A Little Country Christmas - Carolyn Brown Page 0,19
the caller ID for two rings, then she realized that the call was from Claire.
“Hello,” she answered.
“How did things go today?” Claire asked. “I had planned to come in for a few hours, but I got busy wrapping gifts and time got away from me. Now it’s almost time to go to the fire station to get Wyatt’s picture made with Santa Claus. If I didn’t have you to work for me, I’d sell the shop. I still love having my own business, but…” She paused.
Dixie looked at her phone to be sure that they hadn’t been cut off, but then she heard Claire’s voice.
“…don’t tell anyone,” Claire went on. “I’m going to surprise Levi on Christmas Day. I’m pregnant again, and I just love being a stay-at-home mama. Never thought I’d say that, but there it is.”
“Congratulations,” Dixie said, “and my lips are sealed, but please don’t sell the shop.”
“I won’t, not until you get tired of working there. Then it’s going on the market. We’ll talk about giving you a raise after the first of the year, because you’re basically going to be running it by yourself,” Claire told her.
Dixie’s thoughts spun around so fast that she had trouble latching on to one long enough to form a decent reply. Finally, she said, “Thank you for having that much faith in me.”
“You’ve earned it many times over,” Claire assured her. “I understand from Levi that you and Landon are taking Sally to see Santa last night. We should put Sally on one of Santa’s knees and Wyatt on the other for a picture. Wouldn’t that be cute?”
“I love that idea. I could put one in the memory book that Landon is making,” Dixie said.
“I sure wish that guy would stay with us. Levi says he’s the best help we’ve ever had on the Longhorn Canyon,” Claire told her. “But we can’t tie him down if he doesn’t want to stay. See you later.”
The call ended, but Claire’s words about tying Landon down kept going through Dixie’s mind as she got Sally dressed in a cute little red velvet dress for her Santa Claus picture.
A lonely tear escaped from one of her blue eyes and slowly made its way down her cheek. She swiped it away with the back of her hand. She wouldn’t need an album to remind her of Landon. A picture of him in his weathered black-felt hat, tight jeans, and chambray work shirt would be burned into her mind forever. Add that to the sight of his clear blue eyes lighting up every time he looked at Sally, and the feel of his lips when he brushed a good-night kiss across her forehead. Then she had her own personal album of Landon Griffin that she could bring to mind anytime she wanted.
A hard rap on the door sent her down the hall with Sally in her arms. She opened the door to find him standing there, all decked out in his best cowboy hat, a leather jacket, and shined cowboy boots.
He smiled. “There’s my girls.”
His girls? That put an extra beat into Dixie’s heart. “Come on in. We just have to get our coats, and then we’re all ready to go.”
“Oh. My. God!” He stepped inside the house and closed the door behind him. “Y’all are both so gorgeous that it takes this rough old cowboy’s breath away.”
“We thank you.” Dixie almost blushed. She had curled her dark brown hair, applied a little makeup, and chosen a pretty dark blue sweater to go with her best pair of jeans.
“I might need to carry a big stick to beat off all the men who’ll be trying to sweet-talk you tonight,” Landon said.
“Oh, hush!” She grinned as she got Sally into her coat and hat. “It’ll be me needin’ to use that stick to whip all the women who’ll stop whatever they’re doing to flirt with a sexy cowboy like you.” Even in her nicest sweater and jeans, Dixie felt like she paled in comparison to him.
“We’ll probably take a backseat to the princess,” he told her. “She looks like she belongs in a television commercial for one of those movies they play this time of year.”
“Lan-Lan.” Sally reached for him.
He picked her up, set her on one arm, and helped Dixie into her coat with the other hand. Then he carried the baby out to the truck and strapped her into the car seat. “Now we’re off to see Santa Claus and the elves. Have you