Page 17 of Her Candy Cane Cowboy
I park at the community center at the same time that she gets out of her car and approaches the building. As she reaches out to unlock the front door, I catch up to her, trying not to dance around like an excited Labrador in case she spent the night thinking about and regretting that kiss. I don’t want to have my hopes dashed.
“Morning,” I say tentatively, trying to figure out how she’s feeling.
Her smile is sunshine to my heart. “Morning.”
“I was thinking of taking you to breakfast,” I say, checking her reaction.
She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, her expression one I can’t read.
I indicate the community center. “Or do you need to get straight to work?”
“I have to set up the gingerbread photo cutout so that people can take photos using their head on a gingerbread body. Once I decorate the center’s inner doors to look like gingerbread doors, I’m finished.”
“So you only have a couple of hours work left?”
“Maybe not even that.”
I stroke my beard. “Then…how about you go with me and later I’ll stick around and help you.”
Ginger pats her abdomen. “I could go for breakfast, but I warn you. I’m a hearty eater.”
“I like a woman with a big appetite.”
“Is that right?” she murmurs.
“It is. Because I know I can keep her satisfied. If she’s interested, I mean.”
She doesn’t respond but I won’t give up trying to win over this woman I know is meant to be my future. I add, “Give me time. I can prove that I’m a good choice.”
She doesn’t respond to that either as we turn to walk down the sidewalk on the way to find food. But once we pass the coffee shop, she finally says, “I think you’re a really good guy, Dallas and?—.”
I put my hand over my heart. “If what you’re about to say is a precursor to ‘get your ass in the friend zone’, stop before you break my heart.”
She glances at me. “I was going to say that I enjoy spending time with you.”
“Oh. Well, then continue. It’ll be difficult for me to listen to you sing my praises, but I’ll try to muster the strength to get through it.”
She laughs. “It’s too bad I didn’t meet you before…” Her throat works and all the laughter flees from her face.
“Before…” I prod gently.
She shakes her head, her expression pained. I wish I knew who or what hurt her. If it was a man, I’d unravel the bastard. If it was an event, I’d figure out a way to take on that pain so she wouldn’t have to ache because of it.
I reach for her hand holding on tightly like that’s where it belongs because it does. “I’ll feed you, and then I’m going to take you to a place a friend owns. It’s just over in the next town.”
“What is it?”
“I have a buddy who built a company dedicated to creating themed tiny homes. It’s called Galaxies. His business operates in several states. One is here and another is just outside of Lucky River.”
“Did he also once live at The Naughty List Ranch?”
“No. I met Calvin when he was visiting in town here while I was living with Mary and Christopher. The guy’s a genius. Graduated high school and got his master’s degree from college at the same time.”
“How’d you become friends?”
“A trio of bullies from the “good families” in his town followed him here and were beating him up behind one of the shops. I heard something going down and went to even the odds in that fight. He and I became friends and kept in touch even after I went to live with my birth family.”
“Does he choose the themes and personally build the homes?”
