Page 12 of Merry Christmas, Cowboy

Cody smiled, putting his teeth together to show them both how they sparkled.

“Looks good to me, Uncle Garrett,” Nicole said.

“Oh yeah? Good enough to go to the tree-lighting ceremony tonight?”

“Can we, Uncle Garrett, can we?”

“I suppose as long as we get back to work. Looks to me we have about one thousand more lights to string.”

“So, you’ll come?” she asked.

He nodded and looked at his nephew. “We’ll come.”

When he gazed at Nicole, she had a triumphant smile on her face that oddly didn’t bother him in the least.

*

“He’s a good-lookingman,” Taylor said to Nicole, as they put supplies away in Coop’s truck. The lights were all strung and everyone was busy cleaning up.

“Who?”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “You know who. Garrett Brown.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”Liar.

“He’s really good with his nephew. Coop likes him. He invited him to play poker with the guys next week.”

“That was neighborly of him.”

“And we invited him over for dinner tonight, along with little Cody before the tree lighting. You’re coming right?”

She gave her friend the stink eye. “I’m coming, but don’t go letting your imagination run wild. Keep that for the gowns you design.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Nic.”

“Uh-huh. Bless your little matchmaking heart, Taye. But you know I’m not in a place, right now, where I can be open to anything.”

“Neither was I, when I met up with Coop again, and you can see how perfectly that turned out.”

“You’d lost your high-profile job in New York, not your fiancé on your wedding day.”

“Hey, I know it was rough on you,” she said, giving her a loving look. “I’m not trivializing it. I know how hurt you were, are. And I promise no pressure, just come and have a nice dinner with us Coopers. Julie and Miguel are coming too. We’ll have a simple early meal, and then head over to the tree lighting.”

“Okay, sorry. You’re right. It’s no big deal.” It wasn’t as if she would open her heart up again. She’d been burned too badly to let anyone get close. So, just because romance was out of her life, she still had a whole lot of spirit left in her, especially this time of year. “How’d you get him to agree to dinner? He isn’t the easiest man to convince of anything.”

“Coop insisted. And you know Coop, he’s pretty persuasive. I got the feeling Garrett isn’t comfortable about it, but he’s coming.”

“I think he’s sort of a loner.”

“All we can do is offer him friendship and see if he takes it. He was a big help today.”

“So was Coop, and all the volunteers were great getting the job done.”

“Yeah, they were.”

“Thanks for your work on the fence too.” They both gazed at the corral fence decorated now with garland and ornaments and lights. “It’s going to look amazing at night.”

“I think so too.”

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