Page 21 of Cowboy Stolen Kiss for Christmas

Ames’ eyebrows rose. “Don’t let Flint hear you say that. He considers himself the star of the Carson brothers’ indoor rodeo show.”

Laura watched them banter from beneath her lashes, wondering if her younger sister was crushing on Ames or something. A spurt of jealously came out of nowhere, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Surely not! Her sister wouldn’t keep something like that from her. Would she?

“So, uh…” Ames’ expression changed as he took a step away from Laura. “I’m not sure how to break this to you guys. Maybe I’m mistaken, but,” he shook his head, “I ran into Brex Morrison at the Sweetheart Spectacular this morning, and he’s displaying a set of nutcrackers that bear a lot of similarities to your nutcrackers.”

“Brex? Selling nutcrackers?” Lucy stared at him as if she hadn’t heard right. “Pretty sure he’d rather sell toys to kids that they can use to injure their eyes with or dismember bugs. That sort of thing.”

“Snowmen nutcrackers, to be more precise.” Ames scowled at the memory. “With custom accessories that the buyer can pick out on the spot. One of them was a small rabbit that looked like an exact replica of—” Whatever he saw on Laura’s face made him stop in mid-sentence.

She felt the color drain from her face. “No,” she whispered, unable to stop the piece of charcoal from slipping from her grasp. All this time she’d been wondering where her sketches for the snowmen had disappeared to. She’d intended for them to be the next rendition of nutcrackers her family produced. Though she remembered showing the proprietary drawings to Brex, the man she’d been about to marry at the time, she couldn’t remember much after that. He’d broken up with her the same day.

“No,” she whispered again, swaying on her stool. It was too much. Too awful, even for Brex. This was more than him borrowing the heirloom side of their branding. This was outright theft on his part!

Ames’s hands gripped her upper arms, steadying her. “Breathe, Laura.”

She clawed at her throat, unable to get her airways to open. It felt like they were collapsing.

“It’s happening again,” Lucy whimpered. “Do something, Ames!”

“Look at me, Laura,” he commanded. Though he remained calm, his voice was firm.

She frantically darted her gaze over his features.

“We’re going to breathe together on the count of three, alright? One. Two. Three. Breathe in.” His blue gaze bored into hers, imploring her to follow his lead.

She watched him fill his lungs with air, feeling dizzy.

“Together, Laura.” He gently shook her shoulders to keep her attention on him. “We’re in this together, you hear?”

She nodded, growing more lightheaded by the second.

“On the count of three. One. Two. Three. Breathe in,” he repeated.

This time, she was able to drag a little air into her lungs. It was more of a choking gasp, but it was air flowing in the right direction.

“Now out.” He slowly released his breath.

She panted hers out in one fell swoop.

“Again, darling.” His expression softened a fraction. “Breathe in.”

Darling. There was something about the tender way he said the word that told her he meant it. Brex had broken her heart, betrayed her, and stolen from her. But Ames was still here. He’d promised that he’d always be here, that he’d always have her back. And at this very moment, he also had her next breath.

She spent the next minute or two just breathing in conjunction with him. When she could finally speak again, she said the most burning two words on her heart. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. That’s what friends are for.” There was a world of relief in his voice. His shoulders slumped a fraction, telling her he’d been more worried on her behalf that he’d been letting on.

“Should I call an ambulance?” Lucy sounded close to tears as she bent to pick up the piece of charcoal her sister had dropped.

“Nah, it’s just a dumb panic attack.” Ames rubbed his thumbs in slow circles over her upper arms. “Laura’s stronger than she looks. She’s got it under control.”

She leaned into his touch. He stepped closer, allowing her to slump at long last against his rock solid chest. She closed her eyes, feeling as safe and as cherished as a stray kitten in the arms of a fireman.

Ames didn’t try to fill the silence. He simply held her, rubbing one large hand in a slow circle across her back.

“You’re right,” she finally confessed in a small voice. “The snowmen were my design. I misplaced them before I had a chance to show them to Lucy or our parents. At least, I thought I’d misplaced them. Now I know the truth.”

“You mean he stole them from you?” Lucy sounded like she was gnashing her teeth.

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