Free A Thunder Canyon Christmas by RaeAnne Thayne Page A

that Christine wasn’t interested. Sort of like Jake Halloran the night before at The Hitching Post.
    They finished their dinner not long after that. A surreptitious peek at the Cliftons’ table while he was waiting for their server to return the check revealed they were lingering over dessert. He supposed it would be better to leave before they finished to avoid any awkwardness with Elise or the embarrassment of having toendure more unwanted gratitude from her family over the events of the night before.
    He and Christine walked out into the lobby of the resort, with its leather sofas and life-size elk sculpture. He grabbed her coat and was helping her into it when her shoulders suddenly tensed beneath his hands and she inhaled sharply.
    â€œSorry. Did I pull your hair?” he asked, feeling big and fumbling.
    â€œNo,” she whispered with a panicked look at a group that had just entered the lobby carrying holiday presents, obviously out for a night of festive celebrating.
    â€œThat’s Kelly Robbins, Clay’s cousin.”
    â€œWhich one?”
    â€œThe one in the plaid sweater.”
    He saw exactly when the thin-as-a-rail other woman recognized Christine. Her eyes widened and jumped between the two of them, resting on his hands still at Christine’s shoulders as he finished helping her with her coat.
    â€œShe’s the biggest gossip in the whole blasted county.”
    â€œIs that right?” Some spark of recklessness must still be lingering in him from the tussle the night before at The Hitching Post. Heedless of the consequences, he threw an arm over Christine’s shoulders.
    â€œShe’s coming this way,” he muttered. “Smile. It’s about damn time Clay got the message once and for all.”
    â€œWhat are you going to do?”
    â€œJust play along,” he said. “Let’s go say hello.”
    â€œMatt…” Christine said in a warning tone, but before she could finish, Matt dragged her over to the group of chattering women, who happened conveniently to be located near the entrance to the valet parking, anyway.
    Christine gave a polished sort of smile. “Hi, Kelly. I thought that was you.”
    The other woman gave a high-pitched squeal, just as if she hadn’t already seen them five minutes earlier. He could already tell she was exactly the sort of woman who always grated on his nerves, plastic and gushy.
    â€œChristine! Hi! You look gorgeous! I haven’t seen you in ages! Not since you and Clay…well, not in forever. How are you?”
    Christine sent him a help-me sort of sidelong look as if she were waiting for his grand master plan.
    â€œGood. Great. Um, Kelly Robbins, this is Matt Cates. Matt, Kelly lives over in Bozeman. I used to…um, date her cousin.”
    â€œYou’re Clay Robbins’s cousin?” he asked, forcing a note of intrigue in his voice.
    â€œYes,” she said slowly with a wary sort of look.
    â€œHow is Clay these days?” Matt asked. “I guess I should feel sorry for the poor guy but I just can’t.”
    He squeezed Christine’s shoulders, laying the cheese on as thick as he dared.
    â€œWhy is that?” the other woman asked, her over-bright friendliness beginning to show a few hairline fractures.
    â€œHe really did me a favor, breaking up with Christine. If things had worked out with the two of them, Iwouldn’t be about to become the luckiest guy in the world.”
    He kissed her temple, lingering there with his mouth in her hair as if he couldn’t bear to lose contact with her, in exactly the sort of public display of affection that always gave him the creeps.
    He was probably going overboard here. Christine obviously thought so, at least judging by the heel of her boot that was currently digging into his instep.
    â€œYou’re getting married?” Kelly squealed. She yanked Christine out of his arms and pulled her into a hug and even from