Page 51 of Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas
“No emergency.” Ryan looked at Camille, and she dropped her gaze to study her socked feet. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed about almost getting caught making out with his brother. The heat between her and Steve felt new and fragile and wasn’t anyone else’s business—especially not Ryan’s. “Just need to know where you put the extra bags for the shop. Micah’s running low.”
“They’re not in the store supply closet where we usually put them?” Steve asked.
“Let me text Nate and ask if they’ve checked there.” Ryan fiddled with his phone for a few minutes, while Camille did her best not to catch Steve’s gaze. If she did, she was sure she’d stare at him like a lovesick idiot. “Huh,” Ryan grunted, finally breaking the stiff silence. “They were in there. Micah must’ve just missed them the first time he checked.”
“Right.” Steve sounded irritated. “Now that that mystery’s solved, are you headed back out, then?”
Pulling off his hat, Ryan eyed the slow cooker—and then Camille—with a tiny smile. “As long as I’m in here, I might as well get something to eat.” He turned his oddly satisfied grin on Steve, who muttered something under his breath. Although Camille couldn’t make out the exact words, she had a feeling the comment was something derogatory about his brother’s timing—and lack of tact.
“Clean up your mess first,” Steve snapped, gesturing at the wet, dirty boot prints and growing puddle around Ryan’s feet.
With an affirmative shrug, Ryan headed back into the entryway. Steve glared at his retreating back before turning to Camille. His expression softened even as his eyes flared with renewed heat. “We’ll finish that later.”
She stared at him, nerves and anticipation and desire fighting for dominance. “Okay,” she finally said, cringing a little at how breathless she sounded. Steve seemed satisfied, though, as he headed for the bathroom to wash up. As she watched him go, her eyes ran over him. She was fascinated by the way his muscles moved. Her gaze drifted lower, and she felt her cheeks flush with heat.Later, her mind echoed, and a small smile bloomed on her face.
I can’t wait.
Chapter 13
Camille discovered that working outside was much more fun than in the store, especially since she was teamed up with Steve. He was very good at getting the customers talking, which filled any potentially awkward silences. For the entire afternoon, she helped take families out to cut their own trees, leading Buttercup or walking next to her, making sure the smallest riders didn’t fall off her broad back. To her surprise, Camille’s favorite job was working the tree shaker. There was something viscerally satisfying about knocking loose any dead bugs or loose needles or anything else that might be in the small evergreens.
The motor on the machine was loud, too, removing any opportunity for small talk. Bonus.
As the afternoon waned, and the parking lot gradually cleared of cars, the sun sat low on the sharp edge of the mountain peaks. Reddish-orange rays lit the mostly empty lot, illuminating Steve’s strong form as he unharnessed Buttercup. There was a peacefulness to the moment, a feeling of satisfaction that a day’s work was done. Camille didn’t usually have that sensation. For her, there were always more orders to fill, more ideas that wanted to be given shape. Steve lifted the heavy collar off Buttercup’s neck, his movements careful and smooth with the ease of long practice. Camille was unable to drag her gaze off him until Maya leaned against her, giving a full-body shiver.
“Why don’t you head up to the house?” Camille suggested, wrapping an arm around the girl’s shoulders to give her some extra warmth. The lights in the store windows went dark. “I overheard Nate and Micah talk about making Swedish meatballs for dinner tonight.”
“I usually help Dad with the night feed,” Maya said, although her gaze shifted to the house, its windows warm and gold, tempting after an afternoon working in the snow.
“I’ll help him.” Camille bumped the girl lightly with her hip. “You’ve been outside longer than we have. You must be freezing.”
Maya nodded, her teeth chattering together in an exaggerated way that made Camille laugh. “Okay. Thanks!” She ran toward the house and its beckoning warmth. Camille’s side felt chilly in her absence.
Ryan emerged from the store, locking the door behind him. “Here to the bitter end, huh?” he asked as he walked over.
Camille shrugged, not wanting to admit that she didn’t want to go inside until Steve did. Her time at the ranch would be short, and she wanted to take advantage of all the moments—especially peaceful, golden ones like this—that she could get. “It’s not bitter. The longer I’m out here, the better it’ll feel when I go into the house.”
“Guess that’s true.” He tugged his hat down over his ears. “I’m about to go bring the horses in. Want to help?”
“Sorry. She’s going to give me a hand out in the trees,” Steve said from right behind her, making Camille jump. She looked over her shoulder and then tilted her head back to see him. He’d climbed onto Buttercup’s bare back and was holding the lead rope attached to her halter. “We’ll give you a hand when we get back.”
Ryan gave a snort, but Camille couldn’t tell if he was amused or annoyed. She was grateful for Steve’s save. Although she’d told Maya that she’d help with feeding, Camille hated the thought of doing anything alone with Ryan. Although she wasn’t reallyafraidof him, his constant come-ons made her uncomfortable.
“Ready?” Offering a hand, Steve smiled in a way that set her pulse to thrumming. Hoping that the fading light hid her blush, she locked wrists with him, placed her boot on top of his, and swung onto Buttercup behind him. She wiggled into a better position and then hesitated, not sure how she should hang on. Steve reached back and pulled her hands around him, latching them about his waist. Despite all the layers of clothes between them, Camille still felt heat suffuse her entire body. She didn’t want to think too hard about the cause of that warmth, so she concentrated on staying on the horse. If she lost her hold on Steve and slipped off, it’d be a long way down to the ground.
As Buttercup ambled toward the trees, Camille remembered Ryan. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him watching them, and she gave him a small smile in farewell. The dimming light made it hard to see his expression, but he lifted one hand in response before turning toward the barn.
Refocusing on Steve’s back, she tried not to shift too much. She was already hyperaware of the feel of him. Her thighs lined up with his, and her pelvis was tucked right against his butt. In fact, her entire front was plastered against his back. Despite his coat, she could feel the movement of his chest as he inhaled, and she found herself matching him breath for breath.
Except for the faint thuds of Buttercup’s hooves hitting the ground, all was quiet. Usually, silence was her friend, but everything seemed so…intimate at the moment that she couldn’t take one more second of it.
“What are we doing?” she asked, and then immediately thought of all the ways that simple question could be misinterpreted. “I mean, out in the trees. What do we need to check on, since it’s not like the trees need to be fed or tucked in for the night?”
Steve’s soft chuckle vibrated through her, and Camille swallowed hard. “We’re just going to do a sweep, make sure all the saws are put away and we don’t have any lost mittens or anything like that.” He paused. “It’s just something I like to do, like taking a final walk through the house right before I go to bed. It’s reassuring to know that everything is where it’s supposed to be. It helps me sleep.”
“I get that.” Camille kept her voice low as they entered the first row of trees. The sun had almost dropped all the way behind the mountains, and the shadows stretched far across the snow. It was different being in the trees without the noisy clusters of customers, without the barking of Joe’s dog, Tollie, or the excited shrieks of kids sitting atop Buttercup. It would’ve been lonely, almost eerie, if she hadn’t been plastered against Steve’s strong back with steady Buttercup plodding underneath them.
Now, here with them, it was almost…magical.
