Page 53 of Snowed in with the Rancher

Tate tried really hard not to think about what that could mean. He didn't want to know anything about his parents' dating lives. Not a single thing. Really.

“Hi, there. I'm ready.” Olivia's voice drifted down the stairs as she descended.

Tate's gaze moved from his parents to the staircase, and all the words in his mind dissipated in a haze. All that was left was Olivia.

Her long dark hair was pinned up in some sort of loose knot on top of her head. Curling tendrils fell around her face and down her neck—trails a man could follow with his fingers, his lips, and his tongue. Her long, lean curves were covered by a red dress that clung to her softly. The fitted top had tiny sleeves that barely covered her shoulders, the neck cut wide to show her collarbone and barest hint of cleavage. The skirt flowed and swished as she walked, falling to just above her knees.

His gaze traveled down her sleek legs to the four-inch red, strappy stilettos on her feet. He swallowed once, then cleared his throat. “Uh, hi,” he managed to rasp.

If he'd had better blood flow to his brain, he might have noticed the raised eyebrows and mile-wide grins on Thomas's and Lucy's faces, but all he could see was Olivia.

She reached him and smiled, and his heart nearly burst out of his chest.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

Then he heard a little squeak, followed by childish giggles. Olivia raised an eyebrow. “We'd better go before they disobey and come down here,” she whispered.

He ducked to look up the stairs, and there at the top, hiding behind the railings, were two little faces. He grinned and winked at them. They burst into hysterical giggles.

“I told them they had to stay upstairs, but they watched me get ready, and they've been going on about dates and kissing for the last half hour.” Olivia rolled her eyes and grinned.

Tate tried to keep his approval from showing. His daughters were obviously on his side. He thought kissing sounded like an excellent activity for a date. “Well, we'd better get moving, then. Our reservation is at seven.”

Then, under the full scrutiny of his entire family, Tate helped Olivia on with her coat and escorted his date out of the house.

* * *

Looking across the table at Tate, Olivia wondered if this was a new beginning or only a momentary detour. She'd known two Tates now—the Tate she'd first met on vacation, and the Tate she'd found in the wilds of Montana. One was sweet and affectionate, but not tethered to the real world. While the attraction had been undeniable, she hadn't really known Tate all those years ago after only a few days on a cruise ship. She didn't think it would have been possible to truly get to know someone in a situation like that. It was only when they were in their home that their true self emerged. The Tate she'd met here in Montana had disappointed her in a number of ways—but he'd blown her away countless times. He'd been so protective, so good with the girls, so gentle with the animals under his care. He wasn't the same person she'd met on the boat, no—but she loved this version of him, too. She wanted a future with him. And now, at last, it seemed like he wanted that too.

Tate looked at her over the top of his menu. “What has you smiling?” he asked.

She laid her menu down on the table. “Just thinking about all we had to go through to get here. As much as I talked to the girls about how you lived here in Montana, about how we might see you again, I didn't really have a realistic picture of what that might mean. How could I? I barely knew you. I only knew…vacation you.”

He reached across the table and stroked her hand. “We've made some mistakes. It's an unusual situation. But I sincerely want to start again. I want to get to know you here in the real world. I want to be what the girls need.” His voice cracked before he cleared his throat to continue. “I care, Olivia. I really do.”

Her heart thudded hard in her chest for just a moment. “Me, too,” she said.

“Let's start with what you're ordering for dinner. I need to learn all your favorites.” He winked the same way he'd winked at the girls earlier that evening. Tate was a man who winked. A sexy wink. A fun wink. She'd just learned this about him. It was a start.

They made it through the meal with small talk. She explained what she'd be doing in her new job, he told her about the business—how many cattle they had, how their land leases worked, what a typical day looked like for him.

“So you'll lose that lease if you don't find a use for the land?” she asked as the server cleared their plates.

“Yep. The feds aren't interested in letting me keep it for no reason, I can't imagine why,” he joked.

“But you don't need it for grazing?”

He shook his head and picked up his napkin off his lap, folded it loosely, and laid it on the table. “We really don't. I've considered some sort of breeding program, but that's a whole new business, to start, and I'm not sure I have the time or the inclination right now.”

She sat for a moment, ideas percolating. “There are barns there? And corrals?”

“Yeah. Those were built by the feds back in the day. They used them for some research programs, I think.”

Olivia smiled as a plan began to formulate in her mind.

“Want to partner with the new executive director of Dreams for Disabilities?” she asked playfully.

He leaned forward, his gaze dropping momentarily to her cleavage before he raised it again to meet her eyes. “More than you can imagine,” he said in a husky voice.

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