Holly Jolly Cowboy (The Wyoming Cowboy #7)(63)

Holly chuckled. “I’m not dinner.”

“Coulda fooled me.” He nibbled on her lower lip for a moment longer, and then reluctantly drew away. “Sorry I’m late.”

Her smile became a little too bright, a little too forced. “Oh, it’s not like I have to wake up for work, right?”

Damn it, he’d fucked up. He tried not to remind her about work but sometimes it came up anyhow. “Well, I appreciate you staying up for me.”

“Come on. I’ll feed you dinner.” She took his hand and pulled him toward the kitchen. “You and Hannibal both.”

“It smells good,” he offered, pulling his cap off his head and tossing it down.

“Beef stew,” Holly said. “But no bread, sorry. Just stew.”

That comment about the bread pricked at him. “Did it not turn out?”

“No, just didn’t feel like making it.” That too-bright tone was back in her voice, a sure sign she was hiding her emotions. “Sit down and I’ll fix you a bowl.”

He did, watching her as she moved around the kitchen. The place was tidy, of course—Holly always cleaned up after herself—but there were no telltale bowls of dough left out to grow overnight. There were no baked goods sitting around, waiting to be tasted. The cake plate on the center of the bar was empty, and it was never empty.

And Holly was wearing that too-bright smile on her face as she handed him a bowl of stew and then set down a bowl of dog food for Hannibal.

Adam picked at the stew, eating a few bites. “Delicious. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. That’s my job. My only one right now. I’d better do it well.” She managed a chuckle.

He felt even worse. His job was to make her smile, to make her forget all her troubles, and he was doing a piss-poor job of that, wasn’t he? He wanted to protect her from the world, which was damn weird, because he knew Holly could take care of herself. And yet . . . when she was sad like this, he wanted her to know that he was there for her. That he had her back. That he’d take care of her if she needed it.

So he ate quickly, shoving delicious chunks of stew into his mouth as fast as possible, because he wanted to spend time with her, to distract her from her worries.

Holly watched him eat, her chin resting on her hand, a look of amusement on her face as he shoveled food into his mouth. “So were you able to get the cattle rounded up? Everything good now?”

He nodded. “Caleb was a big help. Didn’t realize how behind I was on everything until he showed up.” He didn’t want to launch into a diatribe about how rough his day had been, not when her mood was so quick to swing to sadness. “Glad it’s done, though. Now I get to spend the rest of the evening with you.”

She picked up her phone, glancing at the time. “The whole twenty minutes of it? It’s late, Adam. You should probably get some sleep.”

“Dunno that I’m all that tired.” He set his bowl down, finished with his food, and gave her a look of promise.

Holly tossed her hair, a flirty look on her face. “Did you have something in mind, then? Want to watch a movie? Maybe do a crossword together?”

“I can think of something we can do together, but it’s not a crossword.”

A sly smile curved her mouth as she picked up his bowl and headed for the sink. “Wrap Christmas presents, then?”

That threw him for a loop. Christmas was coming, wasn’t it? And he hadn’t gotten her anything yet. Ugh. He needed to get away from the ranch and buy her something in town. Something that would make her smile. Something that would make her eyes light up. Trouble was, he barely had time to breathe, much less plan ahead for a damn holiday.

But he wanted to get her something. He glanced at the tree Sage and Jason had set up in their living room before heading off on their vacation. There was only a scatter of presents underneath it, and it felt a little . . . empty. He wondered what Holly would like. Last week he would have said cookbooks and a set of bowls, but now he wasn’t so sure.

He just needed to do something to make her smile again. To let her know that she was loved and that he had her back.

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Was he in love with Holly? This fast? It seemed insane to think about, and yet . . . it felt right. In fact, it felt so right that he wondered why he hadn’t seen it sooner. Hadn’t he always tipped her a dollar just because he knew it got on her nerves? Hadn’t he deliberately picked fights with her because he loved to see her eyes flash with irritation?

Was Carson right and they were acting like children? Was this like him pulling on her pigtails to get her attention?

Because now that they’d gotten over their bickering and become something more . . . he was happy. He was happier than he’d ever been. Holly in his arms felt right. He loved coming “home” to her. The sex was amazing. He liked the food, sure, but more than that, he loved her smile and laughter. He liked her smart wit and casual observances. He liked how she listened to him, and he liked listening to her. And when she was sad, all he wanted was to make it better for her.

Wasn’t that what love was? Caring for someone else? Wanting them to be your partner in everything? Maybe he was insane for falling for Holly that quickly, but did it matter? People fell in love in less time.

When you knew, you just knew.

He moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to the side of her neck. “I was thinking of something other than Christmas presents, though I do admit my idea involved a package of some kind.”