A Texas Holiday Reunion. Shannon Taylor Vannatter
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Название: A Texas Holiday Reunion
Автор: Shannon Taylor Vannatter
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
Серия: Texas Cowboys
isbn: 9781474079709
isbn:
Over his dead body.
But Resa couldn’t learn the truth, either. A delicate tightrope stretched taut underneath him. And the wire kept shifting under his feet.
* * *
Despite Colson, his dad and Annette surrounding her, Cheyenne had gone silent and withdrawn when she’d seen Hyacinth.
Resa absorbed all Colson’s tension. Cheyenne’s discomfort was her fault.
Hyacinth reluctantly sat on a hay bale and paid more attention to the damage the straws supposedly made in her pricey pantsuit than to her granddaughter. Jasmine had pulled a no-show. Probably a good thing. Resa’s friends Landry and Chase, along with his parents, made up the rest of the crew. Putting some space between Resa and Colson.
The ranch truck pulling the wagon rounded the corner and they got the first glimpse of the lights. Cheyenne audibly gasped and seemed to forget all about her grandmother.
Nigel Birmingham, just as down-to-earth as his wife was snooty, focused completely on his granddaughter. “There’s a cowboy boot bigger than would fit any cowboy I’ve ever known.” He was clearly intent on soothing her with his heartwarming, silly running commentary on each display.
The little girl giggled, obviously at ease with her grandfather.
“Except Big Tex. You ever been to the State Fair of Texas?”
Cheyenne’s eyes widened. “Daddy took me this year. Big Tex is really big and I was scared of him cause he talks. But Daddy says he’s just a big old statue with a recorded voice and they take him apart and put him in a truck once the fair is over.”
“I think somebody stole Big Tex’s boot. What do you think?”
She giggled again.
“Which one’s yours, Resa?” Nigel asked.
“The nativity.”
“Ah.” He grinned. “It’s nice.”
“Do you have one?”
The wagon hit a pothole, jostling them a bit.
“The angels overlooking the nativity.”
“We have a display?” Hyacinth whipped around to face her husband.
“For years. It doesn’t cost much. You can’t have a nativity without angels, and it makes people happy. You can’t put a price on that, dear.”
“You helped put up the lights, Poppy?” Cheyenne moved a bit closer.
“Nope. I just pay to have the angels put up every year. But there are lots of Christmas festivities to come. We could get in on Singing in the Saddle in a few weeks.”
“Really, Nigel, don’t encourage her.” Hyacinth scoffed.
“What’s Singing in the Saddle?” Cheyenne, her face aglow from the lights surrounding them, ignored her grandmother.
“It’s a trail ride of sorts with caroling. People ride horses or wagons around Bandera.”
“But I don’t want to ride a horse.”
“How about a wagon?” Resa patted the hay bale where she sat. “You can ride in this very wagon.”
“Can we go, Daddy? Can we?”
“We’ll see.”
“It wouldn’t be Christmas caroling without you.” Nigel sent Colson a hopeful smile. “But just in case, we can sing now.” Nigel started “Silent Night” off, his deep rich baritone echoing through the crisp air.
As voices joined, Landry elbowed Resa. “So why is the cowboy still here?”
Resa whispered the explanation.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s no big deal.”
“And the little girl is his?”
“He was married. But his wife died two years ago.”
“Hmm.”
“There’s no ‘hmm.’”
“So why did you invite him on the hayride if you don’t like him?”
“I invited Cheyenne on the hayride.” She whispered the whole thing about Hyacinth demanding a visit.
“And you care about this child because?”
“I don’t know.” Resa shrugged. “She’s just a little girl. Who lost her mother. And now she’s had to move away from everything she’s ever known because of me. The least I can do is ease her discomfort with Christmas lights.”
“Hmm.”
“You already said that. It’s temporary. They’ll only be here until my parents get back. And then they’ll move back to Kingsville.”
So why did that thought make her feel sad and lonely?
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