Cowboy's Christmas Carol_An Older Man Younger Woman Christmas Romance Read online

  We clink glasses and she taps the back of each twice with her fingernail.

  I down the shots and give my woman a big ol’ hug, but not too big…she’s got my first born in there.

  She turned my ranch into our home and now she’s going to change us both into parents.

  Whether a boy or a girl that child will mean everything to me because it’ll be one of my own, just like she is mine and I am hers.

  And it will stay that way with each and every child we have from the first to the fifth and beyond.

  You can see pretty far across some parts of this land where I live and the view has always taught me to prepare for the future.

  But nothing can prepare me for the future joy she’s going to give me as we ride off into the sunset together.

  “I’ll get the horses,” I say. “Time for these cowboys and this cowgirl to ride!”

  “Cowgirl up!” she says. “Your cowgirl now and forever.”

  I give her a big kiss. “And your cowboy now, forever, and always.”

  EXTENDED EPILOGUE

  Carol

  Ten years later

  “You hold the needle like this and then you move it like that. See,” I say, showing our five-year-old Caitlyn how to do needlework.

  Her tongue comes out of the side of her mouth as she focuses ever so intently. The needle goes just where it needs to and then suddenly she looks up at me to see if she did it right.

  “Perfect, honey!” I say. I lean in and brush her hair away from her forehead with my hand before giving her a big kiss.

  “Can I do more, mommy?”

  “You’re so good at this so you certainly can. Let me check on your dad and sister, pumpkin. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay,” she says.

  I walk over to the window and pull back the thin linen curtain.

  I watch as Colt stands in the middle of the riding ring. He’s got Carly, our oldest daughter on a pony which he’s guiding around some obstacles he set up to make her riding experience more fun.

  I just want to freeze this moment in time in my mind forever.

  “Mom, can I have some beef jerky?”

  I look down and see Carson tugging on my belt loop. I put my hand on his head and look at the clock.

  “Okay, but you have to eat it right now…and just one piece. I don’t want you to spoil your appe-”

  I don’t even need to finish my sentence. He’s already long gone. I laugh a little bit at the idea of spoiling his appetite. He runs around like a chicken with its head cut off and eats everything in sight. I think it’s impossible to spoil his appetite because it’s always on. If he keeps growing as fast as he has been I’m not going to be able to put my hand on his head much longer.

  “Thanks for washing my baseball uniform,” Carter says as he enters the room.

  “You don’t have a game tonight do you?”

  “No. Not until tomorrow, but it smells so good now and I just like wearing it.”

  “Okay, but please no baseball spikes in the house.”

  “Never mom. Only outside.”

  I give him a wink. “Did I get all the stains out?”

  “Yep,” he says.

  I move in for an inspection and feel proud at what I was able to do. That boy finds a way to slide about fifty times per game. He even slides into first and he doesn’t need to. He slides in the infield dirt. He slides in the outfield grass. After the game he goes down the playground slide headfirst and slides into the sandpit. I’m surprised I haven’t pulled a snake, or a snail, or a puppy dog tail out of one of his pockets yet.

  But he has pulled something from me, every day. He pulls out all the love I have inside and in doing so he fills me right back up for tomorrow. All my kids do. I love nothing more than showering them with attention, positivity, and affection. And they give it right back, even the boys which I was a little surprised to discover. I’m ecstatic that our boys are still tough and rough around the edges, but also kind and appreciative to their mother and respectful to all women and girls they meet.

  I think it’s a trait they get from their dad. Rough and ready, but the perfect gentleman.

  I look back out the window and watch that perfect gentleman in action. That masculine, handsome perfect gentleman of mine as he shows our daughter how to ride a horse, just like he taught me in that same spot years ago.

  The more things change, the more they stay the same. And that suits me just perfectly.

  I love the change of our family continuing to grow, but I love nothing more than the stability that my husband provides me just like a rock I can latch onto in good times or in bad. Luckily everything’s been good since we got things cleared up with dad a decade ago.

  Now our trails are clear, the wind is at our back, and we ride together as a family. Right now it’s not meant to be taken literally but as time goes by one day it will. Colt will train all our children to ride and how to respect animals.

  And one day we’ll all be able to saddle up together and yell, “Giddy up!”

  I look over at our youngest. Courtney’s on her wooden rocking horse.

  “That’s right sweetie. One day soon you’ll be out there where your sister is, but you have to crawl before you can walk.”

  “Gi…dee..up!” she says.

  “That’s right!”

  I walk over to her and wrap her up in a hug from behind.

  “Giddy up!” I say as I bounce her up and down a bit causing her to giggle and laugh uncontrollably.

  She’s learning her words right now, but until then her infectious laughter and smile says it all.

  EXTENDED EPILOGUE

  Colt

  Three year later

  “What’s that dad?”

  “That a bullfrog, son.”

  “What’s a bullfrog?”

  “Well you know how the bull is the biggest and the baddest?”

  “Kind of like you?”

  “That’s right,” I say trying not to laugh. “Kind of like me.” Is he buttering me up for something? “Well the bullfrog is the biggest and baddest of the frogs.”

  “And that’s the noise he makes?”

  “That is the sweet sound he sings which is one of the best things in the world to fall asleep to. It’s only rivaled by the sounds of locusts and crickets, maybe a cat purring, or a baby breathing comfortably while resting on your chest.”

  “A baby sleeping on your chest?”

  “It will make sense later.”

  “Wait about ten or fifteen more years,” Carol says.

  “Okay. If you say so,” Carter says. He shrugs his shoulders and raises his palms to the sky. “Hey Carson, want to go look for bullfrogs?”

  “Yeah! Let’s go!”

  They take off running followed by a whole lot of, “Wait for me’s,” as the sound of children scampering down to the creek fills the crisp evening air.

  “Did they all go?” I ask.

  “I think that’s all of them. Yeah. Wow.”

  “How did we manage that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Me either. But what I do know is that there’s a tent right over yonder that’s calling our names right now.”

  “Oh is it?” Carol asks.

  “It most certainly is, and we better answer while we’ve got the chance. Never know if that call will come again if we don’t pick up on the first ring. Care to answer that call?”

  “Isn’t that how we wound up with such a big family in the first place?”

  “You think seven kids is a big family?”

  “Don’t you?”

  “I was thinking big starts at…oh…maybe…ten?”

  “Ten! Well you wouldn’t think that if it was you in the delivery room pushing while they’re pulling, and holding your breath while they’re yelling to breath, as someone’s kicking you from the inside as a doctor stares down your…well, you can guess.”

  “Oh, I don’t have to guess. I know, but I definitely could use a reminder right
about now.”

  “Is there anytime ever that you’re not ready to go?”

  “Baby when it comes to you you know my appetite is insatiable.”

  “You keep talking like that and we just might get to ten after all.”

  “How about a dozen?”

  “Colt!” she says as she slaps me on the arm.

  I counter with a playful slap on her backside which causes her to jump.

  “Okay, I’m definitely ready now.”

  She grabs my arm and we run like two school kids over to our tent. We’re inside and have the front flaps zipped up in no time flat.

  “How much time do you think we’ve got?” she asks.

  “For you I’ve got all the time in the world.”

  “Colt!” she says, slapping me again. “I’m loving the romance but you know this has to be quick. The kids could come back at any minute.”

  “They won’t.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “When I was their age I use to go looking for those same bullfrogs.”

  “And?”

  “They’re farther down the creek than you think and there’s no way the kids will ever catch them. But trying will be so much fun that it will wind up being us that will have to go and catch the kids. They won’t want to leave and they’re not going to be back here anytime soon.”

  “Is it safe for them to wander off that far?”

  “It’s not that far, plus you know our boys. They’re going to make sure everything stays safe. The creek is barely ankle high right now anyways. We can give them fifteen or twenty minutes as a head start and then we can go round them up for dinner.”

  “We’ve got a whole twenty minutes? That seems like a lifetime these days.”

  I laugh. I try not to but I can’t help it. And the reason I laugh is because it’s true. We always make time for each other, but those long drawn out lovemaking sessions are only two or three times a week. The other ten times or so we have to get what we can. A quickie in the shower. A afternoon roll in the hay…literally. A little splishing and splashing at the creek when the water’s a little higher and there’s more foliage to make sure nobody sees us.

  But all the sneaking around like teenagers makes it fun. Keeps it exciting. And I like sharing those intimate moments with her in as many ways as we’ve discovered to share them.

  But as much as a fire burns inside of me for her, it’s the moments outside the bedroom that we share day in and day out that make life the best.

  And the most important moments we’ve ever shared are our kids. We’ve created a family together and we’ve built that family into a singular unit. Sure each of our kids has their own unique personality, but we always come together as one. One for all and all for one.

  And there’s nothing we all enjoy more than doing things as a family, just like our campout tonight.

  After a real cowboy dinner of beans and wieners we’ll make s’mores and tell scary stories by the fire.

  And tomorrow we’ll tease whoever fell asleep first and who got scared the quickest. But it’s just good ol’ family teasing. No harm and nothing serious at all.

  If anything the kids are the best teasers. They make fun of me for passing out in my La-Z-Boy each night with my head tipped back and my mouth open. Sometimes I even snore up a storm. I’m just glad they have the decency not to post that stuff on the Internet. But they never would. That’s not the kind of kids I raised.

  “I’ve got an idea,” I say as Carol wrestles with her shirt.

  “We don’t have time to get too carried away in some crazy position right now, Colt!”

  “My point exactly.” I place my hand on hers stopping her from taking off her top. She looks up at me as if she’s shocked I would ever do such a thing. To be honest I’m even kind of shocked myself.

  “The kids are going to be beat tonight. They’ll pass out so fast we’ll need extra hands just to carry them off to bed. Let’s save our passion for then.”

  “Won’t they hear us?”

  “Well blame it on the bears or the coyotes.”

  She laughs so hard she almost snorts.

  “Are there bears around here?”

  “Only at the zoo,” I say. “We can stick to the coyotes.”

  “So what about right now?”

  “Let’s just lay here and relax. Spend a few moments together. I want to hear your heartbeat on my chest while I run my hands though your hair.”

  “Well Colt McCoy. Look at you you big ol’ romantic! I’m in!”

  She cuddles up next to me and I wrap my arm around her. It’s right where she belongs, in my arms now and forever.

  I’m going to keep her safe, warm and protected just as I do my entire family.

  Because that’s what life’s all about. Family. And family starts with her.

  My beautiful. My love. My life.

  POLICE OFFICER’S PRINCESS

  I’m a single father to a rambunctious little girl, and a police officer in one of the toughest cities in America.

  Whether I’m trying to figure out where my popcorn disappeared to on movie night with my daughter or where the suspect in the case I’m working on is hiding the evidence, I can always tell who’s telling the truth and who’s not.

  So why can’t I be honest with myself when it comes to her?

  I swear I’m not interested in my best friend’s little sister.

  Not the shy girl with the pigtails from years gone by.

  But the way she’s looking at me tells me she’s not so shy anymore, and it’s making this officer want to frisk her with a pat down.

  And those pigtails I used to pull on to tease her? Now I want to pull those long locks of hers for a different reason.

  But as much as my visual inspection makes me want to break out my nightstick and yell “spread em,” it’s the way her and my daughter are becoming partners in crime more and more every day that makes me know I’ve got the only girl who could be my partner for life. They’re teasing me, surprising me, and reminding me what it’s like to live and love again.

  My actions leave no alibi. When it comes to locking her up and throwing away the key I’m guilty as charged. But before I give her the key to my heart, I suspect I’ll have to resist her brother’s case for a domestic disturbance when he bursts through the door like a battering ram at the most inopportune time.

  *Police Officer's Princess is a 59,000+ word complete stand-alone novel with no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a guaranteed HEA.

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