Trusting the Rancher with Christmas, page 10
Paige’s happiness at the memories was vivid and clear, untroubled, unlike that morning when he’d been decorating the porch. He couldn’t imagine the loss she’d suffered as a child. He hated that even her memories of her dad still caused her pain. Hated even more that Christmas had lost its magic.
Could he help her find the joy in the season again to help balance out the grief?
It was the only way he’d gotten through the period after his ex had walked out and left a bitter darkness in his life. But Riley, with her endless optimism and vibrant energy, countered it. Every day his daughter reminded him of all the good in his world. He’d held on to that and had been grateful.
He watched Paige stir her spoon in her whipped cream. Wanted to know what her good was. Wanted to know how to ease her lingering pain. He stuffed a bite of hot-fudge-covered ice cream in his mouth and dismissed his disappointment that there wasn’t enough time for him to find out.
“Did you sleep on the train?” Riley’s spoon stood untouched, sticking out of the top of her ice cream. Her fascinated gaze remained fixed on Paige. “Did you eat on the train?”
“We did. They had a special car for dinner and other cars for sleeping.” Paige’s words were sugar-dipped, her mellow voice all too appealing. “But my sister and I always liked when Grandpa Harlan ordered pizza and it was waiting when we pulled into the train stop.”
“Can we go on a train like that and eat pizza? I like pizza.” Riley added a lengthened plea to her voice. “Please, Dad.”
His daughter had always been hard to refuse. And, he hadn’t taken a real vacation in years, but still, he couldn’t see one in their near future. Not until the ranch was financially stable. And even then... He stalled by saying, “We’d have to research where we want to go.”
“You’d have to plan a vacation like that,” Paige offered. “That will take some special effort to put together.”
Evan smiled at Paige. A silent thank-you for her support.
“What about riding the Polar Express to see Santa like Savannah?” Riley raised her eyebrows.
Neatly played. His daughter had brought them full circle. The kids’ attraction would only be one afternoon. And if Riley rode the Polar Express, she might forget the promise he’d given her about her mom. If he kept his daughter busy with Christmas activities, would it be enough to counter the truth about his ex, Marla, abandoning them?
Evan shifted in the small chair, rolled his shoulders, avoided looking at Paige. Would she tell him a diversion was a bad idea? What could it hurt to try? Riley would have fun. That’s what mattered. He nodded. “The Polar Express we could maybe do.”
“Really?” Riley clapped. “Like really really?”
“I think we should start making a list or we’re going to forget all the things we plan to do this Christmas.” And Evan had to avoid making any more promises to his daughter. He’d already made an impossible one and that was more than enough.
Paige handed him a pen. He claimed one of his daughter’s paper napkins and started their list.
“Can we do other things we haven’t done before?” Riley asked.
“So, we’re having a Christmas of firsts.” Evan grinned and pressed the pen against the napkin. “That’s a first. What haven’t we done that you want to do? I’ve got Christmas campout and ride the Polar Express.”
“Jump in a frozen pond,” Riley declared. “Bryson Mackintosh and his brothers do it every year. You gotta jump in, but jump out even faster.”
Evan swallowed his immediate refusal. He wasn’t letting his young daughter jump into a frozen pond. That was something reckless his ex would’ve done. He wanted Riley to have fun, not freeze. What if she got sick too? “You mean you want to take a polar plunge.”
“That sounds really cold.” Paige gave an exaggerated shiver. “Are you sure you want to take a polar plunge? What about riding an ice slide and walking through an ice maze?”
Evan relaxed, once again welcoming Paige’s suggestions. If she kept rescuing him, he was going to be compelled to help her too—like getting her to enjoy Christmas again.
Riley tilted her head and eyed Paige. “Is it a real slide?”
“Made completely of ice.” Paige glanced at Evan, offered him a small smile. “I saw it advertised in the newspaper. It’s in Belleridge.”
“Dad can drive there!” Riley bounced up and down in her chair. “We have to do that. We have to.”
Evan added to their list. “We’re going to be busy.”
“But we haven’t put down staying up all night to meet Santa on Christmas Eve. Putting reindeers in the front yard and hanging lights in the big tree. Making gingerbread barns. And getting a Christmas tree for my room.” Riley sighed as if exhausted.
“You want a Christmas tree for your room,” Evan repeated. He was starting to feel exhausted too. Doubt eased in. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea after all. Who knew there were so many Christmas firsts? “We’re going to put an extra big tree in the family room that we cut down ourselves,” he told Paige.
“We never cut down a tree before. It’s another Christmas first.” Riley cheered.
Evan sighed. “And now, so is decorating Riley’s room.”
“This way I can wake up to Christmas every morning.” Riley clapped some more. “Ms. Paige should cut down a tree too.”
Paige set a crumpled napkin in her empty sundae container. “Oh, I don’t need to do that.”
“Have you ever cut down a Christmas tree?” Riley asked.
“No.” Paige stared at Riley’s melted ice cream. She was right there across the table from them, but she sounded miles away. “When we were kids, we went to the tree lot and just picked one. The last few years I worked over the holidays. There wasn’t time for a tree.”
Or she hadn’t made the time. Either way, Paige Palmer wasn’t into celebrating like his family. It wasn’t fair to thrust their zeal on her.
“You gotta have a tree.” Riley pressed her hands against her cheeks as if astonished at Paige’s confession. “Santa puts your gifts under it.”
Paige crumpled another paper napkin under her fingers. Her focus remained on the table. “I had a small potted palm tree that I put lights and ribbons on once.”
“But that’s not a tree tree.” Riley turned her dismayed gaze to Evan. “Tell Ms. Paige she’s gotta come with us and get a real tree.”
“Remember, it’s not always polite to tell people what to do.” Paige was hurting, and although he wanted to help her, he wasn’t certain how to do it. “Paige, would like you to come with us and pick out a tree for the guesthouse?”
“Thanks, but I won’t be here that long.” That cool distance slid from her gaze into her words. “Besides, who will look after the tree when I leave?”
Riley made a scrunched face.
Now his daughter was unhappy too. What happened to the fun they were having? Christmas firsts were supposed to be enjoyable. This was anything but. Evan pushed his unfinished sundae aside and scrambled for a compromise. “What if you came along to the tree farm and picked out a potted tree? Then Riley and I could plant it after you leave.”
Her gaze searched his face as if she were searching for the catch. Finally, she said, “I wouldn’t want to put you to that much trouble.”
“Don’t worry.” Riley clutched Paige’s hand. “I’d like to help you pick out the perfect pot and Dad’s good at planting stuff. And he’s fast too, right, Dad?”
He hoped this was the right offer. The right path for Paige. “Of course.”
“Now me and Paige each have a Christmas first.” Riley pressed her hands flat on the table. “Dad needs to have one too.”
“I can’t share yours?” He smiled at Riley, hopeful, and waved the napkin list at her. “This is a really good list.”
“No.” Riley giggled, then stressed, “You have to pick something you’ve never done before, Dad.”
“I’ve got it,” Evan said. “But it’s a secret.”
Riley slapped her hand against her forehead and released an exaggerated sigh. “Dad.”
“Okay.” Evan leaned in. “I’ll give you a hint, but you can’t tell anyone.”
Riley scooted closer to him. Even Paige leaned forward, the slightest of changes in her posture. Evan claimed it as a win.
“I’ve never had fruitcake,” Evan whispered, then pressed his finger against his lips like Santa. “Not even the smallest, tiniest taste.”
Riley wrinkled her nose. “Fruitcake? No one likes fruitcake.”
“But we haven’t tasted it yet.” Evan dropped the pen on the table and spread his hands wide as if he’d just successfully brokered an international treaty. He watched the grin twitch across Paige’s mouth. Another win. “That’s my first—eating fruitcake.”
Riley looked skeptical. “Are you sure that’s what you wanna choose?”
“Do you have a better idea?” Evan challenged.
“We could play games,” Riley exclaimed and thrust her arms out to the sides, even wider than Evan had. “With all our friends.”
“What kind of games?” Evan stroked his chin as if considering.
“Fun ones!” Riley grabbed her spoon, dunked it into her sundae and swallowed the giant mouthful of ice cream in one go.
“A vet tech where I work has a board game party once a month,” Paige offered. A spark lit in her gaze highlighting a new liveliness in her words. “You could host a board game holiday party with your friends.”
“Yes! Board game party.” Riley pressed her palm over her mouth, catching her delighted squeal. Suspicion quickly set in. “Um, we don’t have a lot of board games.”
“You could give the games as gifts to your friends, then invite everyone over to play them for the board game party,” Paige said. That spark flashed again. “It’s supposed to be really fun.”
Evan was enjoying seeing this Paige, relaxed and candid. “I’m beginning to wonder if it’s not your colleague, but rather you who hosts these monthly board game parties,” he teased.
“Not me.” She shook her head, but the cheerful interest in her gaze remained.
Evan sat back and considered his houseguest. She’d been animated. More animated than he’d seen her all day. He looked from Paige to Riley, then pointed at himself. “I haven’t hosted a board game party. Paige hasn’t hosted one. Riley, have you?”
Riley giggled from her belly and shook her head, making her red curls sway.
“Then the board game party is on,” Evan announced. “It’s another group first.”
Riley raised both her arms over her head in victory. “Christmas game night.”
“Well, we’ve filled ourselves with ice cream and filled our Christmas-first list.” Evan rubbed his stomach and stood. He picked up his cowboy hat and set it on his head. “I think it’s time to get that medicine and head home to the cattle.”
“I want to see Macybelle.” Riley swiped a napkin over her mouth, then tossed it onto the table. “What are you going to do when we get home, Ms. Paige?”
Paige gathered the trash and paused as if she was struggling to find an answer. She looked flustered.
And Evan discovered one more thing he liked about Paige Palmer. Yep, too bad his plate was already full.
CHAPTER NINE
PAIGE SLAPPED A “SOLD” sticky note on one of the vintage board games she’d spotted in the general store while searching for the elusive silver coin. Priorities, she repeated to herself. The past couple of days, she’d let things slide, although, to be fair, she was out on a ranch caring for a herd of sick cows. Not to mention trying to keep up with Riley, which was almost impossible. And then there was Evan.
Evan should not appeal to her. Not as much as he did. And not so quickly.
Strong relationships progressed slowly. To see who someone really was required time. Besides, relationships were not a cure for being alone. Love did not cancel loneliness. She knew that all too well. And wasn’t willing to compromise either. That alone hardly made her good material for a relationship.
Her rancher might appeal to her. But that was as far as her interest went. Work fulfilled her. She needed nothing more than that.
She put the vintage board game with the others she’d set aside on the counter, then used her phone to research and total the value. With a check written out to the Silver Penny General Store, she left the collection of games and walked over to Tess.
Her sister sat in her usual spot, typing away on her computer. Her phone within easy reach. “I’m close to finding the pocket watch for Mrs. McKee. I just hope when I do that it won’t be out of the dear lady’s price range.”
“You’ll figure out how to get it within her budget,” Paige assured her. It was one of the things Tess did well. Her sister’s personalized service was amazing. She treated each search as if she was adding the item to her own personal collection or closet. As a result, Tess didn’t give up until she’d located the exact item and she’d built quite a steady business over the past six months.
Paige never realized there was a market for hard-to-find and rare items or that so many people wanted them. She glanced over at the vintage games. She hoped Evan would agree they were as perfect for his board game party night as she did. She felt slightly guilty for talking Evan into a game night and wanted to make it up to him. Paige handed Tess the check. “Here you go.”
“What’s this?” Tess’s fingers paused on the keyboard.
“I’m buying the board games Boone and I found the other day.”
“Paige.” A disgruntled note stretched through Tess’s tone. “You don’t need to do that.”
“I do. And I am. No arguments.” Resolve stiffened her shoulders and her steady gaze. “I checked their current value online just now and that’s what I’m paying.”
Tess’s frown deepened and she pushed away the check.
“Tess, you could put those games on the shelves right now and sell them before Christmas,” Paige said. “Or post them online and sell them that way. This is your business now.”
“But you are family. It feels wrong to make you pay.” Tess waved at the shelves and pointed at the boxes of inventory. “You have as much right to whatever is in this store as I do.”
“No,” Paige argued. “You moved here and reopened the store. This is your place now. And I’m more than happy to be a customer.”
Tess eyed Paige. Her sister’s round green eyes had always been inquisitive and way too perceptive. As kids, her sister had always been the first to know when Paige was holding something back. Tess had also been the first to be there for Paige, quick with a hug and encouraging advice or even offering to fight on Paige’s behalf. Paige had always done the same for Tess.
Now they were both holding back. But if Paige pried and Tess pushed her further away, what then? Paige kept her expression neutral and the conversation light. “What? You don’t want me to be your customer?”
Tess picked up the check. “I’ll accept this if you tell me what you’re doing with those board games.”
“Would you believe me if told you I wanted them for myself?” Paige grinned and arched one eyebrow.
“Not for a second.” Tess’s quiet chuckle shook her shoulders.
“I feel like I should be offended.” Paige crossed her arms over her chest.
Tess’s laughter slipped free. “When was the last time you played a board game? Or cards? Or had any kind of fun? You’re always too busy working.”
“I have fun.” Paige refrained from adding a foot stomp. There was nothing playful about her defensive tone.
“Fun outside of work,” Tess qualified.
Paige opened and closed her mouth. Her argument stalled. She couldn’t recall the last fun day she had at work. But she loved her career and was passionate about her job. But her ex-boyfriend’s presence had eclipsed the enjoyment—and the fun. Now, Paige hoped once she became an equal partner, she’d be able to put her ex and his behavior toward her aside and contribute in more meaningful ways to growing the business. Then work would be fun again. She hoped.
As for fun outside of work, she had fun hanging lights and eating ice cream with Riley and Evan. Proof she could have fun when she chose to.
Still, she sidestepped a direct answer. Not wanting Tess to make too much out of her time spent with Riley and Evan. “Riley and Evan have a list of Christmas firsts for this season.”
Tess’s gaze narrowed. Paige knew that look. Her sister was already reading between the lines.
Paige rushed on, “Evan is going to give board games as presents and then host a holiday board game party. I thought he could use these games for his gifts.”
Tess leaned back on her stool. The speculation in her gaze only deepened. “I don’t know where to start.”
“There’s nothing to start,” Paige blurted. She was only in town temporarily. Her visit brief. Even if she wanted to start something—and she didn’t—it could only ever be short-lived. Evan deserved more than that. If she ever stepped into another relationship again, she wanted it to be real. Lasting. Not a fling. Not a short-term goal.
“Are you part of these Christmas firsts too?” Tess asked.
The way Tess emphasized part of implied there was more between Paige and Evan. Paige bristled. Not at her sister, but herself. She wasn’t as against the idea as she should be. She turned and headed toward the other end of the counter. “Yes. No. Riley and Evan have a rather long list and I’ll be gone before they finish everything.”
“But,” Tess pressed and followed closely behind Paige.
Paige relented. She had to give her sister something. Compromise was good between family members. “We’re going to cut down a Christmas tree for the main house and get a potted one for the guesthouse. Then there’s game night. So, I’m taking part in two things. That’s it.”
That was her participation limit. No matter how fun and appealing their other adventures sounded.
