Holding Out for Christmas (The Christmas Tree Ranch 3)

Me too. She stopped herself from speaking the words. The common sense that had guided her life was pulling her back to reality. Kissing Conner was as thrilling as a wild carnival ride, but she could feel that ride spinning out of control. With an empty house beyond the barn door, the possibilities were dangerously tempting.

Leave now, she told herself. Leave while you still can.

She stiffened slightly in his arms, but before she could speak, he ended the kiss and eased her gently away from him. “Something tells me that it’s time to walk you to your car,” he said.

She managed a shaky laugh. “Something tells me the same thing. I need to be getting home.”

Bucket trailed them outside, then left them to head for the shelter of the porch. Conner walked Megan to her Toyota, took the key from her hand, and opened the driver’s door, lighting the inside of the car. “How’s six o’clock tomorrow for dinner? I’ll make reservations.”

“That should be fine.” Megan had wondered whether he’d mention their torrid kiss. But he was behaving as if it had never happened. Maybe he was having second thoughts. Maybe he was going to give her his “Let’s just be friends” speech.

Fine. If he could play it cool, so could she.

Megan was about to shut the car door and leave, but he bent close, a mischievous smile on his face.

“To be continued,” he said, brushing a kiss on her forehead. “Have a safe drive home.”

* * *

By the time Megan walked in the front door of her family’s house, her parents had retired to their room. Daniel was in the kitchen. Dressed in his flannel robe and pajamas, he was dunking chocolate chip cookies in milk.

“Did you have a good time today?” Megan asked him, although the answer was written all over his face.

“I had a great time!” His grin widened. “Hanging out with Clara and Bucket, meeting people, eating pizza—and Rush took me and Clara to Buckaroo’s on the way home. It was one of the best days ever. Can I go again tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday. Christmas Tree Ranch will be closed that day. And on Monday, you’ll be going back to the clinic to get your shoulder checked. If it’s all right, you can go back to work at Shop Mart.”

His face fell. “So I might not get to work at the ranch again.”

“Maybe not. Just be glad you had such a good time.” Best not get his hopes up, Megan reminded herself. When she went back to Nashville and her budding relationship with Conner ended, Daniel’s time with his new ranch friends would most likely be over.

Daniel sighed, then brightened. “Well, at least I’ll get to see Katy at work.”

“Yes, you will.” Megan was about to say more, when her cell phone rang. She fished it out of her purse, which had been locked in her car most of the day.

“Hi, Derek.” The caller was no surprise. She stepped into the hallway, out of Daniel’s hearing.

“I’ve been trying to reach you for hours,” he complained. “What’s going on, Megan? Why wouldn’t you pick up?”

Megan suppressed a sigh. Back in Nashville, Derek had been the ideal boyfriend—attentive and considerate. Until she’d left him to spend the holidays here, she hadn’t realized how needy the man could be.

“I was helping Daniel sell Christmas trees,” she said. “My phone was turned off and locked in the car. Honestly, Derek, I’m not one of your students. You don’t need to track my every move.”

“Oh, I know,” he said. “It’s just that I miss you so much. I feel lost without you. And I worry.”

“No need for that. Everything’s fine.”

“And you’ll be back here for New Year’s Eve, won’t you?” he asked. “I’ve got a special surprise planned.”

“We’ll talk about that later, okay? Right now, I’m exhausted. I need to get ready for bed. We can talk tomorrow. And don’t worry about calling me. I’ll call you. Bye now.”

Megan slumped against the wall, the memory of Conner’s kiss sweeping over her like a tide of hot lava. In the light of her blazing response, only one thing was certain. She was in no condition to marry Derek—or anybody else. Not when her common sense was being overrun by a wild stampede of raging hormones.

And not when all she could think of was kissing the charming cowboy again.

It wasn’t hard to guess that Derek was planning to propose on New Year’s Eve. Stringing him along until then would be cruel. She needed to break up with him—the sooner, the better. As her school principal, he was her boss. That would make things more complicated, but she couldn’t let it stop her.

She’d promised to call Derek tomorrow. That would be the time to end things between them, before Conner picked her up for dinner. Derek was bound to be hurt, even angry, and she could expect him to pile on the guilt. But that couldn’t be allowed to matter. It had to be done.