Cowboy Unwrapped. Vicki Lewis Thompson

“Arm-wrestle this, pony boy.”

      Cade left his chair. “My pleasure, suds stud.”

      “Suds stud?” Chelsea snorted. “I need to remember that one.”

      Jake wondered if they’d actually arm-wrestle. He wouldn’t mind seeing that because he suspected Finn could take Cade. Finn had an air of steely determination, almost an edgy quality, whereas Cade was more easygoing.

      “No arm wrestling at the dinner table.” Rosie gave them a warning glance. “You know the rules.”

      “Yeah,” Jake said. “Some of us are still eating, here.”

      “Oh, sorry.” Cade sat again. “Wouldn’t want to get in the way of that.”

      Jake smiled before he took another bite. Now that his hunger was mostly satisfied he could savor the taste. “I need to make this at the firehouse. I keep meaning to get the recipe from you.” He glanced at Rosie. Short and blonde, with a little extra padding here and there, she was the most beautiful woman he knew. And talk about steely determination. She had it in spades.

      “She doesn’t use a recipe anymore, son.” Herb, the person Jake considered his dad for all intents and purposes, was a wiry guy who could do the work of men half his age.

      “Herb’s right,” she said. “I could make tuna casserole in my sleep. Probably have a time or two. But I’ll try to come up with some directions for you. It would be a great firehouse meal. I hadn’t thought of that.”

      “Most of the stuff you made for us would go over great at the firehouse. We look for good food that’s not too expensive.”

      “Which is especially important if they all eat as much as you,” Cade said.

      “Some eat more.” It wasn’t true but he’d said it to get a reaction out of Cade.

      “They do?”

      “Oh, yeah. Once a week a semi backs up to the firehouse to unload our groceries. We make our salad in a wheelbarrow and our spaghetti sauce in a sterilized oil drum. In order to cook the pasta we build a fire under an antique bathtub.”

      Cade stared at him. “That’s amazing.”

      Jake kept a straight face as long as he could but finally burst out laughing, which set off everybody else.

      Cade blew out a breath. “Well, it could be true. After watching Jake put away food I was willing to believe it.”

      “I’ve always loved seeing my boys eat.” Rosie beamed at them. “Who’s ready for German chocolate cake?”

      Jake left his chair and went over to kiss her cheek. “You made my favorite.”

      “Of course I did. You haven’t been home for Christmas in years. We need to celebrate.”

      Everybody else seemed happy with the prospect of cake, too, but Jake was touched that she’d remembered how much he loved it. He’d never known his own mother but whenever he imagined what she might have been like, he pictured Rosie. A guy couldn’t do any better than having a mom like her.

      He helped her dish it and, as they were passing out plates, Herb looked over at Cade. “How come the Christmas lights are out? They were on at dusk but I noticed they’re out now. Do we need to check the connections?”

      “Nah, the connections are fine.” Cade flicked a glance at Jake. “We decided to make a few changes in the morning and since no one will be driving up tonight, Finn and I wanted to save the electricity for now. Everything will be operational for Christmas Eve.”

      “Okay.” Herb seemed unconcerned. “I leave that to you boys. I’m sure it’ll look great.”

      “It will.” Cade tucked into his cake.

      Jake was glad he’d bought the smoke alarms as gifts and the cords and lights could be slipped into the mix without making a big deal of it. But he had more than Christmas lights on his mind. Before they’d all finished their dessert, he brought up the subject that had been nagging him since making the plan with Amethyst. “I’m looking for a sleigh to rent or borrow. Do any of you know of one?”

      Cade paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. “What, now you’re Santa Claus? Although if you keep eating like that you’ll eventually fit the part.”

      “I invited a woman for a sleigh ride tomorrow afternoon.”

      Silence descended on the table as all attention swiveled in his direction.

      He hadn’t worked through this very well. He’d blame the shock of seeing Amethyst in the hardware store, but now he realized that he couldn’t ask for a sleigh without offering more of an explanation.

      He cleared his throat. “I made a quick run into town before dinner so I could pick up a few...things.”

      “It’s Christmas.” Rosie waved a hand as if to relieve him of giving the details. “We all have secrets. But who’s the woman?”

      “I ran into her when I was in town. Amethyst Ferguson.”

      Rosie’s gaze sharpened. “You dated her in high school.”

      “For a while.”

      “You know she’s a professional singer now.”

      “Yes, I know. Now, about this sleigh, I remember we used to hitch Navarre up to a wagon.”

      “And a couple of times to a toboggan.” Finn exchanged a grin with Cade.

      Jake ignored him. “I thought he could probably pull a sleigh.”

      “He could,” Herb said, “but there’s the slight problem of not having a sleigh for him to pull.”

      Cade put down his fork. “You know, that takes cojones, bro, inviting a woman on a sleigh ride when you’re not in possession of one. I’m impressed.”

      “Do you know of anybody who has one?”

      “Nope, can’t say as I do, but I’m still impressed.”

      Jake figured there was no point in asking Finn and Chelsea. They didn’t live here anymore. In desperation, he turned to Rosie. “Mom, do you know of anyone around here who has a sleigh?”

      “Not at the moment, but if you need a sleigh, I’ll find you one.”

3

      LUCK BLESSED JAKE with a clear sky the next morning. If a snowstorm had blown in, which was always possible in December, reconfiguring the lights would have been impossible. As it was the task wasn’t simple, especially wearing gloves. Cade and Finn had woven a complex tapestry of dangerous cords and substandard lights.

      Cade had apologized for his screw-up and had tried to take the blame, but Finn had insisted on sharing it. He, Cade and Damon were the triumvirate who’d called themselves the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood in the early days of the foster program. Their loyalty to each other ran deep.

      Jake respected that. He’d arrived at the ranch later and, although every guy was now considered part of the brotherhood, the bond wasn’t the same as the one shared by the first three. When those boys had come to the ranch there had been no tradition, no sense of belonging to something greater. They’d had to create that for themselves.

      His buddies at the fire department had a unique connection because they faced life-and-death situations every day, but again, it wasn’t the same. Firefighters could choose to quit and sever that connection. The kids who’d been brought to the ranch after the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood had been established could thank Cade, Finn and Damon for creating a positive and lasting identity for all of them. Once a Thunder Mountain brother, always a Thunder Mountain brother.

      They’d nearly finished reconfiguring the lights when Rosie walked out onto the porch. She’d pulled a knit