Page 41 of Snowed in with the Rancher

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Olivia pressed a piece of Scotch tape to secure the wrapping on the final gift and looked around the bedroom at her handiwork. The stack of gifts included games, books, dolls, and art supplies. Admittedly, it was more than she usually bought for the girls, but it had been a rough month, and they'd earned some coddling.

She picked up the small box with Tate's name on it. It contained a framed picture of him and the girls hugging right after she'd told him he was their daddy. She'd framed the photo in a leather frame with the word Daddy embossed subtly at the bottom. The frame was stitched like a saddle, the leather burnished like a well-worn piece of furniture. It was the perfect gift.

She wasn't sure he'd even want it.

She stacked the gifts in the closet before cleaning up the wrapping supplies. As she moved to open the door, her phone dinged. She picked it up to look at the message.

Can you come by the rental house?the message read.

Olivia sighed. It was the third time this week Jake had asked her to come by. Mrs. Anderson was still refusing to put in new electrical wiring, and Jake was too scared of the landlady to press the issue. He'd been stalling on putting up the drywall, hoping Olivia would get the old bat to concede. Olivia had asked three times, but Norene Anderson wasn't about to spend a dime more on that old bungalow than she had to.

After texting her agreement, Olivia went to pull the girls away from their movie and packed them in the car.

Once in town, she drove straight to the bungalow. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Tate's truck parked out front along with Norene's car and Jake's work truck.

As they approached the house, she could hear Tate's raised voice.

“Daddy sounds mad,” Melissa said somberly.

“Daddy's never home,” Jackie interjected with a pout. The statement seemed to be a tangent, but the words hit home.

“You know what?” Olivia said, reaching into her purse and removing the iPad she kept with her. “Why don't you two finish watching your movie. I can already tell this is going to be boring grownup stuff.”

Melissa sighed in relief and Jackie nodded in agreement before the two small girls trudged back to the car and settled in.

As she reached for the bungalow door handle, Olivia heard Tate. “You need to get something straight here, Norene. My daughters and their momma will not be living here without updated electrical. I'm not risking an electrical fire or an ungrounded outlet with those girls. You can threaten all the lawyers you want, but you know the McConnells are a match for you. This isn't just me you're dealing with; my dad and Lucy are prepared to do whatever we need to, including going to court if that's how you want to play it. Fix the house or return Olivia's money. It's a simple choice.”

Eyebrows raised, Olivia opened the door. Norene Anderson stood scowling at Tate, who was towering over her. Jake Pickelner had chosen to observe from the safety of the far side of the room, a look of amusement on his face.

“Hi. What's going on?” she asked. As if she hadn't heard…

As Tate turned to look at her, she saw a flash of something so vulnerable, it shook her to the core. All her anger at him the previous day melted away.

“You must think I'm made of money, Tate McConnell,” Norene squawked.

“I think you have more than enough to make sure my family's safe on your property,” Tate replied, his gaze firm as he crossed his well-muscled arms over his chest.

“Tate?” Olivia said quietly.

He glared at Norene another moment, then turned to Olivia. “I'm sorry you drove all the way down here, but I think Norene's clear on the situation. It's up to her now.”

He looked back to Norene. “You let us know what you decide.”

He walked to Olivia. “Are the girls in the car?” he asked.

She nodded as she glanced at Mrs. Anderson, who was looking unsure for the first time ever in Olivia's experience.

“Let's go home,” Tate said softly.

His gaze was gentle, entreating, and suddenly all Olivia cared about was taking Tate and the girls back to the cabin and having a warm Christmas Eve together. It didn't matter where he'd been for the last week. All that mattered was that they were family now.

“Okay,” she said.

He smiled and took her by the hand, leading her out of the bungalow that she wasn't sure she'd ever live in. And right then it didn't matter. Right then, in that moment, all that mattered was Tate and the girls and Christmas.

SEVENTEEN

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