Page 71 of Christmas with Three Cowboys

“Melissa.” Colt sighs and kneels before me. “It’s going to be okay. You’re not alone in this. Hell, we’re not on our own anymore either. You’ve seen the ranchers patrolling, right? Practically everybody is here tonight celebrating New Year’s Eve with us, for us.”

I nod my head. “I know and I’m grateful. Really. Now go do your fireworks thing.”

“As you wish, milady,” Colton quips and plants a quick kiss on my lips before he and his brooding twin brother head out. “I’ll text you.”

“I’ll keep my phone close,” I shoot back.

Once they’re out of the house, Mitch resumes his mini-interrogation. His eyes are gentle, and a subtle smile graces his face. “There’s something else.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not doing this dance with you again. There’s something else bothering you.”

“You mean besides the dangerous drug lords who want me to cough up the kind of money I wouldn’t even be able to make in a lifetime or they’ll kill me?”

“Come here,” he says, leaning toward me.

We kiss, and he grunts softly as he pulls me out of the armchair and onto his lap. I nestle in his embrace, finding warmth, comfort, and love in his presence. For a few seconds, the world around us simply disappears. I only hear the crackling of firewood and the clinking of bottles from the kitchen.

“I feel safe with you, with Colton and Ethan,” I tell Mitch. “It’s all I can say right now.”

“Ah, so there is something else,” he chuckles.

“Isn’t that the way life goes?”

“Melissa, you missed out on a sparkling career as a politician, did anyone ever tell you that?”

“No,” I reply, giving him a confused look.

Mitch narrows his eyes at me, albeit in a playful manner. “You’ve got quite the skill at deflecting, baby. Granted, if I were you, I wouldn’t go around kissing all of your constituents when they try to hold you accountable. That’s just bad PR.”

I can’t help but laugh, throwing my head back for good measure. Mitch takes advantage and nuzzles my neck, breathing me in deeply before we both hear Darla coming out of the kitchen.

“More booze is coming!” she calls out, probably knowing what we’re up to.

Out of respect, Mitch and I go back to our original seats. By the time Darla comes in, we’re both decompressing. Granted, the room feels a whole lot warmer than before. She stops to admire the Christmas tree, still standing by the window with its colorful lights and tastefully themed decorations.

“I swear, this is the prettiest tree we’ve ever had on this ranch,” she says.

“It’s the same decorative set from the past few years,” Mitch replies, his brow furrowed.

Darla scoffs and sets the bottles on the coffee table, next to the champagne glasses and the hors d’oeuvres—I prepared a massive cheeseboard to accompany the pigs in a blanket, the mini quiches, and the crudité platter for tonight’s first course.

“Mitch, you poor soul, you have yet to grasp the touch of a woman,” Darla says, shaking her head in faux dismay. “The tree looks a lot better this year despite using the same decorations because Melissa touched it.”

“Aw…” I giggle.

“No, I’m serious. You’ve got excellent taste,” she says. “An eye for detail. I may be a cowgirl and a rancher’s daughter, but I know a pretty tree when I see one.”

Mitch sighs deeply. “I put the tree up last year. I’m guessing you didn’t like it?”

“Mind you, with literally the same decorations, you made it look like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer puked all over that poor heritage balsam fir. By God, what a beautiful specimen that was,” Darla replies. “You cut that one down from the northern woods, didn’t you?”

“I did,” Mitch mutters, while I’m doubling over with laughter.

It’s what I need, and Darla can tell.

I need to laugh, to forget about the storm that has taken over my life and over the ranch. Hell, I think Darla needs this almostas badly as me, and Mitch seems to feel the brief relief as well. We have one another in this mess. We are, in fact, stronger together. A few months ago, I couldn’t even imagine I’d come to a place like this, that I’d leave that wretched cell and rediscover everything I love about life on the Avery Ranch.

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