Page 27 of Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas
Joe’s grumpy expression changed to one of surprise as he looked at Micah, and Steve let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like a strangled laugh. Without another word, Joe got a plate and glass from the cupboard and took the empty chair next to Zoe.
“Where’s Ryan?” Camille asked as Joe started to fill his plate. She wanted to be prepared if he was going to join them. “Is he off the ranch today?”
“Disappointed?” Steve’s tone had an uncharacteristic edge, and she glanced at him in surprise.
“Ah…” She floundered a little as she tried to think of a truthful, yet tactful answer. When enough seconds ticked by that things were becoming awkward, she tossed the idea of being polite and just blurted out, “Not really. I just noticed he’s gone, since we’re all here except for him—and Nate, but he’s by himself in the store—so I wanted a little warning…uh, not a warning, since that sounds kind of rude, so just curiosity, maybe? Mild, very mild curiosity, though.” As she trailed off, she kicked herself for reverting to babble when she’d been doing so well with the Springfields, even talking in whole coherent sentences. She wished she hadn’t brought Ryan up in the first place.
“Oh.” Steve grimaced slightly, looking abashed. “He’s in Ebba, at the ranch-supply store.” When he went silent, no one spoke for a solid minute, and Camille realized that all of his kids were eyeing him with the same surprise she’d felt. Joe, on the other hand, was focused on his food.
“Okay,” she said, more to break the silence than anything. The kids were now exchanging looks that she couldn’t interpret, but they were making her a little antsy. She mentally hunted for a topic, any topic that would make everyone stop being weird. Finally, an idea popped into her head. “Will!” When his eyes widened as if she’d startled him, she realized she might have said that a little too enthusiastically. She was just so relieved to have thought of something to say. “What kind of car are you thinking about getting?”
He immediately lit up. “I’m not set on anything for sure, since I don’t want to pass up something good just because it doesn’t match what’s in my head, you know?”
“That’s smart,” she said, grateful for the easy transition. The kids made normal conversation so easy. She wished it were as simple with other adults. “What are you hoping for, though?”
“Wellll…” He drew out the word while flicking a teasing look at Zoe. “There was a red Ford Mustang that we went to look at in Denver, butsomebodytold me that I couldn’t get it.”
Zoe groaned dramatically. “It was a 2006, Will. A 2006! I told you how many problems the Mustang had that year, but if you want to have to deal with the engine stalling or the spark plugs breaking off when you try to remove them, then—”
“Okay, okay!” Will interrupted her, laughing. “That’s why I bow to Zoe on all car-buying decisions.”
“You were lucky to have someone along who knows her stuff,” Camille said. “Even if she did destroy your dream of owning a Mustang.”
“Nightmare, more like,” Zoe grumbled, although she couldn’t hide her pleasure at the compliment.
“Yeah, he is lucky,” Steve said with obvious pride, and Zoe beamed at him.
Will’s phone beeped several times in a row, and he pulled it out.
“William.” Steve’s eyebrows drew together, and Camille’s stomach clenched in reflexive pleasure. She wondered what was wrong with her that she thought his stern look made him even more attractive. “No phones at the table.”
“Sorry, Dad, but it’s Uncle Nate.” Standing up, Will took his empty plate over to the sink. “Things got busy early. He has a bunch of customers wanting to get trees, and he can’t leave the store. I can tell he’s freaking out, ’cause he sent about five texts, and the last couple don’t make any sense.”
“All right, then. I’ll follow you in just a minute,” Steve said. Will gave him a nod and the rest of the table a quick wave before heading into the entryway. Steve gave Joe a wry look. “Don’t suppose you want to take some customers out to get trees?”
“No.” Joe blinked quickly. “I…uh…I need to fix the Chevy. It’s been running a little rough.” He seemed so relieved to have thought up an excuse that Camille had to hold back a snicker.
Steve had obviously been expecting Joe to wiggle out of the job, since he just grimaced slightly as he stood. His expression sweetened when he looked down at Camille, and she couldn’t stop herself from beaming back at him. “I’m glad you had lunch with us,” he said simply. It was another long moment before he tore his gaze away from hers, and she discovered that just that extra bit of eye contact had her breathing a little too quickly.
“Thank you for inviting me,” she said, grasping for an easy platitude to tide her over until she could organize her thoughts into sentences that made sense. She didn’t want Steve to know how easily he could set her head spinning. Even though she suspected he was interested, she couldn’t tell for sure. She mentally cursed both her own inexperience and the fact that people didn’t just blurt out their feelings. It would make social interactions so much easier if she didn’t have to figure out every subtle cue. She turned her gaze away from Steve with some effort and focused on Micah. “The tacos were great. Thank you for cooking.”
He responded with a grunt and a slight dip of his chin, but his face reddened enough for Camille to know that he was flustered by her appreciation.
“Micah,” Steve said, a touch of gentle reprimand in his voice.
“You’re welcome.” Micah’s words were almost inaudible, just a low grumble as he stared at his plate. Steve moved around the table, giving all three of his remaining children a kiss on the head and a gentle shoulder squeeze in farewell.
“Dad, can I work with Uncle Joe on the Chevy?” Zoe asked, and then beamed when he nodded. Joe gave her a sideways smile that made him look a thousand times more approachable than usual.
“Help Micah and Maya with kitchen cleanup first,” Steve said. “If you’re ready to go, Camille, I can walk you to your car.”
As appealing as that sounded, she had a promise to keep first. “Micah said he’d show me his drawings. I’d like to see them.” A pleased expression flashed across Micah’s face, and he immediately pushed back his chair and stood up.
Steve gave her an approving nod. “Mind stopping by the shop before you go?” He rubbed at the back of his neck, and she wondered what was making him uneasy. The thought occurred to her thatshemight make him nervous, just as he made her, but she quickly dismissed it. He was always so stalwart and steady. There was no way that she, Camille Brandt, socially awkward semi-hermit, could throw Steve Springfield off-balance.
“Sure.”
“Good.” He hesitated a second too long, and she wondered again if he was as confident as he always appeared to be. “I’ll…see you later, then.”
