A Thunder Canyon Christmas by RaeAnne Thayne Page A

they’re here.”
    â€œThat’s a start.”
    â€œWe’ll see.”
    She didn’t want to talk about the Castros. She wanted that bright, happy bubble back. “What about you? What are your plans? Do you think you’ll ever consider going back to law school?”
    â€œRight now, I doubt it. I like working with my dad. I’ve discovered I really love the whole building process, seeing a place take shape under my direction. I’m not sure I’d get that same high from practicing law.
    â€œSo you think you’ll be sticking around Thunder Canyon, then?”
    He gave her another one of those intense, unreadable looks that made her blush, for reasons she didn’t fully understand. “I guess you could say I’m pretty content with my life right now. For the most part, anyway.”
    She wondered if he was serious about the woman she’d seen him with the other night at dinner. Probably not. Matt probably had a dozen beautiful women like that, all eager to hang on his every word.
    That probably shouldn’t depress her so much, she thought. She wasn’t doing a very effective job of protecting herself around him.
    They finished eating a short time later and somewhat to Elise’s surprise, she found she was grateful he’d parked some distance away so she could stretch out the enjoyable evening. He took her hand to help her over a patch of ice, then didn’t release her. They walked hand in hand through the quiet streets.
    She was fiercely aware of his heat seeping through her gloves, of his solid strength beside her.
    She sighed, knowing perfectly well she shouldn’t find such comfort just from his presence. Matt made herfeel…safe. He had a tendency to watch out for anything smaller than he was but for some reason he had singled her out for extra protection.
    She didn’t know why but it seemed as if every time she found herself in trouble, Matt was there to help her out. Whether she was falling off a swing at the playground, tripping in the halls, schoolyard bullies, even suffering that flat tire last summer. Whenever she needed him, he seemed to be there.
    What a comfort that was, she realized. A girl could definitely find herself getting used to that.
    She had missed him after she moved away. Oh, she had made several good friends at her new high school in Billings, friends she kept to this day, but none who would step up to look out for her like Matt.
    This time, they walked back to his truck by a more residential route, passing the small, close-set houses of downtown Bozeman. All seemed to be adorned with holiday decorations, from elaborately lit facades to a simple Christmas tree in the window and a wreath on the door. They were still a block from his pickup when Elise suddenly grabbed Matt’s arm, peering around him to the shadows near a white clapboard house.
    â€œWhat was that?”
    He looked around. “What’s the matter?”
    â€œI saw something out of the corner of my eye. Something huge.” She squinted in the direction of the blur, vaguely aware even as she did that Matt had moved his body protectively in front of her, even though he didn’t know what she was talking about or even if anything posed a threat.
    Maybe it was just a shadow. No. There it was again.
    Her gaze sharpened and she gasped. “Do you see it?” she asked him. “Over there by the corner of that house across the street. Near that big pine tree.”
    He scanned the area and then laughed. “A moose! Right in the middle of town. Think he’s Christmas shopping?”
    â€œHow cool is that?” she exclaimed. “I’ve seen plenty of mule deer in town, even in Billings, but never a moose.”
    She stood with her hand in Matt’s, heedless of the cold seeping into her bones as they watched the massive creature leisurely nibble on a bush as if he were standing at the buffet at a Christmas party.
    They watched for a