Cowboy Unwrapped

He hadn’t found anyone, though, or he wouldn’t have asked her to come out to the ranch for a sleigh ride. The boy she’d known in high school and the man she’d enjoyed one scorching night with wasn’t a cheater. Far from it. With his sun-bleached hair, green eyes and firefighter physique he was the all-American good guy.

She was a little surprised that some woman in Jackson Hole hadn’t snapped him up, but since no one had, she hoped to make use of whatever stolen moments were available while he was here. A sleigh ride into a snowy landscape dotted with pine trees and devoid of people was a good start.

Grady Magee’s truck in her parents’ driveway told her that he and Sapphire had arrived from Cody. Amethyst was thrilled for her sister, a talented ceramic artist who’d vowed never to become involved with a creative guy again after several debacles. But Grady, whose recycled metal sculptures had taken the art world by storm, had changed her mind.

Coincidentally, Grady and his older brother Liam had also lived at Thunder Mountain for a couple of years while their mom had recovered from a debilitating car accident. Grady had been at the ranch when Jake had lived there, so as she parked behind Grady’s truck she decided to immediately mention seeing Jake instead of waiting for a private chat with Sapphire. Come to think of it, Grady and Sapphire might be going to Thunder Mountain for Christmas Eve. Maybe she could tag along.

Dinner with five imaginative people at the table was lively. Clearly, Amethyst’s mom, Sheridan High School’s art teacher, and her dad, who’d had his own jazz band for years, had welcomed Grady into the fold. Amethyst could see why.

Unlike the other artists Sapphire had dated, he obviously fed her creativity instead of stifling it. Tonight she was 100 percent herself. Her clothes were vibrantly colored and a hand-carved comb held back her auburn hair to show off beaded earrings that dangled to her shoulders. Best of all, every time she looked at Grady her face glowed, so moving to Cody and working in Grady’s renovated barn must agree with her.

Conversation flowed so fast that Amethyst didn’t have a chance to mention Jake until they were having dessert, chocolate lava cake that was a family favorite.

Grady heaped praise on the dessert. “I could live on this.”

“Me, too.” Amethyst scooped up another spoonful of cake and syrup. “Before I fall into a sugar-induced coma, though, I wanted to tell you that I met Jake Ramsey in town just before I drove here.”

Sapphire’s eyes widened. “Oh, really?”

“Yep.” Amethyst sent her a warning glance. “We bumped into each other in the hardware store.”

“Jake’s home for Christmas?” Grady’s happy smile was one of his many endearing traits. “I didn’t know he was coming back. That’s terrific.”

“I remember Jake from when you dated him,” her mother said. “Nice boy, although he always seemed a little quiet for you.”

“He was sort of shy back then. Not as much now.” She didn’t dare look at Sapphire, who had barely managed to cover a snort of laughter with a cough.

“I haven’t seen him in forever,” Grady said. “By the time I came back from working that pipeline job in Alaska he’d hired on with the fire department over in Jackson Hole. Did he say if he was still at that job?”

“I believe he is.”

“I’ll bet firefighting’s a good fit for him. We used to tease him about his overdeveloped sense of responsibility. He didn’t pull pranks like the rest of us. Anyway, it’ll be great to see him. Always liked the guy.”

Amethyst could feel her mother’s assessing gaze. No doubt she was remembering the gig in Jackson Hole and wondering if there was more to the story than met the eye, especially after Sapphire’s “Oh, really?” comment. Jane Ferguson was no fool and when it came to her daughters she seemed to know when a romance was in the making.

But this time her radar was off because there was no romance. Lust, definitely. But romance suggested a soft-focus ending to the story and Amethyst had no interest in that. She was hoping that a talent scout or someone with connections in the music industry would show up at one of her gigs. With luck, that could lead to a recording contract and a move to LA. Marriage and a family didn’t fit in with that dream.

After the meal Sapphire offered to clean up the kitchen and recruited Amethyst to help for old times’ sake. The minute they were alone she lowered her voice. “So? Did you know about this visit?”

“I didn’t, and when I saw him in town I thought that meant he wasn’t interested anymore. But you know how I am—can’t just let something go. So I followed him into the store to find out for sure if he was deliberately ignoring me.”

“And?”

“He’s still interested.” As she remembered the gleam in his eyes when he’d learned her roommate was gone, she couldn’t hold back a grin.

“Then why didn’t he contact you?”

“It’s Christmas. He has family stuff. I have family stuff.”

Sapphire nodded. “Makes sense. But surely you can work something out.” She peered at her. “You want to, right?”

“You bet I do. You should have seen him standing there looking all rugged in his sheepskin coat and Stetson. Those green eyes are killer. I was ready to attack him on the spot.”

“So what’s the plan?”

“For starters he invited me out to the ranch for a sleigh ride tomorrow afternoon.”

“You mean a sleigh ride or a sleigh ride?” Sapphire wiggled her fingers to make air quotes.

“That’s tough to say with so many people around. Besides, it doesn’t matter. I let it drop that Arlene is out of town for the holidays.”

“She is?” Sapphire clapped her hand over her mouth and glanced at the kitchen doorway. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I think Mom already knows something’s going on.”

“Probably. It’s my fault. I didn’t expect you to suddenly announce that your red-hot lover boy was in town.”

“I wasn’t going to. Then I remembered that he and Grady lived at Thunder Mountain at the same time, so I felt obligated to mention it.”

“Absolutely. Grady’s always thrilled when he gets a chance to connect with some of his foster brothers. Anyway, that’s fabulous news about Arlene being gone.”

“She’s a good roommate. Not as good as you, but we get along and she pays her share of the rent on time.”

“I worried that she’d talk you to death. When I worked with her at the Art Barn co-op she was quite the chatterbox. Sweet, but extremely verbal.”

Amethyst smiled. “She is, but I love her work and she’s given me a gorgeous watercolor of the Bighorns that I put in my bedroom. Whenever she carries on too long, I suddenly have to record another track for my next album and I scoot upstairs to my studio. Like I said, we get along.”

“I’m glad. And she had the good sense to be out of town at a critical moment in your personal life.”

“No kidding. Anyway, I need to go home tonight and put clean sheets on the bed and spruce up the place a little.”

“Like he’ll care. Hey, listen, I know hanging out in a crowd with your studmuffin isn’t optimal, but Grady and I are going over to Thunder Mountain tomorrow night for their Christmas Eve celebration if you want to come along. We could—oh, wait, I just remembered something. There’s a cat. His name’s Ringo. I’ll bet Jake’s forgotten about your allergies.”

“Is Ringo indoor or outdoor?”

“Both. He has a bed in the kitchen. I don’t think he gets on the furniture in the house, but still, you don’t want to go out there and start sneezing your head off.”

“Thanks for the warning. I’ll pick up some over-the-counter meds at the drugstore in the morning.” She was headed there anyway. If Jake would be spending some late-night quality time at her house, she would be prepared with condoms. “It’s one day and one evening with minimal exposure and I don’t want to miss out on the fun. I’d love to go, but what about Mom and Dad? I hate to leave them in the lurch.”

“They were invited, too, but they think Herb and Rosie deserve to have Grady and me all to themselves. Mom and Dad claimed us for Christmas Day so it seemed fair to them if we went to the ranch tomorrow night. If you come with us, then they can do their lovebird thing.”

“It’s cute, isn’t it? After all these years they’re still nuts about each other.”

“Mom pointed that out when I told her I couldn’t be with Grady because he was an artist.” Sapphire mimicked their mother’s voice. “‘Your father and I are both artists and we’ve managed to stumble through twenty-nine years without killing each other.’”

“And so will you and Grady.” Amethyst gave her a hug. “You two have something special. The ring he gave you is gorgeous.”

“I’m rather fond of it, myself.” Sapphire held her hand out in front of her to admire it. “We’ve tried to set a date but we’re both so busy we haven’t figured out when.”

“Whenever it is, I’ll be there, and I want to sing.”

“I would love for you to sing but you’ll be the maid of honor. Can you do both things? I’ve never seen that done but if anyone can pull it off you can.”

“I’ve never seen it done, either, but I’ll be happy to set a precedent as the first singing maid of honor. I might even sing as I walk down the aisle.” She looked at Sapphire. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s a fabulous idea. In fact, when you get married, you should be the singing bride. You could sing your vows and turn the whole thing into a musical. Just make sure the groom can sing, too, or it’ll be weird.”

“Yeah, because having both the bride and groom sing their vows wouldn’t be the least bit weird.”

Sapphire laughed. “You should do it.”

“I definitely would if I planned to get married. But I don’t.”

“Ever?”

“Probably not. I’ve watched how it goes with the big names and I’m hoping to be up there with them someday. It’s not easy to maintain a high-profile career and a solid marriage.”

Sapphire gazed at her as if evaluating the truth of that statement. Finally she nodded. “I guess you’re right. You’re smart to think that through, because you’re going to make it big.”

“That’s my goal.” She crossed her fingers. “But there are no guarantees, either. Even if I get a contract it could be a bumpy ride. It wouldn’t be fair to drag some unsuspecting guy along.”

“Nope. But I see why you’re so excited about hanging out with Jake since he’s not looking to settle down, either. You might as well soak up all that yumminess while he’s in town.”

“My thoughts, exactly.”

* * *

SIX PEOPLE GATHERED around the kitchen table at the ranch house that night and, fortunately, Rosie, the woman he’d called Mom ever since she’d asked him to the first day, had made plenty of tuna casserole. Jake was on his third helping. Cade had mentioned that several times.

“Leave him alone.” Chelsea came to his defense. “He’s a growing boy.”

“Thanks, Chelsea.” Jake hadn’t met her until tonight but she was easy to get to know. Her multicolored hair and funky clothes made him smile and he could tell she liked him, too. She worked in marketing and Finn gave her full credit for making his microbrewery a success and for mellowing out his workaholic tendencies. The two of them seemed to have a good thing going.

“He’s definitely grown since I last saw him,” Finn said. “You put on any more muscle and you’ll rip the seams of that shirt, bro. I advise cutting back on the workouts or you’ll be shelling out for a new wardrobe.”

Cade grinned. “Hey, Finn, you’re just jealous because Jake and I are manly men with jobs that increase the diameter of our biceps, while you only have to expend enough energy to put a head on a mug of beer.”

“Are you saying I’m out of shape?” Finn propped his elbow on the table and lifted his hand in a challenge. “Arm-wrestle this, pony boy.”

Cade left his chair. “My pleasure, suds stud.”

“Suds stud?” Chelsea snorted. “I need to remember that one.”

Jake wondered if they’d actually arm-wrestle. He wouldn’t mind seeing that because he suspected Finn could take Cade. Finn had an air of steely determination, almost an edgy quality, whereas Cade was more easygoing.

“No arm wrestling at the dinner table.” Rosie gave them a warning glance. “You know the rules.”

“Yeah,” Jake said. “Some of us are still eating, here.”

“Oh, sorry.” Cade sat again. “Wouldn’t want to get in the way of that.”

Jake smiled before he took another bite. Now that his hunger was mostly satisfied he could savor the taste. “I need to make this at the firehouse. I keep meaning to get the recipe from you.” He glanced at Rosie. Short and blonde, with a little extra padding here and there, she was the most beautiful woman he knew. And talk about steely determination. She had it in spades.

“She doesn’t use a recipe anymore, son.” Herb, the person Jake considered his dad for all intents and purposes, was a wiry guy who could do the work of men half his age.

“Herb’s right,” she said. “I could make tuna casserole in my sleep. Probably have a time or two. But I’ll try to come up with some directions for you. It would be a great firehouse meal. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Most of the stuff you made for us would go over great at the firehouse. We look for good food that’s not too expensive.”

“Which is especially important if they all eat as much as you,” Cade said.

“Some eat more.” It wasn’t true but he’d said it to get a reaction out of Cade.

“They do?”

“Oh, yeah. Once a week a semi backs up to the firehouse to unload our groceries. We make our salad in a wheelbarrow and our spaghetti sauce in a sterilized oil drum. In order to cook the pasta we build a fire under an antique bathtub.”

Cade stared at him. “That’s amazing.”

Jake kept a straight face as long as he could but finally burst out laughing, which set off everybody else.

Cade blew out a breath. “Well, it could be true. After watching Jake put away food I was willing to believe it.”

“I’ve always loved seeing my boys eat.” Rosie beamed at them. “Who’s ready for German chocolate cake?”

Jake left his chair and went over to kiss her cheek. “You made my favorite.”

“Of course I did. You haven’t been home for Christmas in years. We need to celebrate.”

Everybody else seemed happy with the prospect of cake, too, but Jake was touched that she’d remembered how much he loved it. He’d never known his own mother but whenever he imagined what she might have been like, he pictured Rosie. A guy couldn’t do any better than having a mom like her.

He helped her dish it and, as they were passing out plates, Herb looked over at Cade. “How come the Christmas lights are out? They were on at dusk but I noticed they’re out now. Do we need to check the connections?”

“Nah, the connections are fine.” Cade flicked a glance at Jake. “We decided to make a few changes in the morning and since no one will be driving up tonight, Finn and I wanted to save the electricity for now. Everything will be operational for Christmas Eve.”

“Okay.” Herb seemed unconcerned. “I leave that to you boys. I’m sure it’ll look great.”

“It will.” Cade tucked into his cake.

Jake was glad he’d bought the smoke alarms as gifts and the cords and lights could be slipped into the mix without making a big deal of it. But he had more than Christmas lights on his mind. Before they’d all finished their dessert, he brought up the subject that had been nagging him since making the plan with Amethyst. “I’m looking for a sleigh to rent or borrow. Do any of you know of one?”

Cade paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. “What, now you’re Santa Claus? Although if you keep eating like that you’ll eventually fit the part.”

“I invited a woman for a sleigh ride tomorrow afternoon.”

Silence descended on the table as all attention swiveled in his direction.

He hadn’t worked through this very well. He’d blame the shock of seeing Amethyst in the hardware store, but now he realized that he couldn’t ask for a sleigh without offering more of an explanation.

He cleared his throat. “I made a quick run into town before dinner so I could pick up a few...things.”

“It’s Christmas.” Rosie waved a hand as if to relieve him of giving the details. “We all have secrets. But who’s the woman?”

“I ran into her when I was in town. Amethyst Ferguson.”

Rosie’s gaze sharpened. “You dated her in high school.”

“For a while.”

“You know she’s a professional singer now.”

“Yes, I know. Now, about this sleigh, I remember we used to hitch Navarre up to a wagon.”

“And a couple of times to a toboggan.” Finn exchanged a grin with Cade.

Jake ignored him. “I thought he could probably pull a sleigh.”

“He could,” Herb said, “but there’s the slight problem of not having a sleigh for him to pull.”

Cade put down his fork. “You know, that takes cojones, bro, inviting a woman on a sleigh ride when you’re not in possession of one. I’m impressed.”

“Do you know of anybody who has one?”

“Nope, can’t say as I do, but I’m still impressed.”

Jake figured there was no point in asking Finn and Chelsea. They didn’t live here anymore. In desperation, he turned to Rosie. “Mom, do you know of anyone around here who has a sleigh?”

“Not at the moment, but if you need a sleigh, I’ll find you one.”

3

LUCK BLESSED JAKE with a clear sky the next morning. If a snowstorm had blown in, which was always possible in December, reconfiguring the lights would have been impossible. As it was the task wasn’t simple, especially wearing gloves. Cade and Finn had woven a complex tapestry of dangerous cords and substandard lights.

Cade had apologized for his screw-up and had tried to take the blame, but Finn had insisted on sharing it. He, Cade and Damon were the triumvirate who’d called themselves the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood in the early days of the foster program. Their loyalty to each other ran deep.

Jake respected that. He’d arrived at the ranch later and, although every guy was now considered part of the brotherhood, the bond wasn’t the same as the one shared by the first three. When those boys had come to the ranch there had been no tradition, no sense of belonging to something greater. They’d had to create that for themselves.

His buddies at the fire department had a unique connection because they faced life-and-death situations every day, but again, it wasn’t the same. Firefighters could choose to quit and sever that connection. The kids who’d been brought to the ranch after the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood had been established could thank Cade, Finn and Damon for creating a positive and lasting identity for all of them. Once a Thunder Mountain brother, always a Thunder Mountain brother.

They’d nearly finished reconfiguring the lights when Rosie walked out onto the porch. She’d pulled a knit cap down over her ears and held her coat closed instead of zipping it, which meant she was making a brief visit. “I think you boys can quit, now. It’s not as if the Pope is coming for a visit.”

Jake had to laugh. She still called them boys, probably always would.

“But Lexi will be here.” Cade arranged the net lights more evenly on a bush. “That’s enough motivation for me.”

“I’m sure she’ll be very impressed. That’s more lights than we’ve ever had on this house. But you need to finish up. I’ve found Jake a sleigh.”

Jake glanced up, a three-pronged plug dangling from his gloved hand. “That’s awesome! Where is it?”

“The Emersons have one, but it’s too wide to fit in the back of a pickup. Their ranch isn’t that far as the crow flies, so it makes more sense to ride over and get it, anyway. It may not be in the best of shape, so I suggest you take Cade or Finn with you.”

“We’ll all go,” Cade said. “It’ll be fun.”

Jake gazed at her. “What do you mean, not in the best of shape?”

“It hasn’t been used in years. They offered to sell it to me for fifty bucks, so I said fine. I’ve always wanted a sleigh.”

“Um, if it’s only fifty bucks it could be falling apart.” Jake didn’t want to sound ungrateful but he also didn’t plan to take Amethyst out in a sleigh that could collapse any minute.

“I asked them and they said it’s functional.”

“But if they haven’t used it in years, how do they know?”

“That’s an excellent point.” She shivered and stomped her feet. “But I called everyone I could think of and this is the only one I found. If you’d rather not take a chance on it, I’ll call them back and say never mind.”

“Don’t do that,” Cade said. “We’ll make it work. I’ve always wanted a sleigh, too.”

“Then you’d better finish the lights and get over there. At the very least it’ll need to be cleaned up and Amethyst will be here before you know it.”

Jake glanced at the angle of the sun. “You’re right. Thanks, Mom.”

“You’re welcome. If the sleigh doesn’t work there’s a toboggan in the barn. I seem to remember some people hitching a horse to that once upon a time.” She winked and went back into the house.

“Nix on the toboggan idea,” Cade said. “You can’t make out with a woman on a toboggan.”

Finn brushed snow off his gloves. “Might be a safer bet than a fifty-buck sleigh.”

“That’s what I’m thinking.” Jake blew out a breath. “It’s liable to be a piece of junk.”

“Maybe not.” Cade came over and clapped him on the shoulder. “Think positive, bro. Maybe it’s a gem that’s taking up space they want for something else.”

“Or maybe the wood’s rotted out and the mice have made a nest in the upholstery.”

“One way to find out. I have a feeling we can rehabilitate this sleigh.” Cade glanced up at the Christmas lights strung everywhere. “Are we done here?”

“You tell me. You’re the one trying to impress your ladylove.”

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.