A Cold Creek Holiday. RaeAnne Thayne

made my reservation back in September. There was some mix-up with it, but Mr. Cavazos agreed to honor it.”

      “He has his hands full, that man.”

      Before Emery could answer, a timer dinged from somewhere in the house. Caroline glanced behind her.

      “My cookies are just coming out. Listen, do you mind coming back to the kitchen with me? I don’t want to leave you out here by yourself, but if I don’t take them out, they’ll burn. Of course, they’ll still get inhaled around here, no matter how crispy they are.”

      “I don’t mind,” she answered. She followed Caroline down a hallway toward the origin of the delicious smells of almond and butter and sugar. The hallway was lined with photographs, old black-and-whites, framed snapshots and some that looked like professionally taken portraits. Emery’s head swiveled as she took in the barrage of images and she had to stop so she could absorb them all.

      “This is…your family?”

      “Yes.” She noticed the direction of Emery’s gaze, a candid shot of three men in Western-cut suits standing at what looked like a wedding. They were laughing and lighthearted, each of them extraordinarily handsome. “Those are my husband’s brothers, Jake and Seth. That was taken at Seth’s wedding. They both live nearby, which is wonderful for all of them. We’re very close with them and their wives.”

      She couldn’t stand here gaping at someone else’s family, not without making Caroline Montgomery Dalton think she was crazy, so she followed her down the hallway into the kitchen, doing her best not to cast longing looks over her shoulder.

      In the kitchen, she found Wade Dalton sitting at a long, scarred pine table with a blonde toddler in pink overalls on his lap and a little boy of about five or six chattering a mile a minute at his side.

      “I got to help make the holes for the jam, Dad. Only even though they’re called thumbprint cookies, Mom wouldn’t let me use my thumbs to make the dents. I had to use the lid of a marker. Don’t you think that’s weird?”

      “Extremely,” he answered with a grin toward Emery and Caroline. “But probably a little more sanitary.”

      “There’s a method to my madness,” Caroline said. “That way the jam doesn’t ooze out the sides as easily. It’s all in how much pressure you apply when you make the hole, isn’t it, bud?”

      The boy nodded emphatically. “And I’m just right, aren’t I?”

      “You’re perfect.”

      Emery stood aside, observing their interaction while Caroline pulled the cookies from the oven in one smooth motion and replaced that tray with another filled with dough cutouts.

      When she had set them on a cooling rack, she turned back to Emery. “So what do you do in Virginia, Emery?”

      “I design textiles. I’ve got a shop outside D.C. that sells custom fabrics for interior designers, furniture makers, that sort of thing. We’re moving into the retail market in the fall with a new midrange consumer line.”

      “How interesting,” Caroline exclaimed. “I wish I could sew, but I’m afraid it’s not one of my skills. How did you get started in that particular business? It seems rather obscure.”

      Emery knew from her research that Caroline Montgomery Dalton was a life coach who probably excelled at convincing people to talk about their hopes and dreams, but she was still flattered by the woman’s interested expression. “I waffled between graphic arts and interior design in college, but realized my real love was creating at the sewing machine. After I interned with one of the bigger textile design firms, I decided to branch out in my own direction.”

      “I’d love to see some of your fabrics while you’re here. Did you bring any swatches?”

      She laughed. “Only about four boxes’ worth. This is sort of a working vacation for me. I’m working on a design project for a hotel in Montana that wants custom fabrics from the ground up.”

      “I just had a great idea.” Caroline said suddenly. “You should come to the party we’re having next week.”

      Emery blinked, astounded that the woman would invite a perfect stranger who was only in the area temporarily to socialize with them. “What kind of party?”

      “A friend and I are throwing sort of a celebration for the neighbors in Cold Creek Canyon. Everyone in the canyon is invited. Even though you’re only here temporarily, that means you.”

      “You and a friend are throwing it,” Wade said, a little dimple teasing at his cheek. “Except it’s at Jenna’s house and she’s doing all the cooking.”

      “I’m helping!” Caroline protested. “I sent out all the invitations and I’m making cookies to take. Anyway, we capitalize on our strengths, right? Can I help it if she has a huge house with an indoor swimming pool and just happens to be a gourmet cook?”

      Wade grinned and picked up one of the warm cookies. His mouth widened in appreciation as he bit into the soft treat. “You can take her down, honey. At least when it comes to your thumbprints.”

      “I’ll make sure to tell her you said so, especially when you’re going to town on those magic bars she makes that you love so much.”

      She turned back to Emery. “Seriously, it’s going to be a blast. All the neighbors from Cold Creek Canyon are invited. We would love to have you. I hate the idea of anyone spending the holidays alone.”

      Oh, sign her up to go to a party where the only reason she had been invited was because everyone felt sorry for her. That was a big part of the reason she had opted to leave Virginia this year, so her friends wouldn’t feel obligated to invite her to their own holiday gatherings out of pity.

      On the other hand, Caroline was offering her the perfect opportunity to spend a little time with the Daltons in a social situation. She hadn’t specifically said Wade’s brothers were attending, but Emery knew from her research that they both lived in the canyon, Seth in his own home here at the ranch and Jake a bit closer to town. Besides that, Caroline said the brothers were close so she would guess they would all attend the party.

      “I’ll think about it,” she finally said.

      “Wonderful. Nate and the girls are invited, of course, but I haven’t heard from him. Maybe you could work on persuading him.”

      As if she could convince the man of anything. In the few moments she had spent with him the night before, he hadn’t made it a secret that he wasn’t exactly thrilled to have her staying at the ranch in the first place. She had a feeling he wouldn’t respond favorably if she tried to manage his social life while she was there.

      She was spared from having to come up with a polite answer by the arrival of Tallie and Claire, in company with a blond boy in sweats and a Utah Jazz sweatshirt—and with a definite gleam of mischief in his eyes.

      “Get the homework situation straightened out?” Wade asked them.

      “I guess,” the boy muttered, his expression disgruntled. “I still say it’s not fair I have to do homework when I’m sick.”

      “If you feel well enough to play video games, you can do homework,” Caroline said, her voice firm even as she held out a cookie for the boy.

      The girls chatted for a few more moments with Caroline and Wade and it was obvious to Emery that they were no strangers to the kitchen. She let them visit for a while while she tried not to steal surreptitious glances at Wade. Finally, though, she was afraid her not-so-subtle interest would become too obvious. She glanced at her watch, then interjected into a break in the conversation.

      “We’d better start heading back.”

      “Do we have to?” Tallie moaned.

      “Your uncle will be looking for us,” she answered, though in truth, she was just as reluctant to leave. She wanted to sit here awhile longer enjoying