A Christmas Baby for the Cowboy Read online

“What we’re doing, you mean.”

  “O-kay.” He drew out the word.

  “All of this food is for charity. You know the reminder the pastor gave us about a food drive? We’ve been collecting items at church and keeping them in the church storage room for a couple of weeks now—with the obvious exception of the fresh foods, which were donated by Sam’s Grocery and Cup O’ Jo’s Café. I picked all those up this morning. We need to get this food separated and boxed up into Thanksgiving meals and then we’ll take the bins to some families who are running a little short this year.”

  “And you want me to help?” His heart warmed. Martin had been pushing him to do charitable works but all Cash ever wanted to do was say no. It didn’t seem right, somehow, to pretend as someone who cared about people, when really, all he’d ever cared about was himself.

  But when Alyssa presented him with this opportunity, it was a whole other thing.

  “Only if you want to,” she qualified.

  “Of course he wants to.” Martin’s voice came from the front of the store, making Cash cringe. He hadn’t bothered locking the door when he’d entered, since he’d assumed they’d be open for business within the hour. “This is a perfect photo op. Brilliant. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself. Cash feeding the poor. Let’s not rush things. I’m getting on the phone with Pete right now. He’s in town for a few days anyway doing a shoot on the Second Chance Ranch Horse Challenge. I know he’ll want to document this. It’ll only take him a minute to get over here.”

  Cash’s gaze flashed back to Alyssa. She was staring at Martin as if he’d just suggested eating worms for breakfast. Her face flushed an angry red as her eyes met Cash’s.

  “I need something out of the storage room,” she stated, turning away from him and stalking toward the back. “Cash, can you help me?”

  She didn’t even wait to see if he was following her, but the moment they were alone, she rounded on him like a cornered tiger.

  “I’m sorry, but I’ve had quite enough of you being photographed or filmed every time you do something nice for someone. It’s all fake and I don’t like it. Doesn’t that bother you even just a little bit?”

  More than she would ever know.

  He wished he’d never brought Martin and Pete into Alyssa’s life. She had more than enough to deal with, without his agent poking his nose into her business.

  “I have an idea,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulder and leaning in conspiratorially. “A way we can salvage this situation.”

  “Let’s hear it.”

  “Why don’t we finish organizing and go ahead and load up the food into my truck as we’d planned. Act as if we’ve agreed to the photo op. Then we make a run for it. Lose ’em.”

  “Seriously?”

  “You bet. It’ll be fun. No doubt they’ll try to follow us, but I think with effort we can give them the slip. Get them all turned around before we head where we’re really going.”

  “Like in the movies?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I don’t know how effective that will be, given how small Serendipity is. They’re bound to catch up with us sooner or later. All they have to do is keep driving around. But I suppose that will at least give us the opportunity to deliver some of the care packages.”

  “If we can ditch them once, we can do it again, until our work is accomplished.”

  She chuckled. “That’s the name of the game.”

  “What? Ditch?”

  “Ding-dong ditch, to be precise. Did you ever play that game when you were a kid? Ring someone’s doorbell and then run away and hide before they caught you?”

  “I had a few dozen girlfriends in high school.” He pressed out his chest like a rooster and chuckled. “I was the one getting my doorbell rung at all hours of the day and night—which annoyed my parents to no end.”

  “Braggart.”

  “Just telling it like it is.”

  “I’m sure.” She rolled her eyes. “Now, let’s finish sorting through the food and load it up on your truck.”

  “We can ask Martin and Pete to help with organizing the food. I’m not sure about Martin, but I think we can enlist Pete.”

  He started to head out of the storeroom when Alyssa caught his arm.

  He turned and questioned her with a look.

  “You’re sure you don’t want to make this into a promo op? It would look good on your résumé.”

  Cash knew what it took for her to ask that question and he appreciated the sacrifice, but this project was a real act of community charity. If everyone knew he’d participated, what was the point?

  “I’m positive,” he assured her. “Now let’s get this stuff loaded up and get out of here.”

  * * *

  Though they’d grown closer over time and Alyssa knew Cash had a kind heart beating in that big ol’ chest of his, she was still taken by surprise when he’d so easily dropped what would have been the perfect photo op.

  This could have turned out to be a disaster, but Cash was turning it into something exciting. The last thing she wanted to do was have Pete following them around snapping pictures. It would take all the fun out of the day.

  But she wasn’t sure it was fair to him. Cash had given her far more than she’d ever expected when she’d bid on him at the auction, and she wanted to make sure he got what he needed to clean up his image and return to rodeo.

  And he would return to his high-adrenaline lifestyle, probably sooner rather than later. He never complained about his current lifestyle but keeping shop with her couldn’t possibly be enough for a man like Cash.

  Her chest squeezed tight around her heart when she thought about him leaving. There had never been any question of that being the end goal, and yet it was hard to imagine going back to the solitary existence she’d lived before he’d come along.

  Could she run Emerson’s by herself?

  Of course she could. She’d done it before. She could do it again.

  But it would never be the same. There would always be something—someone—missing.

  “We’re all loaded up,” Cash said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “Are you ready to lose the extra weight?”

  She giggled. She had to admit, this was going to be fun. Cash certainly livened up her life.

  “On the count of three, then,” he continued in a soft, husky voice. “Hop into the truck and we’ll peel on out of here.”

  She nodded.

  He grinned. “One...two...three.”

  He grabbed her hand and they raced for his truck. By the time she’d thrown herself into the passenger side of the cab and slammed the door shut behind her, Cash had already revved up the engine and put the truck into gear. As he’d promised, he peeled off down the street, the wheels screeching as he turned a tight corner.

  Alyssa looked back just in time to see Martin and Pete standing on the sidewalk in front of the store, their mouths gaping open and stunned expressions on their faces.

  “Ha. We did it,” she cheered.

  “You didn’t think we would? I’m offended that you doubted me.”

  She laughed. “Oh, I didn’t. Not for one second. Now, here comes the really fun part.”

  “I thought getting rid of Martin and Pete was the fun part.”

  “Your day is only starting. Do you remember where Cliff Johnson and his family live?”

  “Still in that housing community out past the park?”

  “Yep. Cliff fell ill recently and wasn’t able to wrangle cows for a few months. He was in the hospital and now they’re coping with a ton of medical bills. And as if that wasn’t enough, they have a baby to look out for. It’s been rough on the whole family. The holidays are going to be tough on them this year.”

  “And now we’re bringing them Thanksgiving dinner. Do they attend church?”


  “Oh, no. At least, not for years.”

  “That’s a really cool thing for you to do for them.”

  Her gaze widened. “Oh, it’s not just me. Many fellow parishioners helped gather everything. We have a food drive going year-round not only for the food bank but especially in preparation for the holidays.”

  He flashed a glance at her. “Just how early did you show up this morning to organize all the food into bins?”

  “Oh-dark-thirty. I think I started at about 3:00 a.m.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “Let’s see...because it was three o’clock in the morning and most people are sleeping?”

  “I would have come, you know. To help you. We could have gotten the work done in half the time.”

  She chuckled. “Well, I’ll know for next time.”

  Except there wouldn’t be any next time. Cash would be gone long before she would be delivering food again just before Christmas.

  Cash pulled his truck onto the Johnsons’ street and started to park in front of the house.

  “No, wait,” Alyssa exclaimed, reaching for his arm. “Ding-dong ditch, remember? This is supposed to be anonymous. Park the truck around the corner.”

  “Oh, yeah. Right.” Blue eyes gleamed with the thrill of adventure as he pulled the truck around the corner and put it in Park.

  Cash unloaded a bin from the back of his truck and turned to Alyssa.

  “Lead the way.”

  “We have to be super quiet and sneaky.” Her gaze narrowed on him and she pursed her lips. “How are we going to do this with you carrying such a heavy bin?”

  His laugh rent the air and he looked immediately repentant.

  “Honey,” he said in an exaggerated whisper, bobbing his eyebrows for emphasis, “have you ever picked up a hay bale? Way, way heavier than any of these bins, and I regularly tote two at a time.”

  She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the chuckle that left her lips.

  “Okay, then, Hercules, we need to keep our heads low, so they don’t see us if they happen to look out the front window. We’ll tiptoe up to the porch and drop the food off in front of their door.”

  “And then ring the doorbell and run like crazy,” Cash finished for her.

  She could tell he was enjoying this. She was enjoying this—more than she had in the past. Something about sharing the moment with Cash made it extra special.

  Continuing to laugh quietly under her breath, she followed Cash to the front of the house and helped him gently release the crate onto the wooden porch. She winced when the bin thumped against a loose board and they both froze where they were.

  “Go ring the doorbell,” he whispered.

  “No. This is your first time playing the game. You do it.”

  He looked like he was ready to argue the point, but then he shrugged and flashed her a toothy grin.

  “Ready?” He hovered his finger just above the doorbell.

  She nodded vigorously, already half stepping off the porch.

  Cash punched the doorbell multiple times, gave a quiet whoop and jumped off the porch, missing the stairs entirely. He reached for her hand as they dove for the hedge of evergreen shrubs near the side of the house.

  A branch scratched her forearm, drawing tiny rivulets of blood, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t feel a thing with the amount of adrenaline pumping through her plus Cash’s hand linked with hers.

  She started giggling. Cash gently clamped his hand over her mouth as the door opened and Cliff Johnson stepped out onto the porch, dressed in tattered jeans and a white T-shirt, his feet bare.

  His eyes widened when he saw the bin of food and he looked around, gazing up and down the street in search of a vehicle. Alyssa froze, not even daring to breathe. The whole point of this game was not to get caught.

  “Teresa, come out here,” Cliff called. A moment later his wife appeared on the doorstep, carrying their nine-month-old baby boy on her hip.

  “What is it?”

  Cliff pointed at the plastic bin. “A blessing.”

  Tears welled in Teresa’s eyes. “Who from?”

  “I don’t know. They disappeared before I got to the door and there doesn’t appear to be a note. I think they must want to remain anonymous.”

  “Well, God knows who they are and how much this means to us. Lord bless them.”

  Cliff agreed and bent down to pick up the bin. Teresa held the screen door for him while he toted it inside.

  Cash and Alyssa remained crouched behind the bush until Teresa closed the door and a few more minutes had passed. Then Cash stood and offered his hand to Alyssa to help her up.

  “We’d better get out of here before they decide to take a second look around and catch us,” she said. He’d kept her hand in his and they walked together back to the truck. It felt right, somehow, as they shared this special moment together.

  “What Teresa said back there?” Cash said, a catch in his throat. “We’ve been blessed, all right. I’ve always been a taker, not a giver. I could get used to this feeling. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.”

  “I’m sure it’s much different than the rush you get from bareback bronc riding, but it really gets your heart beating, doesn’t it?”

  “I don’t know about you, but I need all the blessings I can get,” Cash said, nodding. “There are quite a few bins left in the back of the truck. We’d best get busy and start passing those mutual blessings around.”

  Chapter Seven

  Cash had woken up earlier than usual and decided to head straight to the shop, thinking to get a head start on the day before Alyssa got there.

  Their charity ding-dong ditch had given him a lot to think about. He wasn’t sure when, but somewhere along the way since he’d returned to Serendipity, his focus had gone from his selfish needs and problems to how to help others, whether it was delivering Thanksgiving dinners to needy families or working behind the scenes to make Alyssa’s load lighter at the store.

  There was one part of his life that wasn’t even close to coming together for him, and he’d been mulling over it for weeks.

  His life was a lot different now.

  He was a lot different.

  He hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in ages because he couldn’t stop thinking of what he hadn’t put right. What he wanted more than life itself.

  His baby.

  The more time that passed, the more certain he was that he wanted—needed—to be a part of his baby’s life. Not just on the outside looking in, offering child support and nothing more, but being a real, live, active parent. He was tired of waiting on Sharee to make all the decisions regarding their child. He wanted shared custody.

  He was pulled from his thoughts when Alyssa arrived. If she was surprised that Cash had arrived early for work, she didn’t comment on it. Cash folded T-shirts and placed them on a table by color and size.

  Alyssa usually chattered as she worked, telling him stories about her childhood or the latest town gossip. But she appeared to have picked up on Cash’s subdued mood and silently wandered around the store fronting product and making notes on where she needed to restock.

  He didn’t mean to be rude, but he was well aware he might be coming off that way. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he couldn’t unravel all the thoughts in his head, much less talk about them. And his head was screaming for a drink. He could barely get past that ache to think about anything else.

  It was a good fifteen minutes before Alyssa finally spoke to him.

  “We got in a delivery of feed this morning,” she informed him, her gaze curious and her voice a quiet monotone that didn’t give away her feelings one way or the other. “There are four pallets out in the alley that need to be unloaded and placed in the back room. Check the front first to see if you need to restock. I thi
nk the chicken feed is low.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” It was all he could think of to say, but he knew he needed to speak up. The unnatural quiet between them was nearly palpable.

  “Alyssa, I—” He paused and cleared his throat, not sure how to go on.

  With a pair of boots in her hand, Alyssa turned around and leaned her hip against the wooden boot display, giving him her full attention.

  “Yes?” she asked when he didn’t continue.

  I—what?

  I’m sorry because I can’t figure out my own mind, much less speak it?

  He grunted and shook his head. Breaking his gaze away from hers, he strode past her and into the back room. There were pallets waiting for him to unload.

  Might as well get to work. He obviously wasn’t going to solve anything with words.

  Anxiety repeatedly stung him like a swarm of angry wasps as he threw fifty-pound bags of feed over his shoulders and carried them two at a time into the back room, slinging them down into messy piles on the floor with more force than was strictly necessary. He’d organize them later.

  He kept his mind on his work. At least the heavy labor took most of his concentration. His muscles burned with the effort. It was just what he needed right now.

  Cash was almost finished unloading the last pallet when Alyssa entered the stockroom. She didn’t say a word, just slipped behind the oak desk she used to do the accounting and tucked herself into her oversize office chair.

  He could feel her eyes on him. It made him itchy all over and he barely resisted the urge to scratch.

  “Cash?” she said at last. “Will you please join me here at the desk for a moment?”

  Cash swept his hat from his head and curled the brim in his fist as he approached. She gestured to the chair opposite her, but he shook his head, preferring to stand.

  “You’re making me nervous stalking back and forth like a caged lion,” Alyssa said. “Sit.”

  Cash sat.

  She hadn’t barked out the command as she would have had he been a badly behaved dog or something, but that was how he felt. He tossed his hat onto the desk and crossed his arms over his chest in an instinctively defensive gesture.