Her Christmas Cowboy (The Wyoming Cowboy #5) - Jessica Clare Page 0,44

and I’ve been telling myself I need to get out more, you know? Get back on the wagon and start dating again. I told myself that whoever was my Santa, I’d go out with him and give him a chance. Unfortunately, it was Greg.” She sighed. “I wasn’t thrilled, but I thought I’d give him a chance, since he was my Santa and all.”

Caleb made a sound of disgust in his throat.

“I know, I know.” Amy felt a little disgusted herself. “It was just . . . some of the gifts were so thoughtful, and I guess I felt like I should get on the wagon again, you know? So it seemed like a good idea. Sort of. It meant ignoring a lot of other things about his personality, but . . . yeah.” Sometimes she was really stupid when it came to men.

“Which gifts?”

“Huh?”

“Which gifts were the ones you liked?” he asked again, his fingers moving over her foot. “The jewelry?”

She chuckled, grimacing in the dark as she thought about the locket and the bracelet and how uncomfortable they’d made her. “The coffee maker, really. It wasn’t something I expected, but it was kind of perfect for my needs.”

“You should have been excited about the coat,” he muttered.

She pulled her foot out of his lap, curious. “How did you know I got a coat?”

It was silent for a long, long moment. Then he reached for her foot again and began to rub it once more. She should have protested, but she didn’t. It felt too good. “He wasn’t the only one giving you presents. That’s all I’m saying.”

“You?” she breathed, utterly surprised. Other than tonight, he’d always acted like he barely tolerated her. Like she was an idiot he was just being nice and helping. He’d given her presents?

“Not all me,” Caleb confessed. “I sent you the carnations, but it just seemed silly to send you more flowers when you needed practical things. So I sent you the trees, the ornaments, the boots, the coat and scarf, and the coffee maker.”

Here Caleb had been the one sending her the most thoughtful gifts. The ones that made her pause. The ones that made her want to go out with her Santa in the first place. “You . . .” she repeated again. “You never said anything.”

There was a long, heavy sigh in the darkness. “Don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not real good with words.”

“You seem to be fine right now.”

“I’m in the dark. I can’t see your face or the look in your eyes. That makes it easier.” He rubbed her foot hard, working her arch. “That, and your feet. For some reason, that helps. The rest of the time? It’s just . . . hard for me. My tongue gets tied up in knots.”

She was speechless. All this time and he’d been her Santa? Well, one of her Santas? He’d said nothing as she brought home present after present? No wonder a second tree had appeared on her doorstep after she took the first one to school. How that must have made him crazy. “Why did you give me all those things?”

“Why do you think?” His big fingers—calloused but strong—moved over the front of her foot in the best massage ever.

“You like me?”

Those magical fingers paused. “You didn’t know?”

“No. Of course I didn’t know!” She was still in a state of shock. He’d thought she’d known that he liked her? She couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d told her that Santa Claus really did exist. “You . . . you’re always so short with me. Like I’m doing something wrong, or like I’m an idiot that you’re forced to put up with.”

“What, just because I ain’t chatty, that means I can’t like you?” He sounded defensive.

“You’re not chatty. You’re, like . . . silent. And it seems to be just around me. You were amazing with the kids.”

“Well . . . they’re just kids.”

“And I’m just me.”

“You talk like you’re not something special.”

“I’m not!”

He grunted, the sound one of disbelief. Carefully, Caleb set down Amy’s foot, and she could have cried at how gently he did it . . . or the fact that the foot rub was coming to an end. She stayed in place, even as she heard the bench creak as he got to his feet. Heard his footstep as he crossed the small closet over to her.

His voice was gentle as he finally spoke. “I’m not good around women. Never have been.