Lone Star Holiday Proposal

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“Ah, that’s lovely. Would you still like me to gift wrap it for you?”

“Please.”

“Are you new to the area?” the assistant asked as she deftly wrapped the pendant in tissue and wrapping paper.

“I grew up here but I’ve been away for a while. Just here to see my family.”

“Oh, that’s lovely,” the woman said with a friendly smile. She tied off a length of organza ribbon around the little packet and popped it in a gift bag. “Well, thank you for supporting the Courtyard with your purchase. I hope we see you back before you head home.”

Murmuring a note of assent, Nolan took the gift and left the store. It was only midweek but the parking lot was almost full of vehicles and people were bustling around, their arms filled with bags emblazoned with the local artisans’ logos. This place really was a gold mine. Yesterday he hadn’t spent enough time wandering about, getting a real feel for the place—it was something he was determined to remedy today.

A flash of color caught his eye and he turned his head to see Raina Patterson outside her store, assisting a customer putting a small side table in the back of their car. He felt a now-familiar wallop of awareness as he took in the way her bright red sweater dress clung to her feminine curves and skimmed her hips like a lover’s caress. His body heated and sprang to life, arousal beating a low thrumming pulse that reminded him all too much of the dreams he’d endured last night.

Dreams where he’d begun to make love to his late wife, but when she’d turned toward him it had been Raina’s face before him instead.

Nolan swiftly veered into the nearest store, determined to bring his body back under control and rid himself of the desire to walk those few yards toward the big red barn and spend time again with its proprietor. He wasn’t here to embark on an affair, he reminded himself. He was here to work.

* * *

Raina looked up, surprised to see Nolan Dane on the other side of the Courtyard. She raised a hand to wave, but it appeared that he hadn’t seen her as he abruptly turned and headed into the cheese maker’s store. She told herself it didn’t matter, that she hadn’t hoped to see him again anyway. Even so, she felt a tiny twinge of disappointment that she forced herself to rapidly shove aside. She had enough on her plate for today as it was. The class she had lined up for tonight was mosaic work, and she had yet to check the inventory of stock she’d ordered for her students to buy and use for their lessons. The simple mirror frame kits would hopefully be a quick and easy project for her students to tackle, all of them first-timers to mosaic work, and she was looking forward to the class.

A prickle of uneasiness ran down her spine—the sense of disquiet making her look around before heading back into the store. She must be imagining things, she thought, pushing the feeling away and delving into the boxes of stock she’d left on the workroom tables. Last night’s message from Jeb was making her paranoid and goodness knew she had little enough time for that.

* * *

The week went quickly and her classes were going from strength to strength. As a side bonus, several of her students were also avid collectors of a variety of antique items including some of the delicate English china she had on display. She was excited to have sold several pieces already and had requests to look out for more. Things were going better than she’d anticipated.

By the time Friday night rolled around, she was really beginning to feel the strain of carrying the responsibility of the store and the classes on her own, and she wanted nothing more than to sit at home with JJ, tucked up in front of the fire and reading a few of his favorite storybooks. But she’d already promised him that they’d go downtown to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony organized by the Texas Cattleman’s Club. It was her goal to one day be sponsored to join the club. Of course, she’d need to make a better than average income before she could afford to do that.

While the club had been a solely male domain when it was founded, in recent years women had become members and the club had become more family-oriented in general. And they did such good work in the community, too. Something she hoped to be able to participate in when the time was right. It was important to give back.

The evening air was cold and Raina made sure JJ was bundled up snug and warm in a jacket and hand-knitted wool beanie that one of her customers had made for him. He looked as cute as a button with a few dark tufts of hair poking out from beneath the beanie.

She helped him from the car when they got to downtown Royal, and for a second she felt a pang of regret that Jeb couldn’t be a part of JJ’s life. But JJ deserved a father he could rely on. Not one who drank and gambled and drifted from one town to the next, looking for work to support his habits.

She’d been blind to Jeb’s faults for a long time and forgiven him time and again, believing his well-spun lies, right up until the day he wasn’t there when she needed him most. JJ’s birth had been a roller coaster of emotions: intense joy to finally hold her child in her arms and meet him face-to-face that was tempered by the realization that the only people Raina could honestly rely upon were herself and her dad. She’d grown up a heck of a lot that day. She’d thought herself so mature at twenty-seven, so ready to be a mother.

“Will there be gifts under the tree, Mommy?” JJ asked as he skipped along beside her on the sidewalk, holding her hand.

“Not real ones, my boy.”

“Not even one for me?”

Raina laughed and tugged his beanie more securely over his little ears. “Not even for me either! But don’t worry. I’m sure that Santa will remember exactly where we live and will bring you your gifts in time for Christmas.”

Satisfied with her answer, JJ turned his attention to the growing crowd. In the distance, Raina caught sight of Clare Connelly. The chief pediatric nurse at Royal Memorial Hospital had been a wonderful support when JJ had been severely jaundiced after his birth and Raina had worried herself sick over him. Newly abandoned by her partner and with her father still on his way to Royal, Raina had had a severe dose of the baby blues as she began to doubt her ability to look after her newborn son. It had been Clare’s confident and capable manner with the babies in her care, not to mention the gentle support she’d offered to the new mothers, that had made Raina begin to believe she could do this parenting thing all on her own.

Raina caught Clare’s eye and waved a hello. Clare was involved in what appeared to be a very intense conversation with one of the pediatricians who’d also attended JJ at the hospital, Dr. Parker Reese. Raina raised her eyebrows in surprise. Was there something going on between the petite blonde nurse and the sometimes prickly pediatrician? The thought brought a smile to her lips. It had been a joke among the mothers in the hospital that Dr. Reese would make a great husband for someone one day—if he could ever let go of his work and develop a social life. The man was dedicated to his career but everyone needed some balance in their life.

The reminder of balance prodded at Raina’s thoughts. Lately everything had been JJ and work for her. There’d been no time for herself, but she was okay with that. One day, maybe, when JJ was a bit older and when her business was on a stronger footing, then yeah, she might think about dating. Until then, she had to stay focused on keeping her financial footing and being the best mother she could be for her little boy.

“Mommy, I can’t see,” JJ complained, tugging at her arm. “Up?”

“Sure, baby.”

Raina bent and lifted JJ into her arms, settling him on one hip. It probably didn’t make a world of difference to his line of sight but it was all she could manage.

“Still can’t see,” he fretted, twisting in her arms and making her clutch his jacket to stop him from falling.

“JJ, settle down. Trust me, when the lights go on, you’ll see everything.”

“Here” came a familiar male voice. “Maybe I can help?”

“Man!”

JJ flung his arms toward the newcomer with an exuberance that dismayed Raina and almost sent her off balance. Nolan Dane loomed up beside her. She should refuse his offer of help, but JJ was already transferring himself into Nolan’s arms and was soon deposited high on Nolan’s shoulders.

“Better now?” Nolan asked, looking up at JJ who was holding on tight to Nolan’s head.

JJ nodded.

“What do you say, JJ?” Raina prompted.

“T’ank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Nolan turned his smile to Raina. “I hope you don’t mind. You look tired and I could see he was getting heavy.”

Raina’s lips twisted into a smile. “It’s okay, thank you.”

So, he thought she looked tired, huh? Wow, way to build a girl up, she thought, then immediately chastised herself for being so churlish. She did look tired. The three late nights this week with the classes, on top of everything else, had taken a toll. She made a mental note to try to get to bed earlier on the nights she wasn’t working.

The crowd around them thickened as the local singers and dance groups performed on the makeshift stage that had been set up for the evening. Raina’s gratitude to Nolan for taking JJ increased. There was no way JJ would have seen the show, or enjoyed it, from her arms; nor would she have been able to hold him for this long.

The night sky was fully dark and the atmosphere quickly became one of excitement as, over the loudspeakers, the master of ceremonies and the newest Texas Cattleman’s Club president, Case Baxter, led the countdown to the lighting of the tree. Everyone in the crowd counted with him.

“... Three, two, one!” Raina shouted along with the rest of the crowd, then she joined them in the oohs and ahhs of delight as the switch was thrown to bring a multitude of colored lights to life in the massive tree that now dominated downtown Royal. Tearing her eyes from the tree, Raina looked up at her son, whose face was a picture of enchantment. A deep sense of contentment filled her. She might not own the world, but it sure felt like it when she could still put a look like that on her little boy’s face.

A choir began to sing “Joy to the World,” and bit by bit the crowd joined them. Nolan had a surprisingly pleasant tenor, Raina discovered as he unselfconsciously added his voice to the singing. As the song wound to its end, the mayor of Royal took the microphone and thanked Case Baxter and the Texas Cattleman’s Club committee for sponsoring the tree lighting ceremony, and he concluded by wishing everyone the very best for the season and inviting them to support the retailers who’d set up stalls around the square.

Raina turned to Nolan. “Thank you. I really mean it. I’m sure he’ll remember tonight for a long time to come and that’s because you helped us out.”

“Only too happy to oblige y’all,” Nolan answered. “Say, do you have to race home right away? How about a churro and some hot chocolate from one of the stalls over there?”

“Yummy, churro!” JJ crowed from on top of Nolan’s shoulders.

“Manners, JJ!” Raina admonished. “What have I told you?”

“T’ank you, man,” JJ dutifully responded.

Nolan laughed and Raina felt her heart skip a happy beat at the sound.

“His name is Mr. Dane, not man, JJ,” Raina gently admonished.

“I think you should let him call me Nolan. Mr. Dane sounds so stuffy.”

Raina nodded her head. “I’ll try but I can’t guarantee it. He can be pretty stubborn when he decides on a word.”

Through the crowd, she spied Liam Wade. The rancher was clearly in demand with the ladies and looking none too thrilled about the prospect. A group of very determined looking mommas with single daughters in tow had circled him like a wagon train, ensuring he had no easy way out. A chuckle escaped her lips, prompting a question from Nolan.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, just poor Liam. He’s one of Royal’s most eligible bachelors,” she said, pointing him out in the crowd, “and one of Royal’s most reluctant at the same time. I think he’d be happy if he never had to leave his ranch.”