Page 54 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
“I’ll take your word for it. Besides, I leave tomorrow, remember?”
“Yes, but you’ll be back.” Rose patted her belly with a knowing smile. “You have a little niece who’ll be excited to meet you, remember?”
Dahlia smiled and… oh crap. There were those dang allergies again.
“There you are!” Lizzy joined them, her husband, Kit, right behind her. “The twins are already at the school, and they’re waiting for their aunties to ooh and ahh. Come on, Rose…” She wrapped an arm around Rose’s shoulder, and Dahlia was left to stand there alone, frustrated that she wasn’t even being given a chance to say goodbye.
And how the heck was Rose getting back to the ranch? Were they going to drop her, or were they just expecting Dahlia to come back and pick her up?
All these questions were so busy buzzing around her brain that she nearly missed the fact that Lizzy had stopped walking and was staring at her.
“Dahlia? Aren’t you coming?”
Dahlia blinked in surprise. She’d met the twins, of course, but… She pointed at herself. “I’m one of the aunties?”
Lizzy rolled her eyes. “Of course you are.”
Kit winked at Dahlia as Lizzy steered Rose toward the parking lot. The handsome cowboy fell into step beside her. “Before we get there, I should probably fill you in on who’s who in Corbin’s family portrait.”
Dahlia arched her brows. “And why’s that?”
“It’s a little hard to tell,” Lizzy said over her shoulder. “And he gets awfully insulted if you can’t instantly point out who’s who.”
“I saw it the other day.” Rose laughed. “I was easy to pick out. He made my belly bigger than Emma’s entire body.”
“You’re in there too, you know,” Kit informed her.
“Let me guess,” Dahlia deadpanned. “I’m the dragon.”
Lizzy laughed so hard she had to stop walking and bend over.
Dahlia tried to act annoyed but found herself shaking her head with a rueful grin as Lizzy tried to get herself under control. “No,” she wheezed. “But wouldn’t that be hilarious?”
Kit chuckled. “Chloe’s picture is easier to decipher.” He turned to Dahlia. “Her picture is of flowers. Don’t guess anything else if you don’t want a wailing child on your hands.”
Dahlia nodded. “Flowers. Got it.”
They were part of a large crowd heading toward the school after the service, but they stuck together. And when Emma spotted them, she waved them over. Nash was at her side, handing out flyers to the parents and guests.
The moment they entered the school building, the crowd turned raucous. All the quiet and humility of church faded fast in the face of proud parents.
“Look, John, there’s Monica’s piece!” a mother shouted, nearly pushing Kit out of the way in her hurry.
“The annual art show is a big deal in these parts.” Kit grinned.
“I can see that.”
“For the little ones, it’s a chance to show off some of their coloring,” he went on. “But the older ones get to choose whatever sort of art they want. Some do theatrical pieces, other students choose to sing or dance, there’s sculpture and painting and…”
“What did you do when you were a kid?” Lizzy turned with bright, eager eyes.
He gave them a grin. “I showed off my roping skills.”
Dahlia barked out a laugh before clapping a hand over her mouth.
“You did not.” Lizzy giggled.
“What?” he said. “Roping is an art.”
