Page 11 of Merry Christmas, Cowboy (Home to Texas #2)

M onday afternoon, Nicole made sure all of her kindergarten students were safely picked up for the day, keeping a watchful eye out for Cody.

And his ride. A part of her secretly hoped she’d find Garrett behind the wheel of the car picking Cody up.

She shouldn’t feel this way just because Garrett touched a sympathetic cord within her.

Just because she liked him more than she should.

Just because his love and compassion for his nephew was a big turn-on.

She wasn’t in the market for a boyfriend or any sort of entanglement for that matter.

He would be leaving soon. And they were just friends at this point. It had to stay that way.

So why was she secretly hoping to see Garrett again? Was it because he’d been flirting with her lately? Did he even know how much his compliments meant to her? Was she being a silly fool to contemplate another involvement with a man?

When Paulette pulled up, she walked Cody to the car. Nicole greeted her with a smile and a few friendly words and told herself she was glad he hadn’t come.

And she almost believed it.

A few minutes later in the teacher’s lounge, she met with her fundraiser committee.

“Hi, all,” she said, sitting down at a round table.

The group of five all greeted her, and she opened up her digital notebook.

“I think we should start with what we’ve accomplished so far.

The ranch is shaping up nicely, the lights are up but we have more decorating to do.

Mrs. Williams, you’ve made sure we have horses to pull the sleigh, right? ”

“I have. We’ll have a string of four horses, being brought in that morning.”

“And, Julie, you’ve got a handle on the s’mores booth.”

“I do, we’ll use two big BBQ grills to melt the marshmallows. I think it’s all covered.”

“Great,” Nicole said. “Next we need to talk about the snowman contest. We’ll need props, like hats and scarves and of course, we can’t forget the tumbleweeds. How are we doing with that?”

“Well, if the snow doesn’t melt, we won’t need tumbleweeds.”

“Right, but we can’t count on that. How about we try to round some up? I think Garrett, uh, Mr. Brown will let us use the barn to store them for the time being. How are we doing with food?”

“I’ve got a subcommittee of volunteers,” Lily Trumble, a parent volunteer said. “We’re working on a menu. Sandwiches for the day and I think we’ll do stew and chili for nighttime. I’ve been speaking to local restaurants to get donations.”

“Perfect, thank you.”

“I’ve designed flyers for the town shops and we’re working on signs,” Mrs. Lemon said. “Blake Charles Realty has donated the printing of them. And our Last Stand radio station will be announcing the fundraiser one week before the event.”

“That’s great. We’ll be sure to have some of our students disperse those flyers.

Now all we have to discuss is the cookie decorating booth, the pine cone painting table and, oh, I thought it’d be fun to have a big Christmas wishing tree right in the middle of the ground where every child and parent can place their own wish on the tree.

I’ll take care of that… and we need a few volunteers to help with sanding the wagon. It’s in need of some repairs and…”

The meeting ended half an hour later. Nicole felt good at the progress being made.

She didn’t want to let anyone down since this was the first time she was heading this fundraiser.

Maybe it was to prove she could do it, or maybe it was to show the town that she was truly fine.

The more she thought about it—which she did every day—the more she realized that she was recovering better than she expected.

Because of Garrett?

She chuckled. Maybe despite him. Though spending time with him was surely a good distraction.

“What’s funny,” Julie asked, gathering up her notes from the meeting.

“Oh, nothing,” she said, smiling.

“Something’s making you smile.”

“Can’t I smile just because?”

Julie gave her a long look. “Does it have something to do with a tall good-lookin’ stranger?”

“Garrett’s not a stranger.”

“Ah-hah! You were thinking about him.”

“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. Okay?”

“How do you know what I’m thinking?”

“Because, Julie, my friend, I’ve known you most of my life.”

“True. And we’ve both had a dream of teaching school together, since forever.”

“True too. But maybe I’m thinking about the fundraiser, and how well it’s going.”

“Knock on wood.” Julie made a fist and tapped the table. “But that’s not it.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, okay. Yes, maybe I had a nice dinner with Garrett and Cody last night. And maybe he’s not the scrooge I once thought.”

“So, if he’s not a stranger, he’s a… friend?”

“I wouldn’t say that… exactly. But it doesn’t matter. He’s—”

“Playing poker with the guys later tonight.”

“Oh, is he?” And before Julie could get another thought out, she spoke quickly. “That means you’re free tonight. Wanna stop by my place and have a bite? I have fried chicken, mashed potatoes and yeast rolls. Leftovers, but plenty to go around.”

“Sounds yummy. I’ll call Miguel and let him know.”

“Gotta get your permission slip signed.” She winked.

It was an inside joke, and one they teased each other about from time to time. Only, now Nicole didn’t have to account to anyone, and she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She couldn’t begrudge Julie her happiness though. Miguel was a great guy.

Julie smiled. “Why not? I had to sign his for poker nights.”

They left the school arm in arm. Sometimes, Nicole walked since her apartment was only a few long blocks from the school, but today Julie drove them both home.

The air was brisk and the cold snap hadn’t let up yet.

Snow still layered the ground, but it was only a matter of time before it would all melt.

The apartment was cold when they walked in and Nicole immediately cranked up the heat. “Love your tree,” Julie said, walking over to admire the ornaments. “You do Christmas so well, my friend. And looks like you’ve gotten a few new decorations too.”

“You know me; I’m a kid when it comes to Christmas. I get at least one new decoration every year. This year, it’s this.” She grabbed the ceramic glazed Santa off a table. “He’s an ornament and a music box. Santa’s big belly has a lock. You just unsnap it and look inside.”

“It’s a tiny Santa on his sleigh with his reindeer.”

“When you wind it up, the sleigh goes round and round and it plays ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town.’”

Nicole wound it up and the tiny sleigh began to move in a circle as the music played.

“I love it.”

“I thought you would. Because I got you one too. This is yours.”

Surprised, Julie blinked. “Really?”

“Well, you know me. I like to spread the Christmas joy.”

“Thank you.” She set the Santa down and gave her a warm loving hug. “It’s so thoughtful of you. I really do love it.”

“I’m glad. Now, I think I’ll pour us a glass of wine. Sound good?”

“Perfect.”

Before Nicole could get to the kitchen, her doorbell rang. “Oh, I’m not expecting anyone,” she told Julie.

She walked over and opened the door. A delivery man holding a bouquet of winter flowers stood on the threshold. “Nicole Russell?”

“Yes.”

“These are for you.”

He handed her the flowers. Dumbfounded, she stood there a few seconds. “Uh, okay. Wait just a moment.”

Julie was right there, handing the delivery guy a few dollars. “No thanks. It’s been taken care of,” he said, refusing the tip.

“But…”

The guy smiled. “Merry Christmas,” he said brightly then walked away.

Julie closed the door. “They’re beautiful. All your favorites.”

It was a gorgeous bouquet of red roses and white lilies amid an array of greenery. “I know. Wow.”

“Well, just don’t stand there. I’m dying to know who they’re from. Open the card.”

“Okay,” Nicole said. She’d never describe herself as flabbergasted, but she was totally at a loss. She moved quickly, handing Julie the bouquet as she plucked the card up and opened it, reading aloud. “Because you deserve a lot more.” Nicole lifted her eyes to Julie. “There’s no signature.”

“Oh, wow. How sweet. Must be Garrett.”

“I, uh, all I did was make him a home-cooked dinner last night. And we played silly games with Cody.”

Julie glanced at her watch. “The poker game doesn’t start until seven. You still have time to call and thank him, Nic.”

“I, uh, should. Shouldn’t I? He should know I received them. I mean, these are stunning.” And so dramatic. She didn’t think it was Garrett’s style, but then, how well did she really know him?

“Go ahead. I’ll go into the kitchen and put these in water, while you call him. To give you privacy.”

Her heart was beating a thousand times a minute. She shouldn’t make such a big deal about this, but she was touched by his thoughtfulness.

She got out her cell phone and punched in his number. The phone rang twice before he picked up. “Garrett, hi. It’s Nicole.”

“Hey, Nic. How are you? I’m still full from that delicious meal last night.”

“About that. I, uh, I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful flowers. They’re amazing.”

“Flowers?” He sounded confused. “What flowers?”

“I just received a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. I, uh, you mean you didn’t send them?”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “I wish I’d thought of it. But no, I didn’t send them.”

Oh, wow. This was unbelievable. She wanted to drop into a sinkhole, never to be seen again. How mortifying. She inhaled a sharp breath, thinking fast. “Okay, well, no problem. They’re probably from Mom and Dad. I’ve gotta go. Good talking to you.”

“Nicole?”

“Bye, Garrett.”

Her shoulders slumped and her cheeks flamed like twin fire pokers. How would she ever face him again? To assume he’d sent her flowers, just because… Oh, she didn’t want to think about it.

Slowly, she walked into the kitchen, and with one look at her, Julie’s big smile, disappeared. “What’s wrong?”

“I called Garrett. And he didn’t send the flowers.”

“Oh.”