Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Addie did enjoy Christmas Eve and all the plans Mama Millie and Presley had made.
They went ice skating with the family on a gorgeous lake right on their property, decorated sugar cookies, went on an old-style sleigh ride behind horses around the ranch, watched Christmas movies, and read Christmas books.
She and Price were included like part of the family.
Clint, Lilly, and Cooper were with them most of the day.
Walker and Marci arrived in the evening from being with her grandmother in Florida.
Rhett and Sloan drove up from Kalispell, and Houston and Daisy also arrived from visiting Daisy’s family who lived right in Coleville.
The evening was busy with a lot of time spent on dinner prep, eating, and cleanup.
They also sang carols, and read the Christmas story in the Bible.
Presley insisted Price was Joseph, she was Mary, and Cooper was the baby Jesus.
The only problem was Cooper started squirming in Presley’s arms and she almost dropped him on his head.
Price with his quick reaction rescued the infant.
He straightened with a screeching Cooper cuddled against his chest and rocked him, calming him almost instantly.
Price soothed Presley, assuring her Cooper was fine.
Papa Jared finished reading from the Bible, but Price refused to give up his hold on Cooper, despite Grandma and both his parents rushing to the rescue when the incident happened. The little one had settled against his muscular chest and was staring up at him.
“Those fascinating eyes of his capture even the baby,” Millie said.
Price glanced up, obviously uncomfortable with everyone staring at him. Those ‘fascinating eyes’ focused in on Addie. She’d told him no more longing looks, but she couldn’t look away from his dark gaze.
Watching him interact with little Presley, she could see that he was a fabulous uncle. That baby snuggling against his broad chest and the way Price and the infant had been looking into each other’s eyes made her stomach do flips.
Price would be the best kind of dad someday, just like her dad. She missed her family and wished she could be with them.
And why was she imagining Price as a dad, as the father to her own children?
It was sweltering hot in this beautiful cabin. She fanned her face.
Millie looked at her knowingly and clapped her hands. “It’s time, Princess Presley, for you and Cooper to open an early present.”
“Yay!” Presley raced for the tree.
Her parents hurried to help her find the correct Christmas Eve presents, which turned out to be Christmas pajamas. While the rest of the family was focused on Presley, Price paced around with Cooper and eventually made his way to Addie’s side.
She looked at the baby, content and still staring wide-eyed up at Price. “You’re good with little ones.”
“Bouncing works for most ages. Bounce the babies to sleep. Bounce the older kids and make them laugh.”
She smiled at that. “Good advice.”
He focused on the chubby angel in his arms. It was a beautiful picture, the tough man and the innocent baby.
“I barely saw my nephew at this age. I was deployed.” He smiled.
“I love holding babies. Maybe it sounds stupid or counterintuitive, but during tough times on deployment, I thought back to those rare moments. His smile and purity. It gave me the grit to do what I needed to do.”
The tough military man and bodyguard admitting to that made Addie’s heart soften. There was no pretense, no hidden agenda, simply a beautiful Christmas picture.
They had cocoa and cookies and pie, and then Easton and Cassie forced Presley to head home to bed so Santa could come.
Lilly took Cooper from Price, and she and Clint left for home as well.
Houston and Daisy headed to their house in town.
Rhett and Sloan were the only ones staying at the main house with Millie and Jared.
Easton and Marci would be staying at their cabin on the property, so they walked Price and Addie back to Miles and Eva’s cabin.
She liked the vivacious author and the quieter twin, apparently a roper of some fame but ‘not as famous as his bull-riding twin’ in Easton’s words with a tease in his blue eyes.
Saying their ‘see you in the mornings’, Addie and Price walked into the cabin.
It wasn’t late, barely after nine. She wasn’t ready for bed, but it wasn’t smart to let her walls down right now.
Truthfully, they were already down. Why did Price have to be good with children and look even more incredible with a baby cuddled against his chest?
That was a picture she didn’t know if she’d ever get out of her mind and there was no denying she was falling right back in love with him.
She’d better head to bed.
Price turned away from the door and pinned her with those dark eyes.
“Goodnight,” she managed.
“What traditions does your family do on Christmas?” he asked at the same time.
Addie smiled, thinking about her family. Everyone would be there for Christmas and stay for the wedding. If only she knew what was happening with the wedding. Would they postpone it for her?
“We always did the traditional stuff—gingerbread houses, caroling, sub for Santa, decorating cookies and making fudge and taking treats to neighbors, reading the story of the Savior’s birth, going to Christmas Eve service. What about you?”
“The same. We’d also go ice skating, play hockey, go sledding and sometimes snow skiing.”
“Fun. There’s no snow near my family home. But on Christmas Eve, my dad used to carry a couple mattresses to the basement family room and all of us girls would sleep together. Well, we wouldn’t sleep much, but it was fun.”
Price’s eyes widened. “No.”
“Yes,” she returned.
He chuckled. “My family did the same thing. My brother, sister, and I would stay up late eating candy we’d stashed and dreaming about what we’d get for Christmas in the morning.”
“That’s crazy.”
“For sure,” he agreed. He looked around and then back at her. His dark eyes shone with excitement. “How about camping out down here tonight? I can carry a couple mattresses down.”
“Um, I feel like maybe …” It sounded amazing to camp out with him, but for too intimate. Her resistance was being decimated.
“Yeah, you’re right.” He nodded, the sparkle gone from his eyes. “Let me check your room, then we can get some rest.”
“We could watch a movie,” she offered.
“All right.”
A few minutes later, they were settled in with blankets and watching It’s a Wonderful Life.
Addie hadn’t ever seen the movie. Price insisted it was a Christmas classic and she needed to see it.
What he hadn’t told her was how romantic the movie was.
George and Mary’s devotion to each other touched her deeply.
The movie ended and soft music played with the credits. Price hadn’t touched her throughout the movie, but he was close enough she could smell his salt and cedar scent and feel his proximity.
“What did you think?” he asked quietly.
“It was beautiful. I will make my sisters watch it … next year.” She swallowed, hit by the emotion of being far from family at Christmastime.
“I’m sorry you can’t be with them.”
“I’m sorry you can’t be with your family.” She let herself turn to look at him.
Price’s gaze searched hers. “I’ve missed quite a few Christmases. This one is a million times better than the one I spent in Afghanistan.”
“Oh, I bet.”
Neither of them said anything for a beat. There was a peaceful and romantic feeling in the room, a result of the movie they’d just watched and the soft light of the gas fireplace, the snow falling outside. She wished they had a tree but it was still Christmas-feeling and romantic in the cabin.
Addie was focused on Price’s handsome but rugged face, and he was only a foot away. Against all that was smart, she reached up and touched the scar below his eyebrow.
He drew in a sharp breath at her touch.
“How did you get this scar?”
“Shrapnel,” he said quietly. “The bomb killed one of my friends, Jason Latham.”
“I’m sorry.”
He nodded in acknowledgment. “Thanks. It was rough to lose him. He was a too-confident jokester. Kind of like Easton.”
“That is awful. I like Easton. I like this family.”
“For sure,” he agreed.
Her fingers were still on his face. She trailed them next to the scar on his cheek. His quick breaths and the pulse pounding in his neck told her the effect she had on him. It was empowering and thrilling.
“And this one?”
“Knife fight. In a cave in Afghanistan. We didn’t see them until it was too late, then it was hand to hand combat.”
“I’m glad you survived.”
“Me too, and thankfully we all made it through that one.”
“That is a blessing.” She trailed her fingers down along his cheek and to the scar just above his lip. Her heart was racing and the moment felt special, almost magical. “And this one?”
He surprised her when he smiled. “My brother and I were racing scooters down our driveway. We knocked into each other, both crashed, and the edge of my scooter sliced my lip.”
He captured her hand with his, and Addie startled. Price’s dark eyes on hers were so intense, so thrilling, she couldn’t have moved if the cabin alarms went off.
Price brushed his lips across the back of her hand. Her stomach hopped and the nerves in her hand went haywire. She yearned to lean in and feel his lips on hers again.
Hadn’t Addie told him only last night not to touch her? She could blame herself for this one as she’d touched him first. But Price had taken it to the next level.
It reminded her that every kiss, with the exception of last night’s, had been instigated by her.
The reminder was good but not necessarily fun.
She needed to keep her distance, or he’d be right back in her heart with his incredible kisses and the searching look in those dark eyes. Truth be told, he already was.
“Goodnight,” she said, tugging her hand free and all but racing for her bedroom.
She’d almost kissed him again, and that would be a tragic mistake for her heart. She was grateful she’d chosen to forgive him for Christmas, but that didn’t mean she could let him in again.