Montana Mistletoe

Seeing the depth of Jess’s love for his grandmother and those little girls, she knew he’d matured into a wonderful guy. His family was blessed to have someone like him in their lives.

But she already knew how little she’d mattered to him.

He’d broken her heart beyond healing years ago, when he adamantly decided to pursue a dangerous rodeo career despite her pleas to stay home and be safe. Her own brother, a bull rider, had been paralyzed for life while competing just the year before, and Abby had been terrified for Jess. But he still hadn’t listened.

After the biggest argument they’d ever had, he’d chosen rodeo over her. Then he’d turned his back and walked away.

Chapter Two (#u8a7c9191-ce7e-5e54-b98f-e661ed4311a1)

Jess felt a surge of deep relief as he pulled to a stop on the highway and waited for the twins’ school bus.

He’d been stunned at seeing Abby again, and more than a little hesitant to hire her, but in retrospect her unexpected arrival had been a godsend. After today, she’d be able to handle the bus-stop run and most everything else involving the house, the girls and Betty’s needs during the day.

At least until he finally found the right permanent employee.

When Abby had stepped out of the shadows in Betty’s hospital room, he’d been nearly overwhelmed by his attraction to her, the clench of his heart and a cascade of memories that came out of nowhere, threatening his equilibrium.

But seeing her had also catapulted him back to the last time they’d seen each other. The ultimatum she’d delivered. The wrenching pain he’d felt when she insisted that he give up his lifelong dream of a rodeo career that could help him finance vet school.

Dad had already said that more college was a waste of time and that he belonged back at the ranch—promising that he wouldn’t get a penny for school. Vet school loans would have saddled Jess with crushing debt.

If Abby had really loved him, how could she have tried to force him to give up what he wanted so badly? After his state championships in high school and college rodeo, she should have known that he had a good chance of making his dreams come true.

They’d broken up.

He’d done what he wanted.

Yet just a year later, the irony of his decision bit deep. Dad got sick, and Jess had had to give up those dreams. Out of deep sense of responsibility and duty to family, he’d ended up back at the ranch anyway. And Abby was long gone.

The bright orange school bus appeared around the bend and pulled to a stop in front of his pickup, discharged the twins and then rumbled on down the road.

Clad in identical puffy pink winter jackets, with matching pink woolen caps and mittens, at this distance their only obvious differences were their snow boots...or lack thereof.

Jess leaned down for hugs. “I’m so happy to see you,” he exclaimed as he stepped back, giving each a playful tap on the nose with a forefinger. He dropped his gaze to Bella’s purple boots, then to Sophie’s tennis shoes, which were nearly invisible in the ankle-deep snow. “But where are your boots?”

“She forgot them at school,” Bella announced. “Again.”

At Sophie’s worried expression, he cracked a smile as he swept her up into his arms to brush the snow from her shoes, then put her in her booster seat, then hoisted Bella in. “Seat belts, ladies.”

Once they were fastened in, he settled behind the steering wheel and looked up at them in the rearview mirror. “I’ve got a surprise for you back at the house, girls.”

Sophie’s eyes opened wide. “Presents?” she breathed. “Like Christmas?”

“No, not like Christmas. Sorry. Christmas is still how many weeks away?”

“Seven,” Bella said glumly. “It’s too far.”

They’d become so impatient that he’d started looking at the calendar with them every evening before bedtime, counting down the days until the holiday. Despite their mother’s troubled life, she must have managed some happy Christmas memories with the girls.

“You’re right. Seven whole weeks, and Thanksgiving has to come first. But who’s been away for almost a month?”

“Gramma!” The twins squealed in unison.

“Right. She’s home now, but remember—she’s weak and tired, and we can’t be too exuberant.”

“Zoober mint?”

“Exuberant. I mean that we don’t want to act too excited. So just like at the rehab center, we can’t climb all over her lap, or bump her and make her fall. Then she’d have to go back to the hospital again.”

Chastened, the girls fell back against their seats.

“But there’s someone else at the house to see you,” he continued, glancing at the rearview mirror again.

The twins sat frozen, their eyes big and round.

“Mommy?” Bella whispered, her voice rising with heartbreaking hope and excitement. “Did our mommy come back?”

Jess chastised himself for such a blunder. “No, not yet. Do you remember the pretty lady you met in Grandma’s room a couple nights ago? She had blond hair like yours and she was really nice.”

Silence.

“Her name is Abby, and she’s staying with us for a while. She’s going to help Grandma with the house and the cooking and with you girls, too. Won’t that be great?”

When he looked up in the rearview mirror, he could see silent tears tracing down Sophie’s winter-pink cheeks.

Bella’s head was bowed. “When will Mommy come back?” she whispered. “She said she would come back. We don’t want a different mommy.”

No worries on that score.

He’d been too busy with the twins and the ranch to even think about dating.

And as far as Abby was concerned, that was a no-brainer. They’d had a long relationship but it had ended long ago. The sooner he found a permanent housekeeper the better, because then she could be on her way.

Yet he couldn’t deny that it was a relief having someone to temporarily help watch over the twins and keep them safe.

He’d loved them from the day they showed up in Montana, so scared and lost and innocent, but they’d also made him face the biggest fear in his life, and he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since they arrived.

He knew all too well how impetuous little ones could be. How tragedies could strike in an instant.

And how devastating it was when the fault was his.

* * *

Eager to get dinner started, Abby sorted through the kitchen cupboards and walk-in pantry, then mentally cataloged the contents of the refrigerator. She’d already gone through the chest freezer in the basement and found plenty of beef—which was no surprise on a cattle ranch.

Betty hadn’t emerged from her long nap yet. And Jess had been outside in the barns all afternoon, only popping in to say he was heading out to pick up the twins.

The days were shorter now, in these first few days of November, and daylight was already fading, sending long shadows across the kitchen floor. She turned on the lights, then glanced at the clock on the stove.