Teacher's Christmas Cowboy (Trinity Falls Sweet Romance - Icicle Christmas #5)

“Jared Webb,” Cora told them.

“Oh wow,” Viola said, glancing over at Sabrina, who was waggling her eyebrows.

“He seems nice, but sort of hotheaded,” Cora said firmly. “And, I don’t know… impulsive.”

“But he’s gorgeous,” Viola said.

“Maybe,” Cora admitted, her cheeks heating a little.

“Your initial assessment was correct,” Mrs. Brandt said from her table. “I’ve never had a student who had more trouble staying in his seat than Jared Webb. But he’s a good boy.”

That made Cora smile in spite of herself.

“Well, you’re one of us now,” Sabrina said. “So you’ll have to tell us everything tomorrow.”

“Everything,” Viola added.

“Be ready for a scintillating tale about my windows,” Cora joked with a smile.

A shadow in the doorway caught her attention, and a tall man stepped in. He was like a stock photo of a professor, literally wearing a tweed blazer with leather-patched elbows and a pair of glasses perched on a handsome face with razor-sharp cheekbones.

This had to be the hot teacher Sabrina had been whispering about yesterday. Apparently, he also taught at the community college in town. Everyone went quiet as her colleagues drank in the new and interesting view.

But Cora’s thoughts kept going back to the big man who had borrowed a paperback from her son and talked to him about repairing painted windows like he was an adult.

Will he read the book? she wondered. Will he even come back, or will he feel like he did enough to work off his guilt yesterday?

Somehow the idea of him not coming back made her feel sad for herself, not just for Sylvester.

But it was probably more likely he wouldn’t come back than that he would. And of course she could just hire a handyman to help finish the job. A busy farmer like Jared Webb couldn’t spend all his free time helping a widow with her windows.

But if she was so sure he wasn’t coming back, why was she already thinking of more jobs for him to help with when this one was done?

It was just nice to have another adult around the house once in a while. That had to be it.

6

CORA

The week passed quickly for Cora between teaching and getting Sylvester settled in.

Much to her surprise, Jared did come by each day after school. He would usually be waiting outside, doing some small task when they pulled up.

She had gotten used to watching Sylvester greet him and the two of them piling into the house after her, waiting by the counter while she fixed a snack, which Jared always declined the first time she offered and then wolfed down once she encouraged him.

So far, she hadn’t been able to convince him to stay for supper. She wasn’t sure if that was a disappointment or a relief. After all, she’d told him maybe they could work something out about the fishing hole, and they had said no more about it. He’d simply made himself a fixture at the house, fixing the windows, then knocking out a dozen other small tasks, and now he was planning out what order to paint the rooms in.

In a way, feeding him would feel like at least she was giving him something in return that didn’t involve tearing down the fence that kept Sylvester safe, or… well, whatever other favors a strapping man like Jared might expect from a young widow.

Cora didn’t think he didn’t expect anything like that, or she wouldn’t be letting him in at all. But it had been so long since she considered herself single, that she wasn’t really sure what courting looked like nowadays. She was pretty sure it didn’t involve home improvements, but it was so hard to know.

Maybe I’d better check out that BeeBop app, she thought to herself on Saturday morning as she puttered around the kitchen, waiting for Sylvester to come downstairs.

He took a lot of pride in showering and getting ready on his own these days, and most times he did a great job.

Today was important though. They were going to be spending the day with his grandmother at Cassidy Farm, a local tourist farm that Ginny promised had fun things for kids.

Cora adored her mother-in-law, who had been so kind and sweet from the first moment a very nervous Cora had been presented to her. And even now, Ginny was sensitive to Cora’s worries about Sylvester.