The Cowboy's Family Christmas

by Carolyne Aarsen

  Remnants of wrapping paper were strewn under the Christmas tree now empty of gifts. Christmas music filled the room and a fire snapped in the fireplace, all combining to create a feeling of warmth and home.

  Reuben compared it to the Christmas he spent last year in a hotel room watching a forgettable Christmas movie on television. It had been bleak and depressing and lonely. This was light and love and peace. The contrast almost made him cry.

  Austin got up and brought a handful of animals over to Reuben. “Play with me, Daddy,” he said.

  Austin had been calling him that for the past couple of weeks but it still sent a thrill through his soul.

  “I don’t know, sweetheart,” he said. “I think it’s getting close to bedtime, and tomorrow we are going to Uncle Cord and Ella’s place for Christmas dinner.”

  His son shook his head in denial and scooted back to the farm he had painstakingly set up.

  Leanne came in carrying a tray of mugs. “Hot chocolate for you,” she said, handing one to George. “And coffee for you,” she said to Reuben.

  Then she turned to Austin. “And bedtime for you.” She was about to pick him up when George stood up, grunting as he did so.

  “I can take care of that,” George said.

  “That’s okay,” Leanne protested, holding up her hand as if to stop him.

  “You’ve done enough. Besides I need some one-on-one time with my grandson, and you and Reuben need to talk.”

  He gave Reuben an exaggerated wink, which made him groan. Nothing like being obvious.

  Leanne shot Reuben a puzzled frown but he simply shrugged as if he had no idea what his dad was talking about.

  Austin protested, but only slightly, as George helped him pick out an animal to take to bed with him. Then, together, they walked out of the family room.

  “Sit here,” Reuben said to Leanne.

  She did, still looking puzzled. Especially when he got up and went to the Christmas tree and pulled a tiny box out of the branches. Then he sat down beside Leanne.

  But he could tell from the way she was pressing her fingers to her lips and her shining eyes that she had some idea what lay inside the box.

  He carried on anyhow, determined to do this right. He got down on one knee and opened the box to show her the ring inside. It caught the lights of the tree and reflected them over her face.

  He’d had a speech all prepared but as he looked up at her, her eyes shining and his heart pounding, he decided to stick with simple.

  “Leanne Rennie Walsh. I love you so much. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and Austin. Will you marry me?”

  “Of course I will” was all she said, her lips quivering. Tears spilled from her eyes, leaving a glistening line down her flushed cheek.

  He slipped the ring on her finger, and she held it up, making it catch the lights from the tree. “It’s so beautiful,” she breathed.

  “Not as beautiful as you,” he said. He stood up and gathered her in his arms, holding her close, a sense of utter peace and contentment washing over him.

  They shared a soft, gentle kiss, then both drew back, looking deep into each other’s eyes as if to cement their relationship.

  “I love you so much,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get tired of saying that.”

  “Me neither.” He kissed her again.

  She smiled, stroking his face with her hand, growing serious. “This was a long time coming,” she said. “But I’m so thankful. So grateful.”

  “God has definitely worked in mysterious ways to get us here.”

  She laid her head on his chest, her hand on his heart.

  “You know, after we figured out what Dirk had done, I was furious. I couldn’t forgive him for what he did, but in the past couple of days I’ve realized that if Dirk hadn’t done what he did, I wonder if we would have ended up here. At the ranch.”

  Leanne sighed lightly, then drew back smiling up at him. “Maybe that’s true, but I’d like to think that we would have found a way to make our life wherever we would have ended up.”

  “I’d like to think that too, but I’m thankful that out of all of this, George and I have found a way to make peace and forgive each other. To be father and son at last.”

  Leanne held his gaze and her smile was like a bright beacon of love. “You are an amazing man, Reuben Walsh, and I’m so glad that we found our way back to each other.”

  “Me too. I’m so thankful and humbled that we’ve found a place where you and I can raise our own family. I will forever be grateful for that.”

  “Our family. I like the sound of that. I promise you that I’ll always be there for you.”

  “And I promise that I’ll always take care of you,” Reuben said. “You and Austin and any other children we might have.”

  “Other children?” She gave him an impish smile. “How many other children were you planning on our having?”

  “Let’s take things one kid at time,” he said.

  She laughed then pulled him close, and as the lights twinkled in the tree behind them and the gentle music holding the promise of Christmas floated around them, their kiss became a seal on those promises and a hope for the future.

  Together.

  * * * * *

  If you loved this story, check out

  COURTING THE COWBOY

  SECOND CHANCE COWBOY

  from bestselling author

  Carolyne Aarsen’s miniseries

  COWBOYS OF CEDAR RIDGE

  and these other stories of love on the ranch

  from Carolyne Aarsen

  WRANGLING THE COWBOY’S HEART

  TRUSTING THE COWBOY

  THE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS BABY

  Available now from Love Inspired!

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  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE LAWMAN’S YULETIDE BABY by Ruth Logan Herne.

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  Dear Reader,

  This book is about looking for security and seeking forgiveness and healing from the past. Leanne needed to be forgiven for the secret she kept, and Reuben needed to find a way to forgive a father who had hurt him so much in the past. It’s also about secrets and the cost they can have on relationships.

  I also wanted to show that forgiveness is a journey, and I hope you, as a reader, realize that this journey is really just the beginning for Reuben and his father.

  I hope you enjoyed the book. If you want to learn more about me and my writing, visit my website at www.carolyneaarsen.com to find out more about my books.

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  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

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  The Lawman's Yuletide Baby

  by Ruth Logan Herne

  Chapter One

  This couldn’t be happening.

  Corinne Gallagher watched as the Realtor tacked a Sold sign on the year-round lakefront home less than a hundred feet from hers.

  It wasn’t the sign that made her heart take notice.

  It was the man shaking the Realtor’s hand.

  New York State Trooper Gabe Cutler stood facing the real estate salesperson as if he’d just clinched the deal of a lifetime.

  She swallowed hard as his gaze shifted from the Realtor to her.

  Her heart ground to a painful stop.

  So did her breath.

  He stared at her, then her house, then her again.

  She stood rooted to the ground, unable or maybe just unwilling to move.

  Her twelve-year-old daughter had no such qualms. “Coach!” Theresa, known to the world as “Tee” Gallagher, streaked across the yard beneath a canopy of late October color. The blend of breeze and tinted leaves signaled another change of seasons.

  Corinne was determined to ignore the passage of time.

  It’s what she did best.

  Day by day, year by year, she looked forward, making sure her children were grounded, faithful, safe and kind. She purposely didn’t look right or left. It was a job she did well because Corinne Gallagher did everything well.

  “Coach, are you moving into the Penskis’ house for real? Callan won’t believe it!” Tee leaped at him, hugging the man who’d been coaching her brother for the last three years. Three very long years for Corinne to pretend she wasn’t attracted to the decorated state trooper. Three years of watching him counsel and teach youngsters the rules of the game...and the rules of life. Three years of maintaining a distance because she would never willingly put herself in the position to bury another man in uniform.

  He couldn’t be moving in next door.

  He lived nearly fifteen miles away, toward the south end of Canandaigua Lake, surrounded by vineyards. She’d Googled him on purpose during a weak moment.

  Look at you. Stalking the baseball coach.

  She hadn’t stalked him. Not really. She’d just been curious. And lonely. And possibly wondering about the man behind the uniform, behind the stubborn set of his jaw as they met weekly to firm up the plans before the upcoming holiday-themed Christkindl festival.

  And here he was, one arm around Tee, gazing her way.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  And yet...it was.

  “Coach, is that you?” Fourteen-year-old Callan poked his head out from the sliding glass door leading to the deck. “Are you kidding me? You’re moving in next door? That’s awesome!” The high school freshman loped across the yard, all arms and legs, a boy in the thick of adolescence. He pumped Gabe’s hand, excited, then shoved his hands into his pockets as if unsure what to do with them.

  Tee had no such qualms. She kept her arm linked through Gabe’s as if she’d just acquired a new BFF. “Can you believe it, Mom?” She screeched the words as Corinne moved their way. “Coach is here! He’s moving in! Right next door!”

  Tee lived in a world full of exclamation points. Nothing stagnated in Tee’s world. Her roller-coaster personality kept life humming around her, a total contrast to her more sober older brother.

  Callan took after Corinne, focused and cautious and steadfast.

  Tee was total Gallagher, a feminine image of the father she’d never known. She was a spontaneous, fearless know-it-all, and there wasn’t a day that went by when Corinne didn’t thank God for these kids. They were a piece of Dave to keep close by her side, but that honor came with mega responsibility, a task she never took lightly.

  “So.” Gabe watched her approach.

  Caramel-brown eyes, with hints of gold that brightened when he smiled. Medium brown hair, always cut short. Strong shoulders, a broad chest, made broader by his protective vest when he was in uniform.

  But protective vests could only do so much. She’d found that out the hard way.

  “We’ve just become neighbors.” He didn’t shift his gaze as she walked, and she didn’t hurry her steps because she needed every single second to grab hold of the calm facade she’d need for this new bend in the road.

  She nodded to the Realtor to gain a few extra seconds, then faced Gabe directly. “So it would seem. I had no idea you were looking for a house, Gabe.”

  He lifted one brow and paused, and when he did, her heart paused, too. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I’ve always wanted to live in a quiet spot on the water. To throw my boat in now and again and drop a line. When this came on the market three weeks back, I knew it was perfect.”

  It wasn’t perfect.

  Having the strong, stoic trooper next door was the exact opposite of perfect.

  Perfect was her safe, sound world, surrounded by Gallagher family and friends, a low-risk pool of normal.

  Perfect was her administrative position at the hospital, where she’d graduated from the ups and downs of crisis pregnancy care to being a very capable paper pusher.

  Ideal was having as much quiet control as she could get while not appearing to be one of those helicopter parents, hovering around everything their children did, thought or tried.

  She’d tucked herself into this quiet corner of the lake, her grandparents’ old house, determined to do things her way without appearing crazy neurotic.

  Gabe Cutler’s arrival just rocked a boat she’d kept calm for a long, long time.

  * * *

  Gabe Cutler had spent years purposely keeping himself on life’s outer edges. He worked, he coached, he fished and he took good care of Tucker, his dog.

  It was enough because he made it enough.

  And now he’d managed to sign papers tucking him next door to Corinne Gallagher and her delightful kids, Callan and Tee.

  How had this happened?

  Corinne and the kids didn’t live on the water. They lived in a simple split-level just off Route 20A. He’d dropped Callan off there a couple of times the year before.

  And yet...

  Here they were.

  The kids looked delighted to see him, because they’d been buds for several years. He’d coached Callan, and laughed over Tee’s antics.

  Corinne looked surprised and maybe chagrined about the whole thing.

  She helped with team stuff when she could. She organized fundraisers and structured team gatherings when they had out-of-town tournaments. She stayed friendly while keeping her distance, a neat trick she maneuvered well, which meant she was well practiced. Like him.

  He smiled for a selfie with Callan, his star shortstop, then winced inside when Callan blasted the pic to the rest of the team with a wide, easy grin.

  So much for keeping his private life private. A part of him wanted to sigh, because this was his fault for not checking the town’s records before signing the purchase offer.

  He wouldn’t have chosen the house if he’d known Corinne and the kids lived next door. Gabe didn’t just like his privacy. He craved it. He needed that downtime, where he could split wood or fish or do whatever he needed to do to get through the calendar year. And now—

  Two bright-eyed kids, kids that he liked, grinned up at him as if this was a wonderful turn of events.

  It wasn’t anything of the kind.

  “Is Tucker coming with you?”

  The team loved his trusty mutt, a great dog. He’d rescued the tricolor collie mix from a shelter four years before, but it might have been the other way around. The goofy, loy
al dog might have been the rescuer all along. “He is.”

  “Yes!” Tee fist-pumped the air. “Can I take him swimming? And for walks along the road? Because there is like no one living down here in the winter, Coach.” She dramatized the words with perfect adolescent accentuation. “Well, a few people,” she conceded. “But most of them go to Florida for the winter, so the road is crazy quiet now!”

  And with all of those quiet, empty cottages dotting the shore, the only affordable house that had gone up for sale along the waterfront was right next to a busy, vibrant family. Was God laughing right now?

  Although if this was some sort of master plan, Gabe failed to see the purpose. Or the humor, for that matter. “Tee Gallagher and a quiet road?” He hiked a brow that actually made Corinne smile. “Why does that seem hard to compute?”

  “Even I can’t make enough noise to liven up a whole road on my own,” the girl told him. “But I do my best.”

  “That’s for sure.” Callan sent his text. He started to pocket his phone, but replies began flooding in, fast and furious. “My phone’s blowing up, Coach.” He laughed as he moved over to their honey-stained picnic table. “Gotta answer these.”

  “If I had a phone, I could share this news, too.” Tee shifted her attention to Corinne.

  “A conversation we’ve had way too often,” Corinne told her. “You don’t need a phone. When you’re in high school, yes. I’ll get you a phone and you can help pay for it. There’s no need to do that now.”

  “Everyone in junior high has one. And I mean everyone.”

  A stat that didn’t bode well in the school, Gabe knew. Some of those kids’ phones were being used for things far beyond what a seventh grader should be considering, much less doing. He respected Corinne for taking a stand that clearly made her unpopular with her strong-willed daughter.

  “Junior high kids have survived without phones for centuries. You’ll be fine, Tee.”

  “Laura Ingalls didn’t have a phone, so Tee Gallagher doesn’t get one?” Tee hiked both brows, then rolled her eyes. “That’s totally apples and oranges, Mom. Let’s stay in the current century for comparison’s sake.” She shot Corinne a dimpled look, and Gabe couldn’t hold back his smile.