Cowboy Unwrapped. Vicki Thompson Lewis
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I’ll hold the rack while Finn drives,” Jake said. “If I hadn’t invited a woman for a sleigh ride before I had the damn sleigh, we wouldn’t be doing any of this.”
“But where’s the fun in that?” Cade grinned at him. “We’re making us some memories right here.”
“I guarantee I won’t be forgetting this anytime soon.” Jake climbed into the bench seat and leaned over to grasp the metal rack. “Better take it slow, O’Roarke. This isn’t a real stable position I have, here.”
Cade chuckled. “No, but it sure is a photo op. Wish I’d brought my phone so I could take a picture of you riding in that sleigh ass backward.”
“Thank God for small favors. Knowing you, you’d put it on the internet.”
“Yeah, I would.”
Jake listened to the sleigh rattle along. It wasn’t as noisy now because he was holding the rack and they were going slower. “Say, Cade, when are Damon and Phil due at the ranch?”
“They were hoping to hit town late this morning and stop by around lunchtime. They could be there now.”
“That would be great.”
“They’ll be tired,” Finn said. “And Phil’s less than a month away from her due date, which is why they drove to Florida. Just in case you were hoping they could do a quick fix.”
“I don’t expect that, but they could give me their opinion on whether this thing is roadworthy before Amethyst arrives. How are we doing on time?”
“I’d estimate it’s about one fifteen,” Cade said. “Give or take.”
“Yikes. I hope Amethyst’s not early.”
But of course she was. As Finn drove the sleigh into the open area in front of the barn, Amethyst climbed out of her yellow SUV. She took one look at Jake’s position in the sleigh and started laughing. Terrific. His rep was ruined. Might as well hitch up the toboggan.
AMETHYST WOULD RECOGNIZE those buns anywhere. She’d admired them when Jake was seventeen and they’d become even more worthy of a good ogle since then. But the sleigh...oh, my God. She’d assumed when he’d invited her that Thunder Mountain Ranch had a sleigh, probably painted hunter green and brown, the colors of Thunder Mountain Academy.
Apparently, Jake had issued his invitation prematurely. His cheeks were tinged pink as he walked toward her and she doubted the cold was to blame. But, damn, he was gorgeous. Who cared what the sleigh looked like when she could feast her eyes on a muscled cowboy with soulful green eyes and a sculpted mouth that could kiss like nobody’s business?
“I have to apologize,” he said.
“No, you don’t. That entrance was worth the trip out here.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet. I’m surprised you didn’t whip out your phone.”
“Wish I had.” She wouldn’t have minded a permanent record of Jake’s sexy butt. But she’d been too mesmerized to think of it.
“Look, obviously we don’t have a working sleigh, so I’m afraid—”
“Don’t be hasty, Fireman Jake!” Cade hurried over. “Hey, Amethyst. Good to see you.” He touched the brim of his hat.
“Good to see you, too, Cade. I don’t think we’ve run into each other since the last time I saw you at Rangeland Roasters having coffee with Lexi.”
“I know. Sheridan’s a small town, but you can go months without meeting up with folks who live here.”
“And I’m on the road a lot.”
“Yeah, I know! Love your music. Lexi and I listen to you all the time. Anyway, I don’t want you two to give up on the sleigh ride just yet. Finn’s unhitching Navarre so we can get to work on the chassis.”
Jake shook his head. “It’s no use, Gallagher. It might be salvageable but it’ll take days.”
“I’m not promising it’ll look brand new in five minutes, but Damon and Phil are here and they never go anywhere without tools. It’s possible with their help we can clean this baby up, tighten a few screws and she’ll be good enough for a little ride down the Forest Service road. Have you had lunch, Amethyst? Rosie always has plenty to eat and you could relax inside while we work our magic.”
“Yes, I’ve had lunch. And, really, we can skip the sleigh ride. I don’t want anyone to go to a lot of trouble on Christmas Eve day.”
“Me, either,” Jake said. “Maybe Amethyst and I could just—”
“Jake, I’m telling you, it won’t take much. I’m sure Mom filled in Damon and Phil over lunch. They’d probably be insulted if we didn’t ask them.”
“I doubt it,” Jake said. “They just got back from Florida, dude. And Phil’s not in any shape to help.”
“All the more reason not to bother them,” Amethyst said. “Jake can give me a tour of the place. I’ve heard so much about it over the years but I’ve never visited.”
“Hey, Jake Ramsey!” Damon’s deep voice carried through the crisp air as he strode toward them. “What’s this I hear about a fixer-upper sleigh?”
“Hey, Damon.” Jake went to meet him. “Just my latest idiotic move.”
Amethyst was touched by their warm embrace. She’d always had a soft spot in her heart for the Thunder Mountain boys. Most of them had some tragedy in their background and Jake was no exception. When they were dating she’d learned that his mom had died when he was a toddler and his father had turned into an abusive alcoholic. Jake used to spend his nights wherever he could get away from the beatings, sometimes at the home of a friend and sometimes hidden in the storeroom of Scruffy’s Bar.
Jake didn’t trust easily. She’d learned that when he’d broken up with her over a stupid misunderstanding. He’d never quite believed that she cared about him and he still might not. But at least they had a sexual connection that made them both happy.
She watched as Jake and Damon walked over to the sleigh. They were both laughing as Damon examined it from all angles. She turned to Cade. “I love your can-do attitude but, seriously, let’s forget about the sleigh ride, okay? It was a cute idea but I can live without it.”
“But that would mean giving up,” Cade said. “Besides, Damon likes to show off his manly carpentry skills.”
“That may be true but—”
“In these situations, it’s best to sit back and let the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood do its thing.”
She let out a breath. “Okay, I’ll try.”
Damon and Jake continued to joke around as they walked back over to where she stood with Cade.
“Damon’s convinced me we need to give this sleigh a chance,” Jake said. “So I’m prepared to work with him on it if you’re willing to allow us a little time.”
“Sure, why not? What do you want me to do?”
“I’m not going to put you to work, if that’s what you’re thinking. While Damon’s assessing the job, let’s go inside and see Rosie. I know you’ve had lunch but she’ll have a pot of coffee going and I happen to know there’s some German chocolate cake left over from last night.”
“That sounds great.” Amethyst hadn’t known what to expect from this afternoon but she hadn’t planned on much alone time with Jake, anyway. She’d popped an antihistamine before driving out here in case she ended up in the same space with Ringo the cat.
“I’ll go in with you,” Cade said. “I’m starving