Daddy's Christmas Miracle: Santa in a Stetson

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“So Jake has already told you.”

“After they flew home, he started in on the investigation and mentioned it to Maggie. She didn’t know if I knew or not, but it doesn’t matter.”

“What? That I’m still married?”

“That’s your own business.”

Chapter Eight

Her phone had started ringing. “Excuse me, Colt. I need to see who this is.” She picked up. “Hi, Kit. It’s good to hear your voice, but I’ve got someone with me. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

Kathryn gave him an inscrutable blue stare and the tension between them caused him to bite down hard. “What I have on my mind is going to take some time. If you’d like, I’ll wait in the truck until you’re through talking to your sister-in-law, even if it means I have to sit out there half the night.” He wanted to let her know he meant business.

He was counting on her good manners not to tell him to get the hell out of her motel room now.

The fight going on inside her went on for a full minute before she said, “I’ll phone Kit and tell her I’ll talk to her tomorrow. She’s as upset about Whitney as the rest of us.”

Colt expelled the air from his lungs. While she called her sister-in-law back, he removed his hat and jacket and sat down on one of the two chairs propped near the table.

He liked it that the motel room was claustrophobic. Kathryn only had two places to sit—the bed that took up most of the room or the other chair.

She chose the safer course, but it brought her close enough that their boots brushed. Much as he wanted to pull her onto his lap and kiss them both into oblivion, he turned in order to extend his long legs away from her. “I need to explain.”

She shook her beautiful blond head. “It’s not necessary.”

Colt couldn’t have felt more gutted if he’d been stomped unconscious by a bull. “It is to me,” he fired back. “Jake needed to know about my marital status up front, but I preferred not to discuss it in front of you and your sister. Call it cowardice if you want. When he talked to me on the phone the other day, he told me he’d do anything for you, so I should have guessed he would start his investigation the minute he got back to Salt Lake. It’s how you McFarlands operate.”

Kathryn looked away.

“Whether you believe me or not, I came here tonight to talk to you about it in private. Until now, the time never seemed right.”

“You don’t have to tell me.”

“You deserve the whole truth.” He sat forward. “In the beginning, I was too involved in taking care of my premature babies and running the ranch to think about anything else. I figured that one day I’d hear from her through an attorney that she wanted a divorce. That suited me fine. I was in no hurry to rush into another ill-fated marriage.”

Her pained eyes searched his. “No one would be.”

“When she did make contact, I planned to get my buckle back. The fact that I never heard from her again proved how much she didn’t want to get caught.”

“I don’t know how you lived through that experience.”

“The twins became my whole world.”

She smiled. “Naturally. They’re wonderful.”

“After my grandparents died, I let go of my anger and made up my mind to be the best father I could. The ranch began to prosper and I found joy in my children. There were women, yet attractive as they were, I couldn’t picture any of them being the kind of mother my twins needed.”

“You’d lost a lot of trust,” Kathryn murmured.

He nodded. “One or two of those women wanted to get married. I probably should have had Natalie declared legally dead so that could happen, but the desire wasn’t strong enough to go to the trouble.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “If Jake can’t find her, then I’ll go that route.”

“Are the twins aware you’re still married to their mother?”

Colt studied her through shuttered lids. “No. But if they raise that question, I’ll tell them.” After a pause, “Will you forgive me?”

She stirred in the chair. “There’s nothing to forgive.”

“Prove it and we’ll go over to the Westerner for a drink and a dance. They have a good live band. It’ll top off my birthday.”

“That’s right. It’s your birthday.” She glanced at her watch. “For another hour, anyway.”

“Come on.”

He stood up and reached for her parka in the closet. This time, she had to let him help her. The need to touch her had become paramount to his existence. She handed him his hat and they went out the door into the cold night.

Their arms and hips brushed as he opened the truck door for her, electrifying his body. It was a good thing the Westerner was only two miles away. The desire to have her in his arms was consuming him.

Colt hadn’t been inside the bar for several years. The place was swinging. They’d heard the country music out in the parking lot.

“Hey, Colt!” several of his younger hands called out to him. He nodded to them. Every man’s eyes had locked on to Kathryn while he ushered her through the crowd. With a packed dance floor, it was slow maneuvering. The wolf whistles and comments kept coming.

He whispered near her ear, “No one’s seen anyone like you in here before. Stick close to me.” His hands stayed on her shoulders from behind until he’d guided her to a free booth in the corner. He removed their parkas before sitting next to her.

A cheeky waitress came over to take their order. “Coffee for me,” Kathryn said.

“Make that two coffees, one with cream and sugar.” After the waitress left, the guy at the mike called for a round of line dancing. Colt eyed the gorgeous woman squeezed in the booth next to him. “Let’s do it.”

He grasped her hand and took her out on the floor to the end of the last row. For the next little while, he had the time of his life going through the motions with the best dancer in the room. Every male in the place envied him. Eat your hearts out.

Eventually they returned to the booth to drink their coffee. “Where did you learn to move like that?”

“Cord taught me and Kit. He’s a cowboy at heart and would rather line dance than just about anything, but I think you could teach him a few steps.”

“I got a lot of practice during my rodeo days. After an event, a bunch of us would head for the nearest bar to unwind.”

“When did you start bull riding?”

“At Matt’s age.”

“Has he tried it yet?”

“My son’s been making noises to learn, but after you showered your gifts on us tonight, he and his friend Rich have it all planned that I’m going to teach them the fundamentals starting this coming weekend.”

She looked alarmed. “Does that bother you?”

“No. It’s a great sport. If he wants to try to get good at it, there’s nothing more challenging or exciting except maybe a slow dance with you.” Color spilled into her cheeks. “Before this place closes, how about it?”

Dancing gave him a legitimate excuse to cling to her voluptuous body. They fit together as if they’d been made for each other. Way too soon, the band played their last song, bringing an end to the enchantment.