His eyes danced. “You get one moment.”
She could tell he was about to press his advantage again—and what an advantage it was!—so she said, “Do you believe in Santa Claus.”
“Yes.” His lips landed on the bit of skin beneath her ear that showed.
Doing her best to keep from succumbing to the happy fog of being in his arms, she pressed him. “And flying reindeer?”
“Yes.” He kissed her again, turning his body to draw her to him.
She put a hand on his chest and looked into his cobalt eyes. “Jack, you raise reindeer. You know they can’t fly.” Why this was so important, she wasn’t sure.
She was sure. She was falling in love with this wrangler, with the ranch, and with his kisses. But if he believed all this, then it would break her heart. She couldn’t live with a man who was still a child.
Jack tucked her hair over her shoulder, his movements confident and caring. “Anything is possible at Christmas. The Grinch grows a heart; Scrooge forgets his selfishness; Tiny Tim can walk again.”
She lurched to her feet; the blanket falling to the wooden boards. “Those are movies and books. Not real.”
He stared up at her from where he remained seated. “These books and movies stand the test of time because they speak a truth that people feel in their hearts even if they don’t know it in their heads.”
Him and his poetic words. “Jack, you can’t tell me you behave like a child at Christmas. That you write a letter and expect a present under the tree?”
He casually leaned over and picked up the blanket. “What if I do?”
“That’s… insane! There are therapists for that kind of developmental delay.”
The corners of his eyes drooped. “Have you ever wondered if it’s real?”
She threw her arm out to Tinsel Town. “It’s pretend! Made for entertainment, not to educate. Believe me. I know because it’s what Ido.”
“I know.” He took her gloved hand. “But what if it’s real—all of it? The sleigh. The flying reindeer. Even—.”
“Santa?” she asked carefully, not wanting to know the answer.
“True love. Cindy Lou loves the Grinch, and it makes him a better Who. Scrooge sees the love in his life, and he vows to change himself—to help others just because he can. It’s all about love.”
“Wow. Just…” Her head spun.
All about love.
That was a kind of crazy she could get behind.
No wonder Faith and Mitzi drank the cocoa on the ranch. To be loved by a man like that would be worth the trade-off.
No man had ever talked about love like that before—not to her. Like it was a living, breathing power on this earth that could change a person. She brushed his cheek. “You’re an incredible man, Jack Nicholas.”
He put his hands on her hips and pulled her onto his lap. “Tell me more,” he said, low and husky.
She laughed. “I’ll just show you.” Taking his face in her hands, she kissed him in a way she hadn’t before, all fire, passion, and need.
Breathing hard, she pulled back and then grinned at his mused hair. She must have knocked his hat off during the kiss. He didn’t seem to mind, though. Holding her close, he breathed in. “I don’t think I can ever let you go.”
“It’s not that I want to leave…” she burrowed into him.
“But you have a job.” He kissed her hair.
She didn’t answer. She had a job—for now. Who knew what was going to happen in the next couple of days? With a sigh, she sat up straight. “Speaking of that job…” she needed to find a Santa. There were a few temporary employment offices she hadn’t called. And she hadn’t searched locally yet.
He patted the side of her leg. “Go tell your stories.”
