Page 14 of Her Cowboy Christmas
“What’s your favorite food?”he asks as he stands back to survey his work.
“I like pizza.French fries, burgers, tacos.Basically, anything unhealthy,” I joke.
“Same.”
We share a smile.
I force my eyes away from him to the arbor.“That looks great.You’re good with your hands.”
I realize too late how dirty my words sound and glance at Cole.His eyes heat, and I swallow hard.My breath stutters past my lips as we stare at each other.
“I should probably get started on painting it,” I choke out.
Cole nods but doesn’t look away from me.“Let’s eat first.”
I lick my dry lips as I clear the table so we can sit and eat.
Cole pulls the pizza out of the oven.“What brought you to Wolf Valley?”
“The bank job.”
“Where are you from originally?”
“Los Angeles.”
He whistles, raising his eyebrows.“Big change.”
“Exactly.”
“You didn’t like Los Angeles?”
“I hated it.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t fit in there.I didn’t belong.I hated the traffic, the crowds, the energy.”
“So you wanted a change,” he states.
I nod.“I needed it.”
He passes me my half of the pizza.“And is Wolf Valley home?”
“I think so.I like it here.The community is so friendly.I like the town, and I love my job.I have friends here.Well, one friend.”
I bite into my pizza.“What about you?”
“I’m the same.I love the area.Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming.It feels like home here.”
“Is it just you here?No one else helps you run this place?”
“No, not yet.I’m still small.Once I get the tours up and running in the spring, I’ll hire a few more people.”
“Tours?”
“Yeah.I’ll be running horseback tours from the ranch so locals and tourists can explore the mountains and forest, ride down to the lake and back.”
“That’s so cool.”
