The Rancher's Christmas Princess by Christine Rimmer

Author:Christine Rimmer [Rimmer, Christine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-11-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

In the early morning, Belle woke to the sound of Ben fussing in the room next door. She pushed back the covers, pulled on her robe and went to him.

Charlotte, fully dressed in the same clothes she’d worn the day before, was already there and lifting him out of the crib. “It’s all right, darling.” She sent Belle a glowing smile. “I’ll take him down with me.”

“Shar-Shar.” Ben sighed and leaned his head on Charlotte’s shoulder. He waved at Belle in that special way of waving he had—opening and closing his small fist.

She waved back, her heart melting just at the sight of him. “Good morning, my darling.”

Charlotte carried him to the changing table, laid him down and unsnapped his pajamas. “Let’s get you a fresh diaper first of all, shall we, young man?”

“Yes!”

She hummed under her breath, an old French lullaby, as she changed him. Belle, leaning sleepily in the doorway, thought that her friend had never looked prettier. Or younger. Or quite so happy.

Charlotte glanced over her shoulder again. “Go on. Have your shower. That painter fellow will be arriving before you know it.”

“Right.” Belle covered a yawn and turned for the bathroom across the hall. The door to Charlotte’s room stood open. Belle glanced in there. The bed was neatly made, the lavender wool scarf tossed across the foot of it, in the same place it had been the night before.

Belle grinned to herself. Had Charlotte slept in that bed last night? Belle’s guess was no.

Apparently, Charlotte was the brave one, finally taking a chance on love. Risking her heart. Or maybe just collecting a few precious memories to treasure, as Rhia had suggested Belle ought to do.

* * *

Belle thought about her sister’s advice several times that day as she and Preston, Marcus in their wake, went from store to store in Missoula, ordering blinds and curtains, buying linens for Ben’s bed and a new rug, bright blue with an airplane motif. All the stores were decorated for the holidays. Christmas tunes played everywhere they went. It was quite festive, she thought. They stopped in at a toy store and a kids’ clothing store and got a head start on Ben’s Christmas gifts, too.

For lunch, they found a little restaurant there in Missoula that served barbecue. Marcus took a seat at the counter, out of the way. And it was almost as if she and Preston were all alone. She gazed at him across the table and thought how she really wasn’t up for a holiday fling. She felt more than a little fragile, with the loss of Anne, and with the day drawing near when she would have to say goodbye to Ben.

She did not want to get her heart broken any more than it already was.

But even if she never felt Preston’s strong arms around her again, this day was special. Marcus was so skilled at playing invisible that it did feel like it was just the two of them, sharing

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