Wyoming Christmas Surprise

His expression brightened and he managed something of a smile.

“Theo, where’ve you been all this time?” she asked.

“A cattle ranch in a remote part of Wyoming.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You were a cowboy?” Suddenly the clothing made sense.

He nodded. “I learned fast and worked hard. I can’t tell you the number of cowboys on that spread who were runaways from their lives in some form or another.”

“That’s sad, Theo.”

“I know. But I’ll tell you something. Hard, honest work makes a person think. Three quarters of those guys cleaned up their acts.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I guess you’re among them. You came home the minute you heard the serial killer was dead and that it was safe.” She looked out the window beyond him, then back at Theo. Her husband. “So I suppose you’ll get your job back.”

“I plan to, if they’ll have me after everything. If things go my way, though, I won’t start back at the PD until after New Year’s. I’d like to focus on us, Allie. On our family. I have four babies I haven’t met.”

She stared at him. “I didn’t expect you to say that. I figured you were just telling me you’re alive and then be off chasing the bad guys.”

He shook his head. “My priority right now is you. Us.”

Tears stung her eyes. “Before that night, you told me that maybe splitting up was what was best.”

“Maybe it was then. I feel like a different person now, Allie. I can’t explain it. I just know I died for you. Literally and figuratively. That told me how I felt about you, not that I needed to be told. I knew. I also knew I was a terrible husband and everything you never wanted. I was breaking your heart every day.”

“I remember,” she said. “So now what?”

“Now, if you’ll allow it, I’d like to come home. Start over.”

“It’s not going to be like it used to be,” she said. “My life is about a very serious schedule of taking care of four eleven-month-olds. And I work hard, too, Theo. My personal chef business really took off after—People hire me for all kinds of cooking gigs. If I’m not in the nursery, I’m in the kitchen.”

“And now I’ll be there to help out,” he said.

So he was just going to move back in? Step right back into their lives? That sounded crazy.

“Theo, we didn’t work before. You didn’t want to start a family. And now there are babies in the mix. Four babies. What makes you think you’re going to want this life now?”

“I just know I have a second chance, Allie. And I want to take it. I know I said I never wanted kids. But now that I have kids, that knocks that right out of the water.”

A second chance. Her own thoughts right before he’d knocked on the door came back to her: because she’d give anything for her old imperfect life back, a second chance.

“Staying out of obligation started to destroy our marriage,” she reminded him.

“I’m a father now. I take that responsibility seriously. I have eleven months to make up for, Allie. Not to mention the fact that you went through the pregnancy alone. Under terrible circumstances.”

He’d barely been able to handle having to be responsible to a wife waiting at home, worried sick about him as he volunteered for the most dangerous task forces to rid Wedlock Creek and surrounding towns of crime. Adding four babies to that? He wouldn’t last a week.

Maybe they both needed to see that, know that for sure, and then they could go back to their separate lives. Or maybe he’d surprise both of them. She was rooting for the latter.

She still loved Theo Stark with every bit of her heart. But she didn’t want their old marriage back or him to be unhappy out of obligation to her—and now to his children. So they’d give it a shot. See if he could really become a family man.

“I guess I’ll just go let the officiant know he can cross me off the list,” she said. “Then we’ll go home.”

He put the sunglasses and Stetson back on. “Home,” he said, closing his eyes for a moment. “You have no idea how happy that word makes me.”

Chapter Three (#ud0e1c74f-e120-5d91-9db8-81f7cfa49cd7)

As Theo pulled the pickup into the driveway of Allie’s house—their house—he could see one of her sisters (he was pretty sure it was Lila) hanging a gold banner across the front door.

Congratulations, Newlyweds!

Oh, Lord.

“They’re here!” he heard Lila shout toward the house as she rushed back inside.

He stared up at the narrow old white Victorian, his heart skipping a beat. Over the past two years, he’d dreamed of this house, the small, cramped two-bedroom fixer-upper that had been perfect for him and Allie as young newlyweds. They’d grown out of it fast, but Allie had always been so nostalgic about the place and they’d begun to talk about adding on a room. Of course, Allie would start talking about it as a nursery and Theo would shut down, thinking of it as more a spare room that would simply give them more space, more breathing room. A man cave for him and a library for all her cookbooks and recipe files. They’d never gotten around to the addition.

A tree near the front door was festooned with a few wraps of white lights. Allie loved Christmas; he was surprised she hadn’t decked out the place with the usual holiday fervor. A few lights, a wreath on the front door. That was it.

“Oh, God, my sisters,” Allie said, her gaze on the gleaming, glittery banner. “I’d better prepare them,” she added, opening the truck door. “Wait here a sec, okay?”

He nodded and she got out of the truck and faced the porch.

Lila and Merry, two of the three MacDougal triplets, came rushing out of the house and started throwing what looked like rice up in the air.

“Congratulations to the bride and groom!” the sisters shouted in unison as rice dropped down all over Allie.

Who just stood there, shaking her head. Her sisters were peering at her, frowning.

“Allie? What’s wrong?” Merry asked.

“I—” Allie began. “It—” she stuttered. “The—” Her shoulders slumped and she turned toward him with an I need help here expression.

Oh, hell, Theo thought, as he got out of the truck and took off his sunglasses.

Allie’s sisters stared at him, then at each other, then at Allie, then back at him.

“Theo?” Merry whispered, squinting at him.

“What?” Lila said, mouth hanging open.

“I have only good news,” Allie said to her sisters. “Theo, it turns out, is alive. And Elliot got cold feet. The timing couldn’t have been better all around, actually. I easily could have had two husbands right now.”

Merry crossed her arms over her chest. “We left you to get married and you come home with your dead husband. Explain yourself now.”

“Right now,” Lila seconded.

Allie brushed rice out of her hair. “There came a knock on the door that changed everything,” she said, glancing at him. “And there Theo was. Very much alive.”