Snowed in With the Rancher by Jackson Mary Sue & North Leslie

Author:Jackson, Mary Sue & North, Leslie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-24T16:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

“So you moved that herd over to the north acreage?” Tate asked his foreman, John, as they stood outside his father’s house.

“Yep, managed to get ‘em moved just before the storm hit. I sent a couple of the guys up there this morning to check on ‘em, make sure they did okay with the weather.”

Tate swiped the screen of his iPad and nodded absentmindedly. “Sounds good. And where are we with the repairs to the auxiliary barn?”

While listening to John’s report, Tate looked out over the snow-covered acreage that sat outside his father’s front door. It was good to be back. Olivia had been right, he needed some normal. He’d been up and out of the house before Olivia or the girls had woken. And that was for the best, Tate thought. They all needed some time and space. And some normal.

After getting the day’s work lined up with John, Tate turned to head to his truck.

“Son?” his father called from the front door of the house. Tate reversed course and met Thomas on the front porch.

“You’re up and at things early,” Thomas said as he stood alongside Tate, his eyes scanning the horizon, a cup of his usual coffee in his hand. He wore a sheepskin jacket and his old work Stetson on his head, looking every bit the weathered old rancher.

“Been trapped at the cabin for nearly three days,” Tate answered, adjusting his own Stetson on his head and shoving a hand deep in the pocket of his parka. “Unfortunately, the work didn’t take a break.”

Thomas glanced at him for a moment. “I just figured you’d want to spend a little more time with your new family. You could have called me. I’m happy to check in with John, make sure everything’s gettin’ done.”

Tate knew his father had run the ranch successfully for several decades, but since taking over, he’d changed a lot of things, instituted new systems, revised priorities. It made him twitchy to think about his father in the middle of all that.

“Thanks, but Olivia and I decided last night that the best thing for all of us right now is a little normal. After all that new information in three days, everyone just needs to get back to regular life, you know?”

Thomas’s brow furrowed, and he rocked back on his heels before settling again. “I understand it’s been a lot in a very short time. But you do realize that you’ve got a whole new normal now?”

Tate’s midsection tightened, and he took a deep breath. “Sure, we’ve talked about how I’ll spend time with the girls. Olivia suggested some dinners with them, to start. But that doesn’t have anything to do with my job. I have a ranch to run, kids or no kids, and that doesn’t change.”

Thomas didn’t answer that, and Tate relaxed a touch. Good. His dad obviously understood what he was saying. He loved that the girls were in his life, and he had hopes that maybe he and Olivia would work out, too, but there was no rush.

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