Page 34 of Promise Me This Christmas
Larkin grabbed a candy cane truffle, which melted in her mouth and left her taste buds awash in flavors of cocoa butter, vanilla, and peppermint.Then, as she tried to make her way to the other side of the room where her grandmother was seated next to Carson’s mother, she happened to meet the man who had renovated the Graff Hotel and his beautiful wife.She had to stop and talk to them for a few minutes, after which she got caught up in a conversation about rotational grazing among several of the town’s most prosperous ranchers.
It turned out that one of those ranchers was Drake Everett, Marly’s husband.He snapped his fingers at one point and said, “You’re Larkin Carrillo, aren’t you?The journalist from Denver?”
As Larkin admitted she was, Marly rejoined her husband, sliding in beside him as he placed his arm around her back.
“Larkin!I was hoping to see you here.How’s the article coming?”
“It’s almost done.I just thought I would experience the tea, since you wanted me to mention the event in my piece.”
“Perfect.Just as long as you get the copy to me by noon on the twenty-third.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Are you enjoying Marietta?”Drake asked her.
“Very much.For a small town, it has a lot going for it.”
“Your grandmother lives here, right?Any thoughts of maybe moving to be close to her?”
“Drake!”Marly gave her husband a play slap on the hand.“You’re shameless, you know that?”
“What can I say?You already work too hard.And now with our second baby coming…”
“You’re right.I do need to hire someone.Eventually.But I’ve already tried to poach Larkin from theWestward Beacon.Less pay, smaller circulation, I’m not sure why I haven’t been able to entice her.”
Larkin laughed, not sure if Marly was really serious about offering her a job.Not that it mattered.Marly was right—she’d be crazy to leave a publication like theWestward Beaconto work at theCopper Mountain Courier.
“It was nice to meet you, Drake.Now I’ve got to see how my grandmother is doing.”
She squeezed past a group of two couples and finally she reached Gran and Mary Beth, seated next to the beautiful Bramble family Christmas tree.“How are you doing, Gran?Can I get you anything?”
“I’m having a wonderful time, sweetie.I don’t need a thing.”Her grandmother indicated the plate next to her teacup, which still had several items on it, including a brownie that Larkin didn’t remember being offered at the beginning of the event.
She turned to Mary Beth, a woman who had been almost like a second mother to her when she was growing up, intending to say hello, but the diminutive matron was already standing and holding out her arms for a hug.
“Larkin!It’s been ages.It’s so nice to see you again.Your grandmother was just telling me how happy she is that you’ve come to Marietta to spend Christmas with her.”
“I’m sorry she had to break a hip to lure me here,” Larkin admitted.“Our family would love for Gran to move to Denver with the rest of us, but I can understand why she doesn’t want to leave Marietta.It’s a special town.”
“All my friends are here.And my garden,” Gran pointed out.
“I hear you,” Mary Beth said.“David and I plan to stay on the ranch until the day we die, if at all possible.But Larkin, do you know where Carson is?I was hoping to see him.”
Larkin felt heat rise in her cheeks.Oh Lord, she was acting like a teenager with a crush.“He’s on babysitting duty this afternoon.He said he was going to pop in briefly to show off Robin.”She glanced around the room.There were a few big, muscular men, taller than six feet, but none of them were Carson.
“I bet he was thrilled to discover you were staying at his sister’s B & B.”Mary Beth’s eyebrows quirked as she said this, making the statement into a subtle question.
“I don’t think he was as surprised as I was.”Larkin noticed a loose thread on her skirt and pulled it off.“But it’s been nice seeing him again.”
“They went to a chocolate-making event together last night,” Gran said, fueling the fire of Mary Beth’s interest.
“Oh, really?”
And then Larkin saw him, standing at the doorway, with Robin perched on his broad shoulders, small hands clutching onto Carson’s dark blond hair.Carson’s hands were on Robin’s legs, holding him securely as he scanned the crowd.When he spotted her, he smiled.A second later, when he noticed the woman beside her, his eyebrows shot up.
He worked his way through the crowd, making slow progress as everyone wanted to say hi to Robin.Finally he made it.
He gave her another quick smile, then said hello to her grandmother before turning to his mother.“Mom.Didn’t expect to see you here.”He removed Robin from his shoulders so he could bend low enough to kiss his mother’s cheek.
