Page 108 of A Rancher's Love
At least the woman had stopped making macramé before his rooms were buried in them.
But convincing a sixty-something to get his butt in gear was low on Tucker’s list when it came down to it. Since he appreciated not having his love life meddled with, he gave Ashton the same consideration.
The last weekend in April, the Stones held a joint birthday party for Caleb and Tamara, who happened to have birthdays only one day apart from each other. The entire family was invited, which included Tucker, a fact that tickled him silly.
Crossing the short distance between the cottage he now shared pretty much full time with Ginny and the main ranch house, he caught himself one second away from damn near skipping. Walking hand in hand with Ginny felt so right Tucker couldn’t believe he’d lasted so long without her being his.
The chaos of the meal and party were sheer joy.
After dinner, Ginny tugged him into the laundry room for some privacy. She tangled her arms around his waist and grinned up at him. “You’re smiling an awful lot there, superman. You’ll lose your fearsome reputation if you don’t watch out.”
He raised a brow. “Superman?”
Ginny covered her mouth and snickered harder. “You look so perturbed right now.”
Shrieks of laughter rang out from the main room, and Tucker leaned back to see what was going on.
Dustin sat on the couch in the living room, a niece on either side as he pointed out things in the old photo album in his lap. Sasha made all the noise.
Dustin offered her a mock-glare. “You take that back.”
“What are you tormenting your uncle about now?” Tamara demanded.
Everyone peered at Sasha who continued to grin hugely. “He’s a total write-off as a fashion statement, Mom. Look. He’s wearing a fuzzy sweatsuit. Uncle Luke looks terrible as well. I want to know if he kept any of his vests or acid-washed jeans, because I could wear them to school now and win all the retro-awards.”
“Ha, ha,” Dustin pretended to be grumbly, but he winked at Tamara. “I guess you’re right. I haven’t always been the hottest fashion plate in the family.”
“What’s acid wash?” Emma asked. Sasha reached over the album to point them out.
Meanwhile, Dustin continued to stare at the page, confusion twisting to outright glee. “Hey, Ginny. I think I have another clue to add to your puzzle.”
That got everyone’s attention.
Ginny rushed forward, Tucker following hard on her heels. “There’s something in the album?”
“Sort of,” Dustin said. “I thought about it the other day. Why didn’tIhave a present in the box? You know, the one Tamara found that had things for everyone else, all wrapped in the same paper.”
Ginny paused. “Not sure.”
Her little brother grinned. “Because I’d already opened it.”
The room went silent.
His shoulders lifted in a gentle shrug. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Mom was the type to do anything without a reason. If she gave Ginny a puzzle that involved gifts for all her kids, and they were all wrapped up at the same time, and we were supposed towork togetherto solve the puzzle, it makes sense that I should have gotten a gift as well.”
They all looked down at the photo album. “That’s your birthday party, yes?” Ginny asked.
Dustin nodded. “December, which means I opened one extra gift that was actually part of Ginny’s mystery package. Then Luke would open his in February, Walker in March, Caleb in April, and Ginny in June.”
There’d been so many disappointments before, Tucker didn’t want Ginny to get her hopes up only to have them dashed again. Yet maybe, just maybe, this was going to actually happen. “So what did you get?”
Dustin pointed to the page, then lifted the entire album in the air so everyone could see.
Cute as anything, eight-year-old Dusty showed off a gap-filled smile made of a mix of baby and adult teeth. Against his cheek he held a stuffed calico cat.
“That is eerily lifelike,” Tucker said.
“I remember that thing,” Ginny said. “You hauled it everywhere forever.”
