The Lawman's Christmas Proposal

Or had learned the value of forgiveness.

Chapter Two (#ulink_c4c5a909-8f5f-588e-a23d-aaf886b9885a)

All through the conversation in the dining room, Mitch managed to keep his smile in place. He hadn’t wanted to come in here and see Jed’s granddaughters, but the man had insisted.

No. Truth was, he hadn’t wanted to see Andi again.

Thankfully, his undercover work had prepared him well for slipping into different roles. He’d never had more of a need to hide his true self than he did now. His first glance at blonde, beautiful Andi today had rocked him just the way she had years ago.

Also thankfully, he’d heeded the surgeon’s caution to wear his knee brace. Otherwise, he’d swear his legs would have gone out right from under him.

“How long will you be around?” Jed asked.

Instinctively, he knew the man meant how long would he be in Cowboy Creek, a topic he didn’t want to get into. He forced a grin and pretended to misunderstand. “Surely you’re not inviting me for supper without clearing it with Paz first.”

“Of course you’ll join us.”

He shook his head. “You think you have to worry about Paz skinning your hide? If I didn’t show up at home tonight, my mom would have me stuffed and mounted. It’s the first time the whole family’s sitting down together for a meal since I’ve gotten back.” He shrugged. “Well, it’ll be the whole family if my dad manages to make it home.”

“He’s a good one for sticking to duties,” Jed said.

“And,” Tina put in, “the day he retires, Cowboy Creek will lose a good sheriff.”

“Which probably won’t be any time soon.” Mitch laughed, happy he’d detoured around the conversational land mine. “Like my grandpa, he always said he would never take off the badge.” And like his dad, he wouldn’t be keen on retiring, either. He didn’t like even being away from the job this long. “Well, I need to head back to town.”

“Don’t forget that box you said your mama sent along,” Jed reminded him.

“Yeah, her garden tomatoes. I’ll get them out of the truck now.” He moved slowly, giving his healing knee a chance to loosen up, rather than let them all see him hobbling from the room like an old man.

“I can go out with you,” Tina volunteered.

“Hold on,” Jed said. “I need to talk to you and Jane for a bit.” He turned to Andi. “Why don’t you go along with Mitch and retrieve that box for Paz? She’s eager to see what she can use from it for supper.”

Andi nodded. As they left the room, he caught her profile from the corner of his eye. When he and Jed had walked into the dining room, before she’d had time to raise her defenses, he’d seen the sparkle in her blue eyes and the smile on those full pink lips he’d always remembered.

Now, with her gaze frozen and her mouth pressed into a flat, determined line, she looked as if he were marching her to face a firing squad.

She didn’t have that far wrong. He planned to fire a few shots at her. Verbal ones. Questions he’d spent years asking himself.

And he didn’t intend to let her go free until he got the answers.

* * *

“ALL RIGHT, ABUELO, let’s hear it.”

Jed frowned. The sound of Mitch’s and Andi’s footsteps had barely faded from the dining room.

His youngest granddaughter, Tina, sat back in her chair and stared him down. “What’s so important I couldn’t take a few minutes to give Mitch a hand?”

“I wanted to go over some of those estimates for the last of the cabins again.”

Jane laughed. “You’re in trouble if you want me here for anything involving numbers. Didn’t you always say I’m the artistic one in the family?”

Tina shook her head. “It’s not that, Jane. Grandpa’s up to his tricks again. I know the signs. So should you.” The smile that tugged at her lips gave the lie to her stern expression. “Isn’t that right, Abuelo?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, I pulled a few tricks on you both. But I don’t hear either of you complaining.”

“We aren’t,” Jane said. “In fact, you know we’re glad you’re two for two in the matchmaking stakes.”

He beamed at her.

“We’re very glad,” Tina agreed. “Andi’s a different story. We all want to see her happy again. But trying to match her up with someone she barely knows may not be the best idea. At least, not right now.”

“Huh-uh, cuz,” Jane said, “as Grandpa would say, you haven’t come close to hitting the mark there. You didn’t hang out much with us when Andi and I used to visit. But one summer, I spent plenty of time at the barn because that’s where she chose to go. And trust me, it wasn’t all due to her love of riding horses.”

“Really?” Tina’s gaze flew from Jane to him and back again.

Barely able to believe this unexpected good fortune, he grinned. Maybe this wouldn’t be his toughest match, after all. “You’re saying Andi had a hankering for Mitch?”

“I am,” Jane confirmed. “A major crush.”

“Really,” Tina said, thoughtfully this time. “And you think...”

“Yes, I think. Big-time.”

“I think, too.” But he wasn’t yet ready to share the rest of his thoughts on the matter. “And I do more than just let an idea sit in my head. I plan.”

“And you scheme,” Tina said.

“Yes,” Jane said, “and you force people into situations where they can’t avoid each other.”

“Darn straight, I do. Why wouldn’t I? If I didn’t, we’d all still be waiting for the two of you to get together with Cole and Pete.”

Jane laughed. “So now you’re determined to have a try at Andi and Mitch?”

“Darn straight,” he repeated.

“Well, you won’t get any argument from me, Grandpa. I go along with that.”

They both turned to look at Tina.

Quiet, levelheaded, by-the-books accountant Tina looked back at them, meeting their gazes with a frown. “You really think we ought to be pushing Andi into something like this?”

“Not pushing,” he said. “Assisting. If there’s still interest there, why shouldn’t we add a spark to it?”

“Like Grandpa did with you,” Jane said softly.

His granddaughters exchanged a glance.