High Country Christmas

Tyler moved closer to her to get a better view of the scene unfolding in the next stall. This was the miracle of life. And, to her amazement, Tyler, whom she had always pinned as a devil-may-care cowboy too shallow to be taken too seriously, got it. He was as fascinated with the miracle they were witnessing as she was. She was usually alone with the mare and foal after a birth, and she liked it that way. But Tyler’s actions had naturally mirrored her own. He had been completely still—completely quiet. Like her, he wanted to be a witness, not an intruder.

London leaned her body forward, silently rooting for the wobbly legged colt to finally get up on his feet after so many unsuccessful attempts.

Come on, little fellow. You can do it. Come on...

Rising Star gave the colt a push with her nose and that push gave the newborn the extra boost he needed to get on his feet.

“Yes!” London whispered, her hand instinctively reaching for Tyler’s and squeezing it tightly. She looked over at him—he was in profile and his features were obscured in the low light. But she could see that he was smiling. Rising Star stood up to be with her colt and that was the finale.

In celebration, she found herself hugging Tyler. Hard. He hugged her back, just as hard, and then kissed her on the top of her head.

“This’s what I’ve been waiting for,” Tyler finally said in a low voice.

London broke the hug, retrieved a diluted iodine wash and dabbed it on the spot where the umbilical cord had been attached to reduce the risk of infection. After she applied the iodine, she couldn’t stop herself from staring at the perfect little colt. He was black with four white socks. All of these months, she had wondered what the foal would look like, and now she knew. He was a stunner.

“You’ve got a winner on your hands here, Star,” she said to the mare. She loved this colt. She had loved him for months. It was going to be so hard to say goodbye to him when she went back to school. Why couldn’t he be hers? London brushed the thought out of her mind with a shake of her head.

Tyler had created a temporary bed out of bales of hay and was waiting for her. The sun would be up in a couple of hours, but she just couldn’t bring herself to go back to her room. And it appeared that Tyler was of the same mind.

“Come join me,” Tyler said.

“You want me to lie down with you?” London asked, not entirely opposed to the idea.

“I just found out recently that I like sleeping with you better than I like sleeping alone.”

She had been stifling one yawn after the other for hours. She was exhausted, so the odds of her falling asleep when she closed her eyes were very high. Why was the thought of falling asleep in Tyler Brand’s arms so appealing to her?

“Come join me.” Tyler repeated the invitation.

She lay down next to him, rested her head on his shoulder. At first, her body was stiff next to his, but when he grabbed her hand and positioned her arm around his waist, she realized it was ridiculous not to relax.

“One of us has to stay awake...” Her eyelids closed.

He rubbed her shoulder. “You rest. I’ll take the first watch.”

“Okay.” She murmured her agreement.

Tyler wrapped her up in his arms and she released a long, tired sigh. He felt her relax with that sigh, which made him smile. Deep, steady breathing followed—Tyler tilted his head to get a look at her face in the dim early-morning light. She had fallen asleep in his arms. And with London sleeping so soundly in his arms, completely trusting him to watch over her, Tyler discovered that he was happier now—hungry, tired and sitting on bales of hay—than he had ever been before.

He had always known that he was going to be a rancher. It was in his blood. But beyond that...beyond what he was going to do with his life...he had never known who would be at his side when he was handed the reins of Bent Tree. Now he knew. As certain as he was that he belonged to the land of Bent Tree Ranch, he now knew that he belonged with London Davenport...with London and the child growing inside her. They, along with Bent Tree, were his future.

* * *

London stood on the threshold of Tyler’s cabin, poised to knock. It was impossible not to remember that last time she’d stood at his door...that was the night they had conceived. London knocked on the door quickly; while she waited for him to open the door, she looked around to see if anyone was around to notice her visiting Tyler.

“Hey...I was just about to track you down,” Tyler said. He was fresh out of the shower, feet bare. He had nice feet. “Do you want to come in?” he asked. And then he smiled. “Of course you do. That was a stupid question. Why else would you be at my door?”

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