Page 26 of Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas
“What’s your pony’s name?” Camille asked, noting that it was the same adorable gray in all the photos.
“Quibble, but I call him Q.”
“I like that name.” She bent to get a close look at the pictures. “He looks like a sweetheart.”
Zoe burst into laughter as Micah gave an amused huff.
“Heissweet.” Maya defended her pony. “Usually. Just…occasionally naughty.”
With a scoffing sound, Zoe said, “He’s naughty about ninety percent of the time.”
“Not that much!” It was obvious that Maya was trying to hold on to her offended expression but was having a hard time not laughing along with her siblings. “And when he’s good, he’s really, really good.”
Camille scratched her nose to hide her own smile. “But when heisn’t…?”
“He’s really naughty,” Maya admitted. Micah burst out with a laugh, the first Camille had heard from him.
“What’s so funny?” Steve’s voice brought Camille’s attention to the doorway, where he was standing behind Micah. His mouth was already curling up at the corners, as if he was prepared to laugh along. She was suddenly struck once again by how attractive Steve was. Before he’d returned to Borne, Camille had figured she’d exaggerated his handsomeness in her memory, but the real-life Steve was even better. When she’d known him in high school, he’d had the boyish good looks of a teenager. Somehow, he’d managed to improve with age. His rugged, square features were softened by the kindness in his eyes, making him seem strong without being harsh, and his muscled, powerful body made her feel uncomfortably warm. When he met her gaze and held it, she realized she was staring and quickly turned her head. Just those few moments of eye contact made her heart flutter.
Camille, the little voice of reason in her head warned.You’re in so much trouble.
“We were telling Camille how naughty Q is,” Zoe said, giggling.
Grimacing, Steve said, “He’s a…challenging ride.”
“He’s good sometimes!” Maya argued plaintively, and he gave her a smile.
“Even when he’s not being his best, you ride him very well,” Steve said, and Camille was impressed by his diplomacy. “Let’s go downstairs and eat.”
“But I haven’t shown Camille my drawings yet,” Micah protested.
“After lunch,” Steve said, turning his son around by the shoulders and pointing him toward the stairs. “Will and I need to eat so we can get back to work. Nate’s all by himself in the store right now, and things start getting busy by one on Sundays.”
Maya and Zoe followed Micah out of the room, and then it was Camille’s turn to slip past Steve as he stood sentry in the doorway. Although there was enough room that she didn’t brush against him, her heart still beat quicker as she got near enough to catch a whiff of his intoxicating scent. Steve waited until she’d passed to fall in behind her, resting one of his broad hands lightly on the small of her back.
The unexpected touch almost made her jump, but she managed to stay calm—externally, at least. Inside, she was enjoying every moment his warm, strong palm pressed lightly against her spine. His hand was so big that his fingers nearly touched her side. Although she was short, she wasn’t waiflike in any way. Even with her plentiful curves, though, she felt tiny and fragile when he was near. Her growing need to have him close was both addictive and a little frightening.
“Good tacos, Micah!” Will said with his mouth full as they entered the kitchen.
“Manners,” Steve said sternly, only then dropping his hand from Camille’s back. She noticed that Will eyed the movement, but he didn’t look at all bothered by the fact that his dad had just been touching a woman. If anything, he seemed pleased.
This time, Will swallowed his mouthful of food before speaking. “Sorry. Good tacos, Micah. Sorry I didn’t wait, but Uncle Nate’s on tree salesandwatching the shop until one of us gets back to help him.”
His brother gave an abrupt dip of his chin as he headed to pull foil-wrapped tortillas out of the oven. Camille took a turn washing her hands in the bathroom off the kitchen before rejoining them.
“Can I help?” she asked as Micah transferred food into serving dishes and the girls started pulling shredded lettuce, cheese, and other taco toppings from the fridge.
“I think we’re set.” Steve looked up from pouring water into glasses. As he passed behind Micah, he gently squeezed the boy’s shoulder. “Looks good, Son.”
Maya pulled out a chair. “Sit here, Camille.” Her excitement made Camille smile, even though she felt a little unworthy of such enthusiasm. She settled into the chair Maya offered, only realizing when everyone else took their seats that she was right next to Steve. He was so broad across the shoulders that his arm was within brushing distance of hers, and a warm buzzing started in her belly. Maya was on her other side, grinning at her as though Camille’s presence at lunch was the greatest thing that had ever happened. Camille was rather baffled by their enthusiastic welcome, since she didn’t think she was interesting or amusing enough to deserve their eager, focused attention. With a mental shrug, she decided to just accept and enjoy it. They’d figure out soon enough that she was quirky, odd, and not really all that fascinating.
As they filled their plates, passing the dishes around the table, the kids filled Will in on his superpower. Camille wondered if she would’ve turned out differently if she’d grown up with such a big, noisy family. Over the chatter, the sound of the front door opening and closing again caught her attention, but she couldn’t see into the entryway from her seat. She hoped it wasn’t Ryan and then immediately felt a little ashamed of the thought. He was just so persistent that he made her feel uneasy and guilty, and then resentful that he’d made her feel uneasy and guilty, and then even guiltier that she felt resentful. Everything seemed so much more comfortable and relaxed when it was just Steve and the kids, even with the way Steve seemed to set off sparklers in her chest every time his muscular arm brushed lightly against hers.
When Joe walked in, she felt her shoulders drop slightly in relief. It wasn’t Ryan after all. Joe, however, didn’t look as thrilled with her presence as she felt about his. As soon as he spotted her, he stopped abruptly in the doorway and scowled. Instead of being offended, Camille found it hard not to smile. His expressions were so close to Micah’s.
“Who’re you?” he barked.
Before she could answer, Micah spoke. “This is Camille. The horse artist. She’s having lunch with us.”
