Page 57 of Snowed in with the Rancher

The next two weeks flew by in a blur of work and unpacking and school. And then there were dinners and brunches, movies and walks in the town square. And with each date, each discussion, and each day that passed, Olivia felt that she had peeled away another layer of the man she'd fallen for all those years ago.

“Well, what brings you by?” Marjory asked one afternoon as Olivia walked into the search and rescue office in the small storefront next door to the police station and volunteer fire department.

“I was just passing and thought I'd stop in and say hi.”

“Well, you want a cup of coffee then?” Marjory said, pushing herself back from the front counter and motioning Olivia around to her side.

Once they both had mugs of coffee in hand, Marjory gave Olivia a stool to sit on and took the other for herself.

“You all settled in now?” she asked. “Vince said he saw you and Tate at the grocery store the other evening.”

Olivia shifted on her seat and took a sip of her coffee.

“We were grabbing some things for dinner.” She felt her cheeks flush. “The girls were at their grandparents' so we were cooking at my house.”

“Mmhmm.” Marjory raised an eyebrow as she drank her own coffee. “Lucy may have said a thing or two about you and Tate having some dinners together.”

Olivia chuckled then because really, she should have known. This might be the friendliest town in Montana, but it was definitely also the most gossipy.

“Things have been…good,” she said. “Really good.”

“Well, that's what Lucy and I were hoping. You sure make a lovely couple.” Marjory winked.

“It feels like this is how things were meant to be. When I first arrived, I guess I thought everything would just fall into place naturally. But things were too rushed. We were there in his house, in his life 24/7, and he didn't know how to cope. To be fair, I didn't really know either, and we ended up making a lot of mistakes.”

“But things are better now?” Marjory asked, watching as the sheriff parked his patrol car across the street.

“Yes. We're taking things slow, letting his relationship with me be separate from his with the girls. He's learning how to be their father without my interference, and then we're learning what the possibilities are between us.”

“And what are you finding?” Marjory winked again, a smirk on her cheerful face.

Olivia felt that flush again. “Um, so far, I think the possibilities are good…really good.” Both women burst into giggles.

“I couldn't be happier for the both of you,” Marjory said.

“Maybe Vince could let him back on the search and rescue squad?” Olivia asked from behind her coffee cup.

Marjory chuckled. “I could probably make that happen.”

When she left a few minutes later, Olivia thought it might have been the most productive cup of coffee she'd ever had.

* * *

Tate stood on the porch of his parents' house and watched as Vince climbed out of his big pickup with Waylon County Search and Rescue painted on the side.

“Well, fancy seein' you up here,” Vince said as he climbed the porch steps.

Tate stuck out a hand and shook with the older man. “You actually caught me just before I left for the day. You coming to see Dad?”

Vince hooked his thumbs through two of the belt loops on his jeans. “Nope. Thought I'd try to catch you,” he said, his blue eyes sparkling beneath the big cowboy hat he wore.

“Okay, you want to come inside for a cup of coffee? I think Lucy has some already brewed.”

“That's okay.” Vince shook his head. “I don't need but a minute.” He scratched his head. “It seems the powers that be have decided I was a bit hard on you when I booted you off the team.”

Tate tried not to smile as he nodded. “I see,” he murmured.

“Yep. Marjory and Lucy and Olivia have been chatting, and they've apparently come to the conclusion that you need to be back on the search and rescue schedule next month. Personally, I think it's just because they want a big strapping kid like you to come rescue them if they need it, but I'll put my own prejudices aside and concede defeat.”

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