Page 41 of The Rancher's Secret Son

“I have socks and sneakers,” she said, watching him pull on a warm shearling-lined leather jacket. He had black leather gloves and his broad-brimmed black Stetson, which made him look just as good with his clothes on as he had naked last night. She stopped that thought before it made her hot and uncomfortable in her coat. She was grateful that Cody was almost dancing with excitement beside her and needed her attention. She helped him put on his little gloves.

Nick carried Cody to the truck. Gusts of wind whipped against them as they climbed into the warm truck with the motor already running.

They drove to an isolated area that held a scattering of tall cedars.

Nick and Cody selected a tree while she took more pictures. She watched Nick work to chop down the tree, her gaze drifting across his broad shoulders and strong back as he wielded the heavy ax. Nick looked as happy as Cody and she thought he missed a lot of this ranch life locked into working so hard at a career that wasn’t his first love. It wasn’t for the money; she knew that much about him. He had to be doing it to please his dad.

A light snow began to fall, sending Cody into gales of excitement as he danced around. “It’s snowing,” he cried, waving his arms and catching flakes.

“Doesn’t take much to please him, does it?” Nick remarked, laughing.

“Everything out here dazzles him and this snow is just one more added touch. We don’t see much snow in Houston. You know, he may love the ranch even more than his dad.”

Nick looked startled, turning to her and then looking at Cody with a slight frown, and she wondered what he was thinking. He turned to finish his task of chopping down the big cedar. As soon as he’d loaded the felled tree into the truck, they headed home.

By the time they reached the back door and Nick hauled the tree inside, a blizzard was raging. Cody was torn between watching Nick set up the tree and rubbing circles in the frosty glass to look at the snow.

After dinner Nick brought boxes of ornaments from his attic. “Next year we’ll get ornaments in Verity or Dallas or Houston, so we have our own. These are some from Mom that I grew up with and some that I bought in haste and then never even opened because I had to go back to Dallas. The ones Karen and I had are in the attic in Dallas,” he said. Then he added, “I thought you’d wonder about them.”

“It doesn’t matter. They’re all new to Cody,” she said. “I’ll let you take the lead with decorating and I’ll continue to take more pictures.”

Nick smiled as he opened a box. “Cody, let me get the lights strung on first and then you can start decorating.”

Claire helped Nick with the lights, brushing against him, aware of him moving close beside her, once looking into his eyes to see his expression change. For a moment she was lost in his gaze, seeing desire flare in the depths of blue. Her heart skipped and she remembered last night in his arms. Taking a deep breath, she turned away.

Finally, they had the tree done, the top portion sparsely decorated and most ornaments on the lower half where Cody could reach.

Nick turned off all but the tree lights. On the other side of the tree, through the window, they could see the blowing snow still falling, the ground now covered. They all stood back to look at the tree, Nick in the middle with his arms around Cody and her. “That is a splendid Christmas tree,” Nick said.

She was aware of Nick’s arm across her shoulders as she stood pressed against his side. Cody reached over to slip his small hand into hers and she looked at her son, who looked dazzled and happy with a huge smile on his face as he stared at the tree.

A pang tore at her heart. They weren’t a family and it hurt. She glanced up at Nick to find him looking down at her with a somber expression and she wondered what he was thinking. Did he realize what obstacles they faced?

“It’s the best Christmas tree,” Cody said in his child’s voice, which caused another ache in her heart.

“I think it’s beautiful,” she remarked, thinking it was and knowing she would always remember this night and this moment, holding her son’s hand and standing in the circle of Nick’s arm. It was all a reminder of what she was lacking—a family of her own, a loving husband.

“It’s a real tree that you cut down,” Cody said in awe. “I like it best,” he added, and she felt a twist to her heart. She would have to always share Cody at Christmas now with Nick. She was thankful that Nick would be a wonderful father for their son, but there were going to be some tough moments ahead, when Cody would have times in his life to do things with his dad and she would be no part of them.

Trying to avoid thinking about the rough moments, she moved away.

“Cody, it’s way past your bedtime. Let’s get you ready and then your dad can read his books to you.” In the attic, when he’d gone to get the ornaments, Nick had found two old Christmas books he’d had as a child. He wanted to share them with Cody.

As Cody nodded, Nick swung him up on his shoulders and carried him from the room. She looked at them both and knew that, despite all the walls of defense that she’d erected, she was sinking more in love than ever with Nick.

Getting her iPad, Claire sent all the latest pictures to Nick, thinking about last night and wondering whether he expected a repeat tonight. Soon they would be back in Dallas, and then they’d go home on Sunday, and she felt her heart clutch.

She realized she had put herself at risk again by falling for someone who could easily walk out of her life as he had before.

How was she going to be able to work out shuffling Cody back and forth to DC? She ran her hand over her forehead, knowing problems loomed and they hadn’t come one bit closer to a solution.

She looked down at the iPad at a picture of Nick and Cody on horseback. A handsome dad and an adorable son. She didn’t dare give her thoughts to any “what-ifs.”

She put down the iPad and went to her son’s temporary room. Nick was turning out the light after having read the stories, and Cody was asleep, the covers tucked up under his chin.

When he entered the hall, Nick took her hand. “Come here, Claire,” he said, heading toward his room. As soon as they entered his sitting room, he closed the door.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment since last night,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and leaning down to kiss her.

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