Page 74 of Merry Christmas, Cowboy

Garrett grinned and gave Bess a kiss on the cheek. It was so out of character for him, that her mouth literally dropped open.

Cody got hugs too from her folks and then they took off.

Garrett turned to face her and, luckily, she’d gotten her composure back. “Come here,” he told her.

And her heart starting doing somersaults. “What? Why?”

He crooked his finger at her and apparently that was all that was necessary to get her feet moving quickly. She came within a foot of him and stopped.

“You’ve got some chocolate, right here.” He placed his index finger on the corner of her mouth and gave it a gentle swipe, all the while keeping his baby blues locked on her.

His touch and the sweet way he looked at her, made her heart sing. “Evidence of my indulging,” she whispered, out of earshot of Cody.

“Evidence of you enjoying yourself.”

That was the problem, whenever she was around him, she enjoyed herself too much.

Chapter Ten

The cleanup onSunday at Cottonwood had gone smoothly, the volunteers being generous with their time and energy. And though Nicole was vegging on her sofa, nearing exhaustion after the weeks of prepping and the aftermath of tabulating profits on Monday and Tuesday, she was also especially happy with the end results. When all was said and done, they’d made enough money to support all the families in need well through the winter months. Not only would they have a wonderful Christmas, they’d have hope for the coming year. Many of the Honeysuckle Elementary families just needed a bridge, a way to see them through a few months, in order to get on their feet financially again.

It meant so much to her that the event provided that safety net for them.

“Honey, I’ll make dinner tonight,” her mother said. “You stay on the couch and rest.”

“Mom, you’ve made dinner three nights already since you’ve been here. This is supposed to be your vacation.”

“I don’t mind, sweetheart. You’re pooped.”

She was. She’d been like a battery-powered bunny moving at the speed of light, in order to put the fundraiser together, and after breaking it all down at Cottonwood two days ago, her body sort of rebelled. Her sofa never felt more comfortable. This was the most time she’d spent on the couch since she’d gotten the flu as a teenager. Her folks had basically forced her to relax and rest, while they went about taking care of the apartment and cooking.

“I have to finish up my Christmas shopping, Mom.”

“We’ll do that tomorrow.”

“And I need a dress for the Christmas ball.”

Her mother blinked. “Well, I’m glad you’re going, sweetheart. You didn’t tell me you were.”

“I wasn’t. Until, well…” She turned her head away and squeezed her eyes closed. She knew what would come next after she made the announcement, but there was no getting around it. Her folks would find out soon enough. She turned to her mom, shrugging. “Garrett invited me to go.”

Her mother smiled her approval. “Isn’t that wonderful.”

There was no mistaking the wheels turning in her mother’s head right now. She saw them plain as day on a face that couldn’t hide any emotion.

Nicole glanced at her dad sitting across from her. He gave her a wink.

“We’re going as friends,” she said in her own defense. Though, she could tell her mother wasn’t buying any of it. And she doubted her dad was either.

“All right, then. I’ll help you shop for just the right dress.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

She closed her eyes and there was Garrett’s face, smiling at her. She sighed, remembering how he’d held her hand, how he’d been there for her at every turn. She couldn’t deny it any longer, she was deeply in love with him. It was powerful and, if she were being honest, she’d never felt this pull, this magic, with Johnny. Garrett lit up her world, while Johnny had only been a dim glow.

Her gut clenched, her emotions reeling, but all she could do now was to go with what she was feeling, instead of running away from it.

Her cell phone chimed and she looked at the notification. It was from Garrett. She opened his text and smiled at the message.“An early surprise Christmas gift to Cody. I’m taking him horseback riding tomorrow afternoon at the Misty Rose Ranch. Want to join us?”

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