The Cowboy's Christmas Blessings Montana Mistletoe by Roxanne Rustand

Author:Roxanne Rustand
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mills & Boon Western Romance
Published: 2020-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Two

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.

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