A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe Read online

  She laughed softly. “Coffee?”

  “No, I guess not. A different kind of drink, something involving alcohol.” He hesitated. “Unless you’re seeing someone?”

  She shook her head. “Nope.”

  “Good.” Adrenaline rushed through his system, or maybe it was the caffeine. Either way, his heart beat faster.

  “I take it you’re not with Theresa anymore?”

  He blinked in surprise. “You know her?”

  “Only by the name I wrote on her coffee cup whenever you’d come in together.”

  “Good memory. And no, I’m not with Theresa.” He met her gaze. “If I had been, I wouldn’t have asked you out.”

  “I figured, but it never hurts to be sure.”

  “Absolutely.” He liked her direct approach. “So what’s your schedule? I’m tied up tomorrow, but after that I’m flexible.”

  “Tomorrow wouldn’t work for me, either. I’m covering for several of my employees so they can spend Thanksgiving with their families.”

  “Then you are the manager.”

  “Yeah, it was a terrific opportunity and I grabbed it.”

  “Good for you. But I guess you might not be able to take much time off, considering it’s a holiday weekend.” He couldn’t believe how disappointed he was.

  “I will be pretty busy, but I scheduled some free time Friday night to decorate my tree. Want to help me?”

  “Sure!” His world brightened. “Can I bring takeout for dinner?”

  “That would be wonderful. I don’t know if you like Chinese, but—”

  “I do. Any special requests?”

  “I like almost anything, so you can surprise me.”

  “All right.” He couldn’t remember ever making a date so effortlessly.

  “I get off at six, so give me a half hour to change clothes and haul out the decorations. Got your phone?”

  He pulled it out of his coat pocket and keyed in her number and her address as she gave it to him. “And your last name is?”

  “Jones. You can text me your number so I have it in case there’s a problem with staffing Friday night, but I don’t expect one.”

  “Doing that right now. And by the way, my last name’s Slater.”

  “I know. It’s on the calendar.”

  “Oh.” He glanced up from his phone. “Right.”

  “I’ve only known you as Ty, but would you rather be called Tyrone?”

  “Tyrone’s for my clients. Ty’s for my friends.”

  “I doubt I’ll ever be your client.” She smiled. “So I’ll see you Friday night.”

  “You will, and I’ll be armed with Chinese food.” He hesitated, almost afraid to say anything more in case he was reading too much into this invitation to help with her tree. “It’ll be nice to get to know each other better.”

  Awareness flashed in her brown eyes. “I think so, too.”

  2

  THE UNEXPECTED APPEARANCE of Ty Slater helped Whitney get through the next day without feeling too sorry for herself. She’d never spent Thanksgiving away from her family and she missed that rowdy, irreverent bunch. Nearly everyone on both her mom’s and her dad’s side lived in Cheyenne, including all four grandparents and the majority of her aunts, uncles and cousins.

  Hosting Thanksgiving rotated among those who had the space and extra chairs, and the routine hadn’t varied for as long as she could remember. The midday meal was followed by touch football for those who enjoyed it and bowl games on TV for everyone else. She looked forward to that touch football game all year, but today someone else would have to take her position as wide receiver.

  Sometimes her shift at Rangeland Roasters had kept her from participating in everything, but she’d made do with leftovers, the annual Ping-Pong tournament and endless games of Yahtzee. Even when she’d had to work on Thanksgiving, she’d never lost out entirely on the fun and the food. Until today.

  To cheer herself up, she focused on her Friday night tree-trimming date with Ty. Looking at his picture on the calendar had been giving her a thrill for weeks, but now it provided an extra shot of adrenaline. They were going to hang out for the evening. She could barely believe her good luck.

  She’d had a crush ever since he’d shown up at the coffee shop about a year ago. No surprise that he’d had a girlfriend, considering those knowing gray eyes and easy smile. He’d made her heart flutter again today, especially when he’d told her the girlfriend was history.

  After reading his short bio on the calendar, she’d wondered if he might walk into this shop eventually. And so he had, looking more like a cowboy than the lawyer she’d known in Cheyenne. Discovering his hidden depths had been a turn-on, but seeing him shirtless had been a total game changer. Tyrone Slater was beautiful.

  But he was uncomfortable with the calendar picture, which made him all the more adorable. She’d noticed him pull his hat lower when he’d seen it hanging on the back wall. That one gesture had been enough to make her melt.

  The hat ramped up his sexy quotient, even if it covered up his glossy hair. She always noticed hair, and at first glance his had seemed to be French roast brown. But a closer look had revealed some dark red that reminded her of espresso in a glass mug held up to the light.

  Back then he’d been out of reach. No longer, though. At least for this weekend, he was quite reachable.

  She wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to manage the new location, but if she still lived in Cheyenne... No use dwelling on that inconvenience. He probably drove up to Sheridan often to visit his foster parents at Thunder Mountain Ranch. And maybe none of that would matter because their Friday night date could be a bust.

  No, it wouldn’t. She’d seen the light in his eyes. He was looking forward to the evening as much as she was. They’d clicked from their first conversation on opposite sides of the coffee shop counter. But he’d had a girlfriend then.

  For whatever reason, though, Theresa was out of the picture and Theresa’s loss was Whitney’s gain. Timing was everything, and meeting Ty yesterday felt like the hand of Fate. Those thoughts sustained her through most of Thanksgiving Day, but around five, when the touch football game was probably over, she gave in to a fresh wave of homesickness. Ducking into her small office, she pulled out her phone.

  Her mom answered immediately. “Finally! I was so afraid you’d be too busy to call. We all miss you so much!”

  Whitney swallowed a sudden lump in her throat. “I miss you, too, but it was either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I couldn’t justify leaving on both holidays.”

  “I understand. We all do. But I wish you could have heard your young cousins rave about your legendary skill at touch football. You would have felt like a first-draft pick in the NFL.”

  “Maybe by next year I’ll have an assistant I can trust to handle Thanksgiving here.”

  “Maybe.” Her mother paused. “But honey, if Sheridan is where you’re supposed to end up, that’s not so bad. It’s not like the far side of the moon.”

  “It feels a little bit that way right now.”

  “I know, but this is your first Thanksgiving away from home. It’ll get easier.”

  Whitney chuckled softly. “Are you trying to convince me or you?”

  “Probably me. I knew you’d leave a big hole, but it’s a little bigger than I anticipated.”

  It was a rare admission of vulnerability and Whitney sucked in a breath. “Aw, Mom, I’m sorry. This seemed like a good idea at the time, but maybe—”

  “Don’t you dare consider giving it up, Whitney Lenore! It’s a terrific opportunity, and I’ll adjust. You’ll adjust. We’ll be fine, and stronger for the experience. Buck up, sweetheart. And so will I. Christmas is less than a month away.”

  “Yeah, it is. That’s not long.”

  “Not long at all. Do you have a tree for your apartment? That’s very important. Yes, you’ll be here for the actual day, but you need your own tree.”

  “I do. In fact...” She hesitated. She hadn’t had
the best of luck with guys and her mom worried. “Do you remember the lawyer I mentioned, the one who’s on the calendar you saw when you came up here in October?”

  “I certainly do! That was a memorable picture.”

  “He came into Rangeland Roasters yesterday and asked me out.”

  “Oh, my. Are you going?”

  “Sort of. I invited him to help me decorate my tree tomorrow night. He’s bringing Chinese.”

  “Oh.” The silence on the other end was filled with her mother’s unspoken thoughts. “That calendar picture makes him look...”

  “I know, but he’s not really like that. He’s actually very sweet.”

  “He doesn’t look sweet.”

  In her heart of hearts, Whitney hoped he wasn’t, either. She was ready for the sexual adventure promised by Ty’s rakish expression in the photo. But that wasn’t something she was about to admit to her mother. “Take my word for it. He is. He’s embarrassed by that picture.”

  “If you say so. At least you know something of his background. I admire anyone who’s pulled himself up by his bootstraps.”

  “And it’s not as if he’s a stranger. He patronized the Cheyenne location for months while I was still there. We talked a lot.”

  “But he didn’t ask you out?”

  “He was dating someone else.”

  More silence. “I’m sure he’s a very nice young man.”

  “He is.” Whitney could almost hear her mother’s questions. She wanted to know if Ty changed girlfriends as easily as he changed razor blades. She wanted to know if Ty understood that her daughter was an amazing woman not to be trifled with.

  Whitney had no definitive answers for those questions. Her instincts told her that she could trust Ty, but she had no hard evidence to support her belief. And she’d been wrong before. Her mother had been there to pick up the pieces, so she could be forgiven for being suspicious, especially when her precious child was five hours away.

  “He’d better treat you well,” her mother said at last, “or he’ll answer to me.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Even at twenty-six, she treasured the protective tone in her mother’s voice. “If he gets out of line, I’ll tell him that.”

  “Be sure that you do. And now your cousins are dying to tell you about the disastrous football game. Do you have a few more minutes?”

  “You bet.”

  “Then I’ll walk into the living room and put you on speaker so everyone can talk. Is that okay?”

  “That’s more than okay. And Mom?”

  “What, honey?”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, sweetheart.” There was a telltale catch in her mother’s voice. “So here’s the group.”

  * * *

  WITH NINE PEOPLE sitting down for Thanksgiving, Ty’s foster mother, Rosie, had moved the festivities to the rec room. A wooden cover turned the pool table into a dining table. Although the original tablecloth had worn out, she’d used the same red-and-white-checked material for the new one. Tradition was important to Rosie.

  She was in her element on a day like this, surrounded by friends and family. She’d had her hair freshly cut and colored its usual blond, although she’d added some sassy red streaks. Herb looked fit and his gaze was clear and untroubled. Ty loved seeing his foster parents happy and relaxed after the drama of almost losing the ranch.

  Yet the crisis had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It had brought Cade Gallagher and Damon Harrison, the first two boys Rosie and Herb had fostered, back home. Then Cade had reunited with his high school sweetheart, Lexi Simmons.

  Rosie had to be thrilled about that. Lexi was like a daughter to her and Lexi’s parents were dear friends. Judging from the dinner table banter between Cade and the people who could turn out to be his in-laws, Janine and Aaron Simmons had forgiven him for breaking their daughter’s heart five years ago.

  Like most of the boys at the ranch, Ty had once had a huge crush on Lexi. Petite and curvy, with wavy brown hair and hazel eyes that sparkled most of the time, she’d been a welcome sight whenever she’d come out to visit, either alone or with her folks. But after she’d hooked up with Cade, all the guys had backed off, especially Damon, who was probably Cade’s best friend in the world.

  For years Damon had acted as if he’d never settle down, but now he’d apparently found the perfect partner in Philomena Turner, a feisty redhead. Or rather Rosie had found him the perfect partner. It was obvious to anyone who knew Rosie that she’d deliberately thrown those two together last July. She wanted her boys to find true love and she was always willing to lend a helping hand whether they wanted her to or not.

  Ty had been thinking about that. Living in Cheyenne had kept him a safe distance from Rosie’s machinations, but yesterday he’d made a date here in Sheridan right under her nose. He wouldn’t attempt to keep it a secret, either.

  Yeah, like he could. Sheridan was a small town and even though Whitney was new here, chances were good that Rosie had met her. Rangeland Roasters must have contributed to the Kickstarter campaign or they wouldn’t have the calendar hanging on the wall.

  “Who’s up for some boot scootin’ tomorrow night?” Cade glanced around the table laden with the remains of their feast. “Lexi and I thought we’d check out the new band.”

  “I’m game.” Damon pushed back his chair. “That’ll give me twenty-four hours to recover. At the moment I can barely move, let alone do the two-step.” He turned to Phil. “Are you willing to have me steer you around the floor tomorrow night?”

  “I’m willing, but you’d better wear your steel-toed boots. I haven’t danced since August and I doubt I’ve improved since then.”

  “I can’t remember the last time Rosie and I danced,” Herb said. “How about it, Rosie? Think we can keep up with these kids?”

  “Ha.” Rosie grinned. “They’ll have to keep up with us. Janine, you and Aaron should go, too. We’ll show them how it’s done.”

  “I claim a dance with Ty.” Lexi smiled at him and ignored Cade’s eye-roll. “I remember how you cleared the floor at prom doing all that fancy stuff with Nancy Bennett.”

  “Nancy’s married with a baby on the way.” Rosie looked at Ty and shrugged. “But that’s okay. She was a good dancer but she wasn’t right for you.”

  “Then I guess we have a plan.” Cade pushed back his chair, too. “Let’s take care of the dishes and then rack up the balls. I feel a pool tournament coming on.”

  “I won’t be able to make it tomorrow night.” Ty figured that would be a conversation stopper, and sure enough, everyone sat back down and turned to stare at him.

  Rosie frowned. “Please tell me you’re not driving back to Cheyenne so you can work the rest of the weekend”

  “No, I’m not. I... I have a date.”

  “Oh.” Rosie’s frown transformed into a smile. “How nice.”

  “So bring her,” Cade said.

  “Yeah, you should.” Lexi studied him with obvious interest. “Anybody we know?”

  “Probably. She’s the manager at Rangeland Roasters.”

  “Oh, Whitney.” Rosie said her name as if announcing the new Miss America. “What a sweetheart. She’s the one who talked her boss into contributing to our Kickstarter campaign. Now I get it. You probably know her from the Cheyenne location.”

  “Yep.”

  “Did you date when she was down there?”

  “No, but—”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Rosie waved a hand in the air. “You’ve reconnected with her, and that’s the important thing. I can see you and Whitney together. Hadn’t thought about it before, but I’ll bet you two will get along like a house afire.”

  “I can see that,” Lexi said. “I like Whitney a lot. Very personable.”

  “Yeah, she’s great,” Phil added. “Damon and I go in for coffee all the time and she’s always friendly.”

  Ty shifted in his chair. “Look, it’s just a date. No big expectations.”

  �
�Does she like to dance?” Damon had been watching the proceedings with a little smile, as if he enjoyed having someone else take the heat for a change.

  “I don’t know, but she’s set aside tomorrow night to decorate her tree and she asked if I’d help. I’m bringing Chinese.” He probably shouldn’t have added the last part. Better not to offer extra details.

  “Cozy.” Rosie’s blue eyes lit with excitement.

  “Casual.” Ty should have lied and said they were going to the movies, except he had no idea what was showing. Besides, no one ever got away with lying to Rosie. She could spot a fib at twenty paces.

  “Well, you know where we’ll be,” Lexi said. “If you finish up and want to head over and join us, tell her we’d love that. I think she’d fit right in.”

  “She definitely would.” Rosie was beaming. “You should have seen her face light up when I brought in the calendar.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Cade leaned forward and gave Ty a wicked-ass grin. “I forgot all about that. She’s been staring at your manly chest for months, hasn’t she? Nice job. Way to work it.”

  “That—” He caught himself before he said damn calendar. “It had nothing to do with anything.” Which wasn’t quite true. Whitney had looked at him differently yesterday. She’d toned down her reaction after she’d realized he wanted her to let it go, but the calendar had been a factor.

  “Leave the poor guy alone,” Lexi said. “He’s been a good sport about his extended run.”

  “Good point, Lex.” Cade attempted to look apologetic but it didn’t quite work. “You took one for the team, bro, and we all appreciate it.” Then his grin reappeared. “But you have to admit it’s turning out quite nicely.”

  3

  WHITNEY HAD GIVEN herself very little time to get ready, which was just as well. All day she’d been telling herself this date was no big deal. But as she quickly changed out of her uniform into jeans and a white cable-knit sweater, she admitted to being nervous. Her heart raced every time she thought about Ty appearing outside her door.