Page 50 of Merry Christmas, Cowboy

“Mom and Dad are good. They’re doing some traveling and having a good time. I’ll be seeing them for Christmas, of course. And Sam, well, he’ll be home for good soon. I can’t wait. I really miss him.”

“I get a letter from him every once in a while.”

“You do? That’s great. Glad he’s keeping in touch with his friends here. How about you? How’s your holiday going so far?” she asked.

“I’m doing just fine. You’d think the realty market would slow down around this time, but as you can see, we’re keeping busy. I think people are finding Last Stand a charming place to live and are anxious to move here. We’re especially popular during the Christmas season, with all of our festivities drawing people from all over Texas. Maybe some are looking for a slower pace and a simpler life.”

“I get that.”

Charles had been one of the few in town that didn’t dwell on her breakup. She appreciated that he hadn’t given her the head tilt, or a pitying look. “So, what can I do for you today?” he asked.

“Well, as I told your secretary, I want to buy a house and I want to stay in the area. As you know, I work at the grade school, so I want to live nearby. I haven’t had time to look online for houses myself yet. I just wanted to start the ball rolling.”

“That’s no problem, I can do the looking for you,” he said, his head down, taking notes. “And how big of a house are we talking about?”

“I’d like a three-bedroom place, with a yard. It doesn’t have to be too big. And I’m willing to do some work on the house, as long as it doesn’t need a full overhaul.”

“Gotcha. Is this for just you, Nicole? I’m only asking because it makes a difference in what I show you.”

“Yes, it’s just for me, for now. But it’d be nice for when Sam comes back, to have a guest room for him.”

“Thatwouldbe nice.” He asked a few more questions, jotting things down. “Got it. So give me a few days to put some things together for you and we’ll talk again soon. Does that sound good?”

“That sounds great.” Maybe hearing from Johnny again gave her the motivation to get her rear in gear and start living the life she wanted.

She’d finally answered his text, telling him she didn’t want to see him again right now. Which was the truth. She had too much on her plate as it was. She wasn’t leaving him hanging on purpose. Well, maybe she was, but she wasn’t going to allow him to disrupt her life again. And so, now she was even more determined to start the search for a house.

“Wonderful. I’ll keep a lookout for you. We’ll get you into the perfect house.”

“Thanks, Blake.”

They rose from their seats at the same time and Blake took her hand. Instead of a shake, he gave it a squeeze of friendship. He was such a gentleman, and she trusted him to find her just the right place.

“I’ll be speaking to you soon,” he said. “Have a great weekend.”

“You too.”

Nicole walked out of the office feeling triumphant. She’d done it. She’d gotten the ball rolling. Now all she had to do was finish with the fundraiser, and then enjoy Christmas.

She walked down the street with a little more bounce in her step. She was smiling, enjoying the brisk weather and the way the shops in town had decorated their storefronts with garland and shiny ornaments. The remaining snow on the ground made it all look like a picture straight off the pages of a Christmas calendar.

Nicole stopped in front of Char-Pie on Main Street. There was an adorable little Christmas tree out front, twinkling with white lights and decorated with small ceramic pieces of pie. She got a kick out of seeing the clever ornaments, something new. She entered the shop, ready to order at the counter, when she spotted Garrett, sitting in a corner booth apparently having a great time with an attractive dark-haired woman. The two looked cozy chatting up a storm, completely immersed in each other.

Breath caught in Nicole’s throat and a stab of jealousy crawled up her spine. There was no other name for it. She was jealous, seeing Garrett being fully entertained with whatever clever thing the pretty woman was saying. Who wouldn’t be thrilled having Garrett’s full attention?

His booming laughter carried over the Christmas music in the pie shop and she immediately spun around on her heels and marched out. Her hand over her heart, she finally took a deep breath. What was wrong with her? She couldn’t get out of that shop fast enough. Garrett rarely smiled, much less laughed his head off, but apparently the woman, whoever she was, could get belly laughs out of him.

She strode down the street and once she hit Bluebonnet and Laurel, she entered Promises by Taylor, her friend’s new bridal boutique. The place spoke of love and romance and weddings. Taylor had done great things with this little shop, and her reputation was growing in leaps and bounds. Nicole had planned on coming here to share her good news, but now, the silver lining was tarnished.

Because of her silly fascination with Garrett.

Taylor looked up from her work to greet her. “Nicole, this is a nice surprise.”

She tried to adjust her expression to keep from frowning. “Hi, Taye, just came to tell you something.”

Julie walked out of the back room. Sometimes, Julie helped Taylor after school when the boutique got really busy. The cousins were close that way. “Hi, Nic. How’d it go today?”

“Great,” she said, summoning her enthusiasm. “That’s what I came to tell Taylor about.”

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