“What? Am I drooling grape juice?”
“You laughed.”
He opened his mouth once, closed it and tried again. Sure he laughed. People laughed when they were happy. The realization astonished him. He’d laughed because he was happy. When was the last time he’d felt anything even close to happiness?
“I won’t do it again.”
“Oh, yes you will.” All business and smiles, she shouldered him out of the way. “Go get that little card table in the laundry room and set it up. Jade will put on the table cloth and centerpiece while I finish our tea fixin’s.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted, slung his cape over his face in a super-hero imitation and did as he was told.
By the time the table was ready and they’d sat down to dine on the odd little meal, Jesse had gotten into the swing of the tea party. Wearing a get-up that would make his rodeo buddies howl, knees up to his chin, he reached for one of Jade’s raggedy cookie-cutter sandwiches.
“Let’s bless the food,” Lindsey said, folding her hands in front of her.
A worried expression replaced the glow on Jade’s face, and nearly broke Jesse’s heart. Seated across from him at the small square table, she looked from Lindsey to him, waiting. Jesse did the only thing he could. He bowed his head, closed his eyes, and listened to Lindsey’s simple prayer. When he looked back into his daughter’s face, he knew he’d done the right thing. Playing the hypocrite for fifteen seconds hadn’t killed him.
Stunned to realize he not only hadn’t been bothered by the prayer or the other Christian references, Jesse chewed thoughtfully on the most delicious baloney and cheese sandwich he’d ever tasted and watched Lindsey do the same. He wondered at how time spent with her had changed him, easing the prickly sensation that usually came at the mention of God. Most of all he wondered at how easily Lindsey Mitchell, the lone pioneer woman, had become a part of his and Jade’s lives. Considering how dangerous that was for him, he should toss down his Santa sandwich and run. But he knew he wouldn’t. Lindsey’s gentle female influence was so good for Jade. He tried to be a decent dad, but there were things a little girl needed that a man never even thought of.
“Tea, your highness?” Lindsey said to Jade, holding the pretty teapot over a dainty cup.
“Yes, your princess-ness. Tea, please.” Pinky finger pointed up—he didn’t know where she’d learned that—Jade lifted the poured tea and sipped carefully. “Delicious. Try it, Daddy.”
“That’s ‘your daddy-ness’ to you, queenie.” Taking a sip of the surprisingly tasty tea, Jesse relished the sound of his child’s giggle.
Yes, Lindsey was good for her. And as disturbing as the thought was, she was good for him, too.
Taking a sandwich from the serving dish, Jade said, “I think Sushi wants this one.” She handed the food to Lindsey. “Will you give it to her so she won’t be sad?”
Jesse couldn’t believe his ears. Jade was worried about upsetting the dog? Capturing Lindsey’s glance, he asked a silent question with his eyes.
Brown eyes happy, Lindsey only shrugged and said, “We’re gaining ground.” Getting up from her chair, she started toward the door. “Come with me, Jade. You can watch from inside.”
When Jade followed, Jesse couldn’t be left behind. He had to see this with his own eyes—if he could keep his tiara from falling down over them. Sure enough, Jade stood inside the glass door, a tentative smile on her face, while Lindsey stepped out on the porch and fed the dog.
If Jade overcame her fear of dogs, he’d almost believe in miracles.
Lindsey must have noticed his bewildered expression because she laughed.
“Doubting Thomas,” she said to him, then leaned toward Jade. “Did you see the way Sushi wagged her tail? That means thank you.”
Holding onto her flowered hat, Jade pressed against the glass and whispered to the dog. “You’re welcome.”
When Sushi licked the door, Jade jumped back, almost stumbling over her skirts, but at least she didn’t scream.
“Sushi gave you a kiss, Butterbean,” Jesse offered after he’d swallowed the thickness in his throat.
“Uh-huh. I saw her, but I didn’t want a doggy kiss. I’m the queen.” Resuming her air of royalty, she lifted the tail of her dress and clomped to the kitchen. “Can we make cookies now? It’s almost Christmas.”
Lindsey, satin skirts rustling, peacock feather flopping, followed behind Jade like a cartoonist’s version of a royal lady-in-waiting. “You’re right. Christmas will be here before we know it. Guess what your daddy and I are doing tomorrow?”
Jesse had a sneaky feeling he didn’t want to know.
The gap in Jade’s mouth flashed. “What?”
“We’re going to put up the decorations and get the Christmas-tree lot ready for visitors.”
“Yay! Can I help? Can I decorate a tree? Can I put up the angel?” Jade wrapped her arms around Lindsey’s red-satin-covered knees and hopped up and down. “Please, please, please.”
Jesse’s stomach sank into his boots. The day he’d dreaded had come. The Christmas season was upon him.
Chapter Six
“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” blared from a loudspeaker positioned over the gate that opened into the Christmas-tree lot. The smell of pine mingled with the musty scent of Christmas decorations brought out of storage this morning. Though the temperature was in the high thirties, Jesse stripped away his jean jacket and hung the worn garment on the fence next to Lindsey’s red plaid one.
He didn’t have to look around to find the jacket’s owner. Every cell in his body knew she was near—a sensation he found singularly disconcerting, to be sure. Last night, in the midst of a costumed tea party, some subtle shift in their boss/employee relationship had occurred. And Jesse didn’t know if the change was a good thing or a very dangerous one.
From his spot stringing lights on staked poles, he turned to find her just inside the entrance, rubbing dust from a large wooden nativity scene. She’d shared her plans with him for the lot, and though the overwhelming dose of Christmas wasn’t his idea of a good time, Lindsey’s customers would come for this very atmosphere of holiday cheer.
Shoppers would park outside the gate then ride in the horse-drawn wagon down a lane aglow with Christmas lights and dotted with various lighted holiday ornaments: the nativity, a sleigh with reindeer, angels, snowmen. Jesse couldn’t imagine anything she’d forgotten.
Chest tight, whether from watching Lindsey or thinking too much, he turned his concentration to the electrical part of his job. Electricity he knew. Lights he knew. The rest he’d ignore. And as soon as the opportunity arose, he’d kill that music.
“Jesse, could you put more speakers along the drive and down into the lot? I’m not sure we can hear the music all the way.”
His shoulders slumped. So much for killing the tunes. After twisting two wires together, he rose from his haunches and asked, “Wouldn’t my time be better spent cutting and baling those trees we marked this morning?”
She paused, pushed back her hair with one hand and studied him. When those eyes of hers lasered into him he couldn’t do anything but wait until she finished speaking. She had pretty eyes, golden-brown and warm and slightly tilted at the edges like almonds.
“Why do you dislike Christmas?”
He blinked, squeezing hard on the pliers in his fist. “Never said I didn’t like Christmas.”
“Okay, then,” She gave a saucy toss of her head. “Why do you dislike Christmas decorations?”