Page 37 of Snowed in with the Rancher

“We need to talk,” he heard Olivia say and looked up to see her standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her tone told him this wasn't going to be good.

He set the magazine aside. “Okay.”

She began to pace in front of the fireplace, arms crossed, before finally speaking. “I understand that you had a long day at work, and I realize that this is all new, and having us crammed in the same house in the middle of winter isn't the best setup.”

He silently said an amen to that.

“But you can't solve it by telling them to go to bed. When they're upset, they needattention,not to be pushed away like they're a bother. They're still learning how to deal with what they're feeling, and I don't want them to get the idea that bottling everything up or hiding it away is the right choice.”

“What is there to bottle up?” Tate asked, genuinely confused. “I mean, from the looks of it, they got into some kind of spat during bath time. Not really a lot to unpack there.”

“The issue iswhythey got into a spat. They're unsettled, and this is how they're showing it.” “They're four,” Olivia said, her voice sounding strained, “and they've been through a lot the last few weeks. They've left the only home they ever had, moved to different state, they have no one to play with here, they've suddenly gained a father and grandparents they didn't know existed…” At that, her voice cracked and she inhaled sharply before sniffling.

Oh hell. How could he have forgotten that it wasn't just himorthe girls who were going through a lot? She was too—and he hadn't been much help. Tate was on his feet in a flash, moving around the coffee table and taking her in his arms. “I'm sorry,” he murmured as he held her stiff body as close as she'd allow. “I didn't mean to…” He searched for the right words.

“Be a jerk?” Olivia provided helpfully.

“Yes. That.”

She sniffed again, and he felt her head nod against his chest, then she began to relax, melting into his arms bit by bit. “They really need a lot of patience right now.”

He stroked her hair and simply kept holding her, thinking that she clearly needed some patience, too.

“And I've been trying to get everything in order, but it's like an obstacle course. The rental practically needs to be rebuilt, the only pediatrician that's taking new patients is twenty miles away in Melton, the outgoing director at the center sends me half a dozen emails a day with things he thinks I need to know, all of our Christmas stuff is packed in that storage unit, and tomorrow is Christmas Eve,” she took a ragged breath, “and I don't have a single gift for the girls.”

Tate finally let go of her and pulled back so he could look her in the eyes. She looked…watery. And beautiful, and sad. In that moment, he was ready to hand over his internal organs if it would just make her smile again.

“I'm sorry,” he said simply. “I'm sorry that nothing seems to be going right. I guess our ideas about getting back some normal were a little premature.”

She gave him a wry smile.

“And I can't fix the house or beam in a doctor,” he nodded firmly to emphasize the next words, “but I can help with the Christmas presents.”

Her eyes widened. “Would you?”

He smiled. “Yes, I absolutely would. How about if I take off at noon tomorrow, and we can leave the girls with my parents, or ask Vince and Marjory if they'd watch them, drive into town, and get all the shopping done?”

She released a shaky breath, and he saw the tension leave her body with it. “You have no idea how much help that would be.”

He kissed her softly on the forehead, that mixture of emotions that he felt whenever he touched her swirling in his gut. “Good, then that's what we'll do.”

She gazed up at him, and he couldn't stop himself from stealing another kiss, this one on her soft pink lips. But before he could try for another, one of the girls yelled from upstairs. He and Olivia both sighed.

“I'll go up,” he said. “I need to apologize to them for earlier, and you need to have a cup of tea and just sit for a few minutes.”

“Thank you,” she said simply, but those words were enough to make him feel ten feet tall.

* * *

“And Lucy said if we can come to their house around eleven, that'll give them time to do gifts with the girls before everyone starts arriving for dinner at four.”

Tate shifted the weight of the package he was carrying and tried to keep from grinding his teeth. Going Christmas shopping had seemed like a good idea, but he'd forgotten how much he hated being surrounded by a nearly overwhelming crowd of last-minute shoppers. The only thing that made it bearable was hearing about the types of things each girl liked to do and play with. That, plus he'd been practically captivated at watching Olivia do her thing. She was a really great mother. The way she balanced getting them things that they'd love with things that were educational and engaging had him impressed. And he'd even chosen right when picking out a couple of games himself.

But since they'd left the final store, he'd had to endure nonstop planning for the apparently enormous family get-together Olivia and Lucy were cooking up for Christmas day. He didn't know how to put a stop to the insanity. He'd adjusted to the idea of a Christmas at his house with the girls and Olivia, he was even excited to see the girls open presents, but the rest of the madness was causing him to break out in hives.

To hear Olivia tell it, the girls needed to unwrap a second set of gifts at his parents' house along with a few of Lucy's great nieces and nephews. That would be followed by a family dinner at four p.m. attended by no fewer than twenty-five people, including Lucy's sister, brother-in-law, their kids and grandkids, and the ranch foreman and his family as well as Thomas's second cousin and her family from Butte.

“So we need to get at least one gift for your dad and Lucy, then maybe some small things for the kids who will be there. I'm thinking those chocolate oranges that you have to bang to break into sections? Did you ever have those when you were a kid? The girls love them.”

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