A Snowbound Cowboy Christmas. Amanda Renee

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       Chapter Two

      Emma couldn’t believe her luck. If mother nature hadn’t intervened, she was certain Dylan would have tossed her off the ranch. The storm hadn’t been a surprise. She had been carefully watching the weather since last night, hoping the airline wouldn’t cancel her flight. As much as she needed a reason to stay on the ranch, the snowed-in part made her nervous. She hadn’t had any complications with her pregnancy, but she still wanted access to a hospital in case something did happen. Back home in Chicago, her apartment was six blocks from the hospital. The steady stream of sirens and medevac helicopters had become second nature to her. Most of the time she didn’t hear them.

      She glanced around the small room. It had seen better decades, but it was clean and tidy. Leaving her bags by the door, she took her laptop case and purse to the small round table by the window. Despite the hardness of the chair, she was happy to sit down again. After prying off her shoes, she propped up her feet on the chair across from her and set up her computer. She wanted to get as much work done as possible in case the lodge lost power. And judging by the looks of the place, the possibility was very real.

      She typed a quick text message to her boss.

      Made it to Silver Bells. Bad storm. Having hard time getting cell service. Hope this message gets through. Will try calling again later.

      Providing no one from her office called the lodge directly, which she doubted they would, her white lie would go unnoticed. She pressed send, shut off her phone and tossed it on the table. Between yesterday’s conference calls with their investors on the project and this morning’s call from her boss when she landed, she’d had all the pressure she could stand. She needed time to work on her strategy. The ranch was still grieving Jax’s death and there was a fine line between being aggressive and being obnoxious. Judging by Sandy’s reaction to her in the dining room, her presence wasn’t a welcome one. And she totally understood where they were coming from. Dylan wanted to protect his livelihood and she wanted to protect hers.

      Her daughter thumped against her lower left rib. “Easy, butter bean. You’re going to leave your mommy black and blue before you’re born.” Emma rubbed her belly. “We’ll be home soon. Once I close this deal and get my promotion, your future will be secure and I can spend the rest of my pregnancy shopping for your arrival. I can’t wait to meet you.”

      Despite the discomfort, her pregnancy had already gone faster than she had imagined. A little too fast, considering all she had to do. There were only eight weeks left and she hadn’t even started working on the nursery. She had no one to rely on except herself. Until this deal closed, she couldn’t afford to ease up. Raising a baby alone was hard enough. It was even harder in a big city, and she refused to let her daughter down.

      She had managed to pick up a few outfits during her business trips. Traveling hadn’t given her much of a chance to shop, but she loved the idea of buying her daughter dresses from all over the world. It was something she wouldn’t be able to do once she got her promotion. She had mixed emotions about not traveling anymore. As much as she loved it, she found it exhausting.

      Making plans with friends had become a rare luxury over the years. She’d lost touch with many of them and looked forward to reconnecting with them once she had a more normal schedule. Many had families of their own and play dates with her daughter beat traipsing across the globe any day. But unless she got to work now, none of that would happen. She focused her attention on her laptop screen and began reviewing her notes.

      An hour later, Emma stood and stretched. Her skin felt grimy from the flight and she wanted to slip into something less bulky and hot. She peeked into the bathroom. It wasn’t lavish by any means, but it was spotless. And that suited her just fine.

      Emma had just finished showering and dressing when she heard a knock on her room door. She opened it, startled to see Dylan holding a miniature decorated Christmas tree.

      “This is a surprise.” Emma had heard of waving the white flag, but never waving a Christmas tree. Nonetheless, she appreciated the effort. “How sweet!”

      “All of our guests get a tree during the holidays. Normally they are in the room before they arrive, but since we hadn’t booked this room before your unexpected visit, we hadn’t bothered. Everyone deserves a little Christmas cheer.”

      Even her. He hadn’t said the words, but they were certainly implied. So much for assuming he had done something just for her. Not that it mattered.

      “Thank you.” Emma took the tree from him and sat it on the worn oak dresser. “I’m hoping to be home by Christmas. You don’t really think we’ll still be snowed in then, do you? That’s a week away.” Not that she had any big plans. Her mother always said it was a kids’ holiday and once she became an adult, they didn’t do much to celebrate it. However, she still didn’t want to spend her rare day off stuck in No-Man’s-Land, Montana with the Grinch.

      “I certainly hope not. But it has been unusually cold this year and this is our second snow storm of the season. Let’s not even think about the possibility. I’m sure you’ll be back home before you know it. Anyway, that thing lights up.” Dylan crossed the room like he owned the place—which he did—and eased between her and the tree. The slight brush of his body against hers caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. Of course, he probably wouldn’t have touched her if her belly hadn’t been in the way. She had never felt more unattractive in her life. He wiggled the dresser from the wall to access the outlet and bent over, allowing her the perfect view of his backside. At least that brought a smile to her face.

      “There СКАЧАТЬ