The Cowboy's Christmas Blessings by Jill Kemerer

Author:Jill Kemerer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-07-08T20:44:02+00:00

Chapter Eight

“Wow, I can’t believe how much bigger this is than I remembered.” Nicole strolled next to Judd in downtown Rendezvous the next day. Centennial Street had been blocked off with food trucks and various vendors lining it. Evergreen boughs and red ribbons were hung everywhere. Down the street, the large park had been converted into a winter wonderland with reindeer, Santa’s workshop and hot chocolate stands next to a skating rink.

She was so ready for Christmas Fest.

No babies. No worries. Just an afternoon to be like any other twentysomething woman for once.

“I haven’t been here in years.” Judd took her elbow as a couple of teenagers almost ran into them. He pointed to a side street. “Rec center’s down this way.”

“You really don’t mind checking out the bake sale?” She peeked at him, needing to see his reaction for herself. Aaron hadn’t enjoyed these types of events, and Nicole had never dated anyone else—not that this was a date—so she wasn’t sure if she was boring Judd or not.

“Why would I mind?” His smile made his eyes dance. “It’s what Christmas Fest is all about.”

For this not being a date, she’d spent far too much time putting on her makeup and curling her hair during the babies’ morning nap. Then she’d dug through her winter items to find the cute knit hat she’d purchased a few years ago. The one with a fluffy pom-pom on top. It had matching gloves, too.

She still hadn’t lost the baby weight, so she’d squeezed into her stretchiest jeans and found a long sweater to cover any lumps. It was funny, though, that she didn’t feel self-conscious at all with Judd. She felt...excited. It was nice to get out of the house and have some fun without having to worry about the babies or the other things tangling her heart.

“Nicole!” Waving furiously, Linda Mulroney headed in their direction. Linda was one of Mom’s good friends. The bubbly woman held her toddler grandson’s hand as she approached them. “Well, look at you out and about. How’s your mom? She hasn’t called me in a few days.”

“I haven’t talked to her, either, but she seemed great the last time she called.” Which had been a few weeks ago, if Nicole’s memory served her correctly. She really should reach out to her mother soon.

Linda gave Judd a sly glance then focused on Nicole again. “Have you two gone skating yet?”

Nicole glanced up at Judd. “I’m not sure we’re going to.”

“Well, when you have a babysitter, you shouldn’t waste a precious minute. That’s my motto, anyway.” Linda winked at her. “Want me to snap a picture of you two and send it to your mom?”

“No!” Nicole didn’t mean to shout. Even Judd looked taken aback. “We’re actually on our way to the bake sale. See you later.”

“Have fun, you two.” Linda wiggled her fingers in a wave.

How mortifying. No doubt, Linda was texting Mom at this very moment with news that Nicole was on a date with Judd. A sick feeling landed in her tummy.

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