Merry Christmas, Cowboy!. Cindy Kirk

no thanks. Not my thing.” Lauren moved to a counter showcasing several varieties of men’s gloves. She took off her mittens and touched a pair made of soft pig suede. “Do you think Seth would like these?”

      Anna moved to Lauren’s side and studied the gloves with a critical eye. “These are lined with soft acrylic pile for added warmth. And they’re nice enough to wear when he goes out, but sturdy enough for some of the lighter ranch work.”

      Lauren smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm. Anna had worked retail for years before opening her own shop. It was easy to see why she’d been so successful. “I’ll take the gloves for Seth and that necklace with the pink heart for Dani.”

      “I’ll wrap them for you.” Anna took the gloves from Lauren’s hands and removed the necklace from a display. Even as she put the items in stenciled gift bags, she glanced at Lauren. “My brother wouldn’t expect you to bring gifts.”

      “I’m sure you’re right.” Lauren lifted one shoulder in an unconcerned shrug. “But he was nice enough to invite me to share his Christmas Eve and I want to bring something.”

      “You could have come to my house.” Anna tied each bag shut with a red raffia bow. “Both Mitch and I wanted you with us.”

      The sincerity in her friend’s tone brought a lump to Lauren’s throat. Stacie had assured her of that same fact just this morning. Having two such wonderful friends almost made up for not hearing from her parents.

      “You and Stacie are the best,” Lauren said. “But you have husbands now—”

      “I told you—”

      “—and besides, this will give me a chance to get to know Seth and Dani better.” Since her conversation with Seth yesterday, Christmas Eve with him and his daughter had been constantly on Lauren’s mind. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of bringing gifts until this afternoon.

      “It looks like the snow is picking up.” Through the front window of the shop, the streetlight illuminated the swirling flakes. “You’re really going all the way out to the ranch for just a few hours?”

      “Actually—” Lauren struggled to keep her voice casual and offhand “—I’m spending the night.”

      

      Seth wheeled his 4x4 to the curb in front of his sister’s shop and parked behind his brother-in-law’s Jeep. In the half hour it had taken him to drive from his ranch into Sweet River, the snow had started to pick up, making it increasingly difficult to see.

      Pulling his hood up over his stocking cap, Seth opened the door and stepped into the brisk north wind. He raised a hand in greeting to Mitch and waited for his friend to get out of the Jeep. If you factored in the wind chill, the temperature had to be below zero.

      “Cold enough for you?” Mitch slammed the door of his Jeep and jammed his hands into his pockets.

      “This?” Seth scoffed. “Practically balmy.”

      “Yeah, real balmy,” Mitch muttered. “I went to fill up the Jeep and practically froze to death.”

      Seth chuckled and followed him inside, calling out a greeting to his sister and Lauren. Lauren smiled and brushed a strand of silvery-blond hair back from her face. The elegant gesture only emphasized her cool beauty.

      He pulled his attention from her and focused on the shop. For an older building, it was surprisingly warm. Seth unzipped his coat. It had been a week or so since he’d been inside. Even in that short time, he could see the improvements his sister had made.

      He experienced a surge of pride. For years Anna had struggled to find her place in the world. But since she’d returned to Sweet River, she’d come into her own. She was happy now, content with her life. Everything she’d been searching for in Colorado she’d found on her return to the community where she’d grown up. She had a man she loved and now a thriving new business. It wouldn’t surprise Seth if he’d be welcoming a new niece or nephew in the next year.

      Yes, his sister had it all. The realization was bittersweet. He’d been in her position once. Three years ago he’d had a wife he loved. And, fool that he was, he’d taken that blessing for granted.

      “Looks like the snow is really starting to fly,” Anna said with a worried frown, her gaze settling on the melting flakes dripping from his boots onto the hardwood floor.

      “The roads are okay for now.” Mitch moved from the entryway to his wife’s side, slipping an arm around her waist and brushing a kiss across her cheek. “But the sooner we get moving, the better.”

      Anna leaned against her husband with an intimacy that made Seth’s chest tighten. She ignored her husband’s subtle hint to hurry and instead shifted her gaze to Seth. “I learned something very interesting this evening.”

      Seth supposed he could ask what she’d learned. But from her expression she was going to tell him whether he asked or not.

      “I invite you and Dani to spend Christmas Eve at my house. You turn me down. I tell you we’ll come to your house. You say no.” His sister’s voice trembled with pent-up emotion. “Then I find out that not only are you spending the evening with Lauren, she’s also spending the night at your house.”

      Seth clenched his jaw. He’d known he wouldn’t be able to keep Lauren’s visit quiet. That would be asking too much in a town the size of Sweet River. But he really hadn’t wanted to deal with the issue tonight.

      He shot a glance in Lauren’s direction. She lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. “Anna and I don’t have any secrets.”

      “You dog.” Mitch punched his arm. “You didn’t tell me you and Lauren had hooked up.”

      Seth’s spine went rigid. “We’re—”

      “We haven’t hooked up,” Lauren said with a dismissive wave. “Seth invited me to have dinner with him and Dani. I accepted. That’s all.”

      “That’s all?” The devilish gleam in Mitch’s eyes was at odds with his innocent expression. “What about the sleepover?”

      “You know how the roads are where I live.” Seth met Mitch’s gaze. “I have a perfectly good guest room. It seemed easier for Lauren to stay than to take her all the way home late at night.”

      “And this way I get to see Dani open her gifts,” Lauren added.

      “And I won’t,” Anna said.

      Seth saw the disappointment in his sister’s eyes. Heard it in her words. He swallowed a curse. He’d never intended to hurt Anna. Yet he had. And he understood why she was confused. On the surface the choices he’d made didn’t make sense. Why would he invite Lauren and not his family?

      The answer was impossible to share. How could he tell the bubbly bride that seeing her so happy and in love was like a knife to the heart, reminding him of what he’d once had and lost? He would not burden Anna with something that was his problem, his weakness.

      Finding another woman and falling in love again would help fill the void in his life but that wasn’t an option. He’d promised his wife on her deathbed that he wouldn’t remarry until Dani was out of high school. And he was a man of his word.

      Asking Lauren to join him and Dani had been a spur-of-the-moment action. He’d had second thoughts about the invitation almost as soon as the words left his mouth. Still, Dani had been thrilled when she’d learned Lauren would be joining them.

      From the moment Lauren had set foot in Sweet River six months ago, his daughter had taken an instant liking to the beautiful professor.

      “So what’s the explanation?” Anna demanded when the silence lengthened. “Why didn’t you want to spend Christmas with me?”

      “You just got married.” Seth picked up a pair of gloves from the display even as his gaze remained fixed on