Chapter Four

“Chase?”

A soothing voice snapped him back to the present. “Hmm?” What was he doing?

Dwelling in the past. Daydreaming about what might have been. Not helpful.

“You’re very quiet all of a sudden.”

Those emerald eyes were on him. Looking at him. Through him.

“I’m good. We’ll be at the ranch soon.”

“I was wondering… Do you think your sister will come back?”

“Don’t know.”

He gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter. Being a big brother to Charlotte had always been challenging. He’d spent most of his life looking after her, getting her out of one scrape or another. His parents had expected it; he’d expected it of himself.

Hadn’t done a hell of a lot of good.

But with the twins, he had a second chance. One bright, shining opportunity to give them the good life they deserved, the one Charlotte seemed to scorn for some inexplicable reason. He hoped he was up to the task.

“Are the girls okay back there? I haven’t heard anything out of them in a while.”

She turned to check on the babies. “Look at those drowsy expressions. They’re just so adorable.”

His eyes stung a bit, and he flipped down the visor on a cloudy day. “Yeah, they are something, aren’t they?” He cleared his throat. “The next generation in tow.”

“How true.” Her voice was soft, almost melodious. “And they’re sleepy. Probably hungry, too.”

“Their juice bottles are in there if you need them.” He motioned toward the big canvas diaper bag on the floor.

“You know, after all those years of looking after my siblings, I was ready for a break when I moved away. I wanted time alone. Until seeing these two cuties and their melt-your-heart grins, I just didn’t realize how much I’ve missed being around children.”

“No kids in your world lately?” he asked.

Jessie folded her hands together and stared out the window for a moment. “Work and more work was pretty much the sum of it. Long hours at the office. Clients, research, meetings, paperwork, trials. I’d usually pick up some dinner and go back to my apartment to eat, pay a few bills, sleep. Then rinse and repeat.”

“Don’t you like being an attorney?”

“Very much. But not like that. Not anymore.”

He hesitated, wanting to understand. “Because of the Christmas movie? Right?”

“Exactly!” Her laugh bubbled up, throaty and rich, as her mood brightened. “Seeing it was absolutely meant to be. The whole thing was like destiny or something. I mean, one day my boss gave me the rare indulgence of an afternoon off when we settled a big case earlier than expected. So I headed home, stopped at the deli to buy my favorite lunch—”

“Which is?”

“Chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread and hot chocolate. My go-to meal. Anyway, I settled in to watch something on TV while I ate. I flipped through the channels and came across that movie. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt Christmasy, but then I looked out the window of my high-rise apartment. It was absolutely beautiful. Early December. A light snow beginning to fall. A perfect crisp winter day right there in typically rainy Seattle. So I grabbed a fleece throw, tucked my feet up under me, enjoyed a sip of hot chocolate—”

He could almost hear the grin in her voice. “With marshmallows, I’ll bet.” He glanced her way.

“Always. Sometimes I carry a handful in a plastic bag inside my purse, in case the deli runs out.”

She flashed an endearing smile he wished he could capture in a photo. He’d nearly forgotten how downright enchanting she could be—when she wasn’t being a little spitfire.

“A real fanatic, eh? We’d better stock up.” Chase chuckled as he focused his gaze out the windshield.

“I can’t do without them. You’ve been warned,” she answered, wagging a finger. “Anyway, I started watching that lovely movie.” A melancholy sigh escaped. “And my, oh, my. A sense of homesickness washed over me like I’d never known. More like a tsunami, honestly. Before the show ended, I was forever changed. I wanted a life that mattered. You know? Something that meant more than the way I was living.”

Chase didn’t answer right away. He was taking it all in, but she was dishing out material almost faster than he could process it. “You weren’t happy, but you must have had a boyfriend in the picture somewhere. Right? How did he take the news of your epiphany?”

“Not well,” she admitted with a strange tone. “Not well at all. We broke up. I think Brian had someone waiting in the wings anyway, so he made a quick exit as soon as I made my little announcement.”

“Announcement?” That’s a funny way to describe it.

“M-my decision to move back home for starters. I tried to explain I needed to make significant changes if I was ever truly going to be happy,” she rambled on quickly. “I told Brian I was resigning from the firm and moving back home to start a small law practice of my own. But it was a lot to dump on him at once. He said he couldn’t understand why I wanted to go back to ‘that Godforsaken place’ after I’d escaped it for a better life. I assured him that, indeed, God had not forsaken Montana, thank you very much, and he could keep his unkind opinions about my favorite state to himself.”

There’s the fiery redhead I remember. Chase chuckled. “And that was it? It was over?”

“It was so over. Right there in a crowded restaurant, in the midst of steaks and salads. Brian didn’t want to change a thing since he viewed life as perfect. We didn’t even decorate a tree for any of the Christmases we were together! Too busy with work. How could that be? What happened to me? I used to love the holidays.”

He shrugged, a little lost for an answer. That didn’t sound much like the girl he remembered, the one who took part in every Christmas musical their high school performed. “How long were you two together?”

“Too long.” She gave an exhaustive sigh. “I’m sorry. I’ve been going on and on about me. The point about Brian is it’s over. Done. Time for a change of subjects. What about you? Is there someone?”

Chase kept his gaze on the road before him, considering her question. Other relationships had come and gone. But running into Jessie today reminded him. There’s always been someone. Tucked back into a little corner of his heart, never quite forgotten, for longer than he cared to admit. That cute freckle-faced redhead he’d met when he was twelve. He’d sold her some popcorn from the snack booth at a school carnival, and he may as well have handed her his heart with the change. She’d walked away with both.

Jessie gave a curious look. “No one special?”

He shook his head, scrambling for a response. “I think my dating days are over for a while. The babies kind of complicate matters.” Stealing a glance her way, he glimpsed those clear green eyes that could change his mind so easily.

“I guess babies have a way of doing that, don’t they?” Her pleasant smile vanished as the truck slid in the snow.

“It’s okay.” He extended an arm in a protective gesture. “No worries in this rig. We’re good.”

“It will be a relief to get the girls home. Daisy probably needs a diaper change, too. By the way, you haven’t mentioned your parents at all?”

He tipped his hat a bit lower as his chest tightened. “Lost them three years ago.” He cleared his throat. “Six months apart.”

In his peripheral, he saw her hand fly to her mouth.

“Oh, Chase, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

“We lost Mom first. And Dad…” He paused. “I think he died of a broken heart.”

She gasped softly. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine. Losing them both, keeping the ranch running, worrying about your sister, and now the twins.”

“It’s not been easy,” he replied, keeping his gaze straight ahead. “Most things worth doing aren’t. The majority of Dad’s employees stayed on, so things are moving along. Milo is my ranch manager and a long timer. He’s given me a lot of good advice. We’ve focused mainly on livestock and keeping the ranch financially sound. But my parents’ dream was to continue with the vacation lodge for visitors, so we’re looking to improve that area. We just finished expanding the large wrap-around porch on the main building, and we’d like to add a few more individual cabins.” He hit a bump in the road, jostling Jessie in her seat. “You okay over there?”

“Sure.” She turned toward the sleeping babies, seemingly unaffected by the jolt. “The twins must be accustomed to the rough ride.”

“Yep.” He looked in the rearview mirror briefly. “I’ll make cowgirls out of them yet. They’ll be sitting on ponies before you know it.” Chase focused his attention to the slippery path before them as the storm intensified. “How about you? Did the city take the horseback riding out of you?”

“No way.”

“What’s it been? Ten? Twelve years? A lot can happen in that amount of time.”

“Absolutely. College, law school, a career.” Jessie settled back comfortably into her seat and wrapped a lock of hair around her finger, her mind wandering.

Wow. Her whole world had changed. Now, she’d come full circle, back to the place of her beginning. And a new life had begun—unplanned, untimely. But not unwanted. Her hand instinctively covered her stomach. My little Peanut. The next generation in tow.

Chase glanced her way. “Carsick?”

“No, I’m fine.”

No need to tell him. She hadn’t even started to show, and she’d be off in a place of her own with the beginnings of a law practice before he’d learn anything so personal. There was enough on the immediate schedule to be concerned about—caring for Daisy Jane and Poppy Jo.

“So, you’ve got the ranch running smoothly. Your father would be proud. Is the lodge open this time of year?”

“No, we generally have guests from the end of April into early September. But we’re looking at ways to extend that schedule deeper into fall and, maybe, winter.”

“Sounds ambitious, I mean, what with all the horses, cattle, and everything else your family has been into for years. That’s a ton of responsibility. I’m surprised your sister didn’t stick around to help out.”

His mouth curved into a half-smile, far more appealing than she cared to admit.

“Charlotte has a distinct lack of interest in hard work.” He chuckled. “And that’s mostly what the ranch has to offer.”

Look away, Jess. Don’t get caught enjoying that grin.

She shifted her concentration to the sweet, sleeping babies. “How could your sister just leave those little darlings?”

“She’s always had a wild side to her, no matter how much I’ve tried to settle her down. Something in her personality. After Mom and Dad died, she kind of went off the deep end. Irresponsible, spending too much money, running through boyfriends. She finally came home to the ranch last week with the babies, completely broke, and stayed until two days ago. I’m just glad she didn’t take the kids. They are far better off here with me, as long as I can keep good help around.” He nodded approvingly. “Like you.”

“For a while, at least. Until you hire someone permanent.” She fidgeted uneasily in her seat. This was only temporary. Did she need to reiterate that? “Hopefully, I’ll be able to find an affordable place in town soon where I can open an office on a part-time basis.”

“Then Old Man Taylor’s real estate may be something you’d be interested in?”

“Definitely.”

That house has plenty of room to raise Peanut and space for a business. In fact, it’s just about perfect. All I need is time to set the wheels in motion.

And time was something she had precious little of. Eight months, at most, to get settled.

Jessie stared out the window at the picturesque landscape as unexpected excitement rippled through her. This is a good decision, coming here. She could almost feel it in her bones. It’s a wonderful place for kids to grow up.

Precipitation blew every which way against the backdrop of magnificent white-capped mountains. She pressed a finger to the side window, tracing an outline of snow-covered peaks on cold glass. “I’d almost forgotten how lovely it is here. Seattle is great, in its own way. But I guess, for me, there really is no place like home.”

“Too bad it took you so many years to figure that out.”

Was he deliberately trying to point out the error of her ways? “Said by someone who’s never been anywhere else.”

“No need to go anywhere,” Chase affirmed. “I like it fine right here.”

She couldn’t argue with his reasoning, but she didn’t want to acquiesce. Had he chosen the better path? Deep in her heart, a part of her wished she’d never left.

Squinting, she saw a vaguely familiar sight on the horizon. “There’s your property, right? It’s been so many years, I can barely remember. Oh, look how beautiful it is in all that snow!”

“That it is,” he said quietly, proudly. “We’re almost home.”

Biting her lip, she looked away. Home. The place she was still searching for.