Merry Cowboy Christmas (8 page)

One second she was straightening up; the next he was looking down into her green eyes and then his lips closed on hers. The kiss set off bells and whistles so loud that he couldn't hear a damn thing but ringing in his ears. Her lips were soft and the way her hands pressed against his chest sent bursts of heat right through his shirt to his skin. Dammit! Dammit! He'd never been so attracted to a woman in his whole life. It wasn't fair that fate had put her in his pathway and then said he couldn't have her.

“Hey, Katy, where are you?” Sharlene yelled. “I need a cup of coffee. Okay if I pour it?”

Fiona took a step back and frantically licked her lips. Jud picked up his hat and coat from the table.

“I didn't even hear the bell,” she whispered.

“I thought it was just more of those going off in my head after that hot kiss.” He quickly settled the hat on his head and put the coat on, more to cover up the bulge in his jeans than for warmth.

“I'm in the back, Sharlene! Be there in a minute. Mama ran over to Nadine's,” Fiona called out as she started from the back room into the store.

“Fiona, is that you? What are you doing here?”

“Yes, it's me,” Fiona said. “I'm helping Mama through the winter. You must have lost your touch, girl. I remember when you had all the gossip firsthand.”

Sharlene, one of the biggest gossips in town, flipped her shoulder-length blond hair over her shoulder and ran her hand up Jud's arm. “Hey, handsome. Fiona, I haven't lost my touch at all. I was in Abilene for the holiday with my boyfriend and I just got back today. I'll be catchin' up on all the news soon as I get to Nadine's for lunch, but I wanted to run by and get a cup of coffee and visit with Katy first.”

Jud waved and started for the front door.

“I've got a boyfriend or I would simply have to sample the goods you bring to the table,” Sharlene teased.

“Your boyfriend is one lucky feller.” Jud flashed a brilliant smile and took two steps away from her.

“Oh, honey, as sexy as you are, just say the word and I won't have a boyfriend in thirty minutes.”

“I might change my mind in that length of time.”

Sharlene laughed. “Poor baby! I don't cheat when I'm in a relationship and my boyfriend is out of cell phone reception for thirty more minutes, so it can't happen today. But don't give up hope.”

“Never,” Jud drawled. “See you at home this evening, Fiona. I've got to get the feed out to the ranch.” He tipped his hat but his eyes were on Fiona. “Ladies…”

Sharlene watched Jud until he was in the truck and then turned back to Fiona. “I heard about Dora June and Truman's place burning.”

“They're staying with us at Audrey's,” Fiona said. She couldn't fault Sharlene for flirting or for watching that cute little tight-hipped swagger because she was doing the exact same thing.

“You're kidding me.” Sharlene gasped. “After all the trouble they've caused?”

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Fiona whispered with a nod toward the door, where Dora June and Truman were pushing their way inside the store.

Both wore coats that were too big. As usual, Truman looked like he'd been sucking on lemons and Dora June had a big smile on her face.

“Hello, ladies,” she said. “Sharlene, did you hear about the fire?”

Sharlene crossed the floor in a couple of long strides and wrapped Dora June up in a bear hug. “I'm so sorry to hear what happened to your place. If I had room, I'd sure ask you to come and stay with me, but my rental house only has one extra bedroom and Mary Jo is using it until she can get on her feet and find something.”

“We're very comfortable where we are, but thank you so much, honey.” Dora June patted Sharlene on the shoulder. “It's so nice to have good folks in a community when tragedy strikes. I came to ask you if you have a key to the house, Fiona. Your mama gave me one so we can come and go, but I got worried that maybe you didn't have one, so I thought it best to stop and ask before we leave town.”

“Yes, I do have a key and if you aren't home when I get there, I'll get the dumplings started,” Fiona said.

“We'll be there,” Truman said tersely. “Come on, Dora June. It's an hour up there and an hour back.” He tucked her arm into his and led her outside the store.

“Poor old things,” Fiona said. “You get a gold star for that performance, girl. I swear if I didn't know you so well, I would have believed that you really did want to give them a place to live.”

Sharlene smiled brightly and bowed. “He's probably hating the taste of that crow pie he's having to chew on right now. He's an old bear but then I would be, too, if everything I had just went up in smoke,” Sharlene said. “Thank God I don't have a spare room because I can't imagine living with him. You are a brave woman, Fiona Logan.”

“I know they've been difficult but I feel sorry for them. No children and now their house has burned,” Fiona said.

“Me too, but I sure don't want to live with them,” Sharlene said. “Now what's this I hear about you being divorced?”

“For a year now,” Fiona said.

Sharlene and Allie had gone to high school together, so Fiona knew the woman but she and her sisters hadn't ever been close friends with her. Still, Sharlene had no scruples or pride when it came to diving right into the personal lives of anyone she had a speaking acquaintance with.

“And Jud?”

“What about Jud?”

Sharlene tilted her head to one side and lowered her eyelids slightly. “Is he a roommate in that big old house or something more?”

“Good Lord, Sharlene! I've only been home four days. Right now, Jud Dawson is someone who lives in the house with me and Mama because he's kin to my two brothers-in-law,” Fiona said.

“Good! The way he was flirting, I might change my mind about him.” Sharlene winked and started for the door. “I still can't believe that you came back to Dry Creek. We all wished we had your backbone when you left and didn't even glance in the rearview mirror.”

“I'm not sure I'm staying forever.”

“I couldn't do it. This is home and I'll be here until they drag me out by the heels. See you later.” The bell above the door sounded loud and clear when Sharlene left.

“I'm still not staying forever,” Fiona said. But there was a little part hiding down deep in her soul that didn't believe a word of it.

Dark comes early in the last days of November in Texas, especially when the sky is a solid sheet of gray. Katy had left from the store to go with a couple of her friends down to Abilene for a steak supper. Her car looked pretty small when Fiona parked it next to Jud's big club-cab truck.

The cold wind cut through Fiona's denim coat on the way from the yard to the house. If there wasn't snow or sleet in those clouds, she'd be willing to eat a dirt sandwich for supper. The wonderful aroma of chicken filled her nose when she stepped through the back door into the utility room.

“So how was your day?” Jud sat at the kitchen table.

Her eyes were drawn to his big hands wrapped around that glass of sweet tea. “Busy,” she answered.

“I got here about thirty minutes ago. I took the chicken out of the slow cooker and just finished boning it. I don't know how to make dumplin's, but I got that much done.”

She removed her coat and hung it on one of the long row of nails inside the back door, kicked off her boots, and padded across the kitchen floor. “We'll pour the broth into a pan and while it's heating up to boiling, I'll get the dumplings ready and stir up enough dough to make a quickie peach cobbler for dessert.”

“I love cobbler. What can I do to help?”

“Sit right there and stay out of my way,” she said.

“Yes, ma'am. I think I can handle that with no problem.”

She added a can of cream of chicken soup to the broth. By the time the broth reached a boil, the dough was ready to start dropping in half a teaspoon at a time, and the little cobbler was in the oven.

“Do we eat it in bowls like soup or do we fix other things to go with it?” he asked.

“Mama always served it like soup with thick slabs of buttered bread, cheese cubes, and sweet tea.”

“Mine did, too, except that we didn't have the cheese.” Jud carried his empty glass to the cabinet and refilled it.

She had her back to him, and when his hands snaked around her waist, she jumped to one side and whipped around, a spoonful of dough in her hand. He backed up quickly, hands raised like she was holding a gun, and chuckled.

“Don't hit me with that. I'd have to either change shirts or eat bare-chested and it's too cold for that,” he said.

“Jud, we can't…you know…start something we can't finish…” She stumbled over the words.

“I was moving you to one side so that I could get into the cabinet. I wasn't fixin' to throw you over my shoulder and carry you off to the bedroom.” He lowered his hands.

“Just tell me to move,” she said bluntly.

“Move, Fiona. I need to get another glass out of the cabinet to fill with ice and tea for you.”

She stepped to one side.

“Don't be so touchy,” he said.

“Don't be so handsy,” she smarted right back.

“I like kissing you.”

At that, she had no words.

When the dumplings were almost done, she pulled the bubbling, crusty pie from the oven and set it on a hot pad. “That will be good with a scoop of ice cream on top. It's always better warm, but I can eat it cold, too.” She went back to dropping dumplings into the broth. “I like kissing you, too, and that's the problem,” she blurted.

“A problem, why?” He leaned on the counter, his big biceps straining the sleeves of his plain shirt open to show a thermal knit under it that stretched across his broad chest.

Before she could answer, a blast of cold air brought Dora June through the door. A few snowflakes were stuck to a brand-new navy blue coat and stocking hat pulled down over her gray hair. “We're home. And bless your darlin' heart, you started supper.” She sniffed the air. “Is that cinnamon I smell?”

“I sprinkled a little bit on one of those quick peach cobblers and the dumplings will be ready in about ten minutes. Y'all need help with packages?” Fiona asked.

Dora June removed her coat and carried it to the coat rack in the foyer. “I ain't had a new winter coat in twenty years. Truman can bring in the sacks. It'll do him good the way he's been fussin' about how much money we had to spend. You'd think we were paupers. Maybe totin' things inside during a snowstorm will cool down his temper.”

“Soon as he gets done, we can eat,” Fiona said.

“I'll get my coat on and go help him.” Jud was out the back door in a flash.

Truman could be in a pout if that's what he wanted, but Fiona fully intended to ignore him. It had been at least two, maybe three years since she'd had dumplings or peach cobbler and she wasn't letting Truman O'Dell ruin it for her.

He glared at her when he and Jud toted in the first set of bags back to the bedroom. By the second trip, he just looked like a tired old man who wanted to eat supper, lean back in his favorite chair, and drift in and out of sleep while he pretended to watch television. Fiona felt so sorry for him that she could have wept.

When they sat down at the table, Dora June looked at Fiona and cocked her head to one side. Did she have dough on her chin or in her hair? Her hand went up to check.

“Fiona, you are the lady of the house. It's your place to call on someone to say grace,” Dora June finally said.

“Truman, would you please?” Fiona blushed.

It was by far the shortest prayer she'd ever heard him say. When she raised her head, everyone stared at her again.

“What?”

“You want to dip the dumplings or should I?” Jud asked.

“Go ahead.” She'd spent a year eating at the cabinet or over the kitchen sink. The years she was married she had used her kitchen very few times. She'd forgotten all about the duties the lady of the house had in Dry Creek.

“Good dumplin's,” Truman said after the first bite.

Fiona came close to dropping her spoon.

“Yes, they are and that pie looks real good, too. This is a treat to come home to food already fixed,” Dora June said.

“Thank you,” Fiona mumbled.

That was the extent of the conversation. Other than asking for something to be passed, they ate in silence, which was just fine and dandy with Fiona. She'd rather have quiet than an argument that would keep her from enjoying her supper. After they'd finished dessert, Jud refilled his sweet tea glass and carried it to his room. Truman muttered something about Dora June bringing a cup of coffee to their room when she had the kitchen cleaned and he disappeared.

“I haven't changed my mind about you and that cowboy,” Dora June said bluntly.

Fiona cut her eyes around at Dora June. “Oh?”

“They might be hardworking cowboys like Lucy and Herman say all the time, but that ranch is what it is and no one has ever been able to change it. When their savings run out, they'll leave and take your sisters with them. I'm not wrong. I've seen it happen too many times through the years. And just because your mama was kind enough to let us stay here don't mean that I'll change my mind.”

“Frankly, I don't care if the whole family leaves Dry Creek because I'm not planning on sticking around a minute longer than necessary, either. Maybe we'll all just leave together and the feed store and Mama's store will close up. Whole town will probably fall into decay and die if that happens.”

Dora June narrowed her eyes into slits. “Your mama wouldn't do that, but Jud will break your heart. Trust me, Fiona, this one is trouble.”

Fiona frowned. “I'm not sure that's a bit of your business.”