CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
So many thoughts ran through Clove’s mind. Memories that were good and bad and the ones in between. Drake had no idea what it was like to grow up without a father—or spend years with one who neglected you. The best thing Dad ever did was leave her with Grandma, but it was also the worst thing he’d ever done to her.
She struggled to put that all into words because she was afraid that if she told Drake, he’d see her through Dad’s eyes. The thought was terrifying.
“I–,” she stared.
THUMP!
She shrieked, pulled her hands out of Drake’s, and whipped around in her seat to see snow melting down the window.
“What in the fiddle sticks?” She rubbed at the fog created by the snowball.
“Who is it?” asked Drake, leaning across the empty space between their bucket seats.
“I can’t tell.” She rolled the window down to reveal Colter’s grinning face. “What are you doing?”
“Wanna build a snowman with me?” He bounced on the toes of his moon boots.
Clove glanced at the clock. “Um?”
Drake pushed the door open and slid out. “Are you coming?”
He wasn’t seriously going to build a snowman when they had so much to do, was he? “We need to pack.” Although the only thing she’d be packing was her toothbrush. The horrible pink onesie pajamas weren’t even hers. Technically, they had a couple of hours to kill.
“I call the head!” yelled Colter.
“I have the bottom!” Drake called out in the same tone.
“I guess I get the middle.” Clove slid her hands into her gloves. This was happening. Keeping up appearances was a good thing—neighbors would testify that they’d played outside all day. “No, sir, officer, we didn’t see them steal a reindeer. See that snowman? They spent all day building it with Colter.”
They went to work and soon had a presentable snowman next to Colter’s front steps. Colter’s mom called him in for dinner, and Clove and Drake trudged home worn out in a good way. Her snowman building muscles hurt. Since she hadn’t used them since she was nine, she couldn’t blame them.
Clove had to admit that doing something was a lot better than sitting around waiting for time to tick by. Colter was really excited about his snowman, and she loved to see the happiness on his face. It was good to see Drake, too.
“You’re good with kids,” she said as she shucked her scarf and hung it on the hooks by the door. A stand mixer ran in the kitchen, the sound more like a hum out here in the entryway. Christmas music, the kind you’d hear in a coffee shop, played through the house just low enough to allow for conversation. The front room had been transformed into a wonderful Christmas scene with a fire burning in the fireplace and stockings hung with care.
The tree was in the opposite corner to help it stay fresh longer. She and Grandma knew all too well how easily a wood-burning stove dried out a pine tree. The glass ornaments sparkled from the fairy lights, and the scents of cinnamon, vanilla, and pine candles mingled like guests invited to a holiday party.
Drake shrugged as if it was no big deal. “I have a niece and two nephews. In reality, working with the reindeer means we work with kids. There’s lots of field trips to the ranch and we have to entertain the kids as well as educate them. I’ve always liked that part of running the place.” He laughed to himself. “Pax hates it. I think he’s part South Pole elf.”
She chuckled. Of all the brothers, Pax was the least involved in group texts, and he hadn’t called her at all when each of the other brothers had—some of them several times. She felt like she knew Caleb the best because he was married to Faith, and the two of them oversaw the health of the herd.
“Do you, uh, want kids?” he stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the wall behind her.
She ducked her head. On the surface, the question was harmless, but because her feelings for Drake grew with each passing minute, she felt like it meant a lot more. Like she was putting her hopes out there in the spotlight. If he had different ideas or didn’t want children, then her answer was a deal breaker.
Which was dumb because they weren’t in a relationship, and they hadn’t talked about getting married or starting a life together. Heck, they hadn’t even talked about what they were going to do with Felix once they broke him out of jail.
Was their lack of communication a red flag or was it just a product of the newness of whatever was happening between them? She didn’t know.
She did know she wanted children.
And, well, if Drake wanted any type of future with her, then he would, too. Children were on her nonnegotiable list. She lifted her chin. “I’ve always wanted kids. I think I’d be a good mom, if for no other reason than I’d know what not to do.”
His eyes dropped to meet hers, and his face softened. He brushed her cheek, sending thrills racing across her skin. “You’ll make a great mother for a lot more reasons than that.”
“You think?” she asked in surprise. No one had ever told her that before, and sometimes she had doubts—snowman sized ones.
