Page 14 of Cowboy Stolen Kiss for Christmas

Their waitress arrived with complimentary glasses of water. Handing out straws, she lifted her pen over her pad to take their orders. “What’ll it be for you guys this morning?”

Nash ripped the paper off one end of his straw and sent the other end zinging over the top of Flint’s menu.

Flint raised a single eyebrow at Ames. “I might’ve failed to brief him on the all work and no play part of this gig.”

CHAPTER 4: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

Brex’s dark gaze surveyed Laura warily as he claimed the seat beside her, the one he’d originally pulled out for her. She would’ve preferred it if he’d sat across from her. It felt harder to breathe having him this close.

“I’m sorry.” He shook his head at her in a sad puppy kind of way. “I’m going to keep apologizing until you forgive me.”

“I forgave you a long time ago.” She hated the tremor in her voice and hoped he didn’t notice it. Now wasn’t the time to dissolve into hysterics. She needed answers.

“Thank you. It’s more than I deserve.” Reaching into one of his large coat pockets, he withdrew a delicate wooden flower and laid it on the table between them. Though it looked handcrafted, she doubted it was his work. He’d never commanded that kind of finesse with a set of carving tools.

Back when they were dating, a gift like that would’ve melted her heart into a puddle of liquid on the floor. At the moment, she found herself simply wondering why he’d bothered.

She raised her gaze to him without acknowledging his gift. “Why did you ask to see me?”

“Are you kidding?” His eyes widened in a brand of surprise that looked real. “Seeing you is all I’ve been able to think about since the moment you…since we…” He fell silent, looking uncomfortable.

“You’re the one who broke our engagement,” she reminded stiffly. Don’t you dare try to rewrite the past on that one, mister!

“I did, and it’s something I will always regret.” He dragged in a heavy breath. “And if you hadn’t left the circuit shortly afterward, I would’ve already done a better job of making my regret known to you.”

She nodded instead of answering, not sure if he’d intended to make it sound like she owed him an apology for that. Her entire family had moved. It was a business decision that had nothing whatsoever to do with their failed engagement. The fact that he hadn’t tried to stop her from moving to Pinetop had been her first clue that he was getting cold feet about their forthcoming marriage. The fact that it had taken more than a year for him to chase after her to attempt a reconciliation was equally concerning.

A waitress approached their table. She set a pair of water glasses on their table with a flourish. “Would you like coffee to go with that? Or tea? Or juice?”

“Coffee, please,” Laura murmured. “With cream.”

“Make that two coffees,” Brex chimed in. “Extra cream for hers.”

“You betcha! I’ll be right back with them.”

A wave of sadness washed over Laura as she watched the waitress sail away to fill their orders. It would’ve been easier to remain angry with Brex if he’d come back into her life without an apology. Instead, he was making every effort to come across as the same super sweet and sensitive guy she’d first fallen for. It made her wonder all over again where they’d gone wrong in their relationship. What was it about their engagement that had given him cold feet? Why had he ended it so abruptly? And why was he so interested in rekindling it? Why now? What had changed? The more she thought about it, the less sense his sudden reappearance in her life was making.

His mention of her exit from the traveling vendor circuit felt significant. Did he really see that as the reason their relationship had failed? He was referring, of course, to their nomadic existence on the road. For years, her family had fallen into the pattern of traveling the same path and schedule as several other craftsmen and their families. They’d driven from town to town in a caravan of trucks, vans, and RVs. Like their own little tribe. Or band of gypsies, as a few of them preferred to call themselves.

Brex Morrison was one of those people. He’d taken it a step further, more specifically referring to himself as the Last of the Gypsies. Not only was it his choice of lifestyle, it was the brand name he’d given the line of merchandise he made and sold. In the end, perhaps it was his gypsy heart that had spelled doom for their almost marriage.

He was a rolling stone with an adventurous soul. He’d continued to wander from town to town and state to state after he’d broken their engagement. Maybe wandering was in his blood. She and her family, on the other hand, were finished with that life. They were very much enjoying having a hometown and a street address. They also greatly appreciated the steady income that came along with it. She had zero interest in returning to Brex Morrison’s gypsy existence.

Drawing a bracing breath, she tossed out her next question. “What do you hope to accomplish during your visit to Pinetop?”

“Other than running my booth at the Sweetheart Spectacular?” His dark eyebrows rose. “I’m going to do everything I can to win you back, Laura.” He’d started talking almost before she’d finished asking her question. Was it her imagination, or did his answer sound rehearsed?

He hitched his chair closer to hers. “I screwed up, Laura. Letting you go was the worst decision I’ve ever made. If you can find it in your heart to give me another chance, I want to show you that I’ve changed. That I’m capable of continuing to change for you.” He pressed both hands dramatically to his heart. “For us.”

Us? She stared aghast at him. There’s no us any longer. Despite how prettily he was begging, there was no answering spark inside of her. She was, however, suddenly and acutely more aware of Ames Carson’s presence at the table across from theirs. She could feel his gaze on her and sense his support. She clung to the feeling like it was a lifeline.

“Say something, Laura.” Brex ducked his head, attempting to bring them eye to eye.

However, she leaned away from him, repulsed by the thought of sharing that kind of intimacy with him again. The realization slammed into her that it was over between them. Truly over.

The waitress returned with their coffees, breaking the awkward silence that had followed his impassioned plea. “What else can I bring you two sweeties?”

Sweeties? Ugh! Laura shook her head. “Coffee is more than enough. Thank you. I’m not hungry.”

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