Page 32 of Tied Up In Tinsel
I froze mid-spin, clutching the bowl like I’d been caught red-handed. Heat rushed to my cheeks.
“No reason,” I said a little too quickly, clearing my throat and began working the dough even harder with unnecessary precision. My hands busied themselves with the flour, dusting and kneading again like I hadn’t just been fantasizing about Brooks’ mouth, hands, and every damn inch of him.
Ollie smirked, clearly not buying it.
I told myself not to smile again, but of course I did. Because when a man like Brooks was under your roof, walking around in pajama pants that hung just right on his hips, it was nearly impossible not to.
“How’s my baby sister doing?”
He leaned against the counter, pressing a quick kiss to the top of my head. The familiar scent of leather and crisp winter air clung to him, along with the sharp tang of coffee. He was still in his sheriff’s uniform—dark-wash jeans, holster snug at his hip, badge glinting under the glow of the overhead lights. Cowboy hat pushed back just so. Always ready for business, even if businessin Snowberry Peak rarely stretched beyond handing out the occasional parking ticket or rescuing a cat stuck in a pine tree.
“Feeling the pressure,” I muttered, blowing out a breath as I turned slightly to face him. I brushed flour onto my apron, leaving pale streaks across the fabric.
He studied me with a crooked grin. “I feel like I haven’t seen you or Ruby in forever.”
“It’s been a week,” I said with a smirk, though I didn’t bother pointing that out too strongly. Ollie thrived on dramatics when it came to his family.
“Busy week,” I added. “I’ve been here most days, and Ruby’s been glued to Brooks.”
That earned me a sharp click of his tongue. Ollie folded his arms across his chest, his expression turning mock-serious. “So, my little niece’s heart has already been stolen by another man, has it? I bet he won’t sit through a tea party with her, though.”
“He did.”
Ollie’s eyebrows shot up. “Not in a dress, surely.”
“He did that too.”
My brother’s hands flew skyward like I’d just confessed to a crime. “Seriously? What are you trying to do, replace me?”
I laughed, the sound bubbling out before I could stop it. “Quit being so dramatic.”
He huffed and shifted back against the counter, though his grin betrayed him. “So I guess it’s going well then.”
“Actually, it is.”
I left it at that, though my mind instantly flashed back to my recent daydreams about Brooks’ hands, his mouth, the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. That was the kind of detail my brother didn’t need to know, so I bit my tongue.
Instead, I thought of Ruby. Of how she fell asleep with a smile each night, tucked under the covers with stories ofadventures Brooks had spun for her. How every afternoon I came home, she was eager to share some new memory he’d helped her make. She seemed lighter. Happier. Safer. And that, more than anything, had eased the worry sitting like a stone in my chest.
“He’s not what I pictured when I posted the listing,” I admitted softly, almost to myself. But for Ruby—and maybe for me, too—it’s been good.
Ollie gave me a long look, the kind that stripped through all the layers I tried to hide behind. “And where exactly did this guy come from? Why was he interested in babysitting a seven-year-old in the first place?”
I wiped my hands on my apron, stalling. “He used to be a bull rider. These days he works as a rodeo clown?—”
Ollie’s laughter boomed through the kitchen, bouncing off the lodge’s wooden beams. He bent forward, hands braced on his knees. “He’s a what?”
I leveled him with my best unimpressed glare. “Rodeo clown. Yes, I know it sounds crazy.”
“Crazy?” He lifted both palms in mock surrender, though he couldn’t stop grinning. “I never said that.”
“But you laughed,” I pointed out, narrowing my eyes.
“Because that was not what I expected you to say.” He shook his head, still chuckling. “It does explain it, though.”
My brow furrowed. “Explain what?”
“Why the women in town can’t stop talking about him.” His grin widened. “Apparently, your Brooks isstrong and handsome—their words, not mine. Especially the ladies down at Ruby’s favorite store.”
