was getting to spend Christmas in this gorgeous place, with fun people, and good food to boot.
She put on her pjs and climbed between the sheets. Cady had only just picked up her book when her phone buzzed. She scooped it up and smiled at the picture of her with Popeye.
Thanks Miles, the pic turned out great.
Great? You look beautiful in that photo.
&nbs
p; Hmm, why was he saying this?
Flatterer.
No. Truth-sayer.
Cady didn’t know how to respond, but before she worked out what to say, he sent another message.
I’m sorry for being an ass.
She frowned at his message.
You weren’t. I had a lovely time today. Your family is great, and I loved seeing your horses. I’m so jealous of your home. I think I might have a country heart beating inside this city girl’s body.
What?
You have amazing curves, and I’m trying very hard not to think about them.
Her cheeks heated, and she rolled her eyes. How on earth could she be embarrassed when she was all alone!
Maybe, I’d like you to think about them.
There was a painfully long pause, and Cady was just about to send a light-hearted gif to deflect her reply’s meaning when she saw the dots signaling that he was writing something. They disappeared then came back again, then disappeared again. Finally, they vanished and her phone rang.
“Miles, I…”
“Don’t say anything, Cady. I just need to get this out. There’s a lot of shit you don’t know about me. I was married before, and I wasn’t very good at it.”
“I already know that, Jules told me. Did you cheat on her?”
“No.”
“Did she cheat on you?”
He hesitated. “Yes.”
“Then in that case, it sounds like it was your ex that wasn’t good at it.”
“I’m tied to the ranch, Cady. I love this place and could never move to the city.”
“Miles, I know you do. What do you mean?”
“Fuck, I mean… Jesus Christ, I’m fucking this up.”
“I’m sorry, Miles, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
There was a sound outside her room and a “Goddamit” came both through the door and her phone’s speaker. Cady leaped out of bed and ran to the door. Yanking it open, she gasped as she saw Miles standing there with the phone to his ear. His hand dropped to his side, and he looked up bashfully at her. The next moment, his arm had encircled her waist and he stepped into her room, closing the door behind him.
Miles' Christmas Roundup (Holiday Hunks Book 2) Page 8