A Surprise Cowboy for Christmas: A Sweet Western Holiday Romance (Cowboy Christmas Book 2) by Elysia Strife

Author:Elysia Strife [Strife, Elysia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-24T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Callie’s phone let out a blaring ring that jolted her awake and made her head pound to the frantic beat of her heart. She squinted at the bright light beaming in through the windows. Cracks had formed between a few clouds, despite the ever-falling snow. But it was a promising sign.

Crap! She’d slept through the night and into the next morning, once again missing her chat with Rowan.

She turned on the sofa to search for her phone and found it had fallen on the floor. The house was empty save for Penny who hummed as she stirred a pot in the kitchen, and Gigi who was curled up on the southwestern patterned rug by the fire.

The picture ID on Callie’s phone showed her brother. A small surge of panic at forgetting to call helped rouse her mind.

Callie sat up and answered. “Hey, broskie. How’s the fam?”

“Oh, thank the Lord!” He puffed out a breath. “I’ve been trying to call you for days! Where on earth are you?”

She hummed a low note in thought and watched Ace and Rowan chat by the barn. Rowan held a cow sled and Ace a pair of nippers. Their short, jerky movements and tense postures suggested they argued. “You know, stuck in Montana thanks to the storm.”

“Where exactly? I can call for a tow or whatever you need,” her brother replied.

She smiled to herself. “I’m good. I found myself a cowboy.”

“You what?”

Callie’s heart lurched in her chest. “That’s not what I meant. I was stuck on the side of the road. He was looking for some lost cattle. We sort of found each other. I’m staying at his place now. Got the trailer parked outside and everything.”

“That’s not how you made it sound at first.” Her brother’s tone suggested he’d already unraveled the meaning behind her slip of the tongue. “Sounds like you like him.”

Based on Rowan’s trouble with women in the barn, Callie wasn’t sure there was a place for her in Rowan’s heart, only that she needed to show him the barn wasn’t cursed. “Eh, not sure. How’s mom?”

The phone rustled. “She’s getting around okay, but I think she picked up something at the therapist’s office after her last visit. She insisted on going Christmas shopping. Anyway, seems like a cold to me, but we’re watching her. I take it you won’t be home for Christmas…again.”

Callie hated the disappointment in his voice. “I was trying, really.”

“You always say that. And I get it. You have to do what you have to do. Just don’t forget about us.”

“I sent your girls birthday gifts this year,” she defended.

“It’s not the same, Calliope. You know that. I just don’t understand what it was about this place that made you want to leave so badly.” He sighed and something ticked in the background. If Callie had to guess, he was in their father’s office.

“You’re working on your vacation. To your daughters, that’s basically like not being there.” Callie hated feeling guilty for wanting to explore. “Why did you leave home?”

“Don’t pull that blame game out.

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