A Very Crimson Christmas (Crimson, Colorado 4) by Michelle Major Page B

with Natalie or a doctor?”
    She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. “Natalie’s a saint but I don’t need her or a doctor to tell me how much my body can handle.”
    “If you get me in trouble with Natalie over this, you’ll have to look for another partner in crime.”
    She laughed, taking his arm to slowly walk into the dining hall. “You’ve been in hot water with that girl since the day you left town. Maybe it’s about time you fixed it.”
    If only he knew how. Luckily he was saved from answering when several people approached them. Ruth made introductions and Liam was barely surprised when her friends had more details about his company and the possibility of its headquarters in Crimson than he did.
    They made their way toward the table set with punch and plates of cookies. As he’d promised, Austin was waiting with a chocolate cookie wrapped in a napkin. Natalie stood next to him, speaking with one of the other nurses. Her scrubs were shapeless, with images of puppies and hearts across the top. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and if she wore any makeup, Liam couldn’t see it. She was more beautiful to him than any other woman he could imagine.
    That was part of why he hadn’t returned to Crimson throughout the years. He liked to think he’d gotten over her but knew he’d never be able to control his physical reaction to her. She could be standing in front of him wearing a potato sack and his body would come to life.
    When she glanced in his direction, she must have seen something in his eyes because hers darkened in response, faint spots of color appearing on her cheeks.
    “You’re not using the cane,” she said, turning to Ruth with a smile. “How does your hip feel?”
    “Like it was getting rusty,” the older woman answered. “It’s too crowded to bother with the cane in here.” She took the cookie from Austin. “And I didn’t want to miss my chance at an early dessert.”
    “Do you want punch?” he asked. “I can pour you a glass.”
    Ruth shook her head. “I’ll stick with just the cookie. But thank you, Austin. I wish all the boys I’ve known through the years had your good manners.” She threw a look at Liam.
    “I was too busy getting in trouble to worry about manners,” he told her.
    “You turned out okay.”
    “I give you credit for that,” he said honestly.
    “Always so sweet,” she whispered and dabbed at the corner of her eye. “Liam’s going to stay in town for the holidays. Isn’t that wonderful?”
    “Wonderful,” Natalie repeated, her voice sounding dazed. “You can take that much time off work?”
    “I’ll work from here.” He took a glass of punch from the table, wishing he didn’t care that his old girlfriend wasn’t excited for him to remain close.
    “You used to love Christmas,” Ruth said, patting his arm. “This will be perfect. There are so many activities around here over the holidays.”
    “I get two weeks off school,” Austin announced. “Maybe we can all do some fun stuff together when Mom isn’t working. You guys used to hang out a lot, right?”
    He saw Natalie take a small step back, almost as if she’d been punched in the gut. He knew the feeling. “Sounds great, buddy. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends in town.” He turned to Ruth. “In fact, Jason Crenshaw wants to go snowmobiling up on the mountain this weekend if we get that new snow they’re predicting. Do you still have helmets at the farm?”
    “I do.”
    Austin jumped up and down in front of him. “Can I come? I’ve always wanted to try snowmobiling. Some of my friends at school go with their dads.”
    “Sure,” Liam answered automatically. Natalie gave a sharp shake of her head behind Austin. “I mean,” he amended, “if it’s okay with your mom.”
    The boy whirled around. “It’s okay, Mom. Josh said we could go sometime out on Crimson Ranch when they weren’t busy. Now Liam can take me.”
    Natalie crossed her arms over her chest.