Santa's Sweetheart (The Christmas Tree Ranch #4)(26)

Chapter Seven


After delivering Grace safely home, Sam thanked her roommates for babysitting, loaded his daughter into the Jeep, and started for home. Maggie, who clearly hadn’t slept a wink, chattered all the way.

“Daddy, I had so much fun! Wynette let me help make chocolate chip cookies.” She held up a plastic container with cookies in it. “She even wrote down the recipe so I can make them at home. You’ll just need to buy me some chocolate chips. Wynette’s nice, and pretty, too. But I think she’s too young for you. And Jess might be a little too old. But Miss Chapman is just the right age. Are you listening, Daddy?”

Sam stifled a groan. “I told you, Maggie, Miss Chapman and I are just friends.”

“But you saved her tonight. I bet she’ll really like you now.”

“That’s not the way things work.” Sam remembered wrapping Grace in his coat and holding her close to warm her—the way her slim body fit against his, the subtle curves in all the right places, the soft fragrance of her hair, the way she trembled as she clung to him. He’d liked it—liked it too much. If he hadn’t let her go, he could’ve been in serious trouble.

“Can we put the tree up tomorrow night?” Maggie asked.

“Maybe, if I don’t get a call to work. We’ll see how it goes.” That was the trouble, balancing his job with being a single dad. He had to be available for emergency calls twenty-four seven. That made it hard to plan for family time.

“Maybe we could invite Miss Chapman over to decorate the tree with us. We could even get pizza from Buckaroo’s.”

“Maggie, remember what we talked about? Miss Chapman is just your teacher. She’s not family, and she’s not my girlfriend. Inviting her over would be awkward. She probably wouldn’t even want to come.”

“Well, then, we could invite her roommates, too. It would be fun. Like a party.”

“Maggie, that’s enough. Stop pushing this.”

“But it won’t be as much fun, doing it by ourselves.”

“I said that’s enough. We’re almost home, and when we get there you’re to go straight to bed.”

Maggie didn’t answer. Sam could tell she was pouting. Not that he blamed her. Any little girl deserved a festive holiday. But the thought of bringing Bethany’s beloved ornaments down from the attic and hanging them on the tree was almost more than he could stand. His wife had loved Christmas—every silly tradition, every sappy movie, every song, every ornament, advent calendar, and manger scene. Sam had loved teasing her, calling her his Christmas angel. Now, for their daughter’s sake, he was duty bound to break out the trimmings, paste a fake smile on his face, and go through the whole damned rigamarole without her.

*

After Maggie had left with Sam, Grace’s roommates took charge. While Jess inspected Grace’s chilled fingers and toes for signs of frostbite, Wynette made her a giant mug of steaming hot chocolate with marshmallows. Grace had never cared for marshmallows, but this was no time to say so. Her friends were doing their best to show they cared. And at least the hot liquid flowing into her body was helping to warm her—though all she really wanted was a hot shower and a cozy bed.

“Heavens, Grace,” Jess scolded. “You could have frozen to death out there. How did you manage to get so lost?”

Grace shivered under the blanket they’d used to wrap her. “When the car died, I thought I could leave it and walk home. But I couldn’t even see the street signs. I took a wrong turn somewhere and just kept going. Then I fell and lost my glasses. It was like being blind. All I could do was hunker down and pray somebody would come and find me.”

“So Sam was the answer to your prayers.” Wynette took the empty mug from Grace’s hands. “Now, that’s what I call romance material. Did he sweep you off your feet?” Her blue eyes widened. “Did he kiss you?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, Wynette,” Grace said. “Sam was just doing his job. He got me on my feet, put me in the Jeep, and drove me home.” No need to mention how Sam had held her, or how she’d wanted to melt in his arms and just flow into him.

“Well, we had our own entertainment,” Jess said. “That little Maggie is a talker. She says that her dad really likes you.”

“That’s just wishful thinking on her part,” Grace said. “Maggie’s been pushing to get us together, but Sam’s still in love with his late wife. I know the signs, and I don’t need that kind of competition.”

Grace rose from the couch and gathered up her purse, along with her boots and socks, which Jess had removed to check her feet. “Now that the excitement’s over, I’m going to shower and go to bed. I’ve got a big day planned with my class tomorrow.”

“How can you even think of going to work, Grace?” Jess demanded. “After what you’ve been through, you need a day off to rest. Let me call the district hotline and let them know you’ll need a substitute.”

“No, I need to be at school,” Grace said. “I promised the class we’d put up our tree and make decorations. I’m also going to need their help brainstorming for kids’ activities at the Christmas ball. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“The Christmas party’s going to be a ball?” Wynette’s eyes brightened. “Wow, what great news! That’ll be so much fun! There’s no place to dance around here unless you want to go to Rowdy’s Roost and fight off the drunks.”