“None of us in this barn do, Sheriff,” Amity said, biting back a smile. “As long as you swear to protect her and not hurt her.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Good enough, then,” Heaven said with a wink to me. “We’ll be on our way to put the little ones to bed. Enjoy that sleigh ride. Oh, and Joe?” she asked, and he turned his attention to her. “Don’t let her overdo on those feet. We’re in the crunch time for the dance.”
Joe gave her a salute, and they all waved before they left the barn, still giggling like schoolgirls. I shook my head at them, but my eyes were nowhere but on the man I love.
“Hi,” I said. “You’ve already been home and changed.”
“I wanted to be comfortable for the sleigh ride,” he said, motioning at the horses. “Are you sure you should be doing this with your foot? Heaven’s right. We don’t want to set you back.”
The grin that split my face was undeniably the happiest I’d ever been. I motioned Joe over to a bale of hay and sat. “Wait until you see my Christmas present.”
I took my boot off, and his eyes widened until he dropped to his knee to inspect the new foot. After I showed him both and explained how they worked, he shook his head with the same shock and awe I had earlier.
“I owe Beau an entire case of beer for doing that for you. He’s just always so thoughtful and caring.”
I nodded as I zipped my boots back up. “I can’t tell you how good it feels not to feel my feet. What I mean is, to not be in pain with every step.” I brushed away a tear and pointed at my eyes as I laughed. “Every time I think about it, I cry.”
He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. “There’s no way for me to know how that feels, so the tears tell me it must be significant. This is one of those you have to live it to understand it situations, so if you’re this moved by the gift, then I know those tears are full of joy and thankfulness.” I nodded against his chest, and he kissed the top of my head. “Anything that makes you feel better makes me feel better, so don’t ever be afraid to tell me if you’re hurting or need help. This is a partnership, right?”
I wiped my tears as he held me out by my shoulders. “Do you want it to be?”
“More than anything in this world, my Christmas Star.”
“Are you saying you want to be my boyfriend?”
“For now,” he agreed and my eyes widened as my heart started to race. “Not what I meant,” he said immediately, as though he realized what he said. “I meant, I’ll be your boyfriend for now, but someday, I want to be your everything. I’ll do anything you need me to do for you, sweetheart.”
“I feel the same way, Joe. I’ll do anything for you. You know that, right?”
“I do, which is why I’m hoping tonight, you’ll help me out with something.”
I stood and rested my hands on his chest. “Anything. Should I cancel the sleigh ride?”
He tapped me on the nose with his finger like Poppy Rose does. “Nope. Where we’re going, we’ll need the sleigh.”
He winked, but it didn’t hold the same level of teasing it usually did. There was an underlying heaviness to him tonight that I couldn’t explain. Maybe a sleigh ride was just what the doctor ordered after all.
Chapter Thirteen
The night was silent other than the horse’s huff. Even the sleigh runners cut through the snow silently as we rode across the ridges. There was a reverence about the land tonight, which was fitting considering why I was here. I wanted to sit with Tobi, but the seat was too small, so she was driving while I rode behind her. I rested my arm on the back of her seat and gazed at her, memorizing how beautiful she was in the moonlight.
Her long, blonde hair that I loved to tangle my hands in as I made love to her was covered with a purple stocking cap, but it didn’t steal her beauty. The purple cap highlighted the sparkle in her blue eyes as she urged the horses on. Her tiny pixie nose crinkled every so often as the wind blew across her face and it highlighted the sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheeks. There was a sweet little divot below her nose to meet her plump upper lip that I loved to kiss. Tobi Star was as wholesome as they come and I was the luckiest damn man in Wellspring to be on the receiving end of her love. I always knew if we could find our way to each other without the past standing between us, we’d be inseparable. Every time I thought about our love, my heart calmed and I was able to picture a life with her, instead of the life of loneliness I’d been leading the last twelve years.
“How are the mitts working?” I asked, running my hand down her arm to rest at her elbow. I wanted to be touching her at all times. I won’t lie. It felt weird to need that connection with her now, but it was there, and I couldn’t deny it. I needed this little hundred-pound woman to keep me grounded right now. When I was holding her late at night, and she was snuggled up against my chest after making love, I told myself there was nothing wrong with needing someone. Sure, I could lose her tomorrow, but how many more regrets would I have if I wasn’t with her while I had the chance.
“They’re crazy warm. Beau was right. I like how I can hold the reins better this way, too. I may ask him if he can make me a pair out of leather without the fur, so that I can use them year-round.”
“I like that idea. I’ll feel better when I know you’re out on the ridges. I always worry you’ll run into problems.”
“My ridge riding days are over, Joe,” she said, directing the horses toward the lower pasture. I was pleased since that’s where I wanted to go anyway.
“They are? I thought all the hands had to take rotation.”
“They do, but after the dance, I’m no longer a hand. We’re starting with students after the first of the year. The school and camps will be my job from now on. No more late-night rides on the ridge unless I want to take them.”
“I can’t say I’m upset about that, baby. I always worry about you being out here so late at night. But, in case I’ve never told you, I’m incredibly proud of what you’ve done here in just a few short years. I love you.”
