Page 82 of A Rancher's Heart
Tamara pushed past Caleb, muttering under her breath. “I hate that woman. Twit. Mean, nasty twit.”
Caleb’s lips quivered, but he managed to keep from outright laughing. “That’s not a very Christmassy-like sentiment,” he murmured back.
“She doesn’t engender very many charitable thoughts on my part, but I kind of figured she’d do this.” She turned, brushing accidentally against him, giving his arm a squeeze before stabbing a number on her phone. He waited with great curiosity until she barked an order at someone. “I win. Get your ass up here.”
He raised a brow, but Tamara put her phone away and patted her pocket with a smug smile. “I do so like being right.”
Caleb wondered if he should give the room a warning of some kind, but then it wasn’t him she was pulling a fast one on, and he wasn’t about to rescue his brother.
When Kelli slipped in the door five minutes later, offering Tamara the evil eye, Caleb couldn’t help it. He outright grinned, especially when Luke paused in the middle of what he was doing. His eyes went wide before his lazy, half-hooded look returned.
It seemed the friendly feud between the two of them continued.
“Okay, everybody to the table,” Tamara ordered, and the next few minutes were filled with the noise of moving chairs and overfilled platters being laid on the table.
An amazing spread of food greeted them. Caleb picked up the first serving spoon, and that’s when he noticed half the stack of plates waited beside Tamara. She worked at his side, scooping up half of everything before the plates were handed around the circle, and slowly everyone was served.
As traditional, Ashton had joined them, and he sat there with a huge grin on his face that only got wider as the meal progressed.
They ate until Caleb couldn’t think of eating another mouthful. At which point, Sasha proudly brought out a pieshehad made, and they all had to eat a little more.
Luke made the coffee, and as they finished the last of the goodies, Ashton delivered his present, which was to open his fiddle case and play a few songs for them.
The responding applause that followed was the cue for Dustin to turn into a giant elf and start passing out presents from under the tree. The volume in the room rose, and wrapping paper flew, and through it all Caleb forced himself to keep from staring at Tamara between discovering what had caused the squeals of excitement from his children.
They ended with the little twist of metallic foil that Walker put in front of each plate.
Caleb lifted the small black device hidden inside. “Something for the computer?”
Sasha rolled her eyes. “Daddy. It’s a USB. It means Uncle Walker gave us pictures or something. You plug it into your computer, and you can download them.”
Caleb nodded at the serious expressions on Emma’s and Sasha’s faces. “Good thing I’ve got you guys to help me with that.” He turned to his brother. “Rodeo pictures?”
Walker was occupied straightening his utensils. “Something like that.”
Caleb wrapped his fingers around it and nodded. “Thank you.”
Emma slipped to Walker’s side and gave him a big hug, and he held her tight for a moment, eyes closed, contentment on his face.
Games were brought out, more music played. The afternoon drifted into evening. Everyone who wanted to eat again loaded a plate with leftovers and heated it in the microwave, Dustin going back for thirds.
They took turns heading out in pairs to finish chores, returning to the warmth of the house as if they couldn’t bear to let the holiday be over.
Twenty minutes past their bedtime, two little girls were falling asleep in the corner of the couch, but their eyes were bright with happiness and Caleb wasn’t willing to send them from the room yet. So they sat, curled up together, staring at the Christmas lights and the family who were still visiting.
Luke, Kelli and Ashton were talking up a storm, the older man settled on the ledge before the fire as Kelli sat on the floor, hands waving animatedly. Dustin fooled around cautiously on Ashton’s fiddle while Walker teased him.
Caleb drifted around to where Tamara sat playing with the puzzle Dustin had given her, settling on the arm of her chair.
“Thanks.” He wanted to say so much more. Like thanks for poking his stupid ass and making him a better father. Thanks for taking care of his family and making sure they were all as happy as possible.
He couldn’t get the words out.
She put the puzzle aside, tilting her head as she gazed up. “It’s been a good day.”
“Tomorrow, your family.”
“And yours,” she pointed out.
