Page 18 of Merry Christmas, Cowboy (Home to Texas #2)

“I appreciate the thought, but you don’t need to check on me.” Which was the exact opposite of how he was feeling. The truth was he’d like to see her tomorrow, but he didn’t want her to feel obligated because he’d been hurt.

“Okay, so let’s just say I need to work on the fundraiser. Unless you’re not up to it.”

“No, no. If you have work to do, I won’t stop you.”

“Well, then. I guess I’ll say good night.”

The last time they parted it ended in a kiss. Though he wasn’t at his best, having Nicole’s lips on his was a balm like no other and he’d never forget it. He glanced at her mouth and then quickly lifted his lids to meet her eyes. “Thanks again, Nic.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, a little breathless.

They walked to the great room and found Coop cleaning up the granite. It was probably still marred with dried blood.

“I’ll stop by tomorrow with one of my crew and we’ll get this granite laid for you,” Coop said.

“That’s not—”

“Garrett, it’s not safe to have this piece lying out like this. And it’s way too heavy for one man to move.”

He hated the feeling of helplessness, of not being able to do what needed doing. But he couldn’t let his pride get in the way of Cody’s safety. The kitchen was a disaster zone right now. Coop was right. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

He walked over to shake Coop’s hand, careful not to move his other arm. “In fact, thanks for saving my hide earlier and getting me to the hospital. Can’t thank you enough for that, and for driving my nephew all over town.”

“No problem at all. Glad I was here to help. We’ll get out of your hair now. Let you get some rest.”

Garrett walked Coop and Nicole to the door and locked up after they said their farewells.

He lay down on the sofa, his good arm behind his head, and closed his eyes. The first image that came to mind was Nicole’s pretty face. He was worn out and his arm still ached, but the feeling was muted by warm, soothing sensations swirling through his stomach, making him almost smile.

*

Two days later, Nicole walked into Blake Charles’s realty office, her mind made up.

She’d put this off long enough. For some time now, she’d wanted a home of her own.

She’d thought she’d be doing this with her husband, Johnny, buying a home for them to share.

But she realized she didn’t have to wait around for a knight in shining armor in order to move on with her life.

She could do it on her own. In fact, she preferred doing it on her own.

This way, she’d get exactly the house she wanted, without compromise.

A thrill ran up her spine as she glanced around the bustling office.

Posters of homes for sale covered the walls, and phones rang almost nonstop.

Charles Realty was well-known in the area and served three counties.

She’d known Blake Charles for several years and he had a solid reputation for honesty and integrity.

He and her brother Sam had been friends during high school.

Blake believed in supporting the community and he’d sponsored some of Honeysuckle Elementary School’s events.

As soon as he spotted her, he rose from his desk and walked over to greet her. “Nicole. Good to see you.”

“Hi, Blake. Thanks for getting me in right away. And it’s great to see you too.”

“Of course. Have a seat. How are things at Honeysuckle?”

They both took a seat. “Going well. It’s almost time for the holiday fundraiser and we’ve all been working hard on that. Thanks again for your support.” Charles Realty had made a sizable donation for the cause and had paid for the flyers they’ll be putting around town.

“It’s my pleasure. So, before we talk about houses, tell me, how are your folks? And Sam?”

“Mom and Dad are good. They’re doing some traveling and having a good time. I’ll be seeing them for Christmas, of course. And Sam, well, he’ll be home for good soon. I can’t wait. I really miss him.”

“I get a letter from him every once in a while.”

“You do? That’s great. Glad he’s keeping in touch with his friends here. How about you? How’s your holiday going so far?” she asked.

“I’m doing just fine. You’d think the realty market would slow down around this time, but as you can see, we’re keeping busy.

I think people are finding Last Stand a charming place to live and are anxious to move here.

We’re especially popular during the Christmas season, with all of our festivities drawing people from all over Texas.

Maybe some are looking for a slower pace and a simpler life. ”

“I get that.”

Charles had been one of the few in town that didn’t dwell on her breakup. She appreciated that he hadn’t given her the head tilt, or a pitying look. “So, what can I do for you today?” he asked.

“Well, as I told your secretary, I want to buy a house and I want to stay in the area. As you know, I work at the grade school, so I want to live nearby. I haven’t had time to look online for houses myself yet. I just wanted to start the ball rolling.”

“That’s no problem, I can do the looking for you,” he said, his head down, taking notes. “And how big of a house are we talking about?”

“I’d like a three-bedroom place, with a yard. It doesn’t have to be too big. And I’m willing to do some work on the house, as long as it doesn’t need a full overhaul.”

“Gotcha. Is this for just you, Nicole? I’m only asking because it makes a difference in what I show you.”

“Yes, it’s just for me, for now. But it’d be nice for when Sam comes back, to have a guest room for him.”

“That would be nice.” He asked a few more questions, jotting things down. “Got it. So give me a few days to put some things together for you and we’ll talk again soon. Does that sound good?”

“That sounds great.” Maybe hearing from Johnny again gave her the motivation to get her rear in gear and start living the life she wanted.

She’d finally answered his text, telling him she didn’t want to see him again right now.

Which was the truth. She had too much on her plate as it was.

She wasn’t leaving him hanging on purpose.

Well, maybe she was, but she wasn’t going to allow him to disrupt her life again.

And so, now she was even more determined to start the search for a house.

“Wonderful. I’ll keep a lookout for you. We’ll get you into the perfect house.”

“Thanks, Blake.”

They rose from their seats at the same time and Blake took her hand. Instead of a shake, he gave it a squeeze of friendship. He was such a gentleman, and she trusted him to find her just the right place.

“I’ll be speaking to you soon,” he said. “Have a great weekend.”

“You too.”

Nicole walked out of the office feeling triumphant. She’d done it. She’d gotten the ball rolling. Now all she had to do was finish with the fundraiser, and then enjoy Christmas.

She walked down the street with a little more bounce in her step.

She was smiling, enjoying the brisk weather and the way the shops in town had decorated their storefronts with garland and shiny ornaments.

The remaining snow on the ground made it all look like a picture straight off the pages of a Christmas calendar.

Nicole stopped in front of Char-Pie on Main Street.

There was an adorable little Christmas tree out front, twinkling with white lights and decorated with small ceramic pieces of pie.

She got a kick out of seeing the clever ornaments, something new.

She entered the shop, ready to order at the counter, when she spotted Garrett, sitting in a corner booth apparently having a great time with an attractive dark-haired woman.

The two looked cozy chatting up a storm, completely immersed in each other.

Breath caught in Nicole’s throat and a stab of jealousy crawled up her spine. There was no other name for it. She was jealous, seeing Garrett being fully entertained with whatever clever thing the pretty woman was saying. Who wouldn’t be thrilled having Garrett’s full attention?

His booming laughter carried over the Christmas music in the pie shop and she immediately spun around on her heels and marched out.

Her hand over her heart, she finally took a deep breath.

What was wrong with her? She couldn’t get out of that shop fast enough.

Garrett rarely smiled, much less laughed his head off, but apparently the woman, whoever she was, could get belly laughs out of him.

She strode down the street and once she hit Bluebonnet and Laurel, she entered Promises by Taylor, her friend’s new bridal boutique.

The place spoke of love and romance and weddings.

Taylor had done great things with this little shop, and her reputation was growing in leaps and bounds.

Nicole had planned on coming here to share her good news, but now, the silver lining was tarnished.

Because of her silly fascination with Garrett.

Taylor looked up from her work to greet her. “Nicole, this is a nice surprise.”

She tried to adjust her expression to keep from frowning. “Hi, Taye, just came to tell you something.”

Julie walked out of the back room. Sometimes, Julie helped Taylor after school when the boutique got really busy. The cousins were close that way. “Hi, Nic. How’d it go today?”

“Great,” she said, summoning her enthusiasm. “That’s what I came to tell Taylor about.”

“Oh, yeah, what’s that?”

Taylor was busy pinning the hem on a lovely ivory gown. “I spoke with Blake Charles today. I’m going to buy a house.”

“That’s wonderful.” Taylor set down her work and gave her a big hug. “Good for you.”

“At least it’s in the works.”

“That’s great,” Julie said. “You’ve been wanting to do that a long time.”

“Yeah, well, I think after what happened with Johnny, I realized I can’t rely on anyone but myself.”

Taylor and Julie exchanged a look. “And us,” Julie said.

“Right, you guys. You’ve always been there for me. You know what I meant.”

“Yeah, we do. So, do you think Johnny really got the message?” Taylor asked.