Home For a Cowboy Christmas(44)

Dwight shook his head. “This isn’t a hay barn burning. It’s something else entirely.”

Sven’s lips twisted as he went back to work. “Your father and I used to talk about your jobs. He never got into specifics, but he didn’t need to. I heard the pride in his voice when he mentioned you. But I also heard the fear. He knew you put your life on the line more often than not. Some might think people like you simply like the adrenaline that kind of lifestyle brings. Then again, they don’t know you like I do. They’ve not seen you find peace out here.”

Dwight’s gaze moved to the house as he thought of Emmy. He’d found more than peace on the ranch. He’d found love, the kind he hadn’t thought could ever be his. The kind his parents had told him to wait for.

“Then again,” Sven said, breaking into his thoughts, “it takes a certain type of man to do the jobs you’ve undertaken. Men like that came out west and built this country.” Sven released Cloud’s leg and stood tall as he leaned an arm on the mare’s back. “It’s men like you who don’t go looking for danger but stand in the face of it. Men like you also realize that their strength doesn’t only come from within or because of training—it’s because of the people they surround themselves with.”

“You make me sound like a saint.”

Sven chuckled. “A saint you are not, my friend. What you are is a good man. One I’m glad to know.”

“Thank you.”

The farrier smoothed his hand down Cloud’s back. “When you were in the military, you had a team, right?”

“I did.”

“Same when you were in the FBI and with Homeland Security.”

Dwight pressed his lips together, knowing what Sven was getting at. “I didn’t work alone, if that’s your meaning.”

“Exactly. Chew on that for a bit before you make any hasty decisions.”

“I don’t have any decisions to make.”

Sven smiled and shrugged. “Whatever you say. Just know that I’m here if you ever need anything. And I’m a hell of a shot—though you know that.”

Dwight couldn’t help but smile as he shook his head. “Everyone in the county knows about your aim.”

“Good.” Sven said no more as he went to work on Cloud’s front hooves.





Chapter 22


Emmy rotated her neck as she took a break from the computer. She stretched her back and yawned before checking the time. Another week had passed since she had freaked out about Carlos coming to the barn when she was there. The ranch hand hadn’t seen her, but she couldn’t seem to tell her mind that.

She hadn’t gone back out to help Dwight since. He hadn’t pushed her to come outside, and she couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. More times than not, he was there for lunch. But he never missed dinner.

The evenings were magical. No matter what they did, they did it together. The way Dwight looked at her made her think all things were possible. The way he held her made her yearn for a future with him. It was so easy to love him that it was getting harder and harder not to tell him how she felt.

She pulled up the calendar on the computer to mentally check off another day. A part of her wanted to do something grand and adventurous every day since these might be her last. The other part of her liked the routine, the normalcy that she had with Dwight. It was a glimpse into what life would have been like if they had met under different circumstances. The life they could’ve had if she hadn’t been witness to a crime.

Emmy pushed back the rolling chair and got to her feet. She walked out of the office, clicking off the light as she did. As she made her way to the kitchen, she looked out the windows to the barn to see the illumination within. With the end of the year creeping closer, the days were getting shorter and the nights longer. She hesitated to turn on lights in the house so others might see her, but she needed to be able to see. Odd that she never thought about it when Dwight was with her. Probably because she assumed that the workers had gone home by the time he came in.

There were no blinds on the windows to shut and thwart prying eyes. She would either need to make do in the growing darkness of the house or turn on some lights. Emmy decided to leave the lamps off. Her eyes grew accustomed to the darkness so she could make her way easily enough to the kitchen.

She used the light from the microwave over the stove to heat some water for tea. The electric teapot soon had the water boiling. She poured the water into her mug over the tea bag and set a timer.

Emmy rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She had been chilled all day. No matter what she did, she couldn’t seem to stay warm for long. After so many cups of coffee, she became too jittery, so she’d switched to herbal tea. Snow had fallen steadily for almost the entire day. She couldn’t wait to snuggle beneath the blankets with Dwight tonight. She always slept well when it was cold out and blankets weighed her down.

When the timer went off, she added some honey to her mug then took it to the sofa to sit beneath a blanket. Not turning on the television or the lights to read left her with her thoughts. Dalton would return soon to bring her to Denver.

She had to admit, she was glad that Dwight wanted to come with them. It wasn’t that she didn’t think Dalton was capable. He certainly was, and he’d proven his worth by getting her out of Denver and to the ranch. But Dalton needed someone he could trust—someone who could help him. Dwight was that man.