Page 45 of Snowed in with the Rancher

“Of course. Is there anything I can do to help with the food?”

“Well, if you don't mind getting the green beans ready, that would be perfect.”

They moved into the big farm kitchen, and Lucy set Olivia up at the table with a bowl full of green beans and a knife. She clipped off the ends, then snapped the beans before placing them into the big pot they'd be boiled in. The work was repetitious and simple, something she appreciated when her mind was the tangled mess it had been since she'd left Tate and returned to her own bed at midnight.

“So was it Tate's idea for you to move in here, or yours?” Lucy asked bluntly while she peeled potatoes at the kitchen sink.

They'd spoken to Thomas and Lucy briefly when they'd arrived, and the older couple hadn't asked any questions, simply opened their home to Olivia and the girls just as easily as they had their hearts.

“It was mutual,” Olivia answered. As disappointed as she was in Tate, she didn't want to cause problems between him and his family. She could see that this whole situation was a struggle for him. Olivia didn't doubt that Tate cared. She just doubted whether he could express that care in a way that would make them both happy.

Lucy, her back to Olivia, made a small sound that didn't convey much.

“He's trying,” Olivia added in his defense. “And I know he'll be there for the girls. That's all that matters.”

Lucy set down her paring knife and turned to face Olivia, a potato in one hand, sympathy in her eyes. “I bet you've been saying that since before they were born.”

Olivia's brow furrowed.

“As long as they're taken care of, it's okay. As long as they're happy, it's fine. But you need to know that you matter, too.”

Olivia scowled down at the green beans in her hands.

“It's not enough that he's there for the girls,” Lucy insisted. “He cares about you. Anyone with eyes can see that. And you feel the same. I'd wager you two fell in love back on that cruise ship. You had to have felt something important for one another, or those little darlings wouldn't exist.”

Nodding, Olivia snapped the green beans in half and dumped them in the pot with the rest. “We do…we did.” She shrugged lightly. “But he can't do more than he's doing, and I can't change that. I can't force him to be a family man. I can only hope he loves the girls and tries to do right by them.”

Lucy shook her head. “I've been trying to get that man to come out of his shell for years. I really thought you and those girls could finally do it.”

Olivia sighed.Yes.Truth be told, she'd thought they could, too. For about five minutes one day.

“It's fine,” she lied. “I didn't come here with the intention of finding him. I came for a good job and a nice town to raise the girls in. I got all of that, plus you and Thomas.” She smiled genuinely at the older woman. “And the girls will get a chance to know Tate for who he is. They won't grow up with mysteries and questions. They'll know exactly the man their dad is, and that's worth something, I think.”

Lucy wiped her hands on her apron and turned back to the sink. “You're too good, Olivia,” she said, her voice wavering. “He's making a big mistake. I love him like I would my own child, and I can't bear to see him throw away this chance to have a real family.”

Olivia snapped some more green beans and wisely didn't answer.

“Someday,” Lucy said softly, “Thomas and I will be gone. Who will Tate have then?”

Olivia wasn't sure, but she felt pretty certain she wouldn't be the one.

NINETEEN

“They took to that in a hurry,” Thomas said, smiling as the twins slid away down the little hill behind the ranch house. They'd each gotten a new sled—one a purple dish, the other a lime green bullet. They'd promised to take turns and share so each got a chance with both sleds.

“They're both going to be athletic,” Tate answered with pride. “Melissa's got better balance, but Jackie's more aggressive. I'm thinking they could play on that little Kicking Cubs soccer team they run at the rec center on Saturdays.”

Thomas nodded thoughtfully. “Need to get 'em up on a horse soon, too. They're old enough.”

Tate flinched, remembering how irate Olivia had been about the saddles and other tack. Truth be told, he had been heavy-handed about it. But he'd returned the items and gotten one plain saddle and one plain bit-and-bridle combination for the girls to use on that old pony. He simply hadn't told them yet.

“I bought a saddle and other tack for Harvey the other day,” he told Thomas. “Maybe you'd like to show it all to them, next time you have a chance?”

A smile crossed his dad's weathered face. “I'd love to,” the older man answered. “I'll have them up on Harvey in no time.”

The two men watched the girls sled for a few minutes in silence. Then Thomas started the questions Tate had known were coming. “So why do you want them all to stay here with us?”

Tate tried not to sigh. He knew he had to answer his dad's questions, but it was going to be difficult when he didn't entirely understand the reasons himself.

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