“Why?”
“I’m afraid if we get together and he really does want to settle down I’ll break his heart.”
Rules.If she and Riley got together she’d have to make sure he understood that it wasn’t forever.If that’s what he wanted.Maybe Liam and Val were wrong, and he had no more interest in settling down than she did.
*
Riley thought hewas making headway with Letty.She hadn’t given in yet, but he figured it was only a matter of time until she at least agreed to go out with him.With that in mind he did everything he could to help her with the tree.The decorations were handled by a local women’s group, but Letty was in charge of the lighting and making sure Santa showed up to do the honors.
“If Santa can’t make it will you do it?”Letty asked him one day.
“Why couldn’t he make it?”
“It’s happened before.He could get sick or break a leg or something.”
He stared at her wondering if she was kidding.Nope, he didn’t think so.“Okay, I’ll be your backup, but you have to do something for me.Playing Santa is not on my list of fun things to do.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Be my date for the Stroll.”After his Santa gig, if it was necessary.He fervently hoped that it wasn’t.
“I thought we decided not to date?”
“You might have but I never did.Come on, Letty, let’s have some fun.I know the Stroll is one of your favorite things.”
“And if I say no?”
“I’ll still do it.”
“Good answer.All right.I’ll go with you.”
Riley didn’t always go to the Stroll, usually because of some crisis or simply because he was needed on the ranch.Besides, it had never been his favorite thing to do at Christmas.But this year his ranch manager said he’d be available if needed, and his father also offered to keep an eye on things.
His dad wasn’t in great health, and consequently had cut way back on his duties at the ranch, but he’d been feeling much better lately.Besides, he’d have to be on his deathbed to quit working entirely, which, thank God, he wasn’t.
“Is there a particular reason you want to go to the Stroll?”Jasper asked.“Got a date or something?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”He knew his dad wanted to know who it was, but Riley wasn’t ready yet to reveal his plans for Letty and himself.His parents would find out soon enough who he was dating when the townspeople saw them together.Nothing stayed secret for long in Marietta.Not that he wanted their relationship to be secret.
What relationship?he asked himself.He’d barely gotten her to agree to go on a date with him, much less have a relationship.He didn’t think she wasplayinghard to get.He thought she simplywashard to get.Letty wasn’t going to make it easy on him.He’d have to prove to her that not only was he serious about her but also that she could trust him enough to give him a chance.
Thank God, the regular Santa showed up at the starting point, allowing Riley to make his way to the tree lighting.It took a while since almost everyone in town or near town showed up for the tree lighting.It and the Stroll kicked off the Christmas season.
Luckily, he found Letty before the official lighting, talking to the lighting coordinator.She was bundled into her heavy ski jacket, wearing jeans and a knit hat.She wore her hiking boots rather than cowboy boots, since they undoubtedly had more traction.He wondered what she’d do if he kissed her?To her it would seem to be out of the blue, but he’d hardly thought about anything else since kissing her the night he took her home from Grey’s.
Why had it taken him so long to realize Letty was beautiful?Maybe he’d been deliberately blind, thinking she wasn’t the one for him.But that feeling had changed over time, climaxing when he saw Bud Davis pawing her at Grey’s…and Letty not discouraging him.It still made him want to punch something or someone, preferably Davis, whenever he thought about it.
“Hi,” Letty said.“I take it Santa showed up since you’re here.”
“He did.He should be here before long.”
Carolers sang ‘O Christmas Tree’ while waiting for Santa and his sleigh to arrive.A cheer went up when he did and not long after that Santa climbed down from the sleigh and threw the light switch.A gasp went up from the crowd as the beautifully decorated huge tree with its gazillion twinkling lights was revealed.
“What do you think?”Letty asked him.
“It’s gorgeous.And so are you.”
She patted his arm.“You’re sweet to say that, but we both know I’m not.”
“To me you are.”
