Christmas Kisses with My Cowboy. Kate Pearce

of champagne . . .” He grinned at her expression. “How about coffee?”

      She laughed. “That suits me, too.”

      She put the tuna salad on the table, along with a loaf of bread, a jar of mayonnaise, and knives at each plate. “Dig in,” she invited them.

      “We haven’t said grace yet,” Teddie reminded her with a pointed look.

      Katy rolled her eyes. “Sorry, sweetheart. Let me start the coffee and I’ll be right there.”

      She sat down and before she and Katy bowed their heads, Parker was already bowing his. “When in Rome . . . ?” he teased softly.

      Katy smiled and said grace.

      She got back up then and went to pour coffee into two cups.

      “Cream? Sugar?”

      “I’m a purist,” he returned. “I take my coffee straight up mostly.”

      She grinned. “I do too.”

      “I don’t,” Teddie piped up. “Cream and sugar helps kill the taste! Can I have some?”

      “When you’re thirteen,” Katy said, without missing a beat.

      “Thirteen?!”

      “That’s when my grandparents said I could have it. My parents said it, too. Coffee’s supposed to stunt your growth or something if you drink it earlier than that.” She frowned as she put the cups down on the table. “That sounds very odd.”

      “It does,” Teddie agreed enthusiastically. “So where’s my cup?”

      “When you’re thirteen, regardless of why,” Katy said easily and sat down.

      They made sandwiches. Parker bit into his and his expression spoke volumes.

      “Hey!” he said. “This is great!”

      Katy smiled broadly. “Thanks. I learned how to make it from my granddad. He had a secret ingredient that set it apart from most tuna salad.”

      He lifted an eyebrow. “And . . . ?”

      “Oh, no,” she retorted. “I’m not giving it away. It’s a secret,” she said in a loud whisper.

      He gave her a wicked look. “For now,” he said, and the way he was looking at her made her flush.

      Teddie noticed. She smiled to herself.

      They ate in a pleasant silence, except that Katy looked guilty and Parker wondered why.

      After lunch, Teddie asked to be excused to watch a special program on the nature channel. Katy agreed at once.

      She put up the lunch things and put the dishes in the sink, worried and unable to hide it.

      “What is it?” Parker asked when she sat back down at the table.

      She managed a jerky smile. “The vet called. They let Bart’s owner out of jail and dropped the charges.”

      He sighed. “I know. I just found out this morning. I was going to tell you earlier, but I didn’t have the heart.”

      “He suggested I get an attorney.”

      “That’s a good idea,” Parker said. “He has one out of Denver,” he added. “A relative who’s a big-city attorney with a great track record.” He sighed. “Problem is, getting you an attorney who can stand up to him in court.”

      “I thought about that.”

      “We have some good local ones,” Parker continued. “But not one of them has ever gone up against a sophisticated city lawyer. Not to my knowledge. You need somebody comparable to the horse abuser’s counsel.”

      “As it happens, I do know one back East.” She gave him an apologetic look. “The attorney who handled my husband’s affairs,” she began.

      He rolled his eyes. “Not the suit with the attitude problem who doesn’t like Teddie?”

      She winced. “Well, he’s the only big-city attorney I know, and if Teddie loses that horse, I don’t know what will become of her.”

      He made a face. He sipped coffee. “I guess it’s not a bad idea.” His dark eyes met hers. “So long as he keeps his hands off you.”

      Her heart jumped. Her lips parted. “Oh.”

      Both dark eyebrows lifted and he smiled wickedly at her expression.

      She threw a napkin at him and laughed.

      “As it happens,” he said dryly, “I’m not kidding. If he makes a move on you, he goes on the endangered species list. I have squatter’s rights.”

      Her whole face became radiant. “Really?”

      He cocked his head and studied her. “I hadn’t planned on getting involved with anybody, ever again, you know.”

      “Actually, neither had I.”

      His big hand reached across to hers and linked fingers with it. “Life goes on. Maybe we both need to look ahead instead of behind.”

      She beamed.

      “I have a few things to do at home before we leave for the theater. But I’ll be back around six. That okay?”

      “That’s fine.”

      He stood and drew her gently up out of her chair. His dark eyes looked down into hers, warm and soft. “They say it’s a great movie.”

      “Teddie will love it.”

      He bent and kissed her very softly. “So will we. See you later, pretty girl.”

      She smiled with her whole heart. “Okay.”

      He winked and left her standing there, vibrating.

      * * *

      Teddie came bouncing into the living room when her program was over. Her mother was sitting on the sofa reading, but she was alone. “Oh, Parker’s gone,” she exclaimed. “Aren’t we going to the movies, then?”

      “Yes, we are. He had a few things to do before we leave. Sit down, honey.”

      Teddie didn’t like the expression on her mother’s face. She dropped down into the armchair across from the sofa. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

      Katy nodded. “Dr. Carr called while you and Parker were out riding.” She sighed. “I hate having to tell you this,” she added sadly.

      “They let Bart’s owner go, didn’t they?” Teddie asked.

      Katy nodded. “And he wants his horse back.”

      “No!” Teddie exclaimed. “Oh, we can’t let him take Bart back! He’ll kill him!”

      “I know that. He’s not getting him back. But he has a big-city attorney from Denver who’ll be representing him. We don’t have any such person in Benton who can go up against him.”

      Teddie looked unhappy. “What are we going to do?” she wailed.

      Katy made a face. “I called Maryland,” she said.

      “No,” she said miserably. “Not him!”

      “Honey, if we want to keep the horse, we have to fight fire with fire. We need somebody who’s formidable in court, and Ron Woodley is. He’s practiced criminal law for ten years and he’s only lost one case. He started out as an assistant district attorney. He knows what he’s doing.”

      Teddie took a breath. “Okay, then. Is he willing to do it?”

      “Unfortunately, yes,” Katy said. “He said it would be better if he came out now than at Thanksgiving, anyway, because a rich client invited him to stay for a couple of weeks at his estate in the Virgin Islands over