A Snow Country Christmas (The Carsons of Mustang Creek #4)(28)

Of course she pelted him again.

He tackled her and the resulting kiss made him forget about the cold even though they were both lying in the snow.

“I’m falling in love with you.” He definitely hadn’t meant to admit that, but it was true and she already knew it.

“If you haven’t figured out we have the same problem, then you aren’t paying attention.” Raine looked reflective lying beneath him. “We’re both idiots.”

“I don’t think I am.”

“I don’t think I am, either.” Her eyes were suddenly shiny. “But I’ve been wrong before.”

“Raine, do you really think Slater was a mistake?”

She sat up and shook snow out of her dark hair. “No, of course not. I wouldn’t have Daisy if it wasn’t for him, and I’ll always care about him. It’s just that I keep hoping to find gold in a muddy river bed, but I haven’t had a strike yet.”

He probably had snow in his hair as well but didn’t care. “You sure about that? I’m going to finish that manuscript, by the way. I don’t know if I can do it justice, but maybe I’ll get a strike.”

She kissed him then, snowy mittens on his cheeks but her mouth was warm and giving. “I’m so glad.”

“I won’t know what I’m doing.”

“You’ll do great. I feel it.”

“I’ll trust you to tell me if it’s terrible.”

“Oh, don’t you think you’d be the first to know?” Raine gave him a merry glance before getting to her feet. “I’m not shy with my opinions in case you haven’t noticed. I believe blatantly outspoken is the Carsons’ preferred term for me. I have bad news for you, though. Their head ranch hand, Red, is a die-hard Matthew Brighton fan. It’s his opinion you really need to worry about, because he won’t pull his punches if you can’t tell a snake hole from the Grand Canyon.”

“Great. Well, I guess I know who my expert consultant will be if I need help with research.” Mick got up also and tried to brush off his jeans. “I’m probably nuts even to try this, but I do like a challenge.”

The look she gave him was only half-teasing. “Is that why you fell for me? Because I’m a challenge?”

“Maybe it started that way,” he admitted, catching her hand as they made their way back to the snowmobile. “You do keep me on my toes. But if you haven’t figured out that I’m crazy about everything that makes you you, then you’re the one who’s not paying attention.”

“Likewise, cowboy.” She started the snowmobile again. “Climb on board. Isn’t there a lobster with your name on it?”

*

Cream, cheese, pasta, garlic...there was no way to go wrong with a meal like that, so Mick was cheating. He did let Raine do the salad and got the bread from the restaurant, but otherwise he prepared everything himself. And if the purse he’d given Daisy had won her over, the dinner he served them made her his devoted fan for life.

That was so important to her, Raine thought as she watched her daughter interact so naturally with Mick. Daisy’s face was animated as she described the midnight ride in the snow, and she’d definitely cleaned her plate so his dinner choice had been about as popular as Harry’s cooking, which was saying something.

Clever man.

“Remind me to kiss Stephano next time I see him,” Raine declared during a lull in the excited conversation. “That lobster was the perfect touch.”

“How about you kiss the actual cook, not just the ingredient-supplier?” Mick gave her a look of mock reproof. “Besides, I’m way better looking than he is.”

“Maybe a tinge.” Raine gave him a dreamy smile. “But he has that Latin air, you know?”

*

Daisy joined her mother in giggling at the expression on Mick’s face. Raine knew she was taking it all in—their unexpected guest, the overt affection between them. What Raine wanted her daughter to walk away with from tonight was a sense that love was supposed to be fun. It wasn’t supposed to be easy all of the time, but fun was very important.

*

Mick threw up his hands. “In that case, how’s an ordinary guy supposed to compete?”

She shouldn’t say it so softly, but she did anyway. “Oh you aren’t ordinary by any means.”

“No?”

“No.”

Enough said. Daisy was clearly paying attention to the nuances of the conversation, listening avidly. The good news was that purse aside, she seemed to really like Mick. That hadn’t been the case last time she’d introduced her daughter to a man she’d briefly been dating, a doctor from a nearby town. Daisy had instantly pronounced him boring and that put an end to that. She might not have known him long enough to give him a fair shot, but Raine trusted her daughter’s instincts. Besides that, any man who was a part of her life would be part of her daughter’s as well. Her opinion counted.

Daisy jumped up. “Who wants ice cream? I’ll get it.” She began to eagerly stack the plates. They had an agreement. Raine cooked and cleaned up the kitchen, but Daisy cleared the table.

“Her grandmother is Blythe Carson,” Raine confided. “According to Blythe, ice cream is an essential food group all by itself. Beware.”