Sweet Trouble (32 page)

A year and a half later

Isabelle wrapped the book in tissue, trying her best to do it as quietly as possible. The volume of King Arthur tales was the last present she needed to wrap. Slowly, she tied the red ribbon, pausing to listen for a whisper or a creak on the stair. Luke and Seth were even stealthier this Christmas than last year.

That morning while she’d tried to make a special cake for their Christmas celebration, they’d snuck into her kitchen twice, giggling when she’d spied them and shooed them out.

Aside from the fire crackling in the fireplace, the cabin was quiet. She set the last present under the tree and stood back. Several days before, Matthias announced that the ‘men’ were going out to search for a good Christmas tree. It was a serious task and might take most of the day. They’d need a picnic lunch to take along.

They were gone until mid-afternoon, and returned walking beside Arlo. He pulled the tree behind him, dragging it in the light snow. Now the tree stood in their cabin beside the fireplace. It was taller than Matthias, almost reaching the ceiling. The boys decorated it with popcorn and crimson paper stars. Matthias surprised everyone by topping the tree with a small angel he’d whittled and painted white.

It filled the cabin with a sharp, piney scent of Christmas.

A stirring from the back bedroom drew her attention, and she went down the darkened hallway. The cradle stood in the corner, a few feet from the stove. The baby, a boy of four months, slept, sucking his thumb. Isabelle drew a sharp breath. Whenever she looked at her son, Thomas, as he rested, she felt her eyes prickle with tears.

Three months after Matthias had strolled down her driveway and asked to speak to her husband, Isabelle had discovered she was expecting. The Sutton clan had been overjoyed, both Ben and Cam toasting the news with expensive scotch, and Savannah and Violet alternating between laughter and happy tears.

“If it’s a girl, I won’t mind if you name her after me,” Violet had told her. “Ben won’t let me name a girl Violet. He says he’s terrified she’ll be as big a handful as I am.”

Isabelle adjusted the baby’s blanket. When the child was born, she told Matthias to name him. Without hesitation, he’d said the boy would be named Thomas, after his father.

Seth and Luke both loved having a baby brother and often asked Matthias and Isabelle how soon they’d get a sister. Matthias liked to catch her eye and smile.

Patch lay on his blanket near the cradle. He liked to sleep there whenever he could. Matthias grumbled that he liked the warmth from the stove, but Isabelle suspected the dog wanted to protect the baby.

Strong, wise and beautiful, Patch seemed to think all three boys were his to watch over. He lifted his head and cocked it, listening intently. Did he hear Matthias returning?

Patch held a special place in Matthias’ heart. He never said as much, but Isabelle was sure of it. Matthias liked to call Patch the “pick of the litter.” He reserved a special bowl for Patch, saving scraps and choice morsels for the dog.

The door opened, and Matthias said her name softly. Patch thumped his tail and lay his head back down. Isabelle hurried to the front of the cabin to find her husband in the doorway. His face was red and chapped from the cold. Snow glazed the rim of his cowboy hat. He took a few steps, stalking towards her. He gave her a wicked smile, his white teeth contrasting with a short, dark beard.

She held up her hands to fend him off and gave a breathless laugh. “Do
not
kiss me.”

He growled his discontent. “Later then.”

It was a game for him to kiss her when he’d come in from the cold. He relished trapping her and tormenting her with an icy kiss while she tried to wriggle free.

He held out a gloved hand. “Come see what I have.”

She took his hand, and he led her to the porch. Arlo stood in front of the cabin. Beside him was a pony. In the dim light of the half-moon, the pony looked to be the same beautiful color as Arlo.

“A palomino pony?” Isabelle whispered. “I can’t believe it.”

“Had to look far and wide for a palomino, but that was exactly what I wanted for Seth.”

Her breath fogged in the cold, and she hugged herself to keep a little warmth. Stepping down from the porch, she held her hand out to the pony. He stepped closer and sniffed her hand.

“So, this is why you had to go to the Suttons’ on Christmas Eve,” she said.

Matthias pulled her into his arms, drawing his coat around her. “Shorty’s been working with him for the better part of a week. Says he’s real gentle.”

Both horses stood side by side. The moonlight burnished their golden coats, and the snow on the ground sparkled around them. The pony was a pretty little fellow, quiet, with large, curious eyes.

Matthias had doubled the size of their land and had a herd of six thousand cattle. He’d already told Seth he could help take the calves to market at the end of the summer. Now he would have a chance to practice his cowboy skills.

Matthias kissed the top of her head. “Now I’m going to have to listen to his brother grouse for two years, asking when he’s going to get a palomino.”

“Thomas will want one, too. Just wait.”

He brushed his lips against her temple. “We better have a few girls after all these pesky boys.”

“I better go back in, just in case Thomas stirs.”

He released her, and she returned to the porch, pausing on the top step. “The pony’s beautiful, Matthias…”

For a moment she was overcome. Perhaps it was the Christmas season, or maybe the way he always did special things for her and the boys, but sometimes she found herself overwhelmed with emotion.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

He took off his hat and banged it against his leg. A flurry of snow fell from the brim. “S’all right, Mrs. Hudson. Happy to do it, but you still owe me a kiss.”

THE END

Thank you for reading my story. If you enjoyed this story please consider leaving me a review.
Click here to leave a review on Amazon
. I also encourage you to sign up for my mail list. 
Click here to sign up for my mailing list
where I will notify you of future releases, exclusive offers and bonus material.

Check out my summer 2016 Romance Collection,
Old West Alpha and Sass Collection
. It contains all twelve stories I’ve written over the past year. The collection includes growly cowboys, gruff bounty hunters and smart, sassy heroines. All stories are safe reads with happily-ever-afters.

Alix West

Copyright © 2015 by Alix West

Author’s Note: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to other real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

The right of Sasha Gold and Alix West to be identified as authors of these Works has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright © 2016 by Sasha Gold

All rights reserved.