The Cowboy Who Saved Christmas - Jodi Thomas Page 0,12

the wagon, she looked up and saw Trapper standing a few feet away. He seemed frozen as he stared.

There was nowhere she could run. If she stepped up, he’d see more of her, and if she turned to run to the back of the wagon, he’d see her backside.

She straightened and lifted her chin. “Turn around, Mr. Trapper.”

For a moment he didn’t move. She didn’t think he was breathing. He was simply standing there. His eyes were wide open and looking at her.

“Turn around,” she demanded.

“Why?” he whispered. “You’re so beautiful.”

The man had gone mad. You’d think she was the first woman he’d ever seen in her undergarments.

She glared at him, and he finally turned away, still smiling.

Emery climbed up as fast as she could and disappeared inside. Once in the wagon, she dried off with one of the blankets and removed her damp underwear. Then she dressed in her blouse, jacket and skirt, feeling strange with nothing between her skin and her clothes.

None of the girls seemed to notice. Two and Three had curled up sleeping after their frightening ride, and Four and Five were leaning out the back opening, trying to catch raindrops on their tongues.

Emery combed out her long hair and braided it, then carefully twisted it into a bun at the base of her neck. Finally, she felt respectable again. It was raining and gloomy when Trapper had seen her. Maybe he hadn’t noticed how her camisole clung to her.

Maybe if she forgot that one moment he’d forget it too. She’d never mention it, and if he did, she’d say the shadows were playing tricks with what he thought he saw.

Voices sounded outside. Emery made out Number One’s light laugh and Trapper’s greeting. She slipped into her shoes and moved to the back of the wagon to stand behind Four and Five. She might be in shadows, but she could see the outline of a tall, very thin boy, maybe a year or two older than One. The middle-aged couple behind the boy was smiling and appeared to be tickled to find someone else near.

“Come on down, ladies, and meet our neighbors in the storm.” Trapper raised his arms and tiny Five jumped into his hug. Four followed. Both the girls stood close to him, and he put his hands on their shoulders.

Mrs. Miller shook both their hands, but Em noticed they still clung to Trapper’s legs.

“Like us, it looks like the Millers are trapped here until the storm’s over. Number One, meet their son, Timothy. He noticed our horses and came to see if he could help.” Trapper looked down at the little darlings hiding behind his legs, but his words were directed to the Millers. “We’re playing a game right now. I’ve numbered the girls off by age. These two are the youngest, Four and Five. We’re all explorers looking for Dallas.”

The couple, standing a few feet away, laughed. They explained that they also had children, so they understood games.

Trapper looked up at Emery as she neared the edge. He lifted his arms. When she hesitated, he circled her waist and swung her down. He was polite making the introductions, but the light in his blue eyes told her he was thinking of how she’d looked before.

She thought of yelling at him again, but she doubted he’d noticed the first lecture she’d tried to give him. His eyes had been so focused his ears hadn’t seemed to be working. Plus, if she showed her anger, strangers would notice, maybe even ask questions or try to smooth over the disagreement.

This was between her and Trapper. What he saw. What she’d shown.

She slipped her hand around his arm and tried to act like a lady and not a crazy woman running around in her underwear. She didn’t risk saying a word, but Trapper kept the conversation going as he patted her fingers on his arm.

The Millers were farmers driving two wagons west to land they’d bought sight unseen near Dallas. They had two boys in their teens and two girls about the ages of Four and Five. Four was shy, but Five seemed excited to meet someone her age. Beneath the overhang, the Millers had built a fire and invited Trapper and his girls to a potato soup supper.

The girls grabbed their blankets and rushed to find a place near the campfire. Emery walked a few feet, then remembered she could add biscuits to the meal. As she hurried back to the wagon, she heard Trapper