Sweet Joymaker (Indigo Bay Christmas Romances #3) - Jean Oram Page 0,49
And it wasn’t just meeting up for coffee and dessert, or having supper one town over, or even hiding out together in a darkened movie theater.
They were going to a community barn dance. And not just any barn dance, but the New Year’s Eve one, which was the biggest night of the year. Guaranteeing a kiss at midnight, which was like claiming Clint Walker as her man for the entire New Year.
New year. New life.
Not really a new life, but one with more pauses to enjoy what came her way, even something as simple as sitting on the porch swing with Clint and listening to the birds sing. A life with more kisses.
She smiled and glanced over at him, the car’s dash lights emphasizing his features. She was driving her restored Mustang, the feel of the machine so familiar it was like coming home.
Kind of like Clint. He already felt like an integral part of her life, her home, her world. He’d been hanging around the ranch a bit since Christmas Day, popping in here and there. Sometimes he’d stop for a morning coffee if the post-Christmas rush at Clint’s Parts and Mechanic wasn’t too bad, other times for a game of cards after supper, or simply a quick lunch.
The boys approved of Clint. Pulling him in to help with their Christmas surprise, and him bringing Cole home had solidified him as a member of the Wylder clan.
The future hadn’t been something to worry about, after all.
As she parked behind the old barn converted into a community center a few miles from town, and shut off the engine, country-and-western music immediately reached their ears. She turned to Clint and, as though he’d read her mind, he leaned across the console, his minty breath brushing her cheek. He cupped her chin, bringing her in for a lingering kiss that made her toes curl in anticipation and joy.
“Will you kiss me at midnight?” she whispered.
“And tomorrow. And the next day.”
She shifted in her seat. “So what are we doing here?” She knew she wanted something serious with Clint. Not marriage, at least not yet. But something long-term and solid. Something they could both rely on.
“Is your memory going? We were kissing.” He pulled her in for another one, his body warm and welcoming. She’d missed him in the few days they hadn’t seen each other, and it all seemed so foolish and fear-driven now.
“I like the way we’re taking it slow,” she murmured, “but I know you want more.”
“I do. But I also learned that I’d prefer the agony of taking it slow over not having you at all.”
“Oh, Clint.” She tugged at his jacket, pulling him close enough for another kiss.
“You’re worth waiting for,” he said, brushing her smeared lipstick with a rough thumb. “By the way, I think your boys like me.”
“You’ve won them over.”
“And Carmichael doesn’t seem to mind me on the ranch as long as I’m willing to talk about diesel engines.”
“When you tire of that, he also likes to discuss bulls.”
Her father-in-law didn’t seem to mind having a new man around the ranch in his son’s place. Maria shouldn’t have sold him short. Carmichael was a widower and likely understood the loneliness, and the need to move on. He hadn’t said a word about Clint, but she’d noted he’d started calling her a young filly here and there. And whenever he saw Maria and Clint laughing or cuddling, she could have sworn she’d see a glimmer of a smile tease the old cowboy’s lips.
They exited the car, and as they walked toward the barn Maria slipped her hand into Clint’s. “I’m looking forward to a lot of things because of you.”
“What kind of things?”
“Taking it easy. Being myself. Pursuing my interests—while still helping on the ranch.”
“Of course. That’s a big part of who you are.”
“It is. And you know, I thought it would be weird having you around on the ranch, but it isn’t.”
“It’s been okay?” She heard the hesitation in his voice.
She squeezed his hand. “It’s been more than okay. Life adapts. I’d forgotten that.”
“It does, doesn’t it?”
“Thank you, Clint.”
“I’m not sure what you’re thanking me for.”
“For not giving up, and for pushing me. Your persistence was needed.”
“It’s what I do best. But Maria?” He stopped, pulling her hand to bring her back to him.
“Yeah?”
“I should confess that it was for purely selfish reasons.”
She smiled and nestled into his side. “Yeah?”
“I didn’t want anyone else getting to you before I had a chance.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
“I