A Husband For Christmas. Diana Palmer

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      Abby might have planned to avoid him, but Cade seemed to have other ideas. She noticed his quiet, steady gaze over the dinner table and almost jumped when he spoke.

      “How would you like to see the new calves?” he asked suddenly.

      She lifted her eyes from her plate and stared at him, lost for an answer. “Isn’t it still snowing?” she asked helplessly.

      “Sure,” he agreed. “But the trucks have chains. And the calving sheds are just south of here,” he reminded her.

      Being alone with him was going to unnerve her—she knew it already—but she loved the sight of those woolly little creatures, so new to the world. And she liked being with Cade. She felt safe with him, protected. Despite the lingering apprehension, she wanted to go with him.

      “Well?” he persisted.

      She shrugged. “I would kind of like to see the calves,” she admitted with a tiny smile. She dropped her eyes back to her plate, blissfully unaware of the look Cade exchanged with Melly.

      “We’ll have dessert when we get back,” Cade informed Calla, pushing back his chair.

      Minutes later, riding along in the pickup and being bounced wildly in its warm interior, snow fluttering against the windshield, it was almost like old times.

      “Warm enough, honey?” Cade asked.

      “Like toast.” She wrapped the leather jacket he had loaned her even closer, loving its warmth. Cade was still wearing his shepherd’s coat, looking so masculine he’d have wowed them even at a convention of male models.

      “Not much farther now,” he murmured, turning the truck off onto the farm road that led to the calving pens, where two cowboys in yellow slickers could be seen riding around the enclosures, heads bent against the wind.

      “Poor devils,” she remarked, watching.

      “The men or the heifers?” he asked.

      “Both. All. It’s rough out there.” She balanced her hand against the cold dashboard as he stopped the truck and cut the engine at the side of the long shed. Cade was the perfect rancher, but his driving left a lot to be desired.

      “Now I know how it feels to ride inside a concrete mixer,” she moaned.

      “Don’t start that again,” Cade grumbled as he threw open the door. “You can always walk back,” he added with a dark glance.

      “Did you ever race in the Grand Prix when you were younger, Cade?” she asked with a bright, if somewhat false, smile.

      “And sarcasm won’t do the trick, either,” he warned. He led the way through the snow, and she followed in his huge footprints, liking the bite of the cold wind and the crunch of the snow, the freshness of the air. It was so deliciously different from the city. Her eyes looked out over the acres toward the distant mountains, searching for the familiar snow-covered peaks that she could have seen clearly in sunny daylight. God’s country, she thought reverently. How had she ever been able to exist away from it?

      “Stop daydreaming and catch up,” Cade was growling. “I could lose you out here.”

      “In a little old spring snowstorm like this?” She laughed. “I could fight my way through blizzards, snowshoe myself to Canada, ski over to the Rockies...”

      “...lie like hell, too,” he said, amusement gleaming in the dark eyes that caught hers as they entered the lighted interior. “Come on.”

      She followed him into the airy enclosure, wrapping her arms tight. “Still no heat, I see.” She sighed.

      “Can’t afford the luxury, honey,” he remarked, waving at a cowboy farther down the aisle.

      “Is that why it’s so drafty in here? You poor thing, you,” she chided.

      “I would be, if I didn’t keep the air circulating in here,” he agreed. “Don’t you remember how many calves we used to lose to respiratory ailments before the veterinarians advised us to put in that exhaust fan to keep stale air out of these sheds? Those airborne diseases were bankrupting the operation. Now we disinfect the stalls and maintain a rigid vaccination program, and we’ve cut our losses in half.”

      “Excuse me,” she apologized. “I’m only an ignorant city dweller.”

      He turned in the aisle and looked down at her quietly. “Come home,” he said curtly. “Where you belong.”

      Her heart pounded at the intensity of the brief gaze he gave her before turning back to his cow boss.

      Charlie Smith stood up, grinning at Cade. “Hi, boss, get tired of television and hungry for some real relaxation? Jed sure would love to have somebody take his place—”

      “Just visiting, Charlie,” Cade interrupted. “I brought Abby down to see the newcomers.”

      “Good to see you again, Miss Abby,” Charlie said respectfully, СКАЧАТЬ