Sheltered By The Cowboy - Carla Cassidy

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roared back to life. The last thing he wanted was for the night to further stain Mandy’s reputation.

      “Ready?” he asked Mandy when he reached her.

      “Ready,” she replied.

      The ground was still slippery and Mandy’s little boots were about as useful as a pig in a poker game. He took her by the arm and she leaned into him as they trudged forward.

      When they finally reached her car, he released his hold on her. She peered up at him. “All’s well that ends well, right?”

      “Right,” he agreed easily.

      “Thank you, Brody.”

      “For what?”

      Those winsome eyes of hers gazed at him intently. “Thank you for being nice to me and for being such a gentleman.”

      Thank God she hadn’t been privy to his lustful thoughts throughout their time together. “It was no problem,” he replied easily.

      Once again her eyes sparkled with liveliness. “Hey, maybe we should exchange phone numbers. It would be nice to be able to talk to each other occasionally.”

      He couldn’t very well say no to her, not with her lips curved into such a wide smile, not with her eyes gleaming so brightly. It took only a minute for them to put their numbers into each other’s cell phones, and then he encouraged her to get into her car and warm it up.

      He climbed into his truck and looked down at her number in his phone. Would he ever call her? It was doubtful. She was a temptation he definitely didn’t need in his life.

      He was just grateful their night together was over and he could get back to his solitary life, where he could work hard and sleep without dreams.

      Since Cass had died in the spring storm, there was really only one woman he now believed in, and he saw her about once a week. He trusted her with the secret that had haunted him for years, and she was the only woman he’d ever allow to have a place in his life.

       Chapter 3

      “Hey, handsome,” Mandy greeted Sawyer Quincy with a smile. The copper-haired cowboy was from the Holiday Ranch. “What are you doing in here for lunch all by yourself?”

      He swept off his brown cowboy hat and placed it on his lap. “I came in to pick up some supplies and got a hankering for some of Daisy’s chicken noodle soup,” he replied. “How are you doing, Mandy?”

      “Good, especially since some of the snow has finally melted. I’m getting off early today and I’m planning on spending the whole evening drifting from store to store and doing some Christmas shopping.”

      “That sounds like fun for you,” he replied.

      “How about a couple of thick slices of Daisy’s homemade bread with butter to go along with that soup?” she asked.

      “That sounds great...and a cup of coffee.”

      “Got it,” Mandy wrote on the order pad and then turned to head to the kitchen pass to turn in the ticket.

      It had been three days since the overnight snowstorm, and during those days the temperatures had crept above freezing and the sun had shone, making muddy soup out of the snow and ice.

      The café was busy. It was as if everyone in Bitterroot had decided it was time to get out of their house to have lunch.

      She placed the ticket, poured Sawyer his coffee and then turned in time to see Fred Ferguson being seated at one of her tables. He offered her a small scowl as she approached the table.

      “Afternoon, Fred,” she greeted him brightly. “What can I start you off with to drink?”

      “Before I order anything, I just want to say I didn’t appreciate your boyfriend threatening me the other morning.”

      She looked at him in surprise. “Brody? He isn’t my boyfriend, and what did he threaten you about?”

      “He told me if he heard any idle gossip about you and him being in that room together for the night he’d consider me personally responsible. I don’t gossip about what goes on in my motel and I definitely don’t need a big, burly cowboy trying to intimidate me. Now, I’d like to start off with a cup of coffee and then I’ll take the special of the day.”

      “Got it,” Mandy replied. She left the table with her thoughts whirling. Why had Brody talked to Fred about keeping their night together a secret?

      Had he been trying to somehow protect her reputation? That was almost laughable. Maybe he’d been attempting to protect his own.

      This thought hurt more than a little bit, especially considering the fact that the night before she’d called him just to chat for a few minutes and they’d wound up talking for almost half an hour.

      It had been nice to have the sound of his deep voice still ringing in her head when she’d finally drifted off to sleep. She now shoved thoughts of Brody away as she hurried to deliver food and take more orders.

      She’d worked as a bank clerk until just after Cassie’s barn party. She suspected she’d been let go because she’d worn a red, white and blue sparkly bra to the party. It had been a costume party and she’d gone as a patriot superheroine. The president of the bank, Margery Martin, had not found it amusing.

      Mandy’s termination had wound up being a godsend. She belonged working with food. Right now she just delivered it up, but she was hoping she could work her way up to Daisy allowing her to be in the kitchen and then one day owning her own place.

      She put every tip in jelly jars under her bed and hoped eventually to have enough to start her own restaurant. What she envisioned wouldn’t compete with Daisy’s café. She’d like to open another café, but knew the competition with Daisy wouldn’t be good. She might decide to open a restaurant that offered more of a fine dining experience.

      A dream. That was all it was right now, along with her dream of eventually finding her prince. In the meantime there were orders to be taken and diners to be served.

      It was just after six when she went into the back room and took off her apron. She was looking forward to an evening of wandering through the stores and looking at Christmas goodies.

      Since her phone call with Brody the night before, she’d wondered what might be good friend etiquette. Would it be too forward for her to buy him a little gift? And if she did, what on earth would it be?

      She pulled on her coat, left the back room and headed toward the café’s front door. “Don’t spend too much money on a Christmas gift for me,” Daisy said with amusement. “I’ve got everything I want except a husband and I’m not sure I want another one of those.”

      Mandy laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied. “I’ll see you at eleven tomorrow.”

      “Enjoy your night,” Daisy called after her.

      Mandy left the café. It had been an exhausting day and her feet were killing her, but the cold night air and the sight of the cheery red and green lights filled her with a new burst of energy.

      It would be nice to have company while she shopped, but she was accustomed to being alone when she wasn’t dating anyone. At the moment she didn’t even feel like dating.

      At least she’d taken care of her father’s dinner. Last night she’d made chicken and dumplings and there had been enough leftovers for him to warm himself up a plate this evening.

      She had nothing on her mind as she headed for the mercantile store. She went inside, and a bell tinkled merrily overhead. The store smelled of spiced apple candles and evergreens and a variety of scents that spoke of the holiday. She drew in a deep breath. Christmas carols played softly from someplace overhead and Mandy was immersed in the holiday.

      The

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