“Are you okay?” he asked, still holding her close.
“You’re so warm…even in this weather.”
He leaned his head down, as if breathing in her essence. “Yeah, my whole family is hot natured. You smell good. What is that scent you’re wearing?”
“Cheap, peach-scented shampoo.”
“Mmm, peaches…sweet and yummy—just like you.” His lips brushed against her temple.
“Flatterer,” she said, playfully batting at his arm.
“How long are you going to stand on my lawn, slobbering all over her, before you bring her inside, Davis.”
As Davis stiffened in her grasp, Scarlett’s eyes followed the voice to the regal snowbird standing in the doorway. Dressed in black denim jeans and black equestrian boots paired with a green sweater, Davis’s grandmother was tall and thin and her silver hair was cut in a short bob. Davis’s spine snapped straight and he loosened his hold on Scarlett’s body.
“Gram! She tripped. I was just—”
“Stop back-sassing and get in the house. My heat is escaping.”
Davis’s cheeks reddened as he shook his head and shrugged. “That’s Gram.”
He turned, grabbing Scarlett’s hand as he guided her up the porch steps and into the cabin. “Gram, this is Scarlett. Scarlett, this lovely lady is my grandmother, Mrs. Carolyn Banks.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Banks.” Scarlett nodded toward the older lady, taking in her strong facial features. She had prominent cheekbones, a pointed chin and thin lips, but her eyes were kind and as green as Davis’s were.
“Likewise, dear, please have a seat.” Ms. Banks gestured toward the sitting area in the den.
Timidly, Scarlett sat down on a high-back loveseat and waited for Davis, but as he walked toward her, his grandmother slammed on the brakes.
“Not you! You go get my stuff out of the sled and put it away or have you forgotten why you came up here?”
Davis shot Scarlett a look of both embarrassment and sympathy before he turned to head back out the door.
“So, dear, can I get you something to drink?” Carolyn Banks asked sweetly.
Scarlett shook her head. “No, thank you.”
The older lady sat down across from her, giving her a smile. “Are you enjoying your stay on Horse Mountain?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Scarlett couldn’t restrain her smile.
“Good…good…so I take it my grandson is treating you well?”
Taken aback, Scarlett sat a little straighter, attempting to read the woman’s face. Carolyn’s expression was confident and knowing. Why was she asking about Davis? Could the older lady know they had slept together? Scarlett felt so vulnerable she might as well have been sitting there in her birthday suit.
“Pardon?” she finally asked.
“Oh, nothing…I was just thinking you two make a darling pair.”
“Gram!” Davis said indignantly as he toted a large box through the den toward the kitchen.
Carolyn smirked. “He always was a bashful one.”
Red faced, Davis stepped up and interrupted. “Are you ready to go yet, Gram?”
“Oh, I suppose so. Just let me get my coat and gloves.”
Suddenly realizing the coincidence, Scarlett commented, “Come to think of it, the lady who rented the cabin to me was a Banks too, Cheyanne Banks. Do you know her?”
Carolyn stopped in her tracks, turning to face Scarlett. She gave a nervous smile as she said, “Nope, never heard of her,” before bolting off.
“How about you, Davis? Do you know her?” Scarlett asked.
His reaction was a lot less conspicuous. He seemed to be thinking it over before shaking his head. “Can’t say I know any women named Cheyanne but when I was little someone around these parts had a horse with the name.”
“I’m ready to go now, Davis,” the older lady insisted, carrying her cold-weather duds.
“Yes, ma’am.” Davis was agreeable but clearly aggravated.
Carolyn slipped her thin arms into the sleeves of a single-breasted gray wool coat, pairing it with a royal-blue, chunky-knit, puff-ball hat and matching gloves.
“Shall we?” Carolyn asked, holding open the door.
As Scarlett stood, Davis surprised her, offering his arm. Happily, Scarlett locked elbows with him, allowing him to walk her out.
As they approached the sleigh, Carolyn stopped short and gave a laugh, pointing at the horse. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Someone must have really stepped into it recently.”
“You have no idea,” Davis said in a mumble.
The two Banks shared a look Scarlett didn’t understand and Carolyn cackled as she moved forward. The horse grunted indignantly, but Davis calmed her with a hand on her muzzle.
“Simmer down,” he said.
The ride back was silent but cozy. Davis wrapped his arm around Scarlett even as he held the reigns. Carolyn rode in the seat behind them, seemingly losing herself in the cool wind and familiar scenery. As the sleigh came to a stop in between the area connecting Davis’s large backyard with the rental cabin’s much smaller front yard, he steadied the horse and went to help his grandmother. Mrs. Banks shooed him away, insisting she wasn’t an old nag.
“Come on, Gram,” he said in exasperation.
“You just walk your young lady to the door and come back for me.” Her voice was authoritative.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied in a tone that made it clear he knew arguing would do no good. Clearly, Mrs. Carolyn Banks was a woman who expected to have things her way.
Pursing her lips, Scarlett tried her best to restrain the laugh obstructing her throat. After Davis helped her to her feet, she bid the Banks matriarch good-bye.
“Dinner is at 7:00 p.m., Scarlett…sharp,” the old woman said in a tone that made Scarlett feel this was more of a summons than an invitation.
Surprised, Scarlett stared into Carolyn’s kind eyes. “Ma’am? It’s Christmas Eve.”
“I’m old, not senile, young lady. I well know what day it is. I give my grandson a hard time but his happiness is actually pretty high on my list of priorities, and you, my
