Page 130 of The Holiday Gift

“The medication metastasizes in her system fairly quickly. I imagine by the time the kids wake up, she’ll have as much energy as they do.”

“It’s amazing.You’reamazing.”

When she looked at him that way, he felt like the most brilliant veterinarian in the country. She kissed him and though he knew some part of it was motivated by gratitude, he sensed something else in the way her mouth moved across his, the way her arms tightened around his neck.

Finally he knew he couldn’t remain quiet any longer. “Do you think it’s any kind of conflict of interest for a veterinarian to be in love with his patient’s human?”

* * *

Caidy stared at him, certain the stress of the past half hour—coupled with her abject relief—must be playing tricks with her hearing. Did he just say...?

Her heart pounded as if that belligerent bull that had started this whole thing had just caught her in his sights and she couldn’t seem to catch hold of any coherent thought. “Is that a hypothetical question?” she finally said, her voice low and thready.

Ben—wonderful, strong, brilliant Ben—tightened his arms around her, a soft, tender light in his eyes that made her catch her breath.

“I think you know the answer to that. I’ve been fighting this like crazy for a hundred different, stupid reasons. But tonight when I listened to you sing, I realized none of them matter. I love you, Caidy. I wasn’t looking for it. Especially not now, when my life has so much chaos in it. I told myself I didn’t want to take that kind of risk again.”

He smiled at her and she felt as bright and sparkly as that angel on the top of the tree. “But here’s the thing. Somehow, you calm the chaos. I don’t know how you did it, but you burst into my life with your fierce courage and your dogs and your smile and turned everything I thought I wanted spinning into an entirely different direction.”

“Ben,” she said softly, unbelievably touched that the man she thought so taciturn and hard that first day could be saying these words to her.

“I think I started to fall in love with you that day you came to the clinic, so determined to get the very best care for your dog. I knew for sure when you came here to help me wrap the children’s presents the other night, even though you don’t like Christmas.”

“I don’t know. I think my perspective on that is changing a little.”

He laughed and kissed her again. When she slid away a few moments later, Sadie was sitting up, gazing around the room alertly while Tri teased at her ear. Caidy didn’t know how her heart could contain more joy.

“To answer your question,” she said, “I don’t believe there is a conflict of interest at all as long as said veterinarian doesn’t mind that the human in question is also very much in love with him.”

“Is she?”

“Oh, yes. I love you. More than I can say. And Ava and Jack too. I thought I was content with my life here on the ranch helping Ridge, but over the past few weeks, I’ve come to realize something good and right has been missing. You. All this time, I think I’ve just been waiting for you.”

He gazed at her for a long moment, his eyes fiery and bright, then with aching softness he picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere.”

She couldn’t contain the joy bubbling through her. Sadie would be all right, at least for now. It was Christmas morning, the time for miracles and hope, and she had eleven years of Christmases to make up for. What better place to do it than in the arms of the man she loved fiercely?

She wrapped her arms around him and Ben laughed softly, almost as if he couldn’t help himself, then kissed her again while the Christmas tree lights gleamed and the two dogs snuggled by the fire and her heart sang.

Epilogue

“Ijust love Christmas weddings,” Laura exclaimed as she adjusted one of the pins keeping Caidy’s snowy-white veil in place.

“It’s not Christmas,” Maya said, with irrefutable logic. In the mirror, Caidy had a clear view of the little girl sitting on a bench in the room reserved for brides at the small church in Pine Gulch, carefully holding Trace and Becca’s chubby six-month-old son, who was gumming his fingers.

“Santa doesn’t come for five more days,” Maya pointed out.

“True,” her mother answered with a grin. “I should have said I love Christmastimeweddings. Is that better?”

“Yes.” Maya smiled, looking sweet and adorable in her blue-and-silver flower-girl dress.

“The church looks beautiful,” Becca said, hurrying in to scoop little Will out of Maya’s lap with unerring instincts, just as both of the children started to get bored with the arrangement. “It looks like a snowy wonderland with all those silvery snowflakes and the blue ribbons. Such a better choice than the traditional red and green. As lovely as it is out there, it doesn’t hold a candle to our blushing bride here. You look fantastic. Are you happy, Caidy?”

She smiled at her brothers’ wives. She did feel a small pang that her mother wasn’t there on her wedding day, but this was a time for joy, not sadness. She might not have her mother with her, and that would always hurt, but she did have these wonderful women who had become so dear to her.

“Happydoesn’t come close to covering it. I don’t think I have room inside me to hold all the joy.”

“I don’t either,” Ava said, looking lovely in the bridesmaid dress she was so very enthralled to be wearing.

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