Page 63 of A Cowboy's Twinkling Lights Lasso
“We’re the good part,” she emphasizes the first word and guides me toward the middle of the room with a soft tug.
We push past the last cluster of hanging pictures, and the center of the room transforms into a twinkling haven. A single chair sits in the smack dab in the heart of the space. Not just any ol’ single chair. Oh no. Rocky Ridge Creek’s Christmas parade red velvet Santa chair has been repaired and sits in the middle of the room. It’s been repaired, the wood polished, the material scrubbed, and the sheer size claims the space.
“Dejavu,” I say.
She lets go of my hand and skips to the chair to pick up a quilt folded neatly on the seat. I know precisely what that quilt is. I’ve heard of the quilt queens and their so-called soulmate quilts, quilted from love for love. And my guess is, it was made for Flora and me.
“This has been in the works for some time now.” She begins unfolding it. “Everything is here. Pictures of us through the years, material from outfits we wore and blankets we used.”
I join her as we flip through the map of our lives, spread out in an intricate design of memories. Each patch reveals a photograph that sparks nostalgia, a swatch of fabric, embroidered dates, and heartfelt messages that tell stories of our significant moments and milestones.
She smiles at me. “I never believed in love like this until I met you.”
“Me either.”
“And being back here has made me realize how much I’ve missed being close to my family, even if they’re quirky and unusual.”
I chuckle. “They’re perfect.”
“Far from perfect, but they’re mine, and I love them with all my heart.”
I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.
“And I wanted to thank you because your surprise outing yesterday made me realize I had all these misconceptions of thetown stamped in my head. But visiting Alma reminded me of the sandwiches she often dropped off at our house when we were little. Picking up cookies from Betty uncovered the memories of walking home from school, and she happened to be outside with a bag of freshly baked goodies someone didn’t pick up.” She smirks. “No one ever planned to pick those up.”
“I reckon they were just for you.”
She nods. “For the first time, I realized the town wasn’t after us like I believed. They were all here for us in their way. They did what they could in a situation I’m sure they didn’t like.”
I nod. “That does sound a lot like the folks of Rocky Ridge Creek.”
“Thank you.”
I shrug. “My intentions were selfish.”
Her lips curl upward in a smirk. “Were they?”
I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her flush against me. “I wanted you to fall in love with this town.” I lean down and kiss her.
“I fell in love with more than this town.”
My heart flutters at her words.
“I fell in love with you, Thorn Slater.” Music to my ears. “I’ve always loved you but loved the boy who chased me for an entire summer. Now I’ve fallen head over heels for the man who sacrifices everything for family and friends.”
My heart swells, and my mouth is on hers again. Her words are enough to give me peace as she leaves for work. Her words are enough to give me hope she’ll be back.
Our lips break apart when we land on Santa’s chair, with her straddling me.
“Dejavu.”
She laughs, leaning back and playfully clutching the twinkle lights in her hands. I feel the soft string of lights press against my back as she gently pulls them closer.
“Don’t you dare?” My voice leaves no room for jokes, and my hands clamp her ass so she can’t move.
“Don’t you trust me?”
“I will never trust you with twinkle lights.”
