When a Cowboy Skips Christmas (The Bridger Bunch #3)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Almost four o’clock. Any minute Mila would be coming up the outside staircase to the hayloft Cole had transformed into his living quarters.

The Bridger Bunch, especially Mila, had been supportive when he’d proposed the conversion last July. By using every spare moment, he’d pulled it off before the first snowfall.

He’d insulated the hell out of the space to counteract critter noise from below and severe weather from outside. Now that another Montana winter was in full swing and the horses stayed indoors quite a bit, he could claim victory on both counts.

Triple-pane windows and four skylights added views and airiness throughout the day. But at this hour in December, he lowered the shades and turned on all six of his hanging lanterns to create a welcoming glow.

Mila hadn’t been up here since he’d given the family a tour in October. No one had. Once the loft had been basically finished, he’d started work on his secret project. Now he was ready to show it off, and he’d chosen Mila as the first to see what he’d created.

The animatronic display at the Rockin’ Racoon had captured his imagination back in July. Two months ago he’d made an appointment with Clem, the tavern’s owner, to get the schematics for the control panel and the wiring. He’d made numerous notes and taken countless pictures.

Thank goodness for online supply sources and Clem’s patience. The guy had cheerfully answered a million texts. Evidently he was tickled to have another animatronics geek in town.

Two days ago Cole had contacted Mila to set up this visit. He’d thrown a sheet over it so he could give her a brief explanation before the big reveal.

If she liked what he’d done, it would pass muster with the others. They valued her opinion, and in the six months he’d lived at Laughing Creek Ranch, he’d come to value it, too.

But it was more than that. He wanted to impress her. There it was, his hidden agenda. He had a crush.

Because she hadn’t been up here in weeks, he’d put elbow grease into tidying up. His place looked fudging good, if he did say so, especially with that round electric fireplace.

He’d blown a chunk of his budget on that red beauty, which hung from a twelve-foot black pipe attached to the rafters. Its 360-degree view of the realistic flames had inspired his open floor plan.

If he pushed back the sliding barn doors that closed off his bedroom, he could enjoy the dancing light and warmth from his bed. This afternoon the doors were closed.

He’d added them in November, after the family tour. They changed the feel of the space from studio apartment to sexy hideaway. At least he thought so, especially when the open doors framed a view of his king-sized bed. But he hadn’t created that vibe on purpose.

Or maybe he had. In any case, his invitation to Mila wasn’t a come-see-my-etchings seduction routine. Not the Cole Sterling way.

Had he fantasized her sharing his bed? Sure. Who could blame him? She was gorgeous, smart and kind-hearted. She had an interest in him, too, judging from quite a few warm glances she’d aimed in his direction.

They’d had slow-burn chemistry from day one. Hadn’t done anything about it, although they’d flirted a bit at his sister Jordan’s wedding to Luis in October. At Jordie’s urging, Cole had brought his fiddle to the reception.

He’d sat in with the band and done a few solos. Soon folks started making requests for tunes he didn’t know. Mila to the rescue. If she could hum it, he could play it and she’d sing along. They’d had fun teaming up.

But he hadn’t made a move. Neither had she. Soon after the wedding, this animatronic endeavor had sucked up his free time. She’d teased him about his mysterious project, clearly hoping he’d let her in on it. Not a chance.

He hadn’t dared let anyone know other than Clem. The possibility of failure had ridden his ass every step of the way. But damned if he hadn’t managed to build something that made him laugh.

That was promising, but not enough. He wanted it to entertain other people. Especially Mila.

That said, getting involved with her was risky. She was literally the boss’s daughter. Not that losing his job as Laughing Creek’s handyman was a big deal. He was highly employable and he knew it.

The risk was strictly emotional. He’d fallen head-over-heels for this ranch, this family. Because they’d generously allowed him to modify the hayloft any way he chose, he had his first real home.

And his own horse. The sleek chestnut who’d been wild until Luis and Rio had coaxed him into the training barn toward the end of July was now gentle enough for a kid to ride.

When Cole had tried to buy him, Luis had shocked him by offering Sparky as a gift. Turned out he and Rio had intended that animal for Cole all along, which was why he’d been named Sparky, fitting for a master electrician.

He glanced at his wall clock. Four o’clock on the dot. Was she on her way? His soundproofing kept him from hearing her boots on the metal stairs outside.

Might as well take a look. Tugging on his boots, he opened the door and stuck his head out. A blast of cold air slapped him in the face. Yep, there she was, about a third of the way up, head down, the hood of her red parka covering her dark curls.

His heart rate spiked. Stepping out on the landing, he grabbed the railing as his boots skidded on newly formed ice. “Be careful! It’s slippery.”

“Si, amigo.” Gripping the metal rail with one gloved hand, she clutched a potted evergreen with the other. “These stairs are no bueno, especially in winter.” Her breath produced little puffs of fog. “You should install an elevator.”

“Or enclose the staircase.”

“I can’t believe you suffer through this whenever you visit Sparky.”

“It’s not so bad with a coat on.”

She glanced up. “Where’s your coat now? What are you doing standing outside like a moron? Go back in!”

“I’m fine.” He hunched his shoulders to keep from shivering. “Looks like I’m getting a gift.”

“You probably have a big tree already.”

“No, ma’am.”

“Good thing I brought this, then. We’ve got less than a week left.”

“Guess so.”

“Sneaks up on you.”

“That’s a fact.” Christmas. He’d been so busy he’d mostly blocked the evidence it was approaching. He’d probably deploy his usual tactic — pretending to have a highly contagious cold on the twenty-third that conveniently lasted for three days.

The tree was a sweet gesture, though. Looked like she might have decorated it herself. She had no way of knowing how much he dreaded the holiday. “Let me take that.” He reached for it as she neared the top step.

“Okay.” She handed it over and finished the climb, breathing fast. “Now get the hell inside.”

“After you.” He gestured toward the open door.

With a resigned sigh, she ducked in, toed off her boots on the mat and moved aside to make room for him. “You’d better not get sick.”

“I won’t.” Fudge it all. Now when he pretended to be sick, she’d be put out with him for standing in the cold waiting for her. Oh, well. Couldn’t be helped now.

Closing the door, he shucked his boots, carried the tree to the kitchen island and set it down. “Great decorating job.”

“Thanks.” She flipped back her hood and unzipped her coat. “I adore trimming trees.” She tucked her gloves in her coat pockets. “You’ll have to come see all the ones Claudie and I put up.”

“Love to.” He’d ignore the trees and concentrate on her. The mini-hacienda she shared with her sister was a short walk away, but he’d only been there a couple of times. Playing it cool.

“I tied the ornaments on tight, so you don’t have to worry about things falling off.” Shrugging out of her coat, she hung it on a peg by the door. She’d worn a white sweater with a green wreath on the front.

He pushed down a wave of anxiety. “Smells great.” So did she, a spicy scent he didn’t remember noticing before. Cinnamon? Fortunately he didn’t connect the scent to the holiday, or the aroma of evergreens, either.

But once ornaments hung from the branches, they turned into something he regularly avoided. He’d cut Christmas out of his life the minute he’d left his parents’ house at sixteen. When he and Jordan had shared an apartment, December twenty-fifth had been just another day. By mutual agreement.

“After the ground unfreezes, you can plant it.” Mila headed toward the island, her sock feet whispering over the wood floor.

“Is there a certain spot on the property where it should go?”

“There is. We had a pine beetle infestation years ago and had to clear out a section of forest. We planted seedlings that spring, and now we add any live trees we buy at Christmas. I’ll go with you. I have a couple of these small ones, too.”

“It’s a deal.” His pulse rate picked up. She was within arm’s reach. Had they ever been completely alone like this? Not that he could remember.

Judging from the flicker of awareness in her brown eyes, she’d had the same realization. Turning away, she surveyed the area. “Your place looks inviting on a cold winter day.”

“Thanks.” Not as inviting as she looked. He shoved his hands in his pockets. Technically her Christmas-themed sweater should neutralize his urge to touch her. It didn’t.

She pointed to the far end of the space. “I assume the surprise is under that sheet.”

“It is.” With luck, the animatronics would distract him from the hot thoughts swirling in his brain.

“Did you have those barn doors when we were all here in October?”

“Just got them last month. I saw the idea online and liked it.” Thank God he’d followed his instincts and left them closed. He wasn’t ready to throw caution to the winds.

“They look great. I’ll bet you open them at night, though.”

“I do.” He headed toward the animatronics. Time to switch subjects.

She followed him over. “Figured you’d want to open the doors so you can see the fireplace.”

His breath caught. Was she imagining how the fire would look from his bed? The implications stirred him up more than a little.

She wandered toward the sliding doors. “Then again, it might not matter. You probably turn the flame off.”

Alrighty. If she wanted to talk about this, he’d go along. “As a matter of fact, it does matter. I like watching the flames before I go to sleep. They’re on a timer that clicks off at midnight.” Hooking his thumbs in his belt-loops, he acted like this loaded topic didn’t affect him at all.

“As I recall, it’s a nice-looking bed.”

He almost swallowed his tongue. Really? She was going there? He hadn’t planned to seduce her, but what if she’d planned to seduce him?

She turned back in his direction. “I’d be inclined to leave the doors partway open even in the daytime.”

“Would you, now?” He held her gaze, searching for clues in her warm brown eyes.

“I think it would make the space look bigger.”

“It’s an idea.” Several other ideas came to him. They started with opening the barn doors. He might not be ready to make this move, but what if she was? Would he insult her by not picking up on her cues?

“Unless you never make your bed.”

“I usually do.” Maybe he should fudging kiss her and take the guesswork out of it. He moved a step in her direction. For months he’d dreamed of tasting her full mouth and feeling the sweet press of her—

“Okay, I get it.” Cheeks rosy, she flashed him a smile.

He froze, thrown off his game by that big ol’ smile. “Get what?”

“You have one set of sheets and you pulled off the top one to cover your surprise, which means your bed’s a hot mess right now.”

It wasn’t. The sheet over the animatronics was an old one, but now he was second-guessing his decision to kiss her. He might have misinterpreted this bedroom discussion.

“Don’t mind me. The doors look terrific and they add a level of privacy. That must be nice.” She broke eye contact and glanced around. “I just realized you don’t have any Christmas decorations.”

“Yes, I do.” He was confused. Now she sounded flustered. He gestured toward the little tree. “A nice person brought me that.”

“But your dramatic fireplace just cries out for…oh, wait. I keep forgetting single guys don’t tend to decorate much.”

Yeah, she was nervous, all right. And trying to cover it with chatter.

“My brothers would probably just get a tree and call it good, except now they’re required to go all in.”

He’d help her out. “Why?” Good thing he hadn’t kissed her. Even if she’d wanted him to, she was clearly conflicted about it. Now she seemed determined to discuss holiday décor.

“Grandma and the aunties left boxes of decorations when they turned over their houses to my brothers and they expect to see everything put up. They have standards.”

“I’m sure.” He got a kick out of those four women—the Dazzling Damsels. They did their best to live up to the name they’d chosen.

But inserting those spunky ladies into the conversation indicated Mila was backing off. She might have briefly toyed with the idea of getting jiggy, but if so, she’d chickened out. Just as well.

“That’s the main reason you see wreaths on doors and lights strung up outside their houses.”

“Oh.” Technically he hadn’t seen anything. He was an expert at directing his attention elsewhere.

“Well, that goes for the bachelors. Adam and Tracy put theirs up together and Luis might have decorated more for Jordan than to please Auntie Carmen this year.”

“Maybe.” He doubted his sister had been the driver of that activity. But he’d had very few chances to talk privately with her recently. She might have been able to ditch her negative associations and enjoy her first Christmas with the Bridger Bunch.

“You’ve probably noticed that Mom and Greta go big for the holiday, too.”

“Yes, ma’am.” A tiny white lie. No one, not even Jordie, knew how much Christmas triggered him. He wanted it to stay that way.

“Anyway, I’ve rattled on long enough. Can I please see this secret of yours?”

“Absolutely.” His original excitement for the project helped center him. He crossed to the sheet-draped display. “But before I take this off, I have a disclaimer. I had fun making what you’re about to see, but if you think it won’t work for the family, I’ll just use it to amuse myself.”

“Does it amuse you?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“Then there’s an excellent chance I’ll love it. Let’s take a look.”

“Alrighty.” An unexpected touch of stage fright made him hesitate. Then he reached for the sheet and yanked it off.

“Oh, my gosh!” Her bright laughter spilled out and her eyes sparkled with delight. “Beavers! Three adorable beavers!”

“Yes, ma’am.” Relief flooded through him and he grinned. “It’s the Beaver Bunch.”