“We’re going to try and get Dean off the hill later tonight. He’ll stay with Mike for a while.”

“If there is anything I can do for him, let me know.”

“I will. Dean is pissed at your whole gender right now, but I’ll keep you in mind.”

She heard Jack yawn. “Get some sleep. I’ll talk to you later.”

“OK, thanks for calling.”

She hung up and found herself smiling.

It was good to hear his sexy cowboy voice.

The outlet center was packed. Jessie held on to Danny’s hand for fear he’d get lost in the crowd. People pushed, shoved, and seldom offered an apology for stepping into her personal space. Bah humbug!

“How long do we have to be here, Mommy?”

“Long enough to pick out something for Auntie Monica and Grandma.” Her mother was the hardest person to shop for. What she really needed, Jessie couldn’t afford, and what she wanted, love from a man, Jessie couldn’t buy. There was no guarantee the outlet mall would have anything on her list.

“Can we buy something for Mrs. Ridgwall?”

“Your teacher?”

“Yeah.”

Jessie wanted to say yes, but every dime really needed to go far. “How about we make something at home for your teacher? I’ll bet she’d love some of our famous peanut brittle.”

Danny nodded with enthusiasm. “OK. I’ll make her a card, too.”

Jessie knew she had skated out of that one. In the future he wouldn’t be that easy to sway, but she was glad he was at this point.

Every toy store they passed, Danny wanted to go inside to see what he should put on his Christmas list for Santa. Jessie had explained to Danny that Santa had a lot of kids to take care of and to give Santa only a few things to choose from. Just in case the elves couldn’t come up with his most favorite toy. Steering him away from the pricey items took a certain skill that didn’t always work.

On the way into the third toy store, Jessie glanced up and noticed Jack’s hat before she recognized the man.

Jack, in his signature outfit, leaned against the massive window of the toy store with a smile on his face. It was almost as if he was waiting there for her.

“Isn’t that your friend?” Danny asked.

“It is.”

“What’s he doing here?”

“I don’t know.” But seeing him brought a smile to her face and gooseflesh to her arms.

“Hey, darlin’.” Jack tipped his hat when she walked up to him.

“What are you doing here?”

He ignored her question and bent down to talk to Danny. “Hey, Danny. Are you dragging your mother through the mall today?”

Danny laughed. “She’s dragging me,” he revealed.

“She’s dragging you, huh? Into a toy store? I didn’t know your mom played with toys.”

Jessie felt the warmth of Danny’s giggle and couldn’t hold back the grin on her face. “My mom doesn’t play with toys. I play with toys.”

“Oh, so you are dragging her into the toy store.”

Danny shrugged. “I guess.”

Jack stood and winked. His flashy smile and dimples matched his mood.

Closer to eye level, Jessie glanced up and felt the warmth of his smile slide over her. The crowded mall melted away and the chore of shopping in the holiday shuffle felt less bleak. “How’s your friend?”

“Pickled, but he’ll live.”

“I’m glad to hear you found him and that your boss was gracious enough to let you help him out.”

“My boss loves me. I make the customers in the hotel smile. Must be the hat.”

She laughed. “The hat does have a certain something we don’t see around here very often.”

Jack reached up and pushed a strand of her hair out of her eyes. His smile wavered, and she bit on her lower lip.

“C’mon, Mom. Let’s go in.” Danny tugged on her hand, breaking Jack’s deep stare.

“OK, OK.”

Jack let his hand fall and held the door for them before following them into the store.

Danny lit up the minute he hit the aisle with the trucks and trains. “Oh, cool. Look at this one.”

Jessie glanced at the toy Danny was cooing over while he pressed a few buttons, putting the truck into motion inside the box. Soon he moved on to another colorful rolling gadget.

She found herself smiling when only a few minutes prior she was tired of shopping and wanting nothing more than to leave the mall and go home. Something about Jack’s presence warmed her from the inside. From the way Danny was smiling up at Jack, he liked his impromptu visit as well.

Jessie warned herself against any warm and fuzzies when it came to him. She glanced at his lips and remembered their kiss. She shook her head, dispelled the thought, and asked, “What are you doing here, Jack?”

“Christmas shopping.”

Yeah, right! When Jessie looked down at his hands, she saw he wasn’t holding a single bag. “Not very successful, I see.”

“I don’t see any bags in your hands, either.”

True. They’d been there for over two hours and found nothing. The crowded state of the mall didn’t help. “This time of year brings out all the shoppers. This place is always a zoo.”

Danny glanced up to her and said, “What about the zoo?”

“I said this place is a zoo,” she said a little louder over the noise of the toys and the overexcited kids.