Page 108 of Christmas with Three Cowboys

Mitch clicks his teeth, prompting Cosmos to move. “Come on, gotta tell you something,” he says. Isabella joins them before I even issue the command.

“Whoa, tell me what?” I ask.

“Give it a second,” he laughs.

I’ll give it a few more as we ride down the smooth hill, hooves thundering across the ground. The smell of grass and wildflowers fills my lungs, the wind brushing against my face and through my fingers. There’s nothing I love more than this.

“Fellas, it’s time,” Mitch tells his brothers.

“Okay, I’m getting worried now. What is this about?” I frown slightly.

With one hand keeping Kyle on his shoulders, Colton chuckles and takes out an envelope from the back pocket of his jeans. He hands it to me. “This came for you earlier in the morning.”

“What is it?” I ask as I get off my horse and turn the envelope over.

There’s an official stamp from the Michelin Culinary Academy branch of Lincoln, Nebraska. They’re one of the top culinary schools in the Midwest and it’s always been a secret dream of mine to attend. My heart skips a few beats as I look up at Colton, then Ethan, then Mitch while the twins eagerly smile at me. Of course, the boys have no idea what this is about, but I’m pretty sure they picked up on their fathers’ excitement.

“Guys?” I ask again.

“Open it,” Mitch replies with a cool grin.

I tear the envelope open and take out a letter. “Dear Mrs. Avery, it is our pleasure to inform you that…” I lose the rest of my words as I read the whole thing, my heart now performing acrobatic somersaults in my chest. “Oh, wow… What… How? I never applied.”

“We applied for you,” Colton replies. “Back in the spring. Remember that weekend when we had you cooking a six-course meal for a few videos?”

“Yeah... you had a professional crew filming the whole thing,” I mumble. “You said it was for the ranch’s website. For the glamping promos.”

“We had an ulterior motive,” Ethan admits, his lips curling into an innocent smile. “We sent the videos and a few samples of your baked goods to the school in Lincoln.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because you deserve to take your skills to the next level,” Colton says. “Don’t you want that?”

I nod enthusiastically. “Of course I do. I just didn’t expect this. Wow. I don’t know what to say. When do I start?” I pause, the reality check quick to smack me over the head. “Hold on, it’s in Lincoln. What about the boys? The ranch? I’m still your chef, remember? Wait, I don’t know. How’s that going to work?”

“Come here,” Mitch laughs and takes me in his arms. “Relax, babe. We’ve got you. We already worked the details out with Sammy and Darla.”

“The courses last for about a year, but they’re segmented in two semesters. And structured accordingly,” Colton says. “We rented a nice house in Lincoln, starting in mid-September. Mitch will go there with you and the boys, and Ethan and I will join you as often as we can. We’ll switch places depending on our work with the ranch, too, but Sammy and the crew have most of it handled.”

“And the vineyard?” I ask.

“That, too. We’ll have the seasonal workers, remember?” Colton replies.

“What about the kitchen?”

“Already taken care of,” Ethan interjects. “Marty’s daughter and his cousin will handle the cooking for the whole year. All you have to do is go to school and get your degree.”

I keep staring at the letter, stunned and beyond exhilarated. I’d almost given up on this idea. With the boys and the ranch constantly evolving, I was already busy and stimulated enough.Deep down, I did feel a little sad about it because cooking still is and will always be my first love.

“I can’t believe this,” I say, tears of joy tickling my eyes. “You did this for me?”

“I really want to open a new restaurant in Long Pine,” Mitch says. “I’m not going to do it without you by my side. And you really want to get your Michelin degree. It felt logical. Two birds, one stone. We’re going to rule over Long Pine, honey. There’s nothing left standing in our way.”

“So, what do you say?” Colton asks me.

I look at the letter again, then plant a sweet kiss on each of their lips. I take a deep breath and smile. “Let’s do this, then. Let’s build something amazing together. We’ve made it this far, haven’t we?”

“You’re damn right,” Colton exclaims.

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