Page 5 of Evergreen Christmas
That was Tucker’s fault though. His younger brother made an art form out of catching a woman’s eye, and while Nate disliked being the center of attention, Tucker reveled in it, delighting daily in the flirtatious advances of women and enjoying each opportunity to use his charisma and charm. Tucker’s behavior was an irritation Nate could do without, but considering that his twenty-five-year-old brother had abandoned his bull riding career and left the rodeo circuit to return to Noel and partner with Nate to run Frosted Firs Ranch, he couldn’t complain too much.
Tucker had been a lifesaver in more ways than one. He’d picked up the slack at the ranch when Nate had lost his wife, Macy, six years ago due to childbirth complications.
Nate’s polite smile vanished as quickly as he’d summoned it. A heavy weight of grief settled in his gut like a stone. As a thirty-year-old widower and single father who ran a thriving ranch that boarded horses and doubled as a Christmas tree farm, Nate had little time and no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship with any woman.
Macy and his six-year-old daughter, Roxanna, occupied all of his thoughts and every bit of his heart.
“Nate!” Tucker, hiding behind two women who were shopping in the snow globe aisle, slung one brawny arm over each of their shoulders and peeked between their giggling faces at him. “Did you hear what I said? They’re here!”
Nate frowned. “Who’s here?”
“The Cheek Pinchers!” He pointed frantically at the wall of windows that lined the front of the gift shop. “They’re out there right now, looking for us.”
Nate jerked his head to the right, scanning the parking lot through the wall of glass panes, his gaze homing in on four elderly women exiting a red Cadillac. “And you left Roxie out there to fend for herself?” A smile, a sincere one this time, tugged at his lips. “How could you? What kind of uncle are you anyway?”
Tucker shook his head, the look of abject horror on his face almost comical. “I don’t care what kind of uncle that makes me. The kid’s gonna have to fight ’em off herself. Ain’t no way I’m getting pinched by them women again.”
Nate rolled his eyes, then rapped his knuckles on the checkout counter. “Then take over the register and help the customers while I go see what they want.”
“Now that I can handle.” Clearly relieved to be well away from the Cheek Pinchers, Tucker straightened his muscular physique, slipped between the two young women he’d hidden behind, then swept his arm toward the snow globe aisle. “You ladies find what you’re looking for? Because I’d be more than happy to check y’all out.” He winked.
Groaning, Nate dragged his hand over his face as the young women giggled.
It was a blessing Tucker had the good looks to go with his oozing charm, and that his charismatic presence had increased foot traffic exponentially over the past six years, otherwise Nate would’ve cut him loose from the business long ago. But as things stood, he couldn’t imagine running Frosted Firs Ranch without his brother. Not only had Tucker’s presence eased the workload, but he also made the day more enjoyable . . . if, at times, in a somewhat aggravating way.
Nate left the checkout counter, grabbed his jacket from his office, and shrugged it on as he exited the gift shop, then strode across the gravel parking lot to where his six-year-old daughter, Roxanna—or Roxie, as they’d nicknamed her—stood helpless in the grip of the Cheek Pinchers.
“Oh, my gracious, how you’ve grown!” Holly Wyld, decked out in a warm cashmere scarf and dressy pantsuit, squeezed one of Roxie’s cheeks gently while Kandy Lyons tugged at the other. “You are absolutely precious.”
“I do believe she’s grown at least three inches since we last saw her,” Kandy said. She smiled down at Roxie, who seemed enraptured by Kandy’s pink curls. “Do you like my hair, sweet girl? I had it done special just yesterday.”
Roxie tilted her head back for a better look at Kandy’s pink hair and the two women’s hands moved with her, maintaining their gentle pinch on her cheeks. “Yes, ma’am. I like pink.”
Nate smiled. Roxie had been born with a sweet, gentle disposition and never wanted to disappoint anyone. Her manners had always been impeccable without much prompting from him. Which, if Nate were being honest, was a godsend, because he had no idea how he and Tucker would’ve instilled such ladylike qualities in Roxie. Goodness knows, they’d unintentionally brought out the tomboy in her already.
“Oh, let go of the girl and let us have a look.” Carol Belle Bennett shoved Kandy and Holly aside, lowered to her haunches with a grunt and opened her arms. “Merry Christmas, Roxie, darling. The season is finally here, you know?”
Roxie smiled, and when Holly and Kandy released her cheeks, she moved into Carol Belle’s arms and hugged the older woman.
“Aw, you’re just as sweet as sugar, aren’t you?” Carol Belle’s tone was surprisingly tender given the backbone of steel Nate knew she possessed. “How did you get so sweet despite those two brutes who look after you?”
Eve Knight squatted down beside Carol Belle, adjusted her glasses and grinned. “Why, she was born that way. Weren’t you, doll baby? You take after your mother—just as kind and gorgeous as our Macy was.” She tugged at Carol Belle’s arms. “Now let her go, Carol Belle, so I can get my turn.”
Roxie smiled wider, hugged Eve, then stepped back as the two women continued to smile down at her.
Nate grinned. Eve was the most reserved woman in the group, but her exuberant greetings and joyful expressions around Roxie over the years had made it clear that she held his daughter in high regard. From what he’d heard, Eve had never been married or had children of her own but loved doting on the children living in Noel. During his interactions with Eve over the years, Nate had noticed a quiet grief hanging on the older woman, and the shadows in her eyes had spoken of a secret sorrow she carried.
“She’s just an angel,” Eve said softly. “Don’t you think she’s an angel?”
Carol Belle nodded, love glowing brightly in her eyes. “Yes. A perfect angel.”
Then, as usual, both women’s hands found their way to Roxie’s cheeks, pinching again gently as they crooned down at her. Roxie’s polite smile morphed into a wince.
“All right, ladies,” Nate said, smiling as he strode over. “Let’s not cut off my daughter’s circulation.”
Carol Belle frowned but she and Eve released Roxie’s cheeks, put their hands on the ground and tried to shove themselves back to a standing position. Grunts and moans escaped their pink, wrinkled lips but neither of them made any progress toward standing.
Nate bent and reached for their elbows. “Please, allow m—”
