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

“I think you’ll understand it well enough.”

“Does Tom know?” she asked.

“It was his suggestion.”

“Unless you’re going to tell me what you’re talking about, just be quiet and eat. Brady’s almost asleep.”

Brady opened his eyes wide. “No I’m not, Mommy,” he protested.

She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Yes, you are, sweetie, and you’ll need to go to bed as soon as you finish eating dinner.”

Brady sank back into his chair. “Okay, Mommy.”

Jack asked, “If I promise to go to bed, will you give me a kiss too?”

She froze and then glared at him. “You’ve had enough kisses today.”

He smiled a broad smile and his eyes twinkled. “I think everyone needs kisses. I’ll be glad to supply you, Brady and Jenny with kisses.”

“I can take care of Brady and Jenny. They don’t need your kisses.”

“But what about you? Don’t you need my kisses?”

“I most certainly do not,” Elizabeth protested.

“Oh, I think you’re wrong,” Jack said as he leaned in and kissed her again.

Chapter Ten

ELIZABETH helped Brady spread red and white icing on a candy cane cookie a few afternoons later when Jack came in from the ranch.

“You’re back early,” she said without looking up.

“It’s turned awfully cold. I need to warm up.” She had her suspicions and looked at him skeptically. Whichever, she cautioned herself to keep her distance.

The second cookie sheet was ready to come out of the oven when Jack joined them.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“That should be obvious, Jack,” Elizabeth said.

Brady immediately piped up. “We’re making Christmas cookies for Santa.”

“You are? Do I get one?”

Brady giggled. “You’re not Santa!”

“No, but I’ve been friends with him a long time.”

“You have?” the little boy asked in amazement.

“Yeah, he and I are old friends.”

“Jack, you’re misleading Brady.”

“Elizabeth, Brady should know that Santa needs help occasionally. He might need help getting Brady’s toys to him.”

“Do you want a cookie?” Elizabeth asked.

“Sure. Warm cookies on a cold afternoon are the best.”

She took the cookies off the cookie sheet. “These will have to cool. You may choose one cookie each and then you may choose another one after we’ve decorated them.”

“Hey, that’s better than I thought,” Jack said.

With Elizabeth’s willing volunteers, she began mixing up more colors for the other cookies. She hadn’t expected to share this moment with Jack, but she supposed he deserved it. He’d been good while Tom and Carol had been gone. Most of the time anyway.

The monitor blared just then with Jenny’s cries. Elizabeth started to go get her, but Jack stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“Let me go get her,” Jack offered.

“But she’ll need her diaper changed.”

“I can do that.”

When Jack came downstairs a few minutes later with a happy Jenny in his arms, Elizabeth decided he’d done a good job.

“Thank you, Jack,” she said. “Brady and I got two cookie sheets ready and in the oven in the meantime.”

Jack grinned. “And Jenny didn’t even complain.”

“Her bottle will be ready in just a minute, if you can hold her,” Elizabeth said.

“Of course I can. Jenny and I are friends. Would you like me to feed her?”

Elizabeth stopped short. “Why should you feed my baby?”

“Because I’m going to be her—Her friend.”

Jack sure was acting strange today, Elizabeth thought. “Aren’t you going back out?”

“No, I think I’ll stay in the rest of the day. The cold is bitter and the kitchen is warm. You and Brady can decorate cookies and I’ll feed Jenny.”

Elizabeth hesitated, but she wanted the experience to be good for Brady, so she agreed.

By the end of the afternoon Brady had made a plateful of unusually decorated cookies. But he thought they were terrific and that was good enough for her. He even took one of them to feed to Jack.

Jack seemed to enjoy the family scene too, which surprised Elizabeth. In fact, she had such a good time she didn’t realize it was past time to make dinner. She hurriedly cleaned up.