A Snow Country Christmas (The Carsons of Mustang Creek #4)(38)

“I suppose I can live without sardines just this once.”

“Harry makes the pizza sauce from scratch. Just wait. She could bottle it and retire. We all just hope she never will.”

He couldn’t see the always-bustling Harry ever content with retirement. “Was she ever married?”

Raine settled in next to him on the couch. “Harry? I think so. She’s like Red. You can’t ask too much. I skirt around those subjects like they’re a rattlesnake ready to strike.”

“Interesting analogy. Maybe you should be the one writing the rest of this book.”

“I’ll stick to graphic design, thanks. But my philosophy has always been that if something is private and a person doesn’t want to talk about it, then they shouldn’t have to. Life’s too short. Don’t stir the pot if there’s no need.” She planted her bare feet on the coffee table and wiggled her toes. She’d changed into plaid pajama pants and a faded shirt with a picture of Goofy on the front. “The fire is nice.”

“After practically flinging myself off a cliff three times, I agree. I felt like I was competing in the luge at the Olympic Games.”

Raine elbowed him. “Admit it, you had fun.”

He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “As long as Samson enjoyed himself, that’s what matters most.”

“He did. Jangles is jealous. Look at him, all out of sorts.”

“No offense, but he always looks all out of sorts.” A pair of unwinking amber eyes was watching them stealthily through the branches of the Christmas tree. “I think he’s spying on us.”

“Probably wondering if we’re going to make out on the couch, just like a suspicious father. That isn’t a bad idea by the way. Daisy’s not going to venture out from her room until her movie is done playing.”

He’d never heard a better idea in his life. “I don’t know if I have the strength after walking up that hill three times, but I’m willing to give it a try.”

Raine’s mouth curved. “I somehow think you’ll manage.”

He wanted one hell of a lot more than a kiss—or two—but would take what he could get. A beautiful woman in his arms and a crackling fire was his true idea of holiday cheer, and Raine kissed him back with her usual audacity, her fingers trailing along the back of his neck with tantalizing slowness.

If Daisy hadn’t been in residence, and Jangles watching their every move, he might have at least tried to slip off her shirt and caress what he knew to be very lovely breasts, but he settled for just pulling her closer so he could feel them against his chest.

Naturally Samson decided to join them then, bounding onto the couch with great enthusiasm, not exactly adding to the romance of the moment, and both he and Raine were the recipients of kisses of the doggie variety.

So much for the romantic mood.

“It’s a zoo here.” She laughingly pushed Samson away to prevent another attack of affection. “I warned you.”

“There are worse things than to be loved.” He picked up the dog—no small feat—and set him on the floor. That animal weighed about a ton and it wasn’t done growing. Samson was a fitting name.

“I couldn’t agree more.” Neither could Samson, who decided to join them again. Mick gently but firmly set him back on the ground, avoiding another slobbering sign that the puppy stood behind him one hundred percent. “Don’t get too flattered,” Raine warned him wryly. “He loves everyone. Now if Drake’s dogs love you, you’re part of a special club.”

“I want to be a part of a different club entirely,” he told her quietly. “The ‘If Raine Loves You’ club.”

She met his gaze squarely. “Aside from Daisy, I’m starting to think you could be the founding member.”

“What about Slater?”

She considered the glass in her hand. “I’ll always care about him. But we were more in lust than in love. When he offered to marry me it was just because he’s a good old-fashioned nice guy. We’d already mutually gone our separate ways when I discovered I was pregnant. Luckily for both of us, I’m not an old-fashioned girl. You’ve seen how happy he is with Grace.”

He had, and he wouldn’t mind that for himself at all. He thought about Grace and Luce and the serene glow that currently seemed to surround them both. He’d always thought that was a myth, but had changed his mind. Their happiness came through loud and clear.

“I want children.” Those were his cards, right on the table. A straight flush, no request for more of the deck. He was afraid to be so blunt, but she deserved to know it. Besides, she had encouraged him to be more direct out on the hill.

Raine didn’t bat an eye. “Slater and I...we were really young when I had Daisy. I’ve been thinking about it more closely now than I did then. I’m past thirty. I might not get pregnant. Can you live with that?”

“Of course.” He squeezed her hand. “Life is a gamble. But one thing that’s certain is how I feel about you. I risked Dead Man’s Hill just to gain your admiration. I bought a purse to win over your daughter. When a grown man is willing to buy a cute purse, you know he’s serious.”

With a straight face, she agreed. “We’ll put the purse in as exhibit A.”

“Exhibit B might be making out on a couch like a teenager. That isn’t boardroom behavior. You might be a bad influence.”