Page 44 of The Cowboy's Christmas Baby
She didn’t know. She did know she’d miss his companionship. She had tons of casual friends, but her inner circle was tight and exclusive, and he’d worked his way in.
“Can I take a few days to think about it?” she said.
“Take all the time you need.”
Ryan veered off, heading back to the barns, leaving her to finish the walk to the arena alone. She waited for the familiar panicky sensation to set in, but it didn’t happen. She trusted Miles to know what he was doing, she realized, only somewhat surprised. He understood the mentalities of the riders and bulls, and their safety was his priority, not cutting costs. The rodeo workers he hired were the best.
It also helped to hear him insist that her brother had ridden by choice, not because she’d held any sway in his decisions other than to serve as his manager and get him signed up for events that furthered his career. Tanner hadn’t been very businesslike in that regard. All he’d wanted to do was ride.
Acknowledging it took the edge off the pain and the guilt. Someday, she’d forgive herself. She wasn’t quite there yet. And she doubted if she’d ever be able to sit and watch another bull riding event that Miles hadn’t engineered.
The arena was empty. She found Miles in his small office near the locker and medical rooms. He was hunched over a computer keyboard, busy typing what looked like an email.
“Hi,” he said, looking both pleased and surprised when she knocked on his door to announce her arrival. “Please tell me you’re here so we can sneak in a little alone time together.”
He was impossible to resist when he smiled at her that way. She felt good about the gift she had for him. He’d appreciate the thought behind it, and that was what was important.
“Alone time sounds good.” She set the gift bag and her purse on a chair. “Ryan asked if I’d like to work at an employee daycare here, at the ranch. Are you okay with it if I accept?”
He circled the desk. “Why wouldn’t I be? Because Iris would no longer have your undivided attention? She’d have other kids to play with. I think it’s a great idea.”
“But what if you and I…” She tried to come up with a delicate way to put it. One that didn’t make it sound as if she thought they were doomed.
“What if we can’t be friends anymore?” he said, finishing her thought for her.
“Exactly.”
“I don’t see any reason why we can’t remain friends. Do you?”
“No.”
But she didn’t sound as confident as she would have liked. She wasn’t worried about whether they could remain friends based on where they were now. She was more worried about how she’d handle it if Miles became friends with some other lucky woman. She had a history of poor gut reactions to back up her concern.
She picked up the gift bag. “I have a small gift for Iris, and I wanted to give it to you without an audience around.”
“What a coincidence.” He reached behind him into a drawer on the other side of the desk and withdrew a white envelope with a shiny red bow on it. “Iris has a small gift for you, too.” He handed it to her.
The envelope was suspiciously thick. “Should I open it now?” she asked.
“Go ahead.”
She ran her finger under the flap, prying the glue loose. The envelope contained a card with money tucked inside it, as she’d suspected. A Christmas bonus was what one would expect from an employer.
Tate didn’t pay any attention to the money, although the amount was staggering, considering she’d only worked for him for a few weeks. The card’s message was the real gift.The best present one can hope for this year is to spend time together.Next to those words he’d written,The money’s from Iris. The sentiment’s mine.
Her eyelashes dampened and she blinked the tears back. She wasn’t sure if he knew how much those words meant to her, but he’d chosen the ones she most longed to hear.
“Thank you,” she said, embarrassed by her reaction, and he ducked in for a kiss.
“My turn,” he said.
He untied the ribbon and set it aside, then peeled the tape off the pretty wrapping paper with care, as if understanding that the effort she’d put into the presentation was as much a part of the gift as the gift itself.
He studied it for so long that she began to have second and third thoughts. Maybe ten. She’d assumed he would get the message. What if he didn’t?
“It’s a picture of you and Iris,” she said, helping him out.
“I can see that.”
