Cowboy Unwrapped

Cade nodded. “I think it’ll do. If you two put the ladders away I’ll start saddling the horses. I’m betting you’re both out of practice.”

“I can saddle a horse just fine,” Jake said. “How about you, O’Roarke?”

“Never lost my touch. But if Gallagher wants to show off his horse whisperer technique, that’s fine with me. Saves me the effort.”

“Then I’ll get started on that.” Cade adjusted the fit of his Stetson and headed down to the barn, his boots crunching through the snow.

Finn collapsed one of the extension ladders with a loud clang before turning to Jake. “You know why he’s putting so much emphasis on the decorations this year, right?”

“Haven’t a clue other than he wants Lexi to think he’s a holiday illumination genius.”

“It’s more than that. Christmas would be the perfect time for Lexi to propose and the more magical the setting, at least in Cade’s mind, the more likely she’ll pop the question.”

“I see. Makes some kind of crazy sense.” Jake was well aware of the interesting dynamic between those two. Cade had asked Lexi to marry him a year and a half ago and she’d gently turned him down. So Cade had put her in charge of proposing. “I hope she does it.” He collapsed the other ladder and picked it up. “I’ve never seen a guy so eager to get married.”

“I don’t know about that. I’m pretty damned excited about marrying Chelsea. Can’t wait for April.” He picked up his ladder and they both started toward the barn.

“You don’t mind the monkey suit and all the fuss?”

“Not really. Chelsea’s family is pretty casual, so it won’t be stuffy and formal.” He looked over at Jake. “Any chance you can come?”

“You know I’d love to. I have to figure out the finances and then see if I can wrangle time off.”

“I understand. I don’t expect a lot of the guys will make it up to Seattle, but I’m hoping some do.”

“At least now I’ve met Chelsea. She’s terrific.”

Finn laughed. “You don’t have to tell me. Like I said, can’t wait for April.”

Jake pondered his two brothers and their anticipated marriages as he and Finn put away the ladders and helped Cade finish saddling up the horses. Both guys clearly wanted that kind of permanence. Jake had no such long-range plans.

He was eager for some private time with Amethyst, but he wasn’t thinking beyond that. She was perfect for this stage of his life. Before their hot night in Jackson Hole, he’d dated a few women who had been nice but needy.

His job asked a lot of him. He loved the sense of accomplishment it gave him, but he didn’t want to be emotionally responsible for someone on top of the demands at work. With Amethyst he didn’t have to worry about that. She was focused on her career and didn’t need anyone to take care of her.

That included her approach to sex. She asked for what she wanted more frankly than anyone he’d been with. He loved that about her. This sleigh deal might or might not work out, but tonight after the festivities, he’d—

“Hey, Fireman Jake, you gonna get on that horse or not?”

Cade’s voice cut into his libido-driven thoughts. Damn. Caught daydreaming about Amethyst for the second time in two days. He glanced up at Cade, who was mounted on Hematite, the black horse he’d trailered to the ranch summer before last. Finn was already up on Isabeau, Rosie’s mare.

Jake, however, stood beside Navarre, Herb’s gelding, while staring into space like an idiot. “Yep. Sorry. Just thinking about something.” He swung into the saddle.

“More likely someone.” Cade chuckled as he led the way to the Forest Service road. From there they’d cut across snow-covered open range to the Emerson place. “From what I remember about Amethyst Ferguson, I don’t blame you. I wasn’t at the high school Christmas concert where she sang ‘Santa Baby’ but I heard about it.”

Finn laughed. “Didn’t we all. Were you there, Jake?”

“I was.” The road was deserted so they were able to ride three abreast with Cade in the middle. It felt great to be back on a horse again, especially with two of his brothers along. “We’d stopped dating two weeks before that concert. Bad decision on my part.”

“You broke it off?” Cade glanced at him in disbelief. “I gave you credit for more brains than that.”

“Nope. I was young and stupid. I thought she’d looked at another guy in a provocative way. She denied it, but I had that idea stuck in my head and refused to let the whole thing slide. The truth is, she was too hot for me back then.”

“But not now, apparently,” Finn said.

“No.” Jake smiled. “Not now.”

Once they hit open country, they picked up the pace a little, but not much since obstacles could be hidden under the snow and the air was still pretty damned cold. Jake wouldn’t want to race through this landscape and create a wind chill effect, but a trot was invigorating. He’d picked up a second job at a stable in Jackson Hole because they were willing to work around his shifts, but he wasn’t there to ride. Mostly he mucked out stalls and groomed the horses.

As they approached the Emerson ranch, he could see the sleigh sitting out in front of the barn. From here it didn’t look too bad. The red paint job had faded and the runners were dull and rusted in spots, but the sleigh might be salvageable.

He glanced at Cade. “What’s that luggage rack thing hanging off the back?”

“I guess that’s where you put your picnic basket. If you’re going for a sleigh ride you might take along hot cocoa, some cookies, maybe.”

“I would do that,” Finn said. “Sounds cozy.”

Jake didn’t think the rack looked sturdy enough to hold anything. “So what do you think of the sleigh itself?”

“A new coat of paint and some rust remover and it’ll be a beauty,” Cade said.

“I wouldn’t know,” Finn said. “Sleighs are not my area of expertise.”

“Not mine, either,” Cade said, “but—”

“Hold it.” Jake brought Navarre to a halt. “I thought you knew something about sleighs.”

Cade shrugged. “What’s to know? It’s a wagon on skis.”

“Yeah, well, that would be the critical difference, wouldn’t it? What if those runners are all messed up? What if they somehow malfunction and throw Amethyst into a ditch where she breaks something important like her neck?”

“Settle down, Fireman Jake. I would hope you’re not planning to charge down the Forest Service road like you’re running the Iditarod.”

“Well, no, but—”

“Then we don’t have a problem. All you need is a sleigh that will take you at a sedate pace from the ranch to the Forest Service road and from there to a little side lane where you can drink hot cocoa and make out. Am I right?”

Jake sighed. “Yeah.”

“Then no worries. That fifty-buck sleigh will fulfill that mission. Let’s find Emerson and close the deal.”

Twenty minutes later Jake sat on the hard bench seat with the reins in his hands and Navarre hitched to the sleigh. He suspected there was no upholstery because the mice had actually made a nest in it and Emerson had ripped it out before they arrived. The red paint on the seat hadn’t faded at all.

The rest was more pink than red. The sleigh looked a lot shabbier up close and he heartily wished he’d suggested a different entertainment to Amethyst, but it was too late, now. Cade had paid the rancher fifty dollars and the sleigh now belonged to Thunder Mountain.

Cade lifted his hand like the leader of a wagon train. “Move ’em out!”

“Oh, for God’s sake.” But Jake slapped the reins against Navarre’s rump and the sleigh went forward, creaking in protest. “Hey, wagon master, this thing is wobbling.”