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

She fixed Cora with a look so fierce Cora was amazed the sweet, warm grandma was capable of it.

“It’s a reason to get out there and enjoy yourself,” Ginny said firmly. “You have a big heart—big enough to love your memories and your future. Don’t wander around, pushing off what you want. Run for it. Just like Arthur taught you to.”

“I…” Cora began, wanting to reassure her mother-in-law, but not wanting to promise her something she just couldn’t do. “I’ll think about it.”

Ginny nodded slowly and let go of her hand.

Cora could tell from the expression on her beloved mother-in-law’s face that she was trying to hide her disappointment. She knew Cora couldn’t or wouldn’t open her heart that way again.

But Cora was certain she was right to have made this decision. Today’s events had been a sign that letting Jared get too close to Sylvester and to her own heart wasn’t good for them.

They might bump into him in town from time to time, but as long as she could keep her distance for a while, things would be okay and all of this would blow over.

Eventually, everyone would forget that once upon a time, Cora Davies had almost let herself fall in love with Jared Webb.

20

JARED

Jared was already up when the sun rose the next day.

He had paced the floors of his room all night, trying to figure out what he had done wrong. He was finally sure about a woman, sure about a commitment, sure about a child, sure about everything.

And after all the time he had spent showing her he could be trusted, she had looked at him like he was a stranger again, and dismissed him without a word of explanation.

It was just one afternoon, he tried to tell himself. Everyone has a bad day sometimes. Tomorrow, everything will be back to normal.

But he had a terrible feeling in his gut that things had changed forever. Cora Davies was a woman in complete control of herself. If she had shown him her anger, then she meant it.

He only wished he knew why…

Did she know somehow that I had my grandmother’s engagement ring in my pocket?

But that was impossible. The only person that knew was his dad, and it wasn’t like his dad was going to tell anyone. Something had happened since the weekend that changed her mind about him. And he wondered if she would ever give him a chance to change it back a second time.

He had grown since meeting her—slowly, in small ways, but to his core. He liked being dependable for Cora, he liked reading with Sylvester, and he liked doing simple, homely, indoor things with both of them.

And he truly believed that he’d seen the fierce-on-the-outside and scared-on-the-inside young woman he’d come to care for let her hair down a little and start having more fun. Being around each other was good for both of them.

“Jared,” his mother called to him from the other side of the door. “Can you run a quick errand for me?”

“Sure, Ma,” he said, opening up for her.

“Morning, darling,” she said.

He could feel her eyeing his rumpled clothing and the bruised-looking circles that were surely under his eyes.

“Is that for someone?” he asked, pointing to the tin in her hands before she could ask why it looked like he’d been up all night.

“It’s for Kellan and Daisy,” she said. “If you’re not feeling well, I’m sure Derek can run it over.”

“No, no,” Jared said quickly. “I’m just a little tired. But I need to do something in town anyway.”

She frowned at him, but handed the tin over anyway.

“I’ll go right away,” he told her.

“Maybe shower first?” she suggested, wrinkling her nose.