Page 17 of Cowboy's Christmas Wife

He leaned down; she could feel his breath on her cheek. Laura knew that if she tilted her head that she could be kissing him, but she held back. No matter how tempting Daryl was, they couldn’t repeat what almost happened on Halloween. They couldn’t lose their heads like this. “I’m starving,” she said and stepped away from him. His arms moved to bring her back but stopped, and Laura appreciated his restraint. “Do you want to go get a burger before we pick up the baby?”

Daryl took a deep breath; she could see his throat working as he swallowed. “Sure,” he said after he’d regained his composure. “Dinner sounds like a good plan, actually.”

“Great,” she said. “Let me get my stuff, and we’ll go?”

Daryl nodded again, and his mouth twitched up in a smile. “Whatever you need, Laura Jo,” he said.

TEN

Laura called to check on the baby as Daryl backed the truck down the driveway. “Hey, Georgina,” she said when his sister picked up the phone. “How’s my girl?” Daryl couldn’t hear the reply, but Laura let out a little laugh and ahmm. “Okay, well, your brother and I are going to get some dinner, and then we’ll be by to pick her up. That sound okay?” said their goodbyes, and she ended the call. “Lily was napping,” she told him. “The twins just about wore her out, your sister said.”

Daryl smiled: he could certainly imagine that. Caitlin and Callie had become obsessed with Lily since Halloween. They loved the idea of a “baby cousin.” Neither Daryl nor Laura had the heart to tell them that it wasn’t permanent. “They had so much fun pushing her stroller while they trick-or-treated.”

Laura hummed in agreement, and they spent the rest of the drive in a contented quiet. He pulled into Ed’s, and they walked in together. Mary Elizabeth greeted them and let them know that she would be with them in a moment. They settled into a booth near the big window that looked out at the street. The menus were already on the table, tucked in by the salt and pepper shakers. They reached for the same menu, and she practically jumped when their hands collided. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“You’ve gotta calm down some, Laura Jo,” he said, handing her the menu and taking the one behind it for himself. “We’re supposed to look crazy in love, remember? You look like you’re afraid of me.”

Laura pursed her lips together. “I’m not afraid of you,” she insisted.

“You’re afraid of something.”

She leveled him with a look. “I’m not afraid of anything.” The words came out tightly, and Daryl decided to drop it for now. They looked through the menus in silence until Mary Elizabeth came by to take their order: a cheeseburger with the works for him and a chicken basket for her. While they ordered, Daryl took Laura’s hand casually, as if he did it all the time. This time, Laura didn’t jump.

When Mary Elizabeth hustled off to put their orders in, Laura pulled her hand back, and he felt the absence almost like a burn. He reached over and took her hand again. “We’re in public,” he said and laced his fingers through hers. The more he touched her, the more he wanted to touch her; it was a truly slippery slope. “We need to play this up a little, right?”

Laura nodded. “I suppose we do,” she agreed.

Bernice, another long-time waitress at the diner, brought their drinks and seemed to delight over their holding hands. “I remember when my husband used to hold my hand,” she sighed dreamily. “Enjoy it while it lasts.” She nudged Laura playfully and walked away. Laura had a strange look on her face, thoughtful and maybe a little sad. Her eyes darted back to their joined hands.

“What’s wrong?”

She shrugged. “Clark stopped holding my hand right after we got married,” she explained. “He didn’t really like it when we were dating, I suppose, but he played along because it was expected. After we got married, though, he would barely ever touch me in public.”

What a jackass, Daryl thought savagely. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “I never got the chance to hold your hand before we got married,” he said softly, just for her. “So, I’m definitely not bored with it yet.”

Laura was surprised into a little smile, and she tightened her grip on his hand for a moment. She took a sip from her soda, still smiling, and he found himself thinking about his parents. He must’ve seen them holding hands thousands of times. They’d been high school sweethearts who had found a true and lasting devotion for one another that had always been Daryl’s ideal. He’d always imagined what it would be like to find a woman that he could love in the way his father had loved his mother.

He wondered what they would have thought about this fake marriage ruse. It made him uneasy to admit to himself that he doubted they’d approve. But they’d have liked Laura being part of the family, even if it was just for a little while. He was sure of that.

Their food came, and he reluctantly had to let go of her hand so that they could both eat. “Georgina will have Lily bathed and put in pajamas by the time we pick her up,” Daryl said conversationally.

“I only left her with a few onesies for if Lily had an accident or something.”

“She amassed a bunch of clothes for the girls, and then had Thomas a few years later and had to buy even more clothes for him.” He smiled. “She’ll be thrilled to have a little girl to pass it to.”

“Georgina’s great,” Laura said. “She’s been so kind to me and Lily.”

“She’s a wonderful mother,” Daryl said. “Her and Scott do everything for their kids, you know? But they’re also one of the most in love couples I’ve ever seen outside of my parents.”

“And Kyle?” she asked. “Does he have someone special?”

Daryl felt a pang. “Kye gives his all to the ranch,” he said. “If you ask him, he’ll say that he doesn’t have time for a girlfriend.”

Laura frowned. “That doesn’t seem fair,” she said. “He’s only twenty-four, and he works so hard on the ranch. Shouldn’t he get to have a little fun?”

He should, and Daryl would sometimes encourage him to get out more, get off the ranch, but Kyle would counter that someone had to keep the lights on. When Daryl had started pouring his time and efforts into the leatherworking business, Kyle had taken on all of the responsibility of the ranch onto his shoulders, and Daryl didn’t know how to take it back. “He should,” he agreed, “but if you can get him to go out on a Saturday night or take a Sunday off, I would be truly impressed.”

Laurahmm-ed. “I’ll get to work on that,” she said, and he laughed. He had no doubt that she would. He was about to make a suggestion about the weekend when the door to the diner opened, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Judge Morrison and his wife come in.

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