Page 22 of Snowed in with the Rancher

Marjory patted her on the shoulder kindly. “That's what I thought. Tate's a good man—and he takes his responsibilities seriously. Not to mention, I couldn't imagine Tate would have kept that from his daddy and Lucy all these years. I'm glad that wasn't the case.”

Olivia glanced over at Tate and Vince, who were rigging up a slew of ropes and harnesses to a winch attached to Vince's ATV. “I'm not sure how he meant to tell people…We haven't had time to—”

“Don't you worry about a thing, sweetie, no one will hear it from me.”

Olivia's heart rate settled a touch at that.

“No, Jackie!” Melissa scolded. “We have to put the arms higher.”

She couldn't help a chuckle at the idea of little boy Tate—a male version of Melissa. “So he was always this serious?” she asked, swallowing the last of the coffee and feeling the glow of warmth that took the edge off everything she'd been feeling the last twenty-four hours.

Marjory chuckled. “Oh yes, he was. Quiet, serious, and very methodical about everything. His mama was an artist. Kindest woman ever, but an artist's temperament. Introverted, you know?”

Olivia's mind raced at that information. How had Tate never mentioned that in any of their conversations? Maybe because he never talked about his mother at all. “That makes so much sense,” she told Marjory. “Both of the girls love art—I mean, I know most kids do, but they're very good. Everyone always compliments me on how sophisticated their work is for their age.”

Marjory smiled. “I wasn't real close to Anne, but we played in a Bunco group together. She painted and sketched. Beautiful landscapes, but a real strong style of her own. Had her own way of seeing the world, you know.”

Olivia's heart swelled. As hard as she'd tried to keep the memories of her own parents alive for the girls to feel connected to, there had always been a gap in their past, a hole that she hadn't been able to fill. Now for the first time in four years, she'd be able to give them parts of the other half, a history of why they were who they were.

“Thank you so much for that,” she said gratefully. “It means a lot to hear about her. Tate's hardly mentioned her.”

Marjory finished her own coffee and took Olivia's mug back, putting both cups and the thermos back on the ATV. “It was pretty rough on him and Thomas when they lost her. A lot of us at the school felt like Tate's natural temperament made it extra difficult for him. He doesn't have a lot of words to begin with, and even for a chatterbox like me, that would be a hard thing to find words for.”

Olivia couldn't help the little smile that pulled at her cheeks.He doesn't have a lot of words. That was one way of putting it. She wrapped her arms around herself, more out of the need for comfort than the cold. “I lost my parents—that's why I had to leave the cruise he and I were on. I think I can imagine a little of what he felt.”

Marjory's expression became even more sympathetic, and she patted Olivia on the hand. “You poor dear. I'm so sorry for your loss.”

Just then, Olivia saw Tate begin to rappel down the hillside where the deer was trapped. She stiffened to see him seemingly leap off the edge into nothing. “Have any of the rescuers ever been hurt?” she asked, trying to remember to take a breath.

Marjory followed her gaze. “Oh, hardly ever. Some bumps and scrapes, maybe, but since Vince has been in charge, we've never had anything more serious than a mild concussion. And Tate's one of our best. You don't need to worry.”

Thank goodness, Olivia thought. The last thing she needed was to lose the girls' father just after she'd found him.

“Mommy!” the twins yelled in unison before Olivia could answer Marjory. “Come see our snowman!”

“You gonna let me see, too?” Marjory yelled back. “I might have some hot chocolate in the supplies here, but only if I get to see the snowman.”

Both girls shrieked in delight, and Marjory winked at Olivia. “Did I mention I have grandchildren about their age? Just leave this to me.”

Olivia smiled as they carried the same mugs—full of hot chocolate this time—and made their way to the girls. They were all going to like it here, she could tell. Montana felt like a place that could be home. She had sworn to the girls, that was where she'd take them—home.

* * *

“She doin' okay?” Vince asked as he touched down at the bottom of the hill and sank knee-deep into snow.

“Yeah, she's scared, but she doesn't look like she'll fight us,” Tate answered from where he knelt a few feet away on snow he'd packed down, his hand on the young doe's neck as he stroked her carefully. She'd thrashed a couple of times, but she was so tangled up in tree branches and the six feet of snow that had toppled the tree, she couldn't do much.

Vince carefully waded through the snow until he got to the small landing. “Pretty little thing, isn't she?” he asked.

“Yeah, can't be more than a year old,” Tate answered. “Let's see how she feels about the harness.”

Both men began to dig in the snow in order to work the harness straps under the deer's body.

“Easy there, girl,” Vince said soothingly as the deer gave a couple of jerks. “So tell me about your houseguests.” He handed Tate the other end of a strap.

Tate kept working silently. He hadn't had even a moment to decide how he'd talk about all this to people other than his parents. But he should have known better than to think he could keep it to himself. Greenwood was such a small town that everyone would know all the dirty details one way or another within a week. The only thing keeping the news private right now was the snow piled up on the roads. He figured if Lucy hadn't already called every friend she had, then by tomorrow, she'd be visiting them in person, telling them she'd discovered not one but two brand-new granddaughters.

“Well…” He cleared his throat as he buckled one strap firmly around the doe's ribcage. She groaned in distress. “As it turns out, Olivia and I already knew each other.”

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