Secret-Santa Cowboy (The Buckskin Brotherhood #6) - Vicki Lewis Thompson Page 0,2

hops in his red truck and delivers a sack to each family.” He glanced around the table. “We still have to put the toys in the sacks, by the way.”

“It won’t take long,” Ben said. “Now that we’ve coded the tags, it’s easy.”

Garrett looked confused. “But tomorrow is only the twenty-first. Why not Christmas Eve?”

“I thought about doing that. But lots of folks attend Christmas Eve services, including families where I’d be making deliveries. Half the fun is letting the kids see Santa. I picked the twenty-first because it’s Yule, the winter solstice.”

“Don’t they wonder why Santa’s a few days ahead of schedule?”

“I tell them the special kids receive their gifts on Yule. It’s nice, in a way, because many of them worry they won’t get anything come the twenty-fifth. This way they know they’ll have something to open on the big day.”

“Do they wait for it?”

“Sure do, because Santa tells them that’s how it’s done.”

Garrett smiled. “Nice. Big job, though.”

“I always take a helper. They wear an elf suit. Used to be my wife Suzanne until she passed, but after that I started choosing someone who was new in town.” Ben glanced at Garrett. “But before you ask, it’s not you. Maybe next year, if you’re up to wearing an elf costume.”

“If I can rub rose-scented lotion on my hands, guess I could wear an elf costume.”

“Is it Henri?” Rafe pushed aside his empty plate. “Some of us thought you might ask her to go, since—”

“We talked about it, but she likes the current tradition. It’s a great way for a new person to find out what Apple Grove is all about.”

Rafe nodded. “Kate loved doing it her first year in town.”

“I’ll bet Isabel would have, too,” CJ said, “but I can see why you wouldn’t ask a woman who could go into labor at any minute.”

Ben laughed. “Yep. A little too Biblical for me.”

“So who is it?” By process of elimination, Leo had a pretty good idea.

“I decided to go with someone who’s been here a few months longer than Garrett—Fiona Hildebrand.”

Yep. “She’ll love it.” His quick response was a defense against the stab of regret every time Fiona was mentioned. He was happy for her, though. She’d have a ball.

But his rapid-fire comment had drawn attention and his brothers were sneaking glances his way. Ben likely wasn’t aware that Fiona was a sore point with him.

At the bachelor auction in August, she’d outbid everyone to win the dinner date he’d offered. Then she’d barely talked to him all evening. Confused, he’d asked her out again and she’d put him on hold. Permanently, it seemed.

He didn’t get it. And he still had no answers even though she was one of Eva Kilpatrick’s best friends and Nick was now living with Eva. Nick had to know more than he was telling.

Jake, always good about diffusing awkward situations, brought up the weather forecast for the following night. Snow was predicted. Because that was often the case, the reusable toy bags were weatherproof.

When the meal was over, the guys bagged the toys and the party broke up. CJ, Rafe and Jake climbed into Matt’s truck. Leo took Garrett and Nick. Nick sat in the back seat because he’d be dropped off first at Eva’s house a few blocks away.

Leo glanced over his shoulder as he pulled away from the Moose. “Look, bro, I have to believe Eva knows why Fiona won’t date me. Which means logically that you know, too. I’d consider it a kindness if you’d level with me.”

Nick sighed. “Even if it’s something you can’t fix?”

“Yes, damn it!” He met Nick’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I just need to know.”

“You’re too handsome.”

“What the hell?”

“It sounds ridiculous, especially to those of us who know you, but Fiona’s kind of a geeky girl and…”

“I like that about her! She started talking about Pluto and why it should be labeled a planet. Then she abruptly ended the discussion.”

“She figured you wouldn’t want to talk about Pluto.”

“Why not?”

“Because you don’t look like a geek.”

“Oh, for God’s sake.”

“Hey, you asked and I’m only reporting what I’ve heard from Eva. Bidding on you was a big step out of Fiona’s comfort zone. She was so dazzled by your star power that she couldn’t relax.”

“She didn’t seem that tense when I drove her home the night of the auction.”

“I asked Eva about that. Fiona was tired after a long day and she’d had two or three glasses of champagne at Ed’s party. That mellowed her