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Caleb was ignoring her, though, as he set the basket down in front of the tree and began unloading it. The Sullivan Christmas tree was large and had been culled from their own front yard. It had been amusing to watch five muscled men attempting to coordinate bringing it into the living room. Cutting down the tree had been fairly easy, but carrying it across the snow and ice had been well worth the price of admission. More than one of them had ended up sprawled in the driveway.
Holidays at the log cabin were tradition—such as any tradition could be that was only a few years old. But Izzy felt welcome on her first Christmas without Pop, just as she had a month earlier when she’d come for Thanksgiving. She missed her dad, no doubt about that, but the pain of his absence was dulled by the presence of new friends. After depositing Caleb’s package under the tree, Izzy headed across the room. A very pregnant Tildy was sprawled in a chair, her feet propped up on the ottoman. Izzy patted her shoulder and the younger woman smiled. Before Izzy could ask how she was doing, Hawk said, “Olivia. O-liv-i-a.”
Easy laughed. The large Sioux had Pepper, the cat, nuzzled against his chest.
“For God’s sake, Hawk,” Shooter grumbled, “she can’t hear you.”
Hawk was unruffled. “She can feel the vibration in my chest,” he argued. “She knows I’m talking to her. O-liv-i-a,” he parsed out in a deep baritone. “I need my two best girls to get along right out of the gate.”
“Two best girls?” Tildy said loudly. “Two?! I’ve been replaced by the cat?!”
Hawk’s mouth dropped open. “No,” he stammered. “No. Obviously. You’re the best best girl. The best of the best,” he told her. “You’re—”
“Stop digging, Hawk,” Tex advised. “That hole’s deep enough.”
Tildy glowered at her husband and he sat down on the couch, chagrined.
“I love you,” Hawk said lamely.
Tildy raised an eyebrow at him. It was hard not to laugh. Tildy may have been half the size of Hawk—probably even less—but it wasn’t hard to figure out just who ruled their roost. Izzy glanced over at Caleb who was off in a corner whispering to Shooter in low tones. She gave him a questioning look, but Caleb merely smiled at her. She smirked at him in return. He still played it close to the vest sometimes.
“Okay!” Sarah said with the air of authority that her husband usually carried. “Let’s get this show on the road!”
They all gathered in front of the tree, angling chairs to face each other as Sarah and Abby handed out gifts. As they slowly piled up, Izzy noticed she didn’t have one from Caleb. She leaned toward him and tugged on his sleeve. “If my gift is in your pocket, you can give it to me later,” she told him, giving him a sly look.
He shook his head in protest but she noticed that his eyes had grown a bit darker. She grinned as she pictured another night under the blankets with him.
“Be patient,” he whispered.
Izzy squirmed in her chair. It was damn hard to be patient for that or for that long. She watched as the usual sweaters, boots, and wallets were exchanged Abby gave them all engraved wedding invitations along with their gifts. Izzy had seen The Custer and she knew the old hotel would be perfect for the very small ceremony. She passed Caleb’s gift to him, minus the bow.
“What is it?” he asked as he peeled back the wrapping paper. Caleb wasn’t big on surprises.
“Two tickets to paradise,” she answered.
“Pack your bags. We’ll leave tonight.”
He opened the long, thin envelope first. In it were indeed two plane tickets to Miami.
“I thought we could escape the cold for a little while,” she told him. Caleb unfolded a piece of paper and gazed down at the mug shot in front of him. He eyed her questioningly.
Izzy shrugged. “Just in case we get bored.”
He lifted the lid on the box and pulled out a black string bikini. Shooter whistled.
“Try it on,” Easy quipped. Daisy smacked his arm. “I meant Caleb!” he protested.
Caleb glared at him. “Only if you put on one of Slick’s bras.” Everyone laughed. Izzy shot Caleb a puzzled look. “I’ll tell you later,” he promised.
He nodded to Shooter and both men stood up at the same time. Izzy watched them disappear into Shooter’s office just off the living room. When they came back, Shooter closed the door behind him. Caleb crossed the room and laid a large, tactical shotgun across her lap. It was a Mossberg 500 Persuader, just like the one Rawlins had never returned. It was topped with a big, red bow.
“Damn, woman!” Easy cried. “I’m jealous!”
Izzy practically jumped for joy. “You got the combat sights!”
The others laughed.
“Nothing says ‘I love you’ like crowd control gear,” Tex declared.
