Wyoming Christmas Surprise

by Melissa Senate

  “One nice thing that you know will make him feel loved or happy or appreciated,” Leanna explained. “In the morning, you leave enough coffee for him and set out his favorite mug. Or you buy chocolate eclairs because you passed the bakery and know he loves those things. Or while he’s annoying you by yelling at the TV while watching a game, you give him a shoulder massage. Then instead of an argument with you telling him to keep it down, he’s thanking you for the massage and you both feel appreciated.”

  “Huh,” the bride said. “I get it. Just little things.”

  “But one thing, every single day,” Leanna said. “And when you start doing that, guess what? He’ll start doing the same. Then you’re both working at making each other feel loved. Even twenty-nine years in.”

  “I wish I could send you two to Paris for your thirtieth anniversary,” the bride said. “You might have to settle for somewhere very local and inexpensive if I’m treating.”

  “I’ll treat,” Virginia said. “And when you get to fifty-five years like me next year, an around-the-world cruise is in order—both your treats.”

  The Gelman Girls laughed and decided to actually eat instead of talk so much. Allie could listen to them all day.

  She finally headed into the kitchen, ideas filling her head as she collected her stuff. One nice thing.

  As she was walking to the front door, Virginia called out, “Allie, lunch was simply marvelous. You give that handsome sergeant a hug from us, will you?”

  “I sure will,” Allie said. She hadn’t really hugged Theo at all since he’d been home, had she? She’d flung herself into his arms when he’d first appeared in the Bridal Preparation room, but that had been out of absolute shock.

  Their second chance meant she’d have to step out of her comfort zone of keeping herself at a solid emotional distance. And a good start would be showing him that she did want their marriage to work, that she believed what he said, that he wanted to be there, that this wasn’t about obligation—especially now that he had four children.

  One nice thing a day. She drove back home making a plan.

  * * *

  As Theo arrived at Kidz Zone, a big, loud indoor play space a town over, he looked around for Reed Barelli. The Wedlock Creek detective not only had two-year-old triplets—two girls and a boy that came along with his sudden marriage to their mom, Norah—but twins who were close in age to the quadruplets. The Barellis, who’d been strangers an hour before their wedding, had married at the Wedlock Creek Wedding Chapel because of spiked punch at a town carnival. Now the former bachelor who’d been a city detective was the dad of five kids under three. And he looked really happy and together. How was the main reason Theo had asked Reed if he’d be interested in getting their crawlers together for a playdate, making it clear he needed and wanted tips.

  And if Reed passed some intel on how he and Norah were not going nuts and making each other crazy, all the better. Theo had met Norah Ingalls Barelli at his award ceremony last week, and he’d seen them kiss at least three times—each with a baby in a carrier on their backs, and three in a stroller that rivaled the size of his own.

  The man knew. And Theo wanted to.

  After handshakes and introductions of the group—Reed’s boys were Dylan and Daniel—they set the little ones loose in the “eight to fourteen months” play area with lots of pulling-up stations and things to press and squeeze. One of the greatest things about Kidz Zone, besides the gazillion age-limited play areas, were the smiley attendants who worked in zones, watching their charges like hawks. Parents couldn’t take their eyes off their tots, of course, but the extra set of eyes right there was an extra bonus.

  Theo had spoken to Reed on the phone for a good long time when they’d set up this playdate—about the McBruin case and how it had gone down. It had been so long since he’d been able to talk shop with an officer on the WCPD—and someone who instantly got it. Between that and having the multiples in common, Theo had made a very necessary friend.

  “So tell me,” Theo said, sipping the take-out coffee he’d stopped for earlier. “What’s the number one secret to survival?”

  Reed laughed. “I’ll tell you—it’s to aim higher than that.”

  “What do you mean?” Theo asked.

  “Survival is base level. It’s making it out of the house, period. Aiming higher is leaving the house without applesauce in your hair or a diaper stuck to the back of your leg. I don’t know how that one happened, but it did. ‘Detective Barelli, did you know there’s a diaper on your thigh?’ the barista at Java Joe’s asked me once. Nope, hadn’t known. Because I was operating on the baseline. That’s survival instead of clockwork—it’s clockwork you want to aim for, with some flexibility, of course.”

  “Clockwork—meaning according to schedule and without a hitch?” Theo asked.

  “Exactly. Schedules, routine, organization—name of the game. Everything packed up and ready to go the night before, when the littles are asleep—make that when only one or two are crying bloody murder or throwing up all over your feet. Know what’s what and be forearmed. Dylan here loves pears. Loves. As in he will stop shrieking in my ear, no matter the reason—if a pear slice lands in his hand. So guess what I always have in the baby bag?”

  “I’m getting it,” Theo said. “Be at the ready.”

  Reed nodded, then shouted out, “Daniel, don’t bang the gong that hard.” He turned to Theo for a second. “God, my ears.” He took a swig of his bottled water. “Then there’s the wife. The key to success there is taking care of business.”

  “Elaborate,” Theo said, sipping his coffee. “Please.”

  “Well, especially with multiples, your wife is going to need you to do what you say you’ll do and to do stuff without even saying it or expecting a medal. That, my friend, is the key to smooth sailing in the Barelli household.”

  This was all gold, common-sense advice. “Huh. Take care of business. Don’t expect a medal. Makes sense.”

  “Yesterday, I heard Rockwell on the phone with his wife—he’s one of the rookies. And a rookie at women, obviously. I heard him say, ‘Oh, I don’t do anything? Who vacuumed the minivan last week? Who sprayed Febreze where Mikey threw up?’”

  Reed laughed. “Yeah, keeping tabs and reminding of the one time you helped isn’t going to win you any points. That I learned even before kids.”

  As baby Daniel was gleefully chucking balls at his brother in the ball pit, Reed stepped forward to clearly tell him no-go, but the attendant beat him to it. Meanwhile, Ethan was throwing balls at himself, which got half the babies in the pit doing that and giggling.

  Reed laughed at the tots’ antics. “How do you tell the boys apart? Are they color-coded?”

  Theo nodded. “Ethan is green. Tyler is blue. And Henry is orange. Oliva gets any color. Apparently, she was purple until just last month when Allie said she just started looking more girlie in the face.”

  “My girls run around shouting their names for absolutely no reason these days, ‘Bea! Bella!’” He laughed. “I can’t tell you how happy Brody is not to be outnumbered. Of course, now with three boys, the girls are outnumbered. But it’s one big happy family.”

  Speaking of which... Now for the most important question of all. “Tell me, Reed. How do you balance the job and family? What happens if you have to work late? Or you’re chasing down a lead and don’t want to stop?”

  Reed took a sip of his water and seemed to be thinking about that one. “The balance happened kind of naturally, now that I think about it. I want to be home. I’m dying to see Norah and the kids at the end of the day. Yeah, sometimes it happens where I don’t want to let a tip go and I text Norah that I’ll be an hour or two late. But we’ve talked about that, and we’re square on it. And I don’t let it happen every day. Back when I was single, the job consumed me.”

  “It consumed me when I was married,” Theo admitte
d. “But I know what you’re saying. If I want to be home, I’ll be home. That simple. Priorities.”

  Reed tipped his water bottle at Theo. “That, my friend, is the real meaning of life.” He reached for his wallet and pulled a folded piece of paper. “I almost forgot—here’s a free pass to my three-hour seminar on juggling multiples and the rest of your life.”

  Theo took the pass like it was the golden ticket. “Oh, man, do I need this.”

  For the next half hour, they watched their multiples crawl and climb and pull up and bang and squeeze and shriek to their hearts’ content, and then it was time get home for naps. As he committed everything Reed had said to memory, Theo realized one thing he wouldn’t have to work so hard at. He was dying to get home to Allie.

  * * *

  That night, as the Starks lay in bed, talking about how it had to be harder to have multiples of different ages than one set of the same age, Allie was struck with the urge to put her wedding rings back on. Not because it was “one nice thing” she could do for Theo, but because she fervently wanted the rings back on her finger.

  Theo had surprised her over and over with how present he was, how involved in the quads’ minutiae. He now could tell the boys apart just by looking at their profiles or how they crawled (Henry liked to stop and look around a lot whereas Ethan was Speedy Gonzales and Tyler preferred to just sit). And he was always suggesting this or that from the “Your Baby at 11 Months” chapter he was up to in the baby rearing book. Earlier he’d asked if they should get the quads used to sippy cups, since they’d be starting on cow’s milk at the twelve-month mark. Questions she wouldn’t expect to ever come out of his mouth, let alone be in his brain. The former Theo Stark wouldn’t have had room in his head for all that stuff.

  He is basically on vacation till January 2, she reminded herself. Of course he has room and time and energy for you and the quads. He has no cases.

  That a slight chill ran up her spine clued her in to just how nervous she was about how things would be once the stack of case files did land on his desk. Old cases he’d inherit. New cases demanding immediate attention. Would he turn back into the Theo who broke her heart at least four times a day? Or would he be the husband she needed and wanted? The father their children needed?

  Time would tell. But what she knew now was that she believed in him, believed in his vow and vows, believed that this second chance meant more to him than she even realized. And so she slipped out of bed and went to her jewelry box on the dresser.

  She pulled open the bottom drawer and took out the rings. Her engagement ring, the gold band and Theo’s ring. Her heart pinged at just the thought of putting these back on.

  She turned to face him. “Will you do the honor of putting these back where they belong?”

  He stared at her for a moment and she could tell he was emotionally overwhelmed. “Nothing could make me happier.”

  She got back in bed and gave him her rings, then held out her hand.

  He took the wedding band and slid it on as he’d done seven years ago, then the diamond ring atop it.

  “I hope you’re going to put mine on my hand,” he said, rubbing his ring finger. “I hated not wearing it. Every day on that cattle ranch when I’d look at my empty hand, it was like a symbol of losing you. The more I wanted that ring back on my hand, the more I knew I had to go home, that I had to try to change. Luckily, the quads helped push that along.”

  She smiled, warm flutters in her stomach. “They do come in handy that way, those needy little creatures.”

  He laughed. “Exactly.” He held her gaze for a moment, his expression so full of tenderness that tears misted her eyes. Then he lifted his hand up to her and she slid the ring onto his finger. He took her hand in his and held on tight.

  “I do love you, Theo.”

  “I love you, too, Allie. Always have. Always will.”

  Oh, foof. She wished he hadn’t said that. Always will. It was like Of course I love you, you’re my wife. Of course I love you, you’re my family. Of course I love you, we’re related.

  Yes, he’d always loved her, and their marriage had fallen apart. So what did that mean for the future?

  She looked at her rings, at the promise on her finger, and something struck her. What Leanna Gelman had been saying about marriage. It wasn’t a one-way street. It wasn’t up to Theo to do all the work. She had to, also. She had to help make this a marriage that could thrive and grow and be what they both needed, not just what she needed.

  Theo loved foot massages. That would be a nice thing to do for him. Just because.

  She moved to the end of the bed, sat on her knees, and at his raised eyebrows, she smiled, then got to work on his feet, which managed to be very sexy. She kneaded and pressed, and at his first happy groan of pleasure, she reached for the lotion he liked the smell of so much, and he sat back against the pillows on the headboard, watching her.

  “I read in a magazine at the dentist’s office a few months ago that feet are not an erogenous zone,” she said. “How crazy is that?”

  She froze for a moment. Why had she said that? She was bringing up what did or didn’t sexually entice? She might be ready for wedding rings, but sex...

  She wanted them to earn the intimacy, but truth be told—the intimacy would be too much for her. It would leave her unable to deny how in love she was. It would leave her vulnerable. Keeping that one gulf between them would keep her sane and safe.

  She resumed massaging the deliciously scented lotion into his feet, working up to his ankles and shins. Such muscular calves, she thought, admiring his legs.

  So much so that she didn’t realize he’d sat up and was staring at her.

  Oh, hell. She leaned her face forward. And so did he, slowly, as if giving her the chance to change her mind, back away, go back to just feet.

  She wanted to kiss him so badly. She leaned forward more and kissed him, softly and then harder. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her so passionately that her mind went blank for a second, wonderfully blank. All she felt was pleasure and sensation and him.

  “There’s more where that came from when you’re ready,” he said, pulling away a bit.

  She looked at him with wonder. Huh. How had he known to stop things there? She hadn’t even known that was what she wanted and needed until he pulled back. She wouldn’t have been ready for more.

  She’d done one nice thing for him and he’d done something nice for her.

  Those Gelman Girls really knew their stuff.

  “Oh, Allie,” Theo said, lying back down. “I have a surprise for you. Well, I hope it’s a good surprise.”

  “A surprise? What?” she asked, a burst of excitement blooming. Then again, between his surprising her with the fact that he was alive and her surprising him with the news that he was a father of four, maybe they could use a break from surprises.

  “I can’t tell you. Duh,” he added with a smile. “I’ll show you tomorrow morning.”

  Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough. She just wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep or not.

  Chapter Eight

  “How is my sweet Olivia supposed to see the surprise if she doesn’t put on her coat?” Theo asked the baby girl after spending ten minutes on the job. So far it was Theo 0, Olivia 10.

  “Same goes for Henry,” Allie said, trying to put the boy’s little arms through the fleece jacket with the cute bear ears.

  “And it’s a surprise for you, Olivia,” Theo said, finally getting her coat on. “And your brothers and your mom. There! The Starks are ready to go.”

  “This Stark really wants to know what the surprise is,” Allie said as Theo pushed the stroller out the door and down the ramp on the side of the porch.

  “It’s about a ten-minute drive from here,” he said, opening the back of the SUV for the stroller.

  Ten minutes from here
? Allie tried to think what was that distance away. Because they lived right in town, everything could be reached in seconds.

  After they got the quads in their car seats and buckled themselves in, off they went, Theo turning onto main roads. Finally, he turned and drove down ranch lands, cattle and sheep grazing, horses in their pastures, enjoying the almost-fifty-degree weather in Wyoming in December. They passed a pretty yellow farmhouse and then Theo turned into a long driveway lined with evergreens.

  She had no idea where they could be headed. A petting zoo at someone’s ranch?

  Finally, a gorgeous white farmhouse came into view with a red barn beside it, a black weathervane atop it. The house and barn looked straight out of HGTV Does Wyoming—pristine and yet rustic at the same time. She loved the barn-red door and black shutters, the twinkling white lights decorating the big bay window. The MacDougal triplets had grown up in a farmhouse like this one, not quite as pretty or grand, but they’d also had a swing hanging from two big trees.

  Theo stopped the car at the end of the paved driveway. A huge wreath hung over the garage doors.

  “What do you think of this house?” he asked her, unbuckling his seat belt. “It’s a bit like the one you grew up in, don’t you think?”

  She nodded. “That was my first thought. Except this one is much prettier and fancier. It’s like Chip and Joanna were here.” At his who? expression, she added, “TV home show people.”

  “Ah,” he said, looking at the house. “Five bedrooms, three baths. Family room, finished basement. Deck off the back.”

  How on earth did he know all that? “Do you know who lives here?” she asked.

  “I know who’s selling it. An officer at the PD and his wife are moving to Utah to be closer to his wife’s family. They need to sell fast. He was uploading the photos of it to get it ready to be sold and I thought, Allie would love this house.”

  She stared at him. “Wait, you mean you think we should buy it?”