Her Cowboy Till Christmas

“She is?” Noah’s mouth was full of a cookie. “I love Nan.”

“I do, too.”

“Can we go see the kitties, Daddy?”

“Not today. As soon as Nan finds the list, we have to head out.” He held his breath, hoping Noah wouldn’t throw a fit.

“Can I pwease see the kitties, Daddy? Pwease?”

“No.” Mason craned his neck down the hallway. Come on, Nan, find your list already!

“I can take him out there for a minute.” Brittany smiled at Noah.

“Yay!”

“I said no.” It came out more harshly than he intended. But he didn’t want her around his son at all.

“Mason, I forgot about the water softener,” Nan called from the back of the house. “Do I need more salt?”

“Really, I don’t mind.” Brittany pushed her hair behind her ear. She wore black leggings and a long heather-gray sweatshirt with the word Sunshine written in cursive across the front. Her lack of makeup gave her a freshly scrubbed air. It reminded him of what she’d looked like as a teen and, unbidden, brought the warm feelings he’d had for her then with it.

“See, Daddy? She don’t mind.” Noah’s big eyes brimmed with hope.

He sighed and gave them both a tight smile. “Okay. Just for a minute. But be careful and listen to Miss Brittany.”

“I will!” His legs were already carrying him to the back door.

“Wait, Noah.” The kid didn’t even have his winter jacket on. “You have to wear your coat. Zipped.”

Noah rushed back and let Mason bundle him up before taking off again. Brittany, who’d slipped her feet into boots, put her coat on and followed. The soft click of the door shutting told him they were gone.

Why would she have offered to take his kid? He’d been really rude to her last night. If it had been anyone else, he’d assume they were being kind. But he didn’t know Brittany. Not anymore. Once upon a time he’d thought he’d known her, and he’d been wrong.

The door to the basement was through the kitchen, so he flipped on the light before tromping down the stairs. He lifted the lid to the water softener. The salt level was getting low. He’d better pick up a few bags of it. When he emerged from the basement, Nan was sitting at the table, bent over a piece of paper.

“I’ll pick up some more pellets for your softener.”

“Oh, good.” She glanced up and smiled. “Thank you, dear. I want to make Brittany’s favorite for dinner...” She stared at the wall.

“Is it still spaghetti?” He didn’t want to talk about Brittany, but he didn’t have it in him to hurt Nan’s feelings.

“Yes.” She frowned. “I think so.”

“I’ll pick up the ingredients. Don’t worry.”

Her shoulders relaxed and she handed him the list.

“We’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Take Brittany with you. It’ll be like old times.”

Old times were best left in the past. He didn’t say a word, just tipped his hat to her and walked out the back door. The faint sound of Noah’s squeals in the distance made his heart pump faster. Was he all right? But unmistakable laughter assured him his boy was fine. Why it irritated him that his son was enjoying Brittany’s company he didn’t have the energy to analyze.

He strode through the snow to the barn. When he slid the door open, his gaze zoomed to Brittany’s blond hair rippling down her back. Her smile could have illuminated the entire town. She stood to the side of the old tire swing.

He’d forgotten about the swing. Tired of its memories, he’d hauled it up to the hayloft years ago.

Sensations crashed into him.

It was their meeting place. The spot he’d rush to every day in the summer after his ranch chores were finished. The place he’d first kissed her. Even now, seeing her in front of it was doing something funny to his pulse.

Enough of that.

She must have gone up to the loft and let it drop down. Three sturdy ropes connected it to a beam above, and thick layers of straw cushioned the ground below it. The tire hovered horizontal to the ground so more than one person could ride on it at once.

The bottom of Noah’s cowboy boots peeked through the tire, and his little arms grasped two of the ropes. As the swing went around, his shining, laughing face appeared. Mason couldn’t help but smile, too. His innocence was precious.

“Can you believe the swing is still here?” Brittany’s voice was laced with cordial undertones. Apparently she’d decided they should be civil. “The ropes are as strong as ever.”

They were among the few things strong enough to survive these parts. He’d lost so many of his loved ones. First Ma, then Pops, then Mia... The weariness he’d been carrying for three years weighed on him.

“Noah, we’d better get moving.”

She reached for the swing and stopped it. Then she helped Noah to his feet. He ran to Mason with his arms open. Mason caught him and hoisted him high in the air.

“I can fly!” Noah held his arms out.

Man, he loved this kid. He set Noah back down and turned to leave.

“Mason?”

He stopped, looking back.

“Nan’s really going downhill, isn’t she?”

Yeah, and if you cared, you’d be here more often. Brittany’s rigid posture and the fear in her eyes kept the thoughts in his head, though.

“She’s eighty-six.” He wanted to say more but didn’t.

“And you’ve been getting her groceries every week?”

He nodded.

“For how long?” She looked vulnerable standing there.

“At least a year. Could be two, I guess. Why?” He cast a glance at Noah, who’d stopped in the corner to scoop kibble into the dishes. The barn cats were already stretching and heading over there.

“I... I didn’t realize.”