Cowboy Unwrapped

“Don’t be hasty, Fireman Jake!” Cade hurried over. “Hey, Amethyst. Good to see you.” He touched the brim of his hat.

“Good to see you, too, Cade. I don’t think we’ve run into each other since the last time I saw you at Rangeland Roasters having coffee with Lexi.”

“I know. Sheridan’s a small town, but you can go months without meeting up with folks who live here.”

“And I’m on the road a lot.”

“Yeah, I know! Love your music. Lexi and I listen to you all the time. Anyway, I don’t want you two to give up on the sleigh ride just yet. Finn’s unhitching Navarre so we can get to work on the chassis.”

Jake shook his head. “It’s no use, Gallagher. It might be salvageable but it’ll take days.”

“I’m not promising it’ll look brand new in five minutes, but Damon and Phil are here and they never go anywhere without tools. It’s possible with their help we can clean this baby up, tighten a few screws and she’ll be good enough for a little ride down the Forest Service road. Have you had lunch, Amethyst? Rosie always has plenty to eat and you could relax inside while we work our magic.”

“Yes, I’ve had lunch. And, really, we can skip the sleigh ride. I don’t want anyone to go to a lot of trouble on Christmas Eve day.”

“Me, either,” Jake said. “Maybe Amethyst and I could just—”

“Jake, I’m telling you, it won’t take much. I’m sure Mom filled in Damon and Phil over lunch. They’d probably be insulted if we didn’t ask them.”

“I doubt it,” Jake said. “They just got back from Florida, dude. And Phil’s not in any shape to help.”

“All the more reason not to bother them,” Amethyst said. “Jake can give me a tour of the place. I’ve heard so much about it over the years but I’ve never visited.”

“Hey, Jake Ramsey!” Damon’s deep voice carried through the crisp air as he strode toward them. “What’s this I hear about a fixer-upper sleigh?”

“Hey, Damon.” Jake went to meet him. “Just my latest idiotic move.”

Amethyst was touched by their warm embrace. She’d always had a soft spot in her heart for the Thunder Mountain boys. Most of them had some tragedy in their background and Jake was no exception. When they were dating she’d learned that his mom had died when he was a toddler and his father had turned into an abusive alcoholic. Jake used to spend his nights wherever he could get away from the beatings, sometimes at the home of a friend and sometimes hidden in the storeroom of Scruffy’s Bar.

Jake didn’t trust easily. She’d learned that when he’d broken up with her over a stupid misunderstanding. He’d never quite believed that she cared about him and he still might not. But at least they had a sexual connection that made them both happy.

She watched as Jake and Damon walked over to the sleigh. They were both laughing as Damon examined it from all angles. She turned to Cade. “I love your can-do attitude but, seriously, let’s forget about the sleigh ride, okay? It was a cute idea but I can live without it.”

“But that would mean giving up,” Cade said. “Besides, Damon likes to show off his manly carpentry skills.”

“That may be true but—”

“In these situations, it’s best to sit back and let the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood do its thing.”

She let out a breath. “Okay, I’ll try.”

Damon and Jake continued to joke around as they walked back over to where she stood with Cade.

“Damon’s convinced me we need to give this sleigh a chance,” Jake said. “So I’m prepared to work with him on it if you’re willing to allow us a little time.”

“Sure, why not? What do you want me to do?”

“I’m not going to put you to work, if that’s what you’re thinking. While Damon’s assessing the job, let’s go inside and see Rosie. I know you’ve had lunch but she’ll have a pot of coffee going and I happen to know there’s some German chocolate cake left over from last night.”

“That sounds great.” Amethyst hadn’t known what to expect from this afternoon but she hadn’t planned on much alone time with Jake, anyway. She’d popped an antihistamine before driving out here in case she ended up in the same space with Ringo the cat.

“I’ll go in with you,” Cade said. “I’m starving and I can only imagine your hunger pangs, Fireman Jake. From what I’ve seen, you need fuel and plenty of it. I’d hate to see you grow weak from lack of food.”

“So you all missed lunch?” Amethyst was overwhelmed by the group effort to provide her with a sleigh ride.

“Yeah, but Finn’s probably in there wolfing down a sandwich by now,” Cade said. “Sad to say, Jake and I haven’t taken any sustenance since breakfast.”

“Then, by all means, let’s all go in so you guys can get fed.”

Shortly thereafter Amethyst was seated at Rosie’s kitchen table with a mug of coffee and a slice of cake. Jake and Cade each had hefty sandwiches to go with their coffee. Finn had already left to help Damon, but his fiancée Chelsea was there along with Philomena, Damon’s redheaded and exceedingly pregnant wife. Ringo, a gray tabby, was curled up in a bed in the corner, but the antihistamine was working so Amethyst was fine.

Jake paused between bites to address his foster mom, who’d joined them with coffee and cake. “Where’s Dad?”

“In town, Christmas shopping.”

“He still waits until the last minute?”

Rosie laughed. “He claims that’s when he feels the Christmas spirit, when everyone in town is racing the clock.”

“What he feels is frantic desperation,” Cade said. “You couldn’t pay me to be in town today.”

Jake laughed. “How does two grand sound?”

“Okay, I’d do it for that.”

“Case closed.” Jake finished his sandwich and pushed back his chair. “Mom, that was wonderful.” He glanced over at Amethyst. “Will you be okay for a little while? This shouldn’t take long.”

“Are you kidding? You’re leaving me with interesting women and German chocolate cake. I’ll be more than fine.” Amethyst discovered she liked seeing him in this setting, surrounded by his foster family. He seemed emotionally stronger and more confident here. She wished he’d brought her to the ranch when they’d been dating but there’d been no reason.

Cade went with him, which left Rosie, Chelsea and Phil at the table with Amethyst.

She knew a little about Phil, who’d worked as a contractor in Sheridan for several years before meeting and falling in love with Damon. But Chelsea was a complete stranger so Amethyst started the conversation by asking about her work and how she’d happened to meet Finn. Turned out they’d been in line for coffee and had started up a conversation that had led to a business relationship and eventually love.

“Chelsea’s been so good for him,” Rosie said. “He’s still very focused on his work, but he’s not as driven as he used to be.”

“The more I’m around the Thunder Mountain guys,” Phil said, “the more I’ve noticed that most of them have a strong urge to succeed. Considering the crummy background they had, it’s not surprising. Damon’s mellowing out, finally, which is good. I want him to be able to relax enough to enjoy his kid.”

Amethyst had abandoned the idea of having children when she’d decided on her career path, but she was curious all the same. “How’s motherhood so far?”

“Disconcerting.” Phil laid a hand over her big belly. “Normally, I work side by side with Damon on our renovation jobs, but in the last month that’s been increasingly difficult. Life should be easier when she’s born. I plan to pack her along on jobs, at least until she’s mobile. Then I might need day care.”

“So you’re having a girl?” Amethyst asked.

“Oh, yeah, and I’m thrilled about that.”

“So am I.” Rosie sipped her coffee. “This ranch is loaded with testosterone, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

Amethyst smiled. “I’ve noticed, but I’m not complaining. I grew up with a sister.”