Her Christmas Cowboy Read online

  Rose covered Daisy’s hand with hers. “Starting over is hard.” She blinked and took an audible breath. “Even the thought of moving exhausts me.” She offered a subtle smile. “Mike’s family and I remained close after the funeral, and then kismet brought you here. Despite everything that’s happened, Houston has become my home. Don’t you feel it too?”

  Daisy felt like a jerk for pouring her problems on her sister, who’d lost her husband and the love of her life to war. Love and separation were an impossible mix. She turned her hand over and gave her sister’s palm a squeeze. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t complain.”

  Rose shook her head. “You’ve been mourning the biggest losses of your life; you have a right to complain. But you’re young and so am I. Our lives are far from over. That thought keeps me going.”

  Rose reached across the breakfast bar for the plate of blueberry muffins she’d baked just after dawn. She placed one on a dish for Daisy and took another for herself. “I loved Mike more than I ever thought possible, and I don’t know when I’ll recover from his loss.” She dug the tines of a fork into her muffin and chewed. “Mmm, he would have liked these. Probably eaten half the batch by now.”

  Daisy took a big bite of her muffin and sipped her coffee. “Delicious.”

  Rose swallowed another piece and shot Daisy a sidelong glance. “As devoted as I was to my husband, and as hard as it is to imagine being with another man, I still hope to love again someday. I don’t want to live the rest of my life alone. You know me; I’m not cut out for that.” Her mouth quirked and she tilted her head in Daisy’s direction. “Unless you intend to live with me until we become parodies of our younger selves.”

  Daisy smiled at Rose’s little joke but shivered at the empty picture that painted. They might be modern women, but they both needed romance. To love and be loved was the greatest gift on earth. Everyone knew that.

  And the man she loved wanted to marry her.

  Daisy pushed the muffin plate aside. Love and separation were an impossible mix. Maybe she’d been looking at her situation all wrong. Maybe Houston wasn’t a weigh station on the road to resuming her life. This was her life. Could she really turn her back on Trey and give him up? That loss might really be the one that did her in.

  The realization brought her out of her seat. She could have it all. She could build a career in law enforcement here as well as anywhere, heal her emotional scars, and be happy with the man she loved in the process. As to the rest…she’d learn to adjust. She was a strong and capable woman.

  Daisy kissed Rose on the cheek. “Thanks for breakfast. I’m going to wrap Trey’s Christmas gift.”

  *****

  The noontime temperature Christmas Day soared into the sixties, with clear blue skies that gave Daisy a new appreciation for year-round outdoor living. She and Rose arrived at Trey’s place a few minutes after twelve carrying a side dish, homemade bread, apple pie, and a bundle of gifts. Two little blond-haired girls dressed for Christmas ran in circles on the lawn, squealing with laughter while they chased Shady Lady. Big Blue munched clover by the fence in his pasture without looking up.

  A tall, sandy-haired man who looked slightly older than Trey but just as handsome exited the house and made his way down the porch steps toward them. His gaze homed in on Rose and his eyes lit up.

  Daisy introduced herself and her sister and noticed Rose had perked up too. The man reached for the covered dish Rose carried and lifted the bag holding homemade bread and wrapped packages from Daisy’s hand.

  “I’m Brent, Trey’s brother. It’s great to meet you both.” He nodded toward the girls. “Those two are mine.”

  Trey had mentioned his brother’s wife was no longer in the picture, but he hadn’t provided details.

  Brent tore his gaze from Rose and met Daisy’s eyes. “Trey’s in the barn. He’ll be right out.”

  The women followed Brent to the porch, where Daisy hesitated outside the front door. She pulled a package from the bag Brent held and pressed it to her chest. “Would you two mind going in without me? I’d like to see Trey before I meet the rest of his family.”

  Brent nodded. “Sure thing.” He eyed the brightly wrapped gift she held and passed her an easy smile.

  Daisy took a seat on one of the wicker rockers, her heartbeat pumping with every sway. She smoothed the front of her evergreen sweater, brushed imaginary lint from her slacks, and checked her flats for scuffs while her fingers tapped the chair arm.

  Just when she thought she couldn’t stand waiting another second, Trey appeared at the barn door. Daisy watched as he kicked off his barn boots and slipped into moccasins. When he spied her, he offered a casual wave. She swallowed her nervousness and pinned on a smile with his approach.

  “Merry Christmas,” he said. Tightness around his mouth and his bloodshot eyes belied his cheery greeting. Evidently, he hadn’t slept much either.

  Daisy held out the gift like a peace offering. “I wanted to give you this before…” She glanced at the front door. “While we had some privacy.”

  Trey accepted the package with barely a change in expression and took the rocker beside her. He tore away the Christmas paper and held up the square black object. The tightness around his mouth relaxed, his eyes brightened, and his lips curved into a grin.

  “You’re sure about this?” he asked.

  “I haven’t thought about anything else since I left last night. Yes, I’m sure.”

  Trey stared at the framed photograph of her dressed in full police regalia, sitting atop Musket. The picture was taken by a Houston newspaper photographer during the Thanksgiving Day Parade. “You do look amazing in uniform.”

  He stood, set the picture on his chair, and pulled her from her seat for a kiss. His lips were warm and welcoming, like his embrace. When they broke the kiss, he said, “I like the inscription as much as I love you.”

  She’d written: Yes, I will marry you across the bottom of the picture before she framed and wrapped it that morning.

  He pressed his hands to her shoulders. “Stay right here.”

  He disappeared into his house and returned moments later with the blue velvet ring box. Daisy watched while he opened the lid and took out the stunning diamond engagement ring. “Daisy Phillips, I know I already asked you this, but I’m asking again. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  Her hands shook and she forced herself to stay calm while she replied. “Yes, I’ll be happy to marry you.”

  He slid the ring over the third finger of her left hand, and they stood close, admiring the ring and taking pleasure in the milestone moment. Daisy wrapped her arms around Trey’s neck and kissed him. “I love you,” she said. “So much. Wherever you are is where I want to be.”

  She kissed him again, but before she did saw flickers of movement in her peripheral vision. Giggles followed. Two little girls ran up the porch steps and through the front door into the house.

  Trey grinned down at her. “I think our private time just ended.”

  “I’ll give you your other Christmas present later,” Daisy replied. When Trey’s grin grew wider, she fake punched his shoulder. “Not that one.” Although he could count on that too.

  “A real one. Wrapped with a bow,” she said.

  He waggled his eyebrows, not letting the innuendo go, and she had to laugh. She hoped he’d love the custom-made alligator-and-leather cowboy boots she bought him almost as much.

  He touched a hand to her hair. “I’ve got something else for you too.”

  There was no time to ask what he could possibly have gotten her beside a diamond engagement ring, because the front door popped open and the girls came spilling out onto the porch. “Uncle Trey’s getting married!” they sang. “We told grandmom!”

  “Oh, you did?” Trey pretended to lunge at them and the girls screamed with delight. Their curiosity about Daisy brought them closer, and they stared up at her with their big blue eyes.

  Trey touched the top of the taller girl’s head
. “This is Katie.” He turned toward her sister. “And this little nugget is Camille.”

  “I’m older. I’m six,” Katie said. “Camille is four.”

  Daisy shook the girls’ hands in proper fashion, which brought a fresh round of giggles. The front door cracked open and a small group of people gathered behind the gap to peek through. Trey waved them onto the porch and the door opened wide.

  “Come on out and meet my fiancé.”

  A good-looking couple, who appeared to be in their fifties, and an elderly woman about seventy stepped onto the porch with welcoming smiles. Trey introduced his parents and grandmother, who hugged Daisy in turn. Brett and Rose joined them to admire her ring and congratulate them on their engagement. A few ranch hands Daisy recognized from Breezy Meadows pulled up in a truck to join the party.

  “I was just about to give Daisy her engagement present,” Trey said to them. He turned to her and winked. “I was ready, in case you said yes.”

  He walked off toward the barn.

  Moments later, the barn doors opened and Trey appeared, holding the reins to the most beautiful black thoroughbred Daisy had seen since Big Blue. A collective gasp of approval sounded from the small crowd behind her. The mare was young, maybe two years old, with long legs and blue sunlit patches that shone across her back in the afternoon light.

  Daisy crossed the porch to the stairs and walked toward the barn to meet them, her heart pounding. Could this magnificent horse really be a gift?

  Trey spoke first. “Meet the newest member of the Houston Mounted Patrol.”

  Daisy reached out to stroke the animal’s head. “What are you saying?”

  Trey handed over the reins. “I’m saying this is my horse. Her name is Cobalt. She’s reached the age for training and I promised her to the mounted police with the stipulation she’s partnered with you. All we need to do is sign the paperwork. If you agree, and if you want her, she’s yours.”

  It took a moment for the weight of his words to sink in. The dazzling horse she held belonged to her! If the mare was as clever and bold as her sire, Big Blue, she’d be the greatest police horse on the face of the earth. Daisy could only imagine the meaningful work they’d accomplish together.

  She looked over at the man she loved but found she couldn’t speak. There weren’t enough words to describe Trey’s kindness and care. He obviously wanted her to succeed on the job with a reliable equine partner like Cobalt. Off duty, he’d arranged for her to ride Musket, knowing that would make her happy. Could life with him in these beautiful surroundings and the home he’d built be better at Christmas…or at any time of year?

  She watched the children run toward them and imagined her own little ones playing in the yard one day. A sense of rightness swept over her. Tragedy might have brought them together, but joy had met them on the other side.

  Daisy stroked Cobalt’s silky coat. “She’s perfect, and so is her name.”

  Trey came to her and placed an arm around her shoulder. “I expect she’ll be your perfect partner.”

  Daisy lifted on tiptoes to plant a deep, delicious kiss on his mouth, ignoring their captivated audience. “You know what else is perfect? Christmas in Texas. With you and our families. I love you Treymont Woods, and I’ll be glad to stay and be your wife.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Adele Downs writes best-selling contemporary romance inside the office of her rural Pennsylvania home. She is a former journalist, published in newspapers and magazines inside the USA, UK, and Caribbean.

  Adele is an active member of Romance Writers of America and her local RWA chapter where she serves as a past president. She has written several articles for RWR magazine (Romance Writers Report), the trade journal of Romance Writers of America, and has presented workshops for writers. When she isn’t working on her current project, she can be found riding in her convertible or reading a book on the nearest beach.

  Want to Read More by Adele Downs…?

  “Oh, Lord.” Treymont Woods kicked up dust on his boots as he sauntered from the stables to the woman who just had to be his new riding student. Her flaming red hair swooshed from one side of her shoulders to the other as she watched his stallion, Big Blue, canter inside the corral. Her hands, knuckles white, clutched the fence and every muscle in her tall, slim figure looked tight. Before he could get to her, she pivoted toward the parking area, moving her feet like she was fixin’ to run.

  “Hey there!” he called out as a distraction. By the time Trey reached the woman’s side, he could hear her breathing like she’d raced a Texas mile. Before he could introduce himself, she turned to him with wide green eyes and shouted, “He’s huge!” Pink splotches bloomed under the freckles on her pale skin.

  She licked her bottom lip and shook her head. “No, no, no, no….” and started backing away. “I can’t do this. Keep my deposit. I’ll figure something else out.”

  Trey lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Okay. No problem. You don’t have to ride if you don’t want to.” Her jeans looked too tight for riding, anyway, and that white blouse would be smudged inside five minutes. Hadn’t the woman ever been to a ranch before?

  She stopped moving then and frowned at him, causing twin lines to form above her nose. Her adorable nose, now that he’d gotten a decent look. In fact, everything about the woman seemed downright appealing, despite her reaction to Big Blue. Who in their right mind wouldn’t love the greatest horse that ever lived, on sight…?

  A cowboy with a fractured back and a cop with a broken spirit heal on a Texas ranch with the help of a stallion named Big Blue….

  Kissing Her Cowboy

  An Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Western, Western Romance, and Short Romance,

  the standalone prequel to Her Christmas Cowboy.

  A Lunchbox Romance Short Story

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  http://boroughspublishinggroup.com/books/kissing-her-cowboy

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