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  Thursday morning, he had a meeting with the store manager and introduced himself as Caleb Thompson. She’d paled, but he assured her that he was pleased how things were progressing under her leadership. He was leaving it up to her to inform the department managers who he was.

  Business was brisk. He wanted to check out his favorite department and took the escalator up to the toy department. He stepped into bedlam. The line to visit Santa wasn’t moving, babies were crying, and kids were running up and down the aisles.

  A harried-looking Elaine Madison hurried over. “Oh, Mr. Thompson! Thank God you’re here.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We don’t have a Santa and the three third-grade classes from the primary school will be here at one o’clock.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Santa took lunch from eleven to twelve and the manager from the café down the street, just called to tell us that our Santa slipped outside the front of their store and hurt his back.”

  “Did they tell you what he slipped on?”

  “Would you believe a chicken wing?”

  “A what!”

  “A chicken wing! Apparently, he didn’t finish his lunch and he was bringing the rest back to work for his dinner. Someone bumped into him and knocked the container out of his hand. Some of his lunch fell out and he slipped on a chicken wing.”

  “With the way my life has been going lately, I believe you. So where does that leave us?”

  “Without a Santa!”

  “Where’s the manager?”

  “You want a woman to play Santa?”

  “You’re right. Where’s the costume?” he asked in a voice filled with resignation.

  “In the dressing area. Costumes are not allowed to leave the store.”

  “Our Santa had a natural belly, probably from eating too many chicken wings. I’m going to have to gain weight fast. Go to the linens department and get me a soft pillow. And, Elaine, not a word to anyone about who’s playing Santa. As far as anyone is concerned, another employee from Hughes filled in at the last minute.”

  “I swear upon our elf’s secret code, Mr. Thompson,” she teased before hurrying off to assure everyone waiting in line that Santa was on his way.

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Caleb muttered into the full-length mirror in the men’s dressing room. He adjusted the fluffy white beard and wig before putting on the red and white Santa hat. There was no way he could wear the fake glasses so he had to wear his own. He raised his eyes to the heavens. “Chicken wing, Daniel? This is a perfect example of your sick sense of humor. You’d better hope I get through this in one piece.”

  After two hours, Caleb decided anyone who played Santa needed the patience of a saint. He’d also be doubling their salary. Babies were scared to death of him and screamed to high heaven. Some of the items the kids asked for he’d never heard of, and a few pleaded with him to take them off the naughty list and promised they would never be bad again. One asked if he personally fed the reindeer and if Rudolf’s nose ran on batteries. The last little kid had ripped off his glasses and dropped them in the pile of presents beside his chair.

  Elaine had given him a message a couple of minutes ago. Their Santa was feeling better and would be back to work in a half hour. Relief filled his body until he spied the last kid in line. Danielle MacKenna.

  She avoided his lap and gave him a direct stare. It was obvious she had a problem. He cautioned himself not to panic and deepened his tone of voice. “What’s your name?”

  “Danielle.”

  “Is there something special you want for Christmas?”

  “I just need to talk to you. I know you’re not the real Santa, but one of his helpers. Can you get a message to him?”

  “Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong.”

  “I’m worried because my mom has a boyfriend. They don’t know I saw them kissing in the kitchen a couple of times.”

  So much for being discrete. “Don’t you like him?”

  “Oh, I like him a lot and he treats her nice and gives her flowers, but he can’t marry her.”

  “Why not?”

  “I want a new dad, but he doesn’t know how to ride a horse. He wears an apron and only likes to cook. I prayed to God for a new dad so now I’m asking Santa, too.”

  “Have you spoken to your mom about this?”

  “Yea, but I know she likes him a lot.”

  “If you like him, too, why don’t you give him a chance? He might surprise you.”

  “Do you think so? He does like baseball. Maybe I should invite him to go horseback riding.”

  “Absolutely! That’s a step in the right direction. I’ll pass your message to Santa.”

  Dannielle tapped her lips with her finger. “Maybe you should wait on that. Thanks for listening.”

  “You’re very welcome. Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you, too, Santa.”

  Caleb couldn’t get out of the store fast enough. He passed the Santa suit to the other Santa with his blessing. He’d barely pulled out of the parking lot before he called Bradley.

  “Since you know the manager of Tony Carlton’s ranch, get in touch with him. I need to learn how to ride a horse.”

  “Have you lost your mind?”

  “Yes, just do it!”

  “And how soon do you need to do this?”

  “As soon as possible. See if he can help me out early next week.”

  “I’m probably going to regret asking this, but why do you need to learn how to ride a horse?”

  “Because the daughter of the woman I love thinks I can only do womanly chores in the kitchen!”

  “You’re not making any sense.”

  “I agree. Get back to me as soon as possible.”

  His next phone call was to Erin. She didn’t pick up, but he left a message. “Sweetheart, we have a problem. Need to talk to you alone. Work your magic, move those post-it notes around, and fit me in.”

  She texted back immediately. “What’s wrong? At play practice. Won’t be home until after seven. Tomorrow night working the holiday party at the outreach center; Saturday working at Santa Traditions in the afternoon. How about Saturday night? I can get a sitter.

  “Great. I’m taking you out to dinner so we can talk alone.”

  He’d just walked into the house when Bradley called. He was to be at the Double C Saturday at 8:00 am and would be working with Tony Carlton personally.

  Saturday evening, Erin adjusted her pearl-drop earring on her way into the living room. Meredith and Danielle were sharing a pizza and were watching “The Replacements”, one of Danielle’s favorite movies. Meredith was also a football buff but Erin thought she just wanted to watch young Keanu Reeves do his stuff.

  “Thanks for babysitting.”

  ‘You look nice in that little black dress. Where’s Caleb taking you?”

  “Don’t know.” Erin glanced at the time on the grandfather clock. “He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago.” She moved the curtain so she could look across the street. “His car is in the driveway and the light is on in the living room.”

  She kissed her daughter on the cheek. “I’m going to walk across the street to meet Mr. Thompson. Don’t give Meredith any trouble. I’ll be home by eleven.”

  Erin walked outside and breathed in the brisk night air. She wrapped her lacy shawl around her shoulders and paused to admire all the Christmas lights on her street. The only home that didn’t have any festive lights was Caleb’s. She wanted to suggest a small tree, but didn’t want to push. This would be a Christmas like no other in his life. There had to be a way to take the hurt off of the holiday and his birthday.

  She knocked and turned the knob, and wasn’t surprised to find the door open. The house was dark but for the light in the front window and was as quiet as a church.

  “Caleb?” she called and walked into the kitchen. She turned the light on over the stove. The only evidence he was here was a glass and cup i
n the sink. Now she was beginning to worry.

  She went to the bedroom at the end of the hall and heard his steady breathing before she turned on the bedside lamp. She thrust the back of her hand to her mouth and gasped. Caleb was lying face-down in the rumpled bed, sound asleep. Except for a pair of white socks, he was naked as the day he was born. His butt cheeks were red along with the inside of his thighs.

  Her eyes darted to the sweat-coated glass of water beside an open bottle of pain killers. She inspected the label on the unopened bottle of muscle-relaxing liniment.

  “Oh, my God, what have you done to yourself?”

  When she replaced the bottle, she noticed the five-by-seven photo of her and Danielle standing in front of the tree at Santa Traditions. The words embedded in the wooden frame warmed her heart. It read, “My Family.”

  She sat on the side of the bed and ran a soothing hand back and forth across his shoulders. “Caleb,” she called softly. When he didn’t respond, she leaned down and kissed the curve of his ear and softly called again, “Caleb, my love.”

  An awakening groan filled her ears and his eyes slowly opened. “Hey,” she said, and put a hand to his strong shoulder when he attempted to turn onto his side.

  “What time is it?” he asked in a harsh whisper.

  “Six-thirty, Saturday evening. You were supposed to pick me up at six.”

  “Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry. The pills I took to kill the pain knocked me out.” He shivered and attempted to reach for the sheet, but a painful moan escaped. “Shit!”

  “Stay still.” Erin covered him with the sheet and the light blanket and adjusted the pillows behind his head when he settled on his back. “What can I get you?”

  “A new body.” he groaned when he tried to move his legs.

  “What did you do with one you have? Your thighs and ass are raw and red.”

  “Even my balls hurt. I rode my first horse and I overdid it. I should have listened to Tony when he said no more than an hour and a half, but I insisted on three. He warned me payback would be a bitch and he was right. Somehow I managed to get home, take a shower, and crashed on the bed.”

  “What time did you take your last pain meds?”

  “Two. I took five pills.”

  “That’s why you passed out. Stay here and I’ll get you fresh water. ”

  When she returned to the bedroom, he’d managed to push himself up more on the pillows. “Take only two, then I’ll make you something to eat.”

  “We were supposed to go out to dinner,” he said after swallowing the pills and putting the empty glass on the nightstand. “I had a nice romantic evening planned.”

  Erin sat on the bed and reached for his hand. “I’ll take a raincheck on going out to dinner.”

  “When I woke up, did you say ‘my love’ or was I imagining things?”

  “No, you weren’t imagining things.” She lifted one of his hands and pressed it against her cheek. “Stop trying to change the subject. I want to know what possessed you to go horseback riding for three hours.”

  “Because the daughter of the woman I love wants her daddy to be a cowboy.”

  Chapter 15

  Hearing him confess his love didn’t come as much of a wonderful surprise as she expected. His love for her was obvious in his touch, generosity, his caring. Caleb was her soulmate, her unanswered prayer. She needed to hear him repeat those three precious words.

  “Say it again.”

  “I went horseback riding because the daughter of the woman I love wants her father to be a cowboy. I’m the one who feels like his body has been run over by a truck. Is there something wrong with your hearing?”

  “No, there is nothing wrong with my hearing. Are you sure it’s not your brother sending you a secret message?” When his eyes widened in outrage she realized she’d teased him long enough.

  He attempted to push himself up and winced. “No, goddamn it! I love you!”

  “Stop! You’re going to hurt yourself.” She eased him back against the pillows with a guiding hand and brushed his lips with a gentle kiss. “I love you, too, Caleb.”

  “What did you say?”

  “You heard me just fine. I love you, too.”

  “Before I ask you to marry me, there’s something I have to tell you.”

  Shock had her putting a much-needed space between them. “Marry you! Caleb, we’ve only known each other four weeks. I never expected to fall in love so quickly, but marriage is for a lifetime. I don’t believe in divorce. You don’t even live in Fort Mavis. My life is here.”

  “That’s just semantics that can be easily worked out.”

  Caleb took both her hands and cradled them in his lap. “What I feel for you is very real. My brother took a chance every time he went on one of his adventures, so there are no guarantees in life. Do you have any doubts that I love you?”

  Erin shook her head. “No, absolutely not.”

  “Do you trust your own heart?”

  “I think so. I want to.”

  “I love you so much I’m willing to take a life-changing chance, so I’m asking you to do the same. No one can predict the future, but I see mine with you and Danielle. I’d like to give her a brother or a sister.”

  She felt the warmth and strength in his hand when he placed it on her chest. “Trust what you feel for me in your heart. From the very first, you’ve been able to look into my heart, feel what I feel. You’ve eased my hurt and pain and replaced it with happiness. You have changed me in ways I never envisioned. I’m not afraid to share my cooking skills. I look forward to interacting with the workers at Hughes. The other day I stocked shelves, waited on customers, worked a register. That’s not as outgoing as my brother and, no, I don’t plan to go scuba diving in underwater caves anytime soon.”

  His heartfelt confession pierced her heart. She leaned in and rolled her forehead on his bare shoulder. “This is all so new and I’m scared to take a chance. I plan everything. That’s why I have two boards in my kitchen that direct my life.”

  She lifted her head and blinked away the watery heaviness she felt in her eyes. “Our lives are so different. You’re the president of a big corporation with lots of money, and I’m a struggling school teacher in a small town in Texas.”

  “I can solve one of those problems by resigning. I’ll spend my days building airplanes.”

  “That’s ridiculous and I would never ask you to do that. I also think you like your job.”

  “See how well you know me, but I would make the necessary changes for our family. If you marry me, I’ll make sure I come home to you and Danielle every night. I’ve been grooming Bradley, my senior VP, to take on more responsibilities. I can go into the office three days a week and work from home. Erin, I don’t want to be the man I was before you and Danielle came into my life.”

  “That sounds wonderful, but we have to think of Danielle. We love each other, but it’s important she sees us as a couple who care very deeply for each other. For now, know that I love you. Give me a little more time. Ask me again on Christmas Eve.”

  “Count on it!”

  Erin moved to sit next to him and lifted his arm around her shoulders. “Before I give you a massage to try to ease some of your tight muscles, tell me what possessed you to go riding.”

  “The other day I had to play Santa at the store at the last minute. It seems our Santa went to lunch and slipped on a chicken wing.”

  “A chicken wing!” Erin burst out laughing. “I’m beginning to think there’s something to these secret messages from your brother.”

  “Told you I’m not crazy. I saw you with your third-grade class but couldn’t acknowledge it was me playing Santa.”

  “My class went first then we returned to school. I wish I’d known it was you.” Erin gave him a playful grin. “I would have sat on your lap. How did you like playing Santa?”

  “Never again. They can’t pay me enough. Guess who talked to Santa and didn’t ask for a present?”

  “Da
nielle?”

  “Yes.”

  “She never said anything to me.”

  “The conversation was private between her and Santa.”

  Caleb related the talk he had with Danni, ending with the suggestion she give her mother’s boyfriend a chance. “She took my advice and cancelled her message to Santa. I’m expecting an invitation to go horseback riding.”

  “She knows about us and saw us kissing in the kitchen?”

  “Oh, yeah, and we were being so careful. She brought to my attention that I wear an apron and like to spend more time in the kitchen than doing manly things. That’s why I broke my ass, bruised my balls, and will probably walk around bowlegged for the next week.”

  “Oh, Caleb, only a man in love would do something so unselfish to prove his love.”

  “That still leaves the question: what about us?”

  “I think you solved the problem by suggesting she give you a chance. If she asks about horseback riding, tell her you went today and plan to go back because you liked it so much.”

  “It really was fun until I overdid it.”

  “Are you ready for your massage?”

  “All of a sudden I’m feeling a great deal better. Do your worst, sweetheart.”

  “Let’s start with your back and I’ll work my way down.” She shifted around. “Would you mind pulling down my zipper? I can’t maneuver in this tight skirt.”

  Caleb drew the zipper down slowly and his eyes grew wider and wider when the dress spread to reveal nothing but creamy flesh. When she stood up and wiggled free of the dress, his eyes roved up and down her practically naked body. “You sure picked the wrong night to show up in nothing but a dress and a black thong.”

  “It’s called plan ahead to make love, but since you’re partially incapacitated, we can amend my plans. I once told you I would like to try it on top.”

  Erin opened the bottle of liniment and whipped the sheet away from his prone body. “Turn over, my love. Just relax and enjoy.”

  “You expect me to lie on my stomach? Didn’t you notice I’m already standing at attention?”

  “You certainly are, my poor baby,” she murmured. Kneeling next to him on the bed, she wrapped his straining flesh in her hand, feeling its life-giving pulse, and lowered her mouth. She loved tasting him and gently massaged the swollen tip with her tongue. He raised his hips slightly, pushing himself deeper, but moments later a moan of disappointment filled her ears when she released him.