Christmas Gifts: Cinderella and the Cowboy / The Boss's Christmas Baby / Their Little Christmas Miracle

“We’ll need to get a wedding cake,” Elizabeth said. “Is there anyone we can call to bake a wedding cake?”

“Yeah, but Jack will have to call her,” Tom said. “She always agrees when Jack calls her.”

Elizabeth looked at him. “Well?”

“Sure, I’ll call her.”

“Good.” Elizabeth turned to go upstairs. “If you’ll excuse me, then, I’ve got to go check on the children.” She walked quickly up the stairs.

“I don’t think your little joke went over well,” Jack said ruefully when she was out of earshot.

Tom shook his head. “I’ll tell her what I meant in the morning.”

“You’d better.” He said his good-nights. “I’m leaving you two alone. Stay out of trouble!”

On the way to his room, he was tempted to knock on Elizabeth’s door, but he didn’t think she’d listen to him. He hadn’t spoken up when she’d confessed to not having a family. But he’d wanted to.

He’d wanted to rush to her, hug her and let her know that she would have made any parent proud, that she had people who loved her, even though she hadn’t had a family till now.

But he hadn’t.

Instead, Tom had stepped up and hugged Elizabeth and made her feel like she was a part of the family.

What had held him back?

Fear.

He was afraid he was falling in love with Elizabeth.

Jack felt hung over when he got up the next morning when the alarm went off. But it wasn’t booze that had given him trouble. It was a woman.

The woman he’d heard walking the hallways last night as he lay awake.

Elizabeth, too, had had a bad night sleeping.

When he entered the kitchen he saw that she’d fixed his breakfast—her pancakes, his favorite—and left them covered on the stovetop. But there was no sign of her.

He knew he had to rectify the assumption she’d made last night, or else she’d be mad at him all day.

He ate his breakfast and thought about how he would handle the situation.

On the one hand Elizabeth was the most understanding woman he’d ever met. On the other hand, she was also the most stubborn. There was really one way to clear up the misunderstanding.

She had to come with him to order the cake.

He went upstairs and gently knocked on her door. When there was no response, he put his ear against the wood and listened. Hearing nothing, he tried the bathroom door, but with no results.

Either she was still asleep or she was totally ignoring him.

Because he had to meet up with the hands and issue the day’s instructions, he put her on hold and went out to tend to the ranch. Elizabeth was never far from his mind, and the first spare moment he had he came back to the house. He found her in the kitchen making another pot of coffee.

“Good morning.”

She merely responded in kind, but didn’t turn from her task.

Next he ventured, “Elizabeth, will you go with me to order the cake today?”

Her hand froze. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

“You could explain what Carol wants much better than I can.”

She cast him a look over her shoulder. “But—”

He gave her the brightest smile he could muster. “Great. We’ll go in an hour.” Then he walked out of the kitchen, whistling to himself.

Elizabeth had fed and changed Jenny by the time Jack came back in an hour later. How had she gotten herself roped into going with him?

It was for Carol, she told herself.

“Are you ready?” Jack asked as he stepped out of the washroom. “Where’s Jenny?”

“The kids are with Tom in his room. Brady’s watching TV.”

“Then let’s go.” He went to help her with her coat, but she took it from him and put it on herself.

She was quiet on the ride, not initiating any conversation and offering only limited responses to his attempts.

“The cake lady doesn’t live too far away,” Jack said after he pulled away from the house.

“Good.”

“Are you busy today?” he asked.

“No more than usual.” Her reply was polite but clipped, and she kept her gaze straight ahead.

“I wanted to thank you for coming with me.”

“I did it for Carol, not you.”

Finally Jack took the hint, and they rode the rest of the way in silence.

A few minutes later Jack pulled into the driveway of a charming farmhouse. He led her around back and opened the door into the kitchen. “Edith?” he called, since no one was in sight.

They both heard a faint “Coming!”

She could’ve sworn Jack chuckled beside her as they stood there waiting for the baker to arrive.

When she saw the small figure enter the kitchen she knew why.