Her Christmas Cowboy Read online

  The moon had risen, and beneath its glow and the light of a billion stars, Trey’s brow furrowed. “Sounds serious.”

  Daisy nodded. “Something I want to run by you.”

  Trey pressed his hand more tightly to her back. “Then I want to hear about it. Let’s take care of Big Blue and eat supper. We can relax and talk and then decorate the tree. As it happens, I have something I want to discuss with you too.”

  Now it was her turn for surprise. Trey hadn’t offered a clue that anything weighed on his mind. He was the most easygoing man she’d ever known, who never failed to put her at ease. She realized she could talk to him about anything and shouldn’t have hesitated to mention the opportunity in Pennsylvania. Why had she waited?

  The answer whispered through her brain like a slow moving Texas breeze. Because you’re not as unaffected by the relationship as you pretend. It won’t be easy to say good-bye.

  The glow from Trey’s house cut a swath through the darkness like a thousand stars had fallen to earth. Daisy sucked in a breath and stopped to stare.

  Trey slowed beside her and brought Big Blue to a halt. “Like it?”

  He’d somehow found time to wrap the new porch and the front of his house with white twinkle lights. A spotlight captured the lovely wreath gracing his door. A bare pine tree stood inside the picture window, waiting for ornaments.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Even without snow? Or winter’s chill?” His grin and the sparkle in his eyes dared her to doubt Christmas could be celebrated anywhere.

  Daisy swallowed. She had to admit they’d had a perfect evening, and Trey’s home looked more welcoming than any sight she’d seen in a long, long time. “Yes. Even without snow.”

  He whooped out loud at her answer and then laughed as if he’d won a prize at the Texas State Fair. “Snow is grossly overrated.” He wrapped one arm around her waist and led his horse with the other until they reached the barn.

  Shady Lady scooted out and away before they led Big Blue inside for tending. Daisy’s stomach rumbled. She glanced back at the house in anticipation of dinner. Then she remembered the important discussion that would follow and her mood dimmed despite the festive twinkle lights.

  *****

  Trey couldn’t remember when he’d last felt this good. He banged around his kitchen pulling ham and cornbread from the oven warmer and tossing salad while Daisy set the dining table and poured wine. Their cozy domestic scene relaxed him and felt absolutely right. He sensed Daisy would grow to love the land here as much as he did, given the chance. He couldn’t imagine any other woman living in the house he’d built.

  He hummed a Christmas tune while he sliced the ham, set enough on a platter for two, and put leftovers in the fridge. When he was done, he carried the meal to the table and helped Daisy into her seat. He could almost hear his mother whisper praises about remembering to be a gentleman.

  After he and Daisy lifted their glasses in a toast, he chased his dear mother from his thoughts, since his intentions after supper had nothing whatsoever to do with being a gentleman. He resisted diving into his food like a starving coyote and paced himself while they made idle chatter. He buttered cornbread, chewed salad, and added healthy doses of mustard to his ham. But the longer their dinner continued, the less Daisy ate, until she put her fork down altogether.

  “Don’t you like your meal?” He immediately regretted asking such a dense question. Daisy had been more and more taciturn during the afternoon than he’d ever known her to be. Something was wrong. She’d said earlier she had something on her mind. Maybe now was the time to tell him what that was. “Or is it something else?”

  Daisy returned a strained smile. “Everything you’ve done has been incredible. Including the meal.” She looked right and then left as if the words needed to continue floated in her periphery. “It’s just…there’s an opportunity…in Pennsylvania. I have to decide by the New Year.”

  The hair on the back of Trey’s neck prickled and cold fear shot down his back. His appetite vanished, and so he stuffed his napkin under his plate. Daisy was breaking up with him. On Christmas Eve. His best Christmas ever had just become his worst.

  He barely heard the rest of what she had to say, though he retained eye contact. Words like “return” and “home” and “patrol duty” painted a clear enough picture for him to get the gist. Daisy had found an opportunity to go back to the place she was born and was considering her options. Guess he hadn’t been enough of a draw to keep the woman he loved happy.

  Incredulity washed over him. What about the nights they’d lain on a blanket on the lawn and counted the stars while they shared details of their lives? Or made love in the meadow on the far side of the ranch? Or rode over fields on horseback or drove to the beach on the Gulf? And what about her duty to the mounted patrol? Didn’t she believe they valued her there? Had she even given the job, or Houston, or him a fair chance?

  Of course, he didn’t say any of those things. If Daisy hadn’t fallen for him or embraced her life here, he couldn’t force her.

  When the ringing in his ears faded and his heart stopped pounding, Trey finally spoke. “Why would you want to go back there? Have you forgotten how the department treated you? How the media turned on you and the community turned its back, though none of what happened was your fault? You didn’t shoot your partner, the criminal did!” He thought she’d gotten over the worst of the trauma. He thought his broken back and her broken spirit had mostly healed. He thought they’d done that together.

  Daisy stared at him across the table, and the determination he saw on her face almost did him in. He was sure then she’d made up her mind to go.

  “I’d be working in a separate community, close enough to my original home and the friends who stuck by me to belong, but far enough away from my old department to give me room to breathe. It would be my chance for a do-over. Didn’t you ever want that for yourself? If you could relive the six seconds before the bull broke your back, wouldn’t you take it? Maybe if I cross paths with my old coworkers, they’ll see me differently now that time has passed.”

  Trey wanted to shout, “What about us?” He wanted to sweep his arm across the table and knock every dish, glass, and piece of cutlery to the floor. He wanted to kick the plates out of his way until they smashed to splinters and then toss the dining table too.

  He didn’t do any of those things. He was a man, not a menace. But Trey couldn’t keep the depth of his hurt and rage and disappointment to himself. He banged his fist on the table and shouted. “Dammit, Daisy!”

  Chapter Five

  Dammit, Daisy? Was that all Trey had to say?

  The stony set of his face and the anger in his eyes spoke volumes compared to his words. She’d never seen that expression on him before, and realized, too late, that she’d hurt him. But weren’t they just talking? She hadn’t said she was taking the job in Pennsylvania, just that she was considering the opportunity. The option weighed heavy on her mind and it was only right she share those thoughts. Isn’t that what couples did?

  Were they a couple? Maybe that question was the crux of the matter. She wasn’t sure if her relationship with Trey was a passing affair or something more. He hadn’t mentioned the word love and she hadn’t wanted to spoil the relationship by bringing it up if his feelings weren’t mutual. She’d been content to enjoy the pleasure of his company, the passion of their nights, and encourage him on his road back to health while she healed too.

  But, was a heated affair enough to keep her in Houston? She had to admit, the answer was no. Her future was at stake and she couldn’t afford to make another error in judgment. A woman had to take care of herself, be self-supporting, and make her own way. Her permanent residence, the community she served, and the man she would love for the rest of her life were decisions she couldn’t get wrong.

  Maybe her expression gave her thoughts away, because Trey stood from the table, came around to her side, and lifted her to her feet. He wrapped her in his
arms and gazed straight into her eyes.

  “Don’t go.”

  The strength of his embrace and the intensity of his voice left no doubt to his meaning.

  The time had come for her to go all-in. “You could come with me.”

  He smirked, and she could tell he held back a derisive laugh. “I just healed from a fractured spine. Got my job back on the ranch. Finished building my house. My life is here. It’s always been here. I was hoping you’d see that and want to stay.”

  Of course she knew. She was the one who had drifted. Was still drifting. She’d run away when life got ugly instead of waiting things out and working it through. Trey was as solid as the foundation under their feet.

  He pulled her against his chest and covered her mouth with a kiss that would have sent her reeling without support. The press of his lips and taste of wine on his tongue chased away her momentary doubts. Could she really leave this man? The one she never would have met if her previous life hadn’t crashed and burned?

  He eased back and met her eyes. “Can’t you see I finished this house for you?” He pressed another kiss to her lips. “I love you. I’ve loved you for so long.”

  Daisy touched his cheek and ran a thumb over his jaw. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  His hands slid down her back, over her hips, and up again to capture her waist. “I wanted to. I’ve been waiting for the right time. I had nothing to offer you until I knew for sure my body would heal. A broken cowboy earning piddling wages as a riding instructor would hardly have been enough for you in the long run. You’re a cop. A wage earner. Someone fearless and strong. A weak man wouldn’t hold you. I had to know I was fit to stay in your life.”

  She hated it when she wanted to cry. Tears were for children. She forced back the urge but let out a sigh. “Not so fearless. Not so strong. I ran all the way to Texas like a coward.”

  Trey closed his eyes for a second and tightened his mouth. When he opened them again, he said, “You’re so hard on yourself. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever known. It’s okay to hurt. It’s normal to feel pain. But instead of quitting law enforcement, you found another job. A harder one at that, in a strange city. And let’s not forget the support you’ve given your sister in her time of mourning. And the understanding you gave me when I worried that my life as a man was over…. Maybe you ran from Pennsylvania, but I feel like you saved us here. Hard times brought us together. ”

  Daisy swallowed. Trey always knew the right thing to say, though he didn’t speak often. Why hadn’t she accepted that he loved her? He’d shown his love in a thousand ways, but she’d been so numbed by her own pain she’d refused to see. “You love me?”

  His expression softened. “Of course I do.”

  “A woman likes to hear these things.”

  He kissed her brow. “I should have said it sooner.”

  She laid her head against his chest and listened to the sound of his heart beating. The warmth of his chest and the solid feel of his body made her wonder how she could possibly leave him. No man had ever made her feel so loved—with or without saying the words.

  He stroked the crown of her head and ran his hand the length of her hair until it trailed down her back to the curve of her bottom. She tipped her face to his to welcome a kiss and he complied willingly, eagerly, taking her mouth with his until their breathing turned fast and hot. Then he took her by the hand and led her up the stairs to his bedroom.

  Trey didn’t hurry but took his time undressing her, letting each button on her blouse slide through his fingers as he opened them one by one. His fingertips brushed the swell of her breasts, touched a collarbone, grazed the base of her throat until she shivered. The tips of her breasts tightened inside the lace of her bra, and he leaned down to brush those too with the barest kiss.

  He slipped the shirt from her shoulders and tossed it on a nearby chair. She stood before him in a wash of moonlight while he drank in the sight of her. His mouth sought her breasts and he unsnapped her jeans before pulling down the zipper. His hand roamed her abdomen and reached to cup her sex. She sighed at the contact, and he groaned with her heat.

  They stripped then in a toss of boots, socks, jeans, and all else that got in the way of skin. Daisy cried out at the electrifying feel of his flesh against hers when he pulled her close. Their mouths sought each other and their hands stroked and touched with newfound tenderness.

  Trey laid her on his bed and kissed her. “I love you,” he whispered. He used his mouth, his tongue, and his words to show her until she writhed on the mattress with bliss and stretched with contentment. Just when she wondered if too much pleasure was possible, he reached into his bedside drawer. Then he entered her and loved her once, twice, and again.

  *****

  “You must be starved,” Trey said. “You barely touched supper, and then…” He grinned, clearly pleased with their lovemaking.

  “And then…” She agreed. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned from her spot on Trey’s couch, sated and happy. She’d managed to dress again in everything except her boots, which lay not far from the Christmas tree. They’d finished decorating a few minutes ago and lights sparkled like colored raindrops over the room. A fire burned in the fireplace and candles glowed on tabletops.

  Trey set a plate of fat ham sandwiches and two bottles of cold beer on the coffee table. He joined her on the sofa and they ate the simple meal with gusto, talking a little but mostly savoring each other’s company. Their Christmas Eve together had been the best of her life. She smiled at the irony. Hadn’t she thought she needed Jack Frost to make Christmas perfect?

  Trey wrapped an arm around her shoulders when they finished eating and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Remember when I said I had something to talk about too?”

  Daisy had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts she’d forgotten he had something on his mind. “Sorry, I didn’t give you much of a chance.”

  He hugged her shoulder. “I also said I was waiting for the right time to talk about loving you.” Trey reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a small blue velvet box.

  Daisy’s heart stopped. Her lungs seized and her throat turned to dust. When her heart started beating again, an adrenaline rush caused her hands to tremble. She hadn’t seen this coming. She licked her mouth to rewet her lips, but waited for him to continue speaking.

  “I’ve known I wanted to marry you since your first week of riding lessons. Nothing has changed that for me.” He opened the box and held it out to her. The simple classic diamond was tasteful and beautiful and shimmered in the candlelight. “While you think about that opportunity in Pennsylvania, I want you to also consider a future here. Weigh your options. I’m offering you a solid home and all the love a man can give a woman. The job and all that goes with it is something you’ll have to figure out for yourself. But I want you to stay.”

  She wanted to be impulsive and say yes to marriage simply because her post-orgasmic brain and body had turned to mush. And because Trey was the most wonderful man she’d ever known and the ring he’d bought was stunning. And because it was Christmas Eve and that would be the easy thing to do. But a serious decision like marriage had to be considered with both her head and her heart. Every facet of her future was at stake. Trey loved her, but she also had her career to consider. Her path in law enforcement was as important a choice as marriage.

  Daisy did one of the hardest things she’d ever done. She leaned close, kissed Trey gently on the mouth, and said, “I will. I will think about it.”

  If Trey was disappointed, he didn’t show it. He set the open ring box on the coffee table and said, “Until the New Year.”

  *****

  Trey walked Daisy to her car since she wouldn’t be spending the night. She’d said she wanted to spend Christmas morning with her sister. It would be Rose’s first Christmas without her husband, and Daisy didn’t want her to be alone. Though he would have liked to wake up with Daisy beside him, he understood her reasoning.


  Under the circumstances, her decision to leave was probably best. The uncertainty of their future had taken the shine off his Christmas Eve, and his parents and grandmother would be knocking on his door mid-morning to help him with Christmas dinner preparations. He didn’t want their first meeting with Daisy to be morning-after awkward, and he had things to do at the ranch before the remainder of his guests arrived.

  Trey kissed her before she climbed into her Jeep and closed the door behind her. “See you at noon.”

  He watched Daisy drive off and then made his way to the porch to turn off the twinkle lights he’d hung just for her. Shady Lady scurried up the stairs behind him and climbed into the rocker closest to the door. Trey gave the cat a thorough petting and then headed inside.

  He finished cleaning up the kitchen, closed the glass door on the fireplace, and turned out the lights on the Christmas tree. His holiday spirit waned and his heart grew heavy. If he’d told Daisy he loved her months ago, maybe she wouldn’t have considered going back to Pennsylvania. Maybe she’d have adjusted quicker to life here. And maybe she’d have his ring on her finger and be sleeping in his bed.

  The house that had been warm and filled with possibilities an hour before turned dark and cold with each step he took up the stairs.

  Chapter Six

  “So what do you plan to do?” Rose asked.

  Daisy’s sister set tableware on the kitchen breakfast bar, poured cups of coffee, and took the stool beside her. Despite neither of them sleeping much, Rose still looked fresh compared to Daisy’s bleary-eyed, ratty-haired self. Rose had creamy white skin, silky black hair, and sky-blue eyes that made men trip over their feet to get close. Her late husband, Mike, had loved her something fierce, and Daisy could only imagine the pain of that loss. It could take years for Rose to heal.

  She grimaced. “I know what I want to do, but I’ve come to see that I hate change, and that’s about the only thing that’s been constant the past year. Everything I knew has gone.”