Page 14 of Her Cowboy Santa
After my date with Callie, I head to the bunkhouse. It’s only a short walk from the main house. The guys are gathering for an impromptu dinner, and I haven’t seen some of them in years.
My boots crunch against the snow as I walk, Rudy happily bouncing along beside me. I can’t help the dopey grin on my face. I’m in love with Callie. She hasn’t accepted that yet.
She’s scared and shy, uncertain of love. But I’m going to show her that love sticks around. That love stays through the messy and the hard moments. I’m always going to be there for her and for Danny.
As soon as I step inside the bunkhouse, the familiar scents hit me. Cole’s chili, Mary’s lemon furniture polish, pine wood, and the sweet scent of an evergreen Christmas tree.
This communal living space changed my life. It helped me to realize that even though I felt alone in the world, I wasn’t. Mary and Christopher did so much more than take me in when I was troubled. They gave me a family, a brotherhood. It’s a gift that not everyone gets.
I toe off my boots at the front door, knowing better than to track mud and slush across these hardwood floors that Mary works so hard to keep in good condition. She’s always somehow made every bunkhouse feel like a home.
There’s already a fire crackling in the stone fireplace, and folded blankets resting on the couch for whoever needs a place to crash. There are bedrooms too, but I’m going back to the main house so I can be close to Callie and Danny.
I follow my nose to the kitchen where Cole is already staring down into a big, bubbling slow cooker. “There you are.”
“It’s been too long,” I agree, surprised when he reaches to give me a quick one-armed hug. He’s been different since he was injured on his last deployment. He’s always been quiet and reserved, but now he’s even quieter.
I give him a quick pat, ignoring the lump in my throat. I don’t even want to think about the things he’s probably seen and endured.
He reaches for a bowl of meat and sets it on the floor for Rudy. “It’s lean and unflavored. Nothing in there to hurt his stomach.”
“How’s the farm?” I ask. Like me, Cole is a rancher. He’s got a nice farm out in Wolf Valley, Oregon. He settled there after his deployment. Given what a loner he is, I’d be surprised if he knew a single person in town. I hope one day somebody drags him out of his shell and brings him to life.
He shrugs, and that’s about as much as he’ll say. He looks like he’s going to ask about my farm when Dallas comes in. He’s got his own place too. We exchange a hug complete with thumping each other on the back.
He grins, face flushed from the cold air and probably a little bit of Christopher’s spiked apple cider. “I made a girl hate me.”
“What else is new?” Cole mutters.
“No, she really hates me,” he says before launching into the story of how he met Ginger. It involves a striped candy cane dildo that she grabbed at the post office.
“She thought it was her package.” Dallas can’t stop grinning. He’s only here for a few days. It’s all the time he could get away from his ranch in Lucky River. But the way he lights up every time he says Ginger’s name, I’m pretty sure he’s going to have his hands full with her.
“What a charming story to tell the grandkids,” Grady says from the doorway without a hint of a smile. His dry wit and quick observations never fail to make me chuckle. He’s a big, brooding son of a gun who spent plenty of time on combat missions. Like Cole, it’s changed him. Made him an even stronger leader than he was all those years ago when we were a ragtag group of lost kids.
Dallas waves away Grady’s comment. “There’s a thin line between love and hate.”
“That thin line is called a restraining order.” I can’t resist teasing him before turning to Grady. “What are you doing here? You haven’t been back in years.”
“Got to set some things right,” he answers as Cole starts handing out bowls of hot chili. He made the worst chili when we first arrived here as teenagers. He was a dreadful cook, but now, he could win awards.
I don’t ask Grady about what he has to set right. We all came back for reasons of our own, and I’m not going to pry. Instead, I just settle at the table with my brothers.
I still remember the surprise I felt as a teenager when Mary insisted the four of us eat around the table for dinner every night. Getting three square meals a day was enough of a shock, but then to spend those meals with people who I’d grow to care about. Some days, I wonder if she and Christopher have ever realized the difference they’ve made in so many lives.
“What about you?” Dallas asks around a mouthful of cornbread. “You got your girl locked down yet?”
“Working like hell on that,” I answer. I’m not telling them about Callie’s life before she came to the ranch or the things she’s been through. While I trust these guys with my life, protecting Callie’s heart will always be the most important thing to me.
“So, are you leaving Courage County then?” Grady asks with a frown. Courage has been my home since I left the Naughty List Ranch. I hadn’t even considered where we’d live. I’ve been so intent on getting my ring on Callie’s finger.
“Maybe,” I say. It’s something I’d need to talk with Callie about. I can live happily with her and Danny anywhere. But I want him to have access to the best physical therapy and medical support my money can buy.
“Remember that time we pranked Christopher?” Dallas asks, trying to lighten the mood.
“Which one?” Cole grunts. It’s a fair question. We loved to get together and find new ways to prank Christopher. He was always good natured about it all. He took everything in stride. He was our steady rock and safe place, everything a father should be. I want the chance to be that for Danny.
“You know, when we made the scarecrows look like Dolly Parton,” Dallas answers, kicking back in his chair now that he’s finished his chili. He puts his socked feet on the edge of the table, leaning the chair back casually on two legs.
