One Hot Christmas. Katherine Garbera

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      “I won’t.”

      “It doesn’t matter if I do, anyway, since I have no idea what they could possibly be up to.” She stood. “I have everything in the world a woman could want.”

      Molly stood, too. “Just remember that they love you and want you to know it.”

      “Oh, I do know it.” She smiled. “They demonstrate how much they love me all the time and I return the favor. Life’s too short to live any other way, don’t you think?”

      “Yes.” Molly gave her a hug. “Thanks for letting me be a part of things for a few days, Aunt Sarah. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.”

      “You’re more than welcome. Now, go put on your coat and get some fresh air. We might not get to keep this weather much longer. I heard there’s a storm moving this way.”

      “See you in a few hours.” Molly left the dining room and hurried upstairs. First she popped in her contacts. She probably wouldn’t get to kiss Ben behind the barn, but she didn’t know that for sure.

      Then she put on her winter gear. She’d given the mittens their outing and was back to her leather gloves. She checked the weather app on her phone. Sarah was right about the approaching storm. With luck, the storm would blow through before Monday, when her plane left.

      She had confidence it would. And Christmas Eve wasn’t until Wednesday. Surely the storm, if it hit, would be over in time for her to spend the holiday with her family. She didn’t intend to break a perfect record.

      Dressed for winter, she bounded down the stairs and out through the front door. Someone had scraped the snow and ice from the porch, and the steps were clear, too. Sunlight glinted off the snow. She pulled on her gloves and shaded her eyes as she glanced toward the barn.

      Ben and Pete stood by the fence watching Calamity Sam romp through the drifts in the pasture. The air was still cold enough that she could see her breath, but the sun helped warm her as she followed the path toward the barn.

      A Paint horse running through snow proved to be a dramatic sight. As he frolicked, the white part of his coat blended into the background. If she squinted, she could almost see disembodied gray spots dancing in the air.

      Mesmerizing though that was, Molly was more interested in studying Ben. She could get away with it because he had his back to her. The tilt of his Stetson, the sheepskin coat stretched across his broad shoulders and the booted foot he’d propped on the bottom rail of the fence all branded him as a cowboy, even though she’d never seen him ride. He made Western saddles and was thinking of buying one of the Last Chance horses. She figured he could ride.

      She easily pictured him investing in a small ranch and adding a little horse breeding to his saddle-making operation. Like her, he was full of energy and ideas. He seemed to love life as much as she did. But she couldn’t help thinking about his decision not to have children. If she and Ben were only destined for a brief affair, it shouldn’t matter to her if he liked kids. She had no right to question his choices, either. Their relationship was based on sex, and she’d told him she was fine with that.

      Except she wasn’t. He’d already become more than a sex partner. His good nature and cheerful willingness to help out with the party preparations had impressed her. She was beginning to care about him and hated to think he was closing himself off from certain aspects of life out of fear.

      His tenderness with her indicated he was a kind man, and she found it hard to believe that he’d mistreat a child. She also hadn’t forgotten the emotion he’d put into his harmonica rendition of the theme from Beauty and the Beast.

      Then there was his artistic side. He wouldn’t have been able to create that magnificent saddle unless he had an empathetic, sensitive nature. His contradictions fascinated her. She wanted to know what made him tick and why he nurtured some dreams while rejecting others.

      He’d said that he’d come from an unhappy home and didn’t want to repeat the pattern. Tonight she’d watch how he acted with Sarah’s grandchildren. If he was abrupt with them, she’d know that his concern was legitimate and he was right not to want kids.

      As she stood there contemplating this puzzle of a man, he turned, along with Pete, and walked toward her.

      Pete called out a greeting. “Coming out to see Calamity Sam strut his stuff?”

      “Sort of. Mostly I just craved a little fresh air.”

      As she drew closer, Pete lowered his voice. “Ben said you know about the surprise.”

      “I do. The woman I called in Sheridan mentioned that Ben made saddles, and I knew that had to be the reason he was here.”

      Pete gazed at her. “Do you think Sarah has guessed?”

      “No.”

      “That’s a relief. Ben and I mostly came out here to discuss how to get the saddle into the house without her noticing.”

      “Did you figure it out?” She had wondered about the logistics.

      “I think so. I’ll keep Sarah busy in the bedroom while...wait, that didn’t come out right.”

      Molly grinned. “Whatever it takes, Uncle Pete.”

      He looked a little flustered. “What I meant to say was that I’ll distract her and keep her out of the living room for the ten minutes it’ll take for a couple of guys to carry the stand and saddle into the house.”

      “We moved it to the front of the tractor barn first thing after we left the dining room,” Ben said.

      “And I finally got to see it,” Pete said. “I was blown away. I’ve seen some gorgeous saddles, but this one...you made something very special, Ben.”

      He flushed. “Thanks.”

      “As long as Molly’s out here, you should take her over to get a look.”

      Ben looked at her, his expression carefully neutral. “Would you like to do that?”

      She smiled, enjoying the fact that they had their own special secret. “Of course!”

      “You have never seen such a beautiful saddle in your life, Molly. Anyway, I need to get back. I forgot to check the supply of Scotch in the liquor cabinet. Usually I’m the only one who drinks that, but lately Alex has taken a liking to it.”

      Then he turned to Ben. “My apologies. I shouldn’t throw out names like that. You’ll need a scorecard to keep everyone straight tonight, but for the record, Alex Keller is Jack’s brother-in-law. He and Jack’s wife Josie are brother and sister.”

      “And Alex is married to Tyler, who is Morgan’s sister,” Molly added.

      “Exactly.” Pete nodded. “Stick close to Molly, Ben. She’s been studying this stuff all week and she has it down cold.”

      “I’ll be sure to do that.” Ben’s tone was carefully nonchalant.

      “See you two later, then.” Pete’s long strides carried him back toward the house.

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