A Snowbound Cowboy Christmas Page 10

  “About last night...” Dylan began.

  “Is this personal or business?”

  “Business first.”

  Emma shook her head. “I don’t want to talk business right now. It hardly seems appropriate and I don’t want anyone to know what we have discussed. I know what your answer is going to be, and that’s fine.”

  “Well, that’s not quite what I wanted to talk about, but it can wait.”

  They stood staring at each other halfway between the tables and the empty buffet line. When Dylan didn’t continue to the personal side of the conversation, she shrugged and made her way to the French toast. Which reminded her of France and the baby name book she had downloaded.

  She had always been partial to French names for some reason. She’d only been to Paris once, but had visited the French countryside many times on business. Her favorite place had been the small picturesque town of Vienne along the Rhone River. Vienne Sheridan had a nice ring to it. But she wondered if too many people would mistake it for Vienna or Vivian?

  Emma checked to see if Dylan had followed her to the line. He was on the phone, walking toward the front of the lodge. Maybe he had already eaten. She fixed her plate and sat quietly at a table by herself. A few of the other employees remained clustered by the fireplace, but most had already scattered. She ate in uncomfortable silence and then made her way back to her room.

  Her job demanded that she follow through with everything she came to Saddle Ridge for. Work should come first, but the weather had warmed a few degrees and Emma wanted to take full advantage of what the ranch had to offer—what she could do in her condition, anyway. So why don’t you? The doctor had told her to get light exercise and Dylan had told her to get out and meet people. After being confined to a hospital room for eighteen hours, the last thing she wanted to do was stay cooped up in her room. Emma added a few more layers to her outfit and headed out the door. Work could wait. At least a few more hours.

  Snowshoeing was at the top of her list.

  After borrowing a pair of boots from Sandy, another employee fitted her in a pair of wide deck shoes and helped her snap her feet into the bindings. She slipped on her jacket and gloves, made sure she had her phone and headed outside.

  The slight mountain breeze didn’t help cool her body, still trembling from Dylan’s kiss last night. She hadn’t known she could be kissed like that. She could only imagine what making love to him would feel like. No. That’s the last thing she needed to do. Making love to Dylan Slade was off-limits, not to mention unprofessional. Not that kissing was professional, either.

  Emma started to laugh. She didn’t know which was funnier, the idea Dylan would want to make love to her while she was pregnant or the actual act itself. At this stage, she didn’t think she was capable of sex, although she had heard some wild stories.

  She gripped her poles as she trudged through the snow, willing sex from her brain. Despite her girth, she sank only a couple inches with each step. By the time the stables were in sight, she had worked up a slight sweat. She saw Dylan and another man heading into the second building. She stopped along one of the pasture fences and looked out over the hearty draft horse herd. They seemed to be enjoying the snow. She never knew horses could withstand such cold temperatures.

  She made her way toward the second stables when she heard a man’s voice.

  “I know it’s not what that commercial real estate firm offered you, but I can guarantee everyone immediate employment. My only condition is I need you to run the place. I’ve known you and Jax for a long time and I can’t see the employees staying if you’re not here.”

  “You’ve given me a lot to chew on.” She heard Dylan say. “Are you sure you won’t consider partnering with me instead of a full buyout?”

  “I’m afraid not. I’d like to join the two ranches since they’re next to one another. You have a lot of acreage now, but almost doubling the size would allow us to add to the amenities.”

  “I’m glad you reached out to me. I haven’t decided anything yet, but I’ll definitely let you know one way or the other.”

  “I look forward to hearing from you.”

  Emma attempted to turn around make a casual retreat, until she saw her massive snowshoe tracks in the snow. There was no hiding her presence. When the men didn’t come out of the stables, she continued to the entrance and poked her head in. The building was empty.

  “What are you doing out here?” Dylan said from behind her.

  “Oh, hi.” How did he do that? Emma attempted to remain calm. “I’m just getting my exercise.”

  “Are you sure snowshoeing is safe during your pregnancy?” he asked as they both watched a snowmobile drive out from behind the stables. Emma scrutinized his expression. So far, nothing screamed, You were eavesdropping on my conversation. Maybe she’d gotten away with it.

  “Snowshoeing is a very safe sport for pregnant women. But rest assured, before I came out here, I double-checked the list the doctor gave me. Plus, I used to go snowshoeing all the time when I was in boarding school.”

  Dylan shook his head.

  “What?” Emma asked.

  “The whole boarding school thing. I don’t understand why people have children if they plan on sending them away for most of their adolescent life.”

  She had asked herself that very same question when she was growing up. Yet she still felt the need to defend her parents’ decision. “I had a great education. I learned to socialize and communicate with others well since I didn’t have my parents to fall back on. Living away from home at an early age teaches you how to be strong. That being said, I have no intention of sending my daughter to boarding school, much to my parents’ dismay. I want to be there for her every day she comes home from school. I want to help her with her homework, bake brownies for bake sales, go to her school recitals and be a member of that Parent-Teacher Association thing. I want my daughter to have a normal, healthy life. She’ll be different from some of the kids because I’m a single mom, but I’m sure she won’t be the only kid without two parents.”

  Dylan dug his boot into the hard-packed snow by the stables entrance. “Have you given last night’s discussion any more thought?”

  “The you-and-I part?” Emma tugged on his jacket, urging him to step closer. “Some. I don’t know how much we can think about it without overthinking it. I wouldn’t mind spending some time alone with you again, though.”

  “I’d like that, too.” Dylan held her face in his gloved hands and kissed her softly. “How would you like to have dinner alone with me tonight at my uncle’s house?” He released her face and slid his hands down her shoulders. “Before you say yes, I feel obligated to tell you I have an ulterior motive.”

  “You do, huh?” Emma wondered if he planned to mention the offer she had overheard.

  “My uncle was a huge Christmas fan and he hadn’t decorated his house before he died. I’d really like to cut down a tree and decorate it in his memory. But I don’t want to do it alone. So if you’d be willing to give me a shoulder to lean on tonight, I’d appreciate it.”

  Tough-as-nails Dylan Slade had an even bigger heart than she’d imagined. “I’d be honored to lend you my shoulder.”

  “Great, I promise to make it fun. He would’ve wanted it that way.” Dylan gave her a quick kiss on the lips before stepping away from her. “But I have a lot to get done before then. Can you meet me at the lodge entrance at six?”

  “Most definitely. I should get back to my workout.” Emma wanted to stay and ask him who the man on the snowmobile had been, but she thought better of it. She gripped her poles and plodded back to the lodge. She needed to call Charlie and tell him Dylan had another offer. A small part of her was relieved it was over, because there was no way he would accept her deal over the other one, if he sold at all. The new offer guaranteed employment. A bigger part of
her was devastated she would lose her promotion. That meant even more changes to her life. Starting with moving into a smaller apartment. She’d call Charlie when she got back to the ranch. Maybe they could counter with something better. Dylan’s kiss was good, but she wasn’t ready to give up her dream just yet.

  A few hours later, Emma had a new offer from Charlie and he expected her to present it tonight. She suggested looking into the neighboring ranch as a possible expansion project or a suitable replacement if Dylan continued to stand his ground. But she refused to discuss any of it with him tonight. Dylan wanted to honor his uncle’s memory and that didn’t leave any room for business. She would tell him about Charlie’s pending donation to Billy’s family so she could get their information. But the rest could wait until the following morning. Nobody would be any wiser. She may be an aggressive businesswoman but even she had her limits.

  She wanted to be there for Dylan the way he had been there for her when she was in the hospital. It would be their first official Christmas memory. And maybe it would be the only one they would share, but it would be theirs.

  Chapter Nine

  Dylan had just finished putting the chicken in the oven when it was time to pick up Emma from the lodge. A few of the Silver Bells’ housekeeping staff had given the house a good cleaning from top to bottom earlier that day. His nerves were beginning to catch up to him as he gave everything one last perusal before heading out the door.

  He pulled up to the lodge’s entrance, driving Jax’s red Wagoneer. It was the only vehicle he had that Emma wouldn’t have to climb up in. Plus, for a car from 1967, it was a sweet ride. He especially loved the bench seats. They were perfect for getting a little closer to your date. Not that they had time to snuggle during the five-minute drive. But this did constitute a date. The first since Lauren. He was ready. And from the looks of her, so was Emma.

  Dylan left the truck running as he hopped out and opened the door for her. “You look beautiful.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You didn’t have to wait out here. I would have come in and gotten you.”

  “I wasn’t outside for long.” She eased onto the passenger seat. “I recognized Jax’s truck from my visits and I wanted to avoid any more questions. It seems everyone on the ranch knows we are having dinner together.”

  Dylan closed her door and ran around to slide in beside her. “Sorry. I hadn’t thought about that when I asked some of the employees to help me freshen up Jax’s house.”

  “You didn’t have to go through so much trouble for me.”

  He found it next to impossible to focus on his driving. Thank God it was a short trip because all he wanted to do was admire her. She looked different tonight. Not just more put together, but more serene. Her hair fell in soft brown waves around her shoulders. It took every ounce of strength not to run his fingers through them to find out if they felt as soft as they looked.

  “Believe me, you wouldn’t want to have seen my uncle’s house before we tackled it.”

  “I love this truck.” Emma glanced around the sparse red and charcoal interior. “Especially since I didn’t need a stepladder to get into it.”

  He detected a hint of nervousness in her laughter. “It was Jax’s pride and joy.” He parked in front of the log home’s expansive porch and helped her out. “I just thought of something. You’ve probably already seen the house.”

  Emma shook her head. “No, actually I haven’t. I always met with your uncle at the lodge. We had figured all dwellings into our proposal, but since the house wasn’t part of the guest quarters, I didn’t feel it was necessary to traipse through it. We planned to use it as an on-site living quarters for our firm while the project was underway and then evaluate its use during that time.”

  Dylan held the door open for her as she entered. “I’ve always loved this house. The craftsmanship is impeccable for a place that’s been around for almost a hundred years. It was the first structure on the property.”

  Emma’s mouth gaped open at the two-story interior. “This isn’t what I expected at all.” She ran her hands over the smooth golden logs. “I thought it would be much darker inside. This is a surprise. A very pleasant surprise.”

  “The chinking needs some TLC here and there, but other than that it’s move-in ready.” Dylan helped her out of her coat. “I know I said this already, but you look beautiful tonight.”

  Emma beamed up at him. “I found this great store in town today and I treated myself to something new.” She ran her hands over the feminine, pale-blue sweater. “I severely under packed, not anticipating the length of my stay. I actually found quite a few places in town that I liked. I was pleasantly surprised.” She wandered toward the kitchen. “What smells so amazing?”

  “Chicken parmesan.” Dylan strode into the kitchen and turned on the burner for the pot of water he had waiting. “With a side of pasta. I hope that’s okay. I forgot to ask you what you like to eat, but I’ve seen you eat chicken so I took the chance.”

  “It’s perfect. I had no idea you could cook.”

  “I can’t make anything too elaborate, but I do all right. Between my mom and hanging around with some of the chefs here, I’ve picked up a few things.”

  Cooking for Emma suddenly became more intimate. Convincing her to stay in Montana had been his main goal, but with each passing hour, he wanted it more than he had realized.

  “This is a massive kitchen. I didn’t expect it to be so large for a place this old.”

  Emma stood at the sink and peered through the window. She looked more natural in the home than he had envisioned. His heart began to beat rapidly at the thought of raising a family with her on the ranch. Now that he had a definite way to stay on the land, he wanted to make plans for the future.

  Dylan was glad he hadn’t mentioned the lodge manager job to Emma earlier. Not that she had given him much of a chance. Barnaby’s offer had been unexpected but not all that surprising. By combining the acreage of both ranches, they could offer more trail options and possibly even open a small downhill ski run since Barnaby’s land extended into the mountains. It sounded great, but he hadn’t decided to take him up on his offer yet. He still would rather maintain some ownership, but Barnaby wanted to buy the ranch outright. It was a solid plan to fall back on if he couldn’t find a partner. He needed to be sure though, before he told his employees they didn’t have to leave.

  During the past few days, his vision had changed from saving the ranch to running the ranch with Emma by his side. The thought alone was crazy. But despite the absurdity, it felt damn right.

  “It’s been updated a time or two in its life. I’d like to refinish the wood surfaces throughout the house and bring out the character of the grain.”

  “You can do all of that yourself?”

  “Sure. Woodworking is a hobby of mine, plus my father was really handy and I learned how to build just about anything from him. This house would be a great place for a bunch of kids to run around in. We loved it as children, but Jax never married or had any of his own. Would you like something to drink?”

  “Just water is fine.” Emma sat at the kitchen table. “I can see kids here. It has what, three bedrooms?”

  “Four. But my uncle used the smallest for a study.” Dylan twisted open a bottle of water and poured it into a glass for Emma. “This place has always been a second home to me, but I never fully appreciated its craftsmanship until after he was gone. It seems strange without him here.”

  “I bet it does. I’m glad you have the memories to look back on.”

  “Cheers to the memories yet to come.” Dylan held up his glass to hers. “I hope you like what I have planned for after dinner.”

  “I thought we were decorating the Christmas tree.”

  “We have to get it first.” Tonight’s anticipation built up in him like a kid on Christmas morning. He almost wanted to s
kip dinner and show Emma the surprise he had planned.

  “Yeah, you mentioned something about cutting one down. Wouldn’t it be easier to go into town and buy one? I saw Christmas trees for sale in front of the supermarket.”

  “Darlin’, no self-respecting cowboy buys a Christmas tree. Trust me, you’ll enjoy the experience.”

  * * *

  WHEN DYLAN UNCOVERED her eyes, she never in a million years expected to see a small white and silver sleigh harnessed to a lone Belgian.

  “I feel like I’ve stepped into a storybook.” Emma giggled as Dylan wrapped her in wool and faux fur blankets. “I can’t believe this is how we’re getting a Christmas tree.”

  “Aren’t you glad we didn’t go into town?”

  “Absolutely!” None of her friends would ever believe she rode on a one-horse open sleigh, let alone one driven by a sexy cowboy after he’d cooked her the most incredible dinner she’d ever eaten. And that wasn’t her pregnancy hormones talking, either. The man could seriously cook. The majority of her meals came from the freezer and involved her heating them in the microwave.

  The pale light of the moon lit their path as their sleigh glided across the snow. Emma didn’t think the smile would ever fade from her face after tonight. This moment was too perfect for words.