Home For a Cowboy Christmas(8)

Emmy looked out the window at the clouds dotting the sky. The snow had already melted from when she arrived, but it was November. And there were acres of land and miles of highway between her and Denver. Did she dare to think that she might be safe? That she might make it to the first of the year? Returning to Denver would be another matter entirely, but she hadn’t thought she would live to see that, so she hadn’t thought too much about it at all.

Until now.

“Hungry?”

Her head swung back to Dwight. She couldn’t seem to look away from his blue eyes. They were magnetic, hypnotic. Mesmerizing. They made her unsteady, as if he could see straight into her soul. Emmy blinked and yanked her gaze away, shaken by her thoughts.

His stare caused her to realize that she hadn’t answered his question. She thought back and remembered his query. “Yes. I could eat.”

“Sandwich okay?”

She started toward the kitchen. “It is. Can I help?”

He shook his head without looking at her and went about making the sandwiches. Emmy looked around nervously, fidgeting with the duster. She hated awkward situations. What could she say? What should she do?

She hastily returned the duster to where she had found it and reentered the kitchen to wash her hands. With nothing else to do, she pulled out a chair at the table and sat. Try as she might, she couldn’t make herself look anywhere but at Dwight Reynolds. The man was … mouthwateringly gorgeous.

“Cheese?” Dwight asked.

It was one of her favorite things to eat. “Yes, please. Whatever you have. I like it all.”

“Mayo? Mustard?”

“I’m good with whatever.”

He looked at her over his shoulder and grinned. “Both, huh?”

She returned his smile. “My father loved mayonnaise. My mother loved mustard. They switched off who made my lunches in the morning, so I got used to both.”

“Interesting,” he mumbled and went back to preparing the sandwiches.

In no time, he set a plate in front of her. He opened the pantry doors and retrieved a bag of barbecue chips and Cheetos and raised a brow, silently asking which she preferred. Emmy pointed to the Cheetos. He grinned and handed her the bag before sitting down.

They ate in silence for a time. It was something Emmy was used to. When she had been put into WITSEC, there was always at least one marshal near her. She ate some meals by herself, others with the marshals.

“Thank you for the clothes,” she said, just remembering.

He swallowed as he nodded. “It isn’t much, sorry. Dalton told me you didn’t have a bag. I can get you anything else you need. Those are my sister’s. She comes by a couple of times a year. It won’t seem odd at all for me to be buying things for a woman since I do it for her.”

Emmy broke a cheese snack in half. “Actually, there are a couple of things I need.”

“Make a list. I can go into town for them.”

“Thank you. I’ll pay you back as soon as I have access to my funds again.”

He waved away her words. “Don’t worry about any of that.”

She was tired of talking about herself. “What’s your sister’s name?”

“Victoria.”

“What does she do?”

Dwight smiled. “She’s the vice president of a bank in Billings.”

“You’re proud of her.”

“I am,” he admitted with a grin. “We’ve had our issues, as all siblings do, but we’re really close. It’s too bad she can’t come in while you’re here. I think the two of you would get along great.”

Emmy glanced at her plate as she laughed. “Please tell her I appreciate the loan of her clothes.”

“If Vic were here, she’d buy you an entire wardrobe. She’s a giver. If she hears someone needs something, she’ll give them that and more.” He jerked his chin to the kitchen. “She’s the one who helped me with the remodel. It was taking me longer than I wanted, trying to handle it all myself. One day, I came in from the barn, and she was here with all kinds of samples so I could figure out what I wanted. Then she ordered it and set up installation.”

“She sounds amazing.”

“She is, but don’t ever tell her I told you that,” he said with a grin.





Chapter 4


He had to get ahold of himself. Dwight had seen Emmy’s beauty when he first met her, but now, after she had rested and sat smiling at him, he was utterly enamored. Her shoulder-length caramel waves framed her face with the right amount of seduction and allure. The dark circles under her eyes were gone, and her smile made his heart skip a beat.

It had been a while since he’d had a woman, but his attraction took him aback. It was visceral, primal.

Unrelenting.

Dwight inwardly shook himself. He had to get control. And quick.

“I, uh, I do want to help out while I’m here. I’d offer to cook, but, trust me, you’d regret it. I freely admit that I know nothing about cooking. I was never interested in it, no matter how much my mother tried to teach me. The few times I tried were disastrous.”

He fought not to smile at her heartfelt words. “Thanks for the warning. I have no problem cooking.”

“I’ll do everything else, though,” she added. “Clean. Wash. Whatever.”