Page 28 of Cowboy's Christmas Girlfriend

“It’s me, Dad.” Beth peered out, hangdog, from behind the doorframe. “Were you fighting? I heard yelling.”

“No,” said Suzanna. “Just an adult discussion.”

Beth eyed her doubtfully, lips pinched into a frown.

“We’ll talk about this later,” said Will, whether to her or to Beth, Suzanna couldn’t be sure. “I need to start my own research, no thanks to George.” He set his hat on his head and stalked out. Beth watched him go, her little chin trembling. Suzanna squatted down next to her, conjuring a smile.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Your dad’s having a bad day, is all.”

“He’s not mad at me?”

“He’s not mad at anyone. He’s just frustrated, blowing off steam.”

Beth thought that over, then she nodded gravely. “I do that too, sometimes. Like when I want a cookie and Ann eats the last one.”

Suzanna laughed and scooped Beth into her lap. “That’s exactly what happened,” she said. “Cousin George ate Dad’s cookie and he’s having a tantrum. Give him space to cool off, and you’ll see he’ll be fine. We’ll just have to think up ways to make him smile.”

Beth snuggled close, throwing her arms around Suzanna. “You’re good at that. I wish you didn’t have to go. I wish you could stay here and play every day.”

“That would be fun, wouldn’t it?” She tousled Beth’s hair. “I’d love to see this place in spring. I bet it’s just stunning.”

“It’s perfect,” said Beth. “So many sunflowers the hills go all yellow.”

“Yeah?” Suzanna’s smile turned wistful. “When I was about your age, our neighbors had sunflowers in their backyard. They were so pretty…but it was such a small yard so they only had room for a few. I used to dream when I grew up, I’d live in a treehouse in a field full of sunflowers.”

“You’d have lots of fields here,” said Beth. “And millions of sunflowers.”

Suzanna laughed. “And would I live in a treehouse? I think that might get drafty, especially in winter.”

Beth sat up suddenly, her eyes going round. “You could live in the FOR RENT place above Aunt Jess’s bookshop.”

Suzanna caught her breath. “What?”

“There’s a ’partment up there, with pretty lace curtains and a claw-footy bathtub. Me and Ann used to play up there till Lucky chewed up the rug. They got a new rug, though. You’d like it a lot. There’s a bedroom, and another bedroom, and a room with a skylight that used to be a greenhouse. You can see the hills and the mountains, all the way to the sky. It’s not ’xactly in a field, but there’s a park real close by.”

“Whoa...whoa...” Suzanna sat back, startled. She hadn’t expected this rush of enthusiasm—or this burst of reality in their game of make-believe.

Beth’s sweet face fell. “That’s not enough for you to stay?”

The words not enough hit so hard she almost glanced down to see if she was bleeding. The question behind it pierced straight through her heart: Am I not enough? She’d grown up with that question, asked it every day—of herself, of her parents, of her pillow at night. The thought of Beth or Ann asking that awful question, and thinking of her... She blinked back tears with an effort, and hugged Beth close.

“Beth—oh, sweetheart. I fell in love with this place my first day here. I don’t need anything more than I’ve got right here—not sunflowers, not skylights, not anything at all. I love everything about this place, and you and your sister are at the top of that list.”

Beth wiped her face, smiled a watery smile. “If you stayed till spring, you’d have us and sunflowers.” She brightened and jumped up. “I’ll draw you a picture—you wait right there! You, us and sunflowers, so you can see how it’ll be.” Beth was off like a shot, her good spirits restored.

Suzanna got to her feet, her heart uneasy. She went to the window and looked out over the hills and tried to imagine them carpeted in wildflowers. She and Will could have picnics with the girls, or go riding together, or just wander off to some secret spot, stretch out in the heather and watch the clouds go by.

A soft sound escaped her, low and full of longing. It wouldn’t take much to make Beth’s dream come true. A writer could live anywhere. She’d just need a place to rent, and Beth had seen to that. She could write in that skylight room, looking out at the hills. That just left Will. Would he be on board?

A tingling sensation ran through her, nerves and excitement and hope all in one.

What if this could work? What if she stayed?

12

Will closed his eyes and counted to five. Maybe when he opened them, the hot mess in front of him wouldn’t look so bad.

He opened his eyes.

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