A Cowboy Family Christmas

Still, there seemed to be something familiar about him. Probably his lanky, cowboy swagger.

She cut a sideways glance his way. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious about everyone here.”

She reminded herself that she’d have to stay on her toes around him.

They approached the small front porch, which appeared to have a rickety railing. Maybe the cabin wasn’t so sturdy after all, but it would have to do.

“This is it,” she said, hoping the inside was more appealing than the outside. “I probably should have checked things out before bringing you here.”

“All I need is a place to sleep.”

Lainie climbed the three steps ahead of him, when a crack and crunch sounded behind her.

“Dammit.” Drew lurched forward and, apparently to steady himself, grabbed her hip, sending a spiral of heat to the bone and unbalancing her, too.

She didn’t have to turn around to know what had just happened, but she couldn’t help herself. Sure enough, he was removing his foot from a big crack in the wood, scratching his fancy boots in the process and banging his fancy leather suitcase against the steps.

He grumbled something she couldn’t comprehend, then removed his hand from her denim-clad hip. Yet her skin sizzled from his touch, tingled from his grip.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize that step was loose.”

“The wood’s completely rotten.”

“I can see that. I know the owners plan to refurbish the cabins before the rodeo comes to town, but I don’t think there’s a lot of extra cash right now. Are you okay?”

Their gazes locked, and her pulse struck a wacky beat. His features softened, and his annoyance disappeared.

“Yeah, I’m fine. But this porch needs to be fixed pronto.”

“I agree, but I think a repair like that’ll have to wait.”

“Seriously?” He straightened and slowly stepped onto the porch, testing the wood before placing his full weight on it. “Fixing that step can’t wait. I might break my leg next time.”

She clutched the linens to her chest. “Good point. But...like I said, Nate can’t spare the extra cash right now.”

He shrugged a single shoulder. “I’ll fix it myself. I’m not too bad with a hammer and nails. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the hardware store and get supplies I’ll need to rebuild the broken step.” He glanced around. “And the porch. It’s just a matter of time before it falls apart, too.”

“You’re taking it upon yourself to do that?”

“I may as well pay for my keep.”

“That’d be nice of you. And appreciated.” For some reason, she hadn’t expected him to actually do any physical labor. He didn’t look like the kind of man who’d risk getting blisters or building up a sweat.

Lainie turned back to face the entrance and shuffled the linen to one arm. She reached for the knob and opened the door. As she crossed the threshold, into the tidy and modestly furnished interior, she caught a whiff of must and dust. “I guess we’d better open some windows and air it out.”

“That’s not a problem.” Drew followed her inside. He set his suitcase on the hardwood floor near the small green plaid sofa and his briefcase on the oak coffee table.

Lainie carried the linens to the bed and placed them on the bare mattress. Then she took the towels and washcloths to the bathroom. When she returned to the bedroom, she found Drew opening the window. He looked especially nice from the backside—broad shoulders, narrow hips...

Enough of that. Drew Madison was a cowboy—fancy duds or not. And what was worse, Lainie hadn’t lucked out when it came to assessing the characters of men she found attractive.

“The pillows, blanket and spread must be in the closet,” she said.

“I can take care of that. I’m sure you have other things to do.”

She had a ton to do before her day ended. When she’d checked her email at Caroline’s, Mr. Carlton had forwarded the next batch of Dear Debbie letters. But Nate had asked her to help their guest get settled. It wouldn’t be right to take off and leave him on his own.

“No, I—” She’d just slid open the small closet door, when a brown furry streak jumped from the top shelf, landing on her head. She screamed and swiped at her hair to no avail. The damned creature dropped to her chest and scampered under the bib of her overalls. She shrieked again, and Drew was at her side in an instant.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Are you okay?”

“No!” She continued to scream and shudder. She hopped up and down in an attempt to dislodge it, but it scurried around her waist and into her pant leg. She grabbed Drew’s arm as if he could save her.

His brow furrowed, his expression one of concern. “What? What is it?”

“It’s a mouse. And it ran down my...” Oh, my God. It was still in there, trying to find a hiding place.

A childhood memory replayed in her mind—the abandoned warehouse in their run-down neighborhood, the innocent game of hide-and-seek, the rat’s nest that turned into a little girl’s worst nightmare...

Lainie let go of Drew, who wasn’t any help, unhooked the overall buckles and shimmied out of the baggy britches until they bagged at her ankles. She struggled to kick off her laced shoes.

“How can I help?” he asked.

If she wasn’t in the midst of a mind-boggling crisis, she might have offered a suggestion. But all she could think to do was to scream yet again.

The nasty little creature was burrowing into the folds of the fabric, squirming to escape almost as frantically as she was. When she finally tugged off her second shoe and stepped out of the overalls, she turned to Drew and pointed at the pile of denim. “Get it. Take it outside.”

Drew bent to do as she’d instructed, but not before the mangy little beast took the opportunity to zip under the bed.

Lainie shuddered and straightened, then she turned to him.

He stood there stoically, his gaze on her. Apparently, he didn’t give a fig about the mouse that could easily burrow into his bed tonight.

He studied her for a couple of beats, then he looked away.

It took her those same beats and another to realize she was standing before him in her stocking feet, wearing only a baggy T-shirt and a pair of pink panties. And skimpy ones at that.

Her cheeks heated and her lips parted. Oh, no. Now what?

Drew snatched a folded sheet from the mattress and held it out to her.

She grabbed it and rushed to the bathroom, but it wasn’t the blasted mouse she hoped to escape this time. It was the dashing cowboy who’d seen more of her than she’d wanted to reveal.

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