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

“We’ll take it day by day,” he heard himself promise her. “I know I can be a little unpredictable sometimes, but you make me want to be the steady man you need. And I’ll show you it’s safe to live like you have nothing to lose once in a while.”

“You already have,” she told him.

He held his breath as she went up on her toes, placing her hands on his chest, and paused only an instant before she pressed her mouth to his.

Her lips were even softer than he’d imagined. Emotion roared through him like an engine, and he kissed her back, wrapping his hands around her upper arms to stop himself from losing control, and wishing he could communicate all his feelings to her through a simple kiss—how much she had taught him already, and how badly he wanted to make her feel all good things in the world—happy, beloved, and safe.

“Mom?” a little voice said from the top of the stairs.

He let go of her immediately, loving the flush on her cheeks as she composed herself.

“I’m coming up now,” she called up to her boy, before turning back to Jared. “I know you have holiday things planned with your family?—”

“Can I come by tomorrow?” he asked before she could finish.

“Of course,” she told him, smiling at him with shining eyes. “We’ll be here.”

And just like that, what had been shaping up to be one of the worst days in Jared’s life turned out to be one he’d remember forever as one of the best.

25

CORA

At lunchtime the next day, Cora spooned chicken salad onto homemade bread as Sylvester laid thick tomato slices on top.

She couldn’t help sneaking glances at the window. The weatherman on the radio said there might be a storm on the way, but so far the sky was overcast, but otherwise pretty normal.

“You’re friends with Jared again,” Sylvester said, glancing up at her, and distracting her from her worries about the weather.

He knew she was. He even knew that Jared had called earlier today and asked her to go on a date with him, even though it was Christmas Eve.

I’m going on a date…

But it felt like more than that—like already they meant so much to each other.

“Yes, we’re friends again,” she told him. “And I think he wants to be my boyfriend. Are you okay with that?”

Admittedly, it wasn’t the first time she had asked that question either. The two of them were being very careful with each other today. But after last night’s scare and the return of the keychain she was afraid that maybe Sylvester had felt he had to say yes about Jared the first time.

“He’ll be a good boyfriend,” Sylvester told her, nodding. “He knows all kinds of fun stuff to do. And he likes me.”

“He adores you,” Cora assured him, nodding.

That made Sylvester smile.

“And it’s okay for me to leave with him for a while tonight?” she asked.

“You’re going out for dinner and a movie,” Sylvester said, his eyes twinkling. “And I’m staying home to watch Christmas movies with Grandma.”

“That’s right,” Cora told him. “But we won’t leave for our dinner until it’s almost your bedtime. Because no one wants to miss Christmas Eve with you.”

“And then it will be Christmas,” Sylvester crowed. “And we’ll have pancakes and presents and we’ll sing songs, just like always.”

“I can’t wait,” Cora said, enjoying his infectious spirit.

The rest of the day passed happily inside their little house. Cora and Sylvester listened to Christmas music on the radio while they wrapped up their presents for Grandma Davies and prepared a pretty platter of the cookies they’d been making to put out that night, as well as a smaller one with a candy cane to be set out later for Santa.

But outside, the sky was darkening and the temperature on the little thermometer Cora kept by the kitchen window hovered around thirty-four degrees.