Christmas Catch-Up VI (Rivers End Ranch Book 0) Read online

  Christmas Catch Up VI

  Kirsten Osbourne

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  About the Author

  Also by Kirsten Osbourne

  Chapter One

  Joni and Max

  Joni put the last wrapped present under the tree. She missed having Christmas at River’s End Ranch, but she found that the McClain Boys’ Ranch had its own fun holiday traditions. She enjoyed working with the boys on the ranch, and she’d made friends with the different women who had married the brothers Max had grown up with.

  They were making their own traditions there at the boys’ ranch, and she was enjoying every one of them. She liked living there on the ranch, though they couldn’t stay there once they had a family. It was perfect for newlyweds, though. Were she and Max even newlyweds anymore? They’d been married almost a full year, but she still felt like each kiss was absolute magic.

  It felt strange to have a Christmas with no snow after years in Idaho, but she’d adjust. It was nice to be able to just go out and drive to work without worrying about whether or not the driveway had been plowed.

  Max would be home soon, and their own private Christmas celebration would begin. They had two whole days off, both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They would sit in front of the fire in their cabin on the ranch, and enjoy their gifts and each other.

  She had a soup simmering on the stove that would warm them inside and out, as well as some Christmas candy freshly made. She planned to spend some time on Christmas Eve delivering the candy to her friends there, but mostly, they’d stay in.

  She heard the door open and turned to see Max stomping the dirt off his boots on the front mat. “Merry Christmas!” she said, thinking of now as when their Christmas actually started.

  Max’s whole face lit up at the sight of her. It always did, and when it stopped, she’d know their romance was truly over. The man was special to her in ways no one else ever could be. “Merry Christmas! Did you get everything you wanted to do done?”

  Joni indicated the Christmas candy, all boxed up and matched up with Christmas cards. “It’ll probably take us an hour or two tomorrow to deliver them all. You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Of course not! It’ll be a nice way to spend the time.” He slipped a wrapped gift under the tree, and she pretended not to notice. She’d taken a few days off work for the holiday, and he’d only had two, so he hadn’t had time alone to really surprise her.

  “I have soup ready for supper. I thought my baked potato would be nice. Makes me think of Idaho, and it’s downright yummy.” Joni dished up two bowls of the soup and added cheese and bacon to each. “I’m putting extra bacon in yours, because I know how you feel about bacon.”

  “That there’s never enough?” he asked, raising one eyebrow.

  “Yes!” she said with a laugh, carrying the soup over to their small table.

  As soon as the bowls were safely on the table, he turned her around and held her close. “Our first real Christmas together.”

  “I’m so excited.” She’d gotten a couple of first Christmas ornaments for the tree, and judging by the size and shape of a couple of boxes, she was certain they’d gotten more.

  “Do you ever regret moving so far away to marry me? Miss your friends?”

  “Miss my friends? Absolutely. Regret marrying the man I love? Never!” She rested her head on his shoulder contentedly. “I’m happy right where I am. In your arms.”

  He smiled, resting his cheek atop her head. He didn’t care what they did for the holidays as long as they were together. “Next year we can go to Idaho if you’d like.”

  She pulled back and glanced at his face. “Are you sure? You wouldn’t mind?”

  “Why would I? The people there are as much family to me as you are. We’ll have fun and be surrounded by loved ones either way. Who could complain?”

  She smiled, kissing him softly. “What did I do to deserve you?”

  Max laughed. “I think you’re pretty darn awesome yourself.”

  “Well, thank you, husband dear.”

  After supper, they went to the tree, and she carefully selected an ornament for them to open together. They’d wait for their gifts to each other for Christmas morning, but they’d enjoyed opening the gifts from other people leading up to Christmas.

  This gift was from Jaclyn at River’s End Ranch. “You know she still takes credit for getting us together, don’t you?” she asked softly.

  He nodded. “I do know. I wouldn’t go that far, but if it pleases her, she can have every bit of credit she wants.”

  Opening the gift, Joni let out a bark of laughter, turning the thing for Max to see. It was an ornament with a gnome with a fairy, and the fairy had her hands on her hips, staring at the gnome as if angry. The gnome just looked amused. “Only Jaclyn would give a gift so perfect.”

  Max shook his head, standing up and putting it on the tree. “Did you send her something?”

  “I sent her a fairy ornament for her tree. It’s her first Christmas married to Simon, so I thought it was appropriate.”

  “Well, that or a snickerdoodle. Either sounds smart to me!” Max sat back down beside her, pulling her toward him. “I don’t much care about gifts this year, because I feel like I’ve been given the greatest gift of all.”

  “What’s that?” she asked, feeling like she knew the answer, but hesitant, in case she’d been wrong.

  “The love of the woman I love. What more could I possibly ask for?”

  She smiled. “Well, maybe for next Christmas, I can tell you I’m expecting.”

  He nodded. “That’s the only thing that would make this better.”

  “You’re not disappointed we decided to wait for children?”

  “How could I be? I get time alone with you first. What more could a man ask for?”

  Chapter Two

  Michelle and Steven

  Michelle looked down at her crying baby and wished she could go back to work. Yes, she was glad they had the ability for her to stay home with little Zuri, but it would be nice to be able to get away from the crying. At least every once in a while!

  She closed her eyes and counted to ten, knowing she’d stop crying eventually. She always got tired enough to stop. Michelle paced back and forth across the living room of the spacious home she shared with her new husband, Steven. He would be home any minute, and she was still unshowered and in her pajamas. Again.

  She heard the door open, and tears sprang to her eyes. There was no supper on the table. She didn’t even know what she was going to cook. And here she was, looking like garbage, covered in spit up, and pacing with the baby.

  Steven walked in the door and quickly assessed the situation. He’d been prepared for it, and he was glad for the plans he’d made. Walking to his beautiful wife, who looked no less wonderful to him than she had the day they married, he took the baby. “Go get a shower. We have plans tonight.”

  “Plans?” Now the tears were falling. “How can we have plans? She never stops crying. We can’t take her anywhere. I don’t even know what to do anymore!”

  “I’ll get her to sleep. Go shower. I’ve got it covered.”

  Michelle decided not to argue with him. She’d pumped enough breast milk they could leave the baby for a week if they had the opportunity, and she’d keep pumping. It was her job after all. She was a mother. Not a chiropractor anymore. Just a mother.

  Her shower wasn’t a short one, and she didn’t care that she was keeping Steven waiting. The chance to take a shower and
not listen for the baby for a change was nothing short of miraculous. She washed and conditioned her hair before dressing in jeans and a T-shirt. She was sure anything they did wouldn’t require her to really dress up.

  Steven walked into their bedroom just as she was putting on socks and tennis shoes. “Ready?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Since I have no idea what we’re doing, I couldn’t possibly know that, now could I?” Her anger toward him was inexplicable. He’d done nothing wrong, but the baby was always crying. She heard it in her dreams these days. And…he was working so much!

  “You’re fine just like you are.” He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Today was particularly hard, wasn’t it?”

  She nodded, the tears starting again. “I wish I knew what to do to make her stop crying.”

  “Well, we’re going to supper, and someone is going to sit with her, and we’re going to have a nice relaxing meal, and we’re going to talk. You know, like we used to before the little freight train came into our lives.”

  That got a bit of a grin from Michelle. “Why do I feel like I’m doing something wrong leaving her with someone?”

  “It’s my sister, so you know her. She’s going to sit with her, and there’s plenty of breast milk. Zuri will be fine for the short while we’re gone.”

  Michelle nodded, smiling a little. “Can it be a long while?”

  He laughed, and took her hand, pulling her toward the door. When they got into the living room, Michelle saw that his sister, Elizabeth, was sitting in the glider, her feet up. “She’s already sleeping. Such a little doll.”

  Michelle smiled. “Thank you for taking care of her tonight.”

  “Oh, sure.” Elizabeth looked confused at the thanks.

  Steven nodded at his sister. “We’ll be back before too terribly long.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ve got all night.” Elizabeth got to her feet. “Have a wonderful time.”

  Steven drove Michelle to a restaurant that had been her favorite while she’d been pregnant, but she hadn’t seen since. When they got out, he took her hand and led her inside. Once they were seated at their table, he said, “So I’ve been thinking about how rough this has been on you. The baby is colicky, and you’re so tired all the time. I know you want to be home with her, but you need help. I can see it on your face. So…I hired Elizabeth. She’s going to move in with us and be our full-time nanny. She’ll help out around the house, and you’ll have a little bit of free time. Finally.”

  Michelle stared at him for a minute, both elated and disappointed all at once. “You don’t think I can take care of her alone?”

  “I know you can. But I also know it’s taking too much out of you. You and Elizabeth get along great, so you’re going to work side-by-side. Elizabeth is going to take the night shift, so she’ll be up with the baby during the night, and you can be up during the day. I think you’ll be a lot happier.”

  Michelle sighed, finally nodding. “I need help.”

  “You do.” He reached over and took her hand. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and she’s going to start immediately. That’s my Christmas present to you.”

  Michelle wasn’t sure whether to cry with relief or just cry. “Thank you. You’ve been working so much, and I’ve been floundering.”

  “According to everyone I’ve spoken with, that’s totally normal when you have a new baby. The help is what you need.”

  Michelle nodded. “Thank you.” She couldn’t even remember what she’d gotten him. Always organized, she had a present wrapped and under the tree for him before the baby was born. “I’m sorry I’ve been so crabby.”

  “When you get no sleep, you should be crabby.” He brought her hand to his lips. “I love you, Michelle. This is a tough time, but we’re going to get through it. Together.”

  She sighed, relieved. “Merry Christmas, Steven.”

  “Merry Christmas.”

  Chapter Three

  Gabby and Noah

  Gabby looked around her new home in Riston, Idaho. She had decided to go ahead and purchase a home there, near where Noah worked. That way, she could travel to and from the set easily, and he could be as close as she needed him to be.

  It was completely decked out for Christmas, lights and garland everywhere. There were three Christmas trees, because she couldn’t decide on a theme for just one. She walked slowly through the house and to her favorite room—the nursery for the little boy she was carrying. He was due just after the new year, but they were as ready for him as they were going to get.

  Stepping into the nursery, she smiled at Piglet on the wall over the crib. The room was Winnie the Pooh, and all of the characters were smiling at her. Moving to the glider rocker, she sat down and patted her belly. Soon, my son. You’ll be here soon, and I’ll hold you in my arms.

  The show had stopped filming for this last month of her pregnancy. They had decided they could no longer block out her belly. They had filmed around it for a while, but it was hard for the main star of the show to be unable to be shown full body. Legacy wasn’t ready for her to have a baby yet, so she couldn’t be pregnant. At least not visibly.

  She heard the front door open, and decided not to call out. Noah would find her. He knew where to look.

  As she expected, he was standing in the doorway a minute later, his eyes full of love. “I see you’ve been busy.”

  “I had to have the house just perfect for Christmas.” She patted her belly. “Now, even if little Maynard comes early, he will have a fully decorated house for his first Christmas.”

  Noah shook his head. “At least tell me you didn’t stand on any ladders to do all this.”

  Gabby shook her head, laughing. “No, I talked Kaya into coming over and helping, so she told me stories, and I pointed where I wanted things. She’s tall enough she didn’t need to stand on a ladder for much.”

  “Good! I don’t want you hurting yourself or little Maynard.”

  “I’m glad you finally came around to my way of thinking on the baby’s name.” Of course they wouldn’t really name the baby Maynard, but they wanted to keep his real name a secret until he was born. So they’d taken to calling him Maynard after her co-star. She knew Maynard would be amused, so she didn’t worry about it much.

  “Sure, I have.” He winked at her. “I hope you haven’t made anything for supper yet.”

  “Nope. Nothing at all.”

  “Good! We’ve been invited to Maynard and Jennifer’s for supper tonight. She’s finally got her house decorated just like she wants it, so she wants to have a small dinner party and show it off.”

  “Sounds good to me. I wasn’t looking forward to trying to cook.” She could have hired someone to cook, but she didn’t want anyone there all the time until after the baby was born, and she needed to hire someone to watch him. Until then, it was going to be just the two of them. “Should we take anything?”

  “I think a small housewarming gift would be good. You have something in mind?”

  Gabby thought about it for a moment. “No! We’ll stop at that small shop in town on the way. Maybe an ornament for their Christmas tree.”

  “That works.” He took her hand and helped her out of the chair, knowing she was having a hard time moving. The baby was weighing heavily on her. “We’re supposed to be there in two hours. It’s a thirty-minute drive.”

  “Then we have a few minutes to just sit here and stare at the walls,” she said. “I can’t believe how tired I am. I slept ten hours last night and took a nap today!”

  He grinned. “You’re sleeping for two.”

  “Sure am. I’m doing everything for two.” She stroked her belly. “I want him here before Christmas, but I also want our first Christmas to be alone together. I know he’s not due yet…but…”

  “You need to keep cooking him for a little while,” Noah said, pulling her close.

  Gabby rested her head on his shoulder. “I know. I’m just so ready to be a mom.”

  “I know y
ou are. I’m ready to be a dad. In fact, anything you want to do, I’m happy to do it. As long as we can do it together.”

  She smiled. “I agree. As long as we’re together, we can do it all.”

  Chapter Four

  Jennifer and Maynard

  Maynard couldn’t believe how over the top Jennifer had gone for Christmas. The front yard was covered in lights and a sleigh with Santa and reindeer—life sized of course. Inside the house looked like Charles M. Schultz himself had vomited Christmas everywhere. There was a Peanuts nativity as well as other Charlie Brown Christmas things. There was even a Charlie Brown tree on one of the end tables in the living room.

  Of course there was also a real tree filling one corner of the room, and there were presents everywhere. He’d only bought her a few, so he wasn’t sure why there were quite so many, but Jennifer kept saying she was making up for the Christmases where she’d acted like a self-centered Grinch. Now she was going to do all she could for others.

  When he came in from grocery shopping one afternoon—a task he’d taken over while he was off work for Gabby’s pregnancy—he found her in the living room, talking on the phone. “All right, we can do one more. Yeah, that’s fine.” She was taking notes as she talked, and he sat down and watched her. “Size? Oh, a girl who wants Barbies! I am claiming this child. Yes, I’ll do all I can. Thank you.” She pushed the end button on the phone and looked at him. “Hi!”

  “What exactly are you up to now?” he asked, a bit skeptically, but knowing she was only spreading cheer. His wife was making everything about others for Christmas.

  “Oh, a last minute angel tree kid came in. I don’t know if you know I’m the contact for the angel tree at church? Anyway, it’s a little seven year old girl, and all she wants is a Barbie camper.”