The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle. RaeAnne Thayne

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СКАЧАТЬ now that he had sometimes seen lights glowing at her house late at night and had wondered about it.

      He was struck by another sudden memory. “Is that why you had so many groceries in your van today? I thought maybe you were just stocking up in case of a blizzard.”

      She laughed out loud and he was quite certain it was the loveliest sound he had heard in a long time. “My boys eat a lot, I’ll grant you that. But not quite twenty grocery bags full. Yes, that’s why I had so many groceries in my van. It was also the reason for my panic this morning. I had a million things to do before tonight and couldn’t really afford the delay of being stupid enough to slide into a snowbank. Thank you again for pulling me out.”

      “You’re welcome. I’m glad I was there. I would have hated missing all this delicious food. Your tandoori beef skewers are particularly wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything like it.”

      “Thank you.” She looked as surprised at the compliment as if he had just reached over and kissed her hard, right here above the maple pepper salmon bites.

      Not a completely unappealing idea, he had to admit.

      None of this made sense to him. Not his sudden fierce attraction to her or the fact that she was here in the first place.

      He had paid in the mid seven figures for her ranch, more than its appraised value because he hadn’t wanted to quibble and risk missing out on the purchase after he had searched so long for the perfect rangeland for his and Neil’s plans for sustainable ranching.

      He would think with careful management, she and her children would be well-provided-for the rest of their lives.

      But she drove a five-year-old minivan and her house needed painting and she worked after her children were in bed to throw parties for other people.

      It was none of his business, he reminded himself. She was none of his business.

      Except she did fix a mean goat-cheese crostini.

      “Well, your food is fantastic. Do you mind if I give your card to my assistant who plans my events for me? I expect I’ll be doing more entertaining at Raven’s Nest in the future. I was hoping to find someone closer than Jackson Hole to handle the catering when I entertain. I never expected her to live just down the hill.”

      She paused for a long moment and he could clearly see the indecision in her eyes. He sensed she wanted to tell him no but instead she gave a short nod. “I suppose. I should warn you I’m very selective about the jobs I accept. If it doesn’t work for my children’s schedule, I have no qualms about turning something down. They come first.”

      “Fair enough.”

      He would have added more but the woman who had been helping Jenna serve at the party approached them at that moment. She barely looked at Carson but the quick glance she shot at him was icier, even more than Jenna’s had been.

      “Jenna, the mayor is asking if you have more of your baconwrapped shrimp. He’s crazy about them, apparently. I told him I would ask.”

      “I’ll have to go check the inventory in the kitchen.” She turned toward Carson with an apologetic expression he wasn’t completely certain was genuine.

      “Will you excuse me? Things are a little hectic.”

      “Of course,” he answered. He watched her go, not at all thrilled to realize the brief interaction with her had been the most enjoyable moments of his evening.

      Why wouldn’t the man just leave already?

      Jenna returned to the kitchen after making yet another trip to replenish the buffet table, fighting the urge to bury her face in a pitcher of ice water.

      This was becoming ridiculous.

      She had made a half-dozen trips out into the holidaybedecked community center, circulating among the guests with more cheesecake or toffee bites.

      Every time, she had vowed to herself she wouldn’t pay the slightest bit of attention to Carson McRaven. But the instant she would walk out of the kitchen, her gaze would unerringly find him, no matter where he was standing.

      He shouldn’t have stood out so glaringly. She had no reason to hone in on him like a heat-seeking missile. It wasn’t like he was wearing some fancy tailored Italian-cut suit or anything. He had on perfectly appropriate khaki slacks and a light blue dress shirt under a sport jacket that looked casual but probably cost more than the average fall steer at market.

      The man was just too blasted good-looking, with that dark wavy hair and those intense blue eyes. It didn’t help that he wore his clothes with a careless elegance that was completely foreign compared to the off-the-rack crowd in Pine Gulch.

      She couldn’t help noticing him, maybe because he looked like a fierce hawk taking tea with a flock of starlings.

       This is the cattle growers’ association holiday party, right? Since I run four hundred head of cattle at Raven’s Nest, doesn’t that make me eligible?

      If he was your average rancher, she was Julia Child.

      “I can’t believe that man had the nerve to show up here.”

      Jenna swiveled to find her sister-in-law coming through the doors with another empty tray. “What man?” she asked, playing innocent, just as if her thoughts hadn’t revolved around him from the moment she had discovered him at the party.

      “McRaven!” Terri’s glare looked incongruous on her pixie features. “Does the man have to ruin everything? It’s not enough that he waltzes away with your ranch and starts building that Taj Mahal on it but now he has to show up all over town like he owns the place.”

      “He didn’t waltz away with anything, Terri. You know that. He paid good money for the ranch. And the house he built is big but it’s not obscenely big.”

      “It’s the biggest house in town. I mean, who really needs a twelve thousand square foot mansion out in the middle of freaking nowhere? Do you have any idea what kind of hit he’s going to take if he ever tries to sell the place? Who else is going to want to shell out that kind of money in this soft market?”

      “Does everything have to come down to real estate with you?”

      Terri made a face. “I can’t help it. I’ve got loan-to-values and escrow analyses on the brain.”

      When her sister-in-law wasn’t helping her serve the mad rush of holiday events she had overcommitted to, Terri was studying for her real-estate license.

      “McRaven should have taken a good look at the market around here before he jumped in and started building his megahouse,” she added.

      “I’m guessing he doesn’t care about the market. He’s got the money and the land. He’s free to build whatever kind of house he wants on it.”

      She had to admit, she hadn’t been thrilled that, for ten months, Raven’s Nest had seen a constant stream of workers and delivery trucks and construction vehicles, with their dust and noise. The boys had been fascinated by it all but she had mostly found it annoying. And, okay, she had resented that Carson had the endlessly deep pockets to come in and make all the changes СКАЧАТЬ