Page 68 of The Cowboy's Miracle Baby

“What makes you think so?”

“Oh. Just a feeling.”

Cami leaned close. “Have you… uh, told her yet? About us?”

“Not yet.” A loose strand of hair dangled in Cami’s face and Gus brushed it back. “I thought I’d wait until today. Does everybody else—”

“You have a better chance of space shuttling it to the moon than you do keeping secrets at the Hard Eight.”

“Ah. Well, then.” He laughed and kissed her cheek. “I see Lolly and Tara are fitting right in.”

Cami’s face went soft with happiness. “It’s working out great. I think they’ll be happy here, and Tara is already working hard at learning our systems. She’s already designed a new logo for the guest ranch.”

Poppy and Pippa were suddenly at his feet urgently requesting a sniff of Taffy. He lowered her down to them and Pippa swiped at her with her tongue. Both were wagging their tails.

“Looks like they recognize family when they see it,” he said, glancing up at Cami who smiled in return. Taffy squirmed in his arms, and he set her down. After a minute or two, all seemed well, and he relaxed a little. “You think they’re good?”

“Neither one has a mean bone in their body. I think they’ll be fast friends.”

The big dogs trotted out of the kitchen and little Taffy followed.

“Hungry?” she asked. “Dinner’s in an hour or so. And there might be something under the tree for all of you.”

“Don’t freak out,” Gus said, pulling a small box from his back pocket with a red ribbon on it. “It’s not a ring. It’s just a little something I thought you’d like.”

“Shhhh,” she said, opening the box to find a small, solitaire diamond necklace that took her breath away. “Okay, that’s… beautiful. But you shouldn’t have—”

“Only if you don’t like it.”

“I love it. Thank you.” She kissed him deeply, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Ella came running into the room. “Daddy! Look what I—” Stopping short at the sight of them kissing, she blinked up at them.

They quickly broke apart.

Awkwardly, Gus knelt down beside her. “Remember that night when we were talking about your mom, and you said you didn’t think she’d mind if I loved someone else?”

Solemnly, Ella nodded.

“Well, I don’t think she’d mind either,” he said. “And I think she’d like Cami. Don’t you?”

Ella’s look slid back and forth between the two of them.

Then she flung her arms around his neck with a little jingle of something metallic. “I think so, too.”

Cami knelt beside them and joined the hug. “Thanks, Ella. That means the world to me.”

She gave a little squeal of happiness. “And, Daddy, look what I found! It was on the tree. Just hanging on a branch.”

She was holding a dog collar, pink and green with a tiny dog tag in the shape of a bone.

“Wow. Where did that come from?” He looked at Cami who looked back at him confused. “Look, it’s got Taffy’s name on it. Who in the world could have—Cami, did you—”

“No. I swear. It wasn’t me.” She lifted the little dog tag, examining it. “Oh, look at this,” Cami said, turning over the tag. On the back, engraved in the silver tag, was an address.

“It says 2054 South Elm Street. Marietta, Montana,” she said. “Isn’t that the little neighborhood south of town? But why would that address be on her collar and who left it on the tree for her? You and I were the only ones who knew you were getting her for Ella for Christmas.”

He rubbed his chin. “Although, come to think of it, I didmentionthe dog to Santa at the Graff.”

---