The Cowboy's Christmas Plan by Shanna Hatfield

Author:Shanna Hatfield
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Christmas
ISBN: 1467954977
Published: 2013-11-18T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

To wear your heart on your sleeve

isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside,

where it functions best.

Margaret Thatcher

Trent walked inside the kitchen carrying the plastic storage tub containing the Santa Claus suit. He and Cadence took all the pieces out, checking for anything that needed repaired. It all looked to be in good shape.

He promised to drop it off at the cleaners in The Dalles when he ran into town later that day to help Nana with some errands. If all went well, he could bring it home with him that afternoon. If not, Denni agreed to bring it with her when she came Sunday.

Cadence kept incredibly busy with her regular cooking and cleaning duties as well as making a special treat every day for the men. She also worked on Christmas projects. She finished the quilt she was making Cass along with a matching pillow sham that afternoon. Featuring pink, white and green fabric, the quilt was soft, pretty and definitely made for a little girl.

In particularly high spirits, Cadence decided to make Trent’s requested dinner of choice.

When the men walked in that evening, they were surprised to see a red and white picnic cloth covering the table and the smell of barbecue filling the air.

“Miss Cady, what’s on the menu tonight?” Rex asked as he stood next to his chair at the table.

“You’ll soon see,” she said, bringing heaping bowls and platters to the table. The men enjoyed a feast of barbecued ribs, baked beans, potato salad, and cornbread. While Trent had included watermelon on the list, it was impossible to get anything that tasted good this time of year, so she substituted a mixed fruit salad. Dessert was a raspberry cream cake. When Trent took a bite, he closed his eyes in rapture and sighed.

“This may be the best thing I’ve ever eaten, Cady.”

Cadence blushed, although she sent him a warm smile. “You say that at least once a week, Trent.”

Everyone laughed, but Trent begged a second piece of cake and when only one remained, he hoarded it, as well.

“Are you sure you had enough cake, bro?” Trey asked with a teasing smile. He had eaten two pieces himself, thoroughly enjoying the treat.

As the men brought their plates to the sink and prepared to leave, Cadence asked them to all come back in an hour.

She quickly finished the dishes then started cooking something on the stovetop. When the guys returned, she had a pan of taffy ready for pulling. She inspected each set of hands, made them slather butter over their fingers and palms, then set all seven cowboys to pulling taffy. As they pulled, she added red and green food coloring. The men laughed and tried to snitch bites of the hot candy, making it a fun evening wrapped up in good cheer and good company.

The men had just left for a second time that night when the phone rang. Cadence answered to discover Aunt Viv on the other end of the line.

“Cady, there is a PTA meeting tomorrow night to discuss the Christmas program at the school.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.