Picking Up Cowboys (15 page)

“Cat says yes.  You get grandchildren.  But not for a while, I want her to myself for now.”

Gage finished the call and turned to take Cat in his arms.  She snuggled against him.  “I promise to make you happy, Cat.”

“You already have.  You’re the family I never had.  You gave me my first Christmas, my first snow cream, and my first--”

His lips claimed hers and Catherine giggled.

“I was going to say sleigh ride.”

She grew suddenly serious, her forehead puckering with thought.

“Don’t worry, Cat.  We’re going to be a real family.  We’ll have huge Christmases every year for our children but no fighting.”

“Actually, I wasn’t worried about that.  I just had a wonderful idea.”

“Care to share?”

“We keep the cabins...no high-rise hotel...”

“Done.”  He nibbled behind her ear.

“Stop distracting me.”  She swatted at him.

“But, we add some resort type things to the ranch.”

Gage lifted his brows.  “I think you may be onto something.” His hands roamed over her shoulders.

“Take winter guests.”

“Offer moonlit sleigh rides?”

“Add saunas and a spa.”

“I’ll keep you supplied with chocolate?”

“Now you’re talking.” Catherine allowed him to pull her back on the mattress and rain kisses over her throat.

“I’m only going to say this once, so listen closely.  I love you to distraction and I will go wherever makes you happy and do whatever you want to this ranch.”

“Only once?”

“The ‘I love you’ part didn’t count in that.”

“I love you too, Gage.  I’m only going to say this once--”

“Only once?”  His grin was full of devilment and Catherine thought her heart would burst with loving this man.

“I will do whatever you want to this ranch, even build a high-rise resort if that’s what it takes to make you happy.”

Gage rewarded her with a long, lazy kiss.  “I like your compromise.”

Catherine wrapped her arms around his neck.  “I love you Gage Maddock.”

“I love you too.”

Catherine snuggled in against him, fully intending to stay there the rest of her life.

PROLOGUE

“I would never have imagined I’d be so happy to spend the holidays at this ranch,” Gage’s mother said.

“We’re just happy that you and Anna could join us this year. We really missed everyone last year, but Italy was wonderful.” Catherine smiled as their six-year-old son swung one leg over the staircase banister and rode it to the bottom where Gage caught him and swung him in a slow circle. She rested her hand on her stomach, swollen with the life of their second child.

“It was easier for us to travel this year, dear.” Gage’s mother patted her arm. “Thank you for making my son so deliriously happy.”

              It wasn’t always perfect. She and Gage still butted heads on how the ranch/resort should be ran and even on whether to add vanilla or chocolate to the snow cream, but it was always filled with love. At the end of the day, the two of them came together with love, laughter and a sense of family that she’d always wanted.

“Do you think Santa will bring me what I asked for?” Mustang asked.

Surprisingly, naming their son after her father had been Gage’s idea. Catherine vowed to always give the little Mustang in their family a Christmas like the elder Mustang had never given her.

“Yes, but remember that more important than what we get…” Catherine stopped to allow Mustang to finish the sentence.

“Is what we give,” he said dutifully. “But won’t it make Santa happy to give me what I want? So it’s a win for everyone.”

They all laughed at the logic of a first grader. Gage moved to her side, his hand resting on her pregnant belly. “I still think we should name her Silverton.”

              She nudged him with her elbow. “No. It sounds like a stripper name. I am thinking a nice old fashioned name like Elizabeth or Rachel.”

He pulled her into his arms and gave her a slow, gentle kiss. “Whatever makes you happy, my beautiful wife. Now, what did you want Santa to bring you for Christmas this year?”

She snuggled into his arms. “I already have everything I ever wanted.”

No longer did Catherine focus on all the Christmases growing up that had been lonely and disappointing. Instead, she and Gage were building their own traditions and own happy memories. She’d never been more content or felt more loved. They would raise their children, run this ranch, and grow old side by side, perhaps seeing a bit of the world as they went. Catherine couldn’t imagine anything more simple or more perfect.

Recipes

Catherine’s
Hobo Stew

INGREDIENTS

- ½ pound 90% lean ground beef
- ¼ yellow onion chopped
- 1 bag frozen mixed veggies for stew (should include potatoes)
- 1 can whole tomatoes
- 1 serving beef base (Better than Beef)
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- 1 slow cooker liner
- Crock Pot

Brown ground beef. Pour frozen mixed veggies into lined slow cooker. Cover with water. Add beef base and stir. Add ground beef and can of tomatoes and chopped onion. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours and serve with crusty bread.

Gage’s Vanilla SNow Cream

INGREDIENTS

-
8-10 cups of fresh, clean snow
- 1 cup of milk (whole works best for taste)
- 1/2 cup white sugar (granulated)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together everything but the snow. Use a whisk if you’d like to make sure it is all mixed completely. The mixture will be very runny. Add in the snow, stirring quickly and eat right away. Snow cream melts very quickly and does not freeze well, so you’ll want to eat it immediately.

To convert this into Catherine’s chocolate snow cream mixture, sub in 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup (you can also use hot cocoa mix). You can still add vanilla or not. Your choice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lori Soard has a Ph.D. in Journalism and Creative Writing but she’s hardly the stuffy, professor type. Her romantic comedies show that she doesn’t take life too seriously and is a romantic at heart. She loves to read anything she can get her hands on, adores animals and has two daughters, now grown.  She also writes nonfiction books and articles as well as novels.

She loves to hear from her readers. You can email her through her website at lorisoard.com or at PO Box 97, Memphis, IN 47143.

ALSO BY LORI SOARD

Man of Means

Housebreaking a Husband

The Lipstick Diaries

Dear Viking (historical)

Cupid’s Quest (coming soon)