I made my way over to Aunt Carolyn and gave her a big hug. “Thanks for having us all over and for doing everything you’ve done for the kids so far.”
She squeezed me. “Of course, Tuck. We’ve been trying to get Lettie here for forever, so you’re a miracle worker. Plus, no kid deserves to be alone on Christmas. This is a very special day. Those kids need to feel that. Not abandonment.”
I nodded. “Hopefully, I can find their mother.”
She gave me a look, like she knew more than I did. “Lettie’s good with them, I hear.”
“She is. They like her a lot.”
“And you’re good with Lettie.”
I caught on to where she was heading and decided to keep it short. I stole a chocolate chip cookie from behind her and smiled. “Better go check on them.”
She laughed and shook her head. “You Long men are all the same. Chickens, all of you.”
CHAPTER 5: Lettie
I managed to hold off Leila’s questions about Tucker by introducing her to Abby. She was instantly in love. Bailey, Elizabeth, and eventually Leila, sat around a bedroom on the second floor, talking with her. Abby seemed shy at first, but eventually opened up. She’d even suggested a name for Elizabeth’s new baby that Elizabeth loved.
I sat beside Abby, quietly brushing and braiding her hair to get it off of her face. Bailey had made a big fuss over bringing Abby some of her own older clothes, so Abby was adorned in a beautiful red dress that was slightly too big for her, but obviously made her feel like a princess. She’d wanted her hair to be special to go with it. Bailey also found the pile of clothes for her brothers and picked them out two outfits that I thought the boys would hate, but would look so cute in.
Tucker appeared in the doorway and leaned against the frame, like he didn’t have a care in the world. I couldn’t relate. I had a heavy feeling in my belly and couldn’t stop thinking about him finding their mother. Should they even be with a woman who would leave them to freeze on the side of a highway? There was something else nagging at me, too. Tucker, himself.
Something about his wavy brown hair and pale blue was speaking to me. He was drawing me in and I didn’t understand it. We’d known each other for years, and while I’d always found him attractive, I’d never reacted in such an…intense way.
“Hi, Tucker.” Abby smiled at him and then looked over at me. Her eyes widened and then she giggled. “Leila said Lettie has a crush on you, Tucker.”
I sucked in a huge breath and felt my face going bright red. I felt like I was suddenly in middle school again. “Leila’s got a big mouth.”
Leila gasped. “Now, is that anything to say about your best friend? And on Christmas, to boot. For shame, girl. For shame.”
Before I could say anything back, Carolyn was yelling up the stairs. “Ya’ll come on down here. I need someone to set the table. Then, we’re ready to eat.”
“I’ll set the table.”
Tucker looked at me. “I’ll help you.”
Something fluttered in my stomach and I nodded. “Thanks.”
We left the room to a chorus of childish kissing sounds. I did my best to just ignore them but while setting the table, I glanced up to find Tucker staring at me. I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my mouth. He immediately joined in.
“They’re ridiculous.” I shook my head. “I was just waiting for them to start singing about us kissing in a tree.”
His eyes flashed brighter and I got the very clear impression that he wouldn’t mind a little kissing in a tree. Or anywhere. “Have you ever thought about us?”
Nervous energy coursed through my body as I took in a deep breath. “Have you?”
His grin was alarmingly handsome. He was systematically laying down silverware at each place setting until he made it to the setting right beside me. As he reached over to put the last of it down, he met my eyes. “I’ve thought about you. This is new, though. Today is…different.”
I was starkly aware of the fact that he was mere inches from me. He’d straightened and his long frame towered over me, but it was comforting beyond belief. Comforting and also disorienting. My body was suddenly pulsing, acutely aware of him. “What is it?”
“Tucker! Lettie! Are you done yet? We’re going to have a toast in the living room.”
I jumped like I’d been scolded and hurried to put the last two plates down before rushing from the room. My heart was racing and I felt jittery. Something was definitely different between Tucker and me. He knew it and I knew it. His honesty about it was almost off-putting. Tucker’d never been a man to waste words, but having it directed at me was shocking.
We joined the rest of the family in the living room and I almost got teary eyed at the scene before me. The whole family was standing around the fire, talking, while the children laughed and played in front of them. Even Abby had found a coloring book and was showing little Connor how to color inside the lines. The room felt like a Christmas post card and I knew that this was exactly the kind of Christmas Mom would’ve wanted for me.
I glanced over at Tucker and he was looking back at me. Without saying anything, he took my hand in his and nodded towards Bear, who had shifted at some point and was batting at ornaments on the bottom of the tree. No one seemed to mind and Abby wasn’t freaked out by it. Everything felt so close to perfect in that moment that I had to blink away tears.
They weren’t my kids, but I felt like they could be. Hell, I would take better care of them than their mother ever would. I had felt an instant connection with them. Then, there was Tucker. It wasn’t instant with Tucker, but our connection had transformed when I walked into the police station earlier in the day. I’d been alone for what felt like so long and suddenly my heart was filling so quickly that I found myself reeling a little bit.
“I’ll give the toast.” Carolyn called as she ushered everyone closer. “This Christmas, I’m reminded of how incredibly blessed we all are. When you’re a Long, you’re almost never alone. There’s always another Long within throwing distance and that’s been one of the things I’ve loved most about our family. Seeing that sometimes people aren’t as lucky, makes me realize that we should never take family for granted.
“I’m so thankful for my family, for all of you being as wonderful as you are, for giving me these little rugrats and for constantly bringing new people into our lives that just keep stealing little bits of our hearts. Lettie, I’m so glad you’re here. You’ve practically been family your whole life. It’s about time you showed up to dinner.”
I laughed and felt myself sway from emotion, but Tucker positioned his body next to mine and wrapped his arm around my back. “Thank you for always welcoming me in. And now, for welcoming my little friends.”
Carolyn looked at the kids and then back at me. “I have a feeling this won’t be our last Christmas together. Anyway, I’m just thankful for each and every one of you. I love ya’ll. More than you’ll ever know.”
Everyone took a turn hugging her, letting the joyous feelings bubble over. Even Abby rushed over to hug her. When it was my turn, she held me a bit longer.
“Your parents would’ve been so proud of you, Lettie Jay. And I know your Mom is thrilled to see you away from your office today.”
Tears filled my eyes and I nodded. “I was just thinking that earlier. She never would’ve been okay with me sitting in my office on Christmas day.”
Carolyn looked over at where Joey and Bear were tugging on Abby’s braids. “Maybe, just maybe, she sent you a Christmas miracle to make sure you never do it again.”
I looked at her, confused. “What do you-”
She grinned as she cut me off and moved away. “Alright, everyone, it’s time for my Christmas meal.”
Tucker’s mom, Melissa, snorted. “Your Christmas meal? I’ve been slaving away in there for hours. But, no, go ahead, Carolyn, and take all the credit. That’s just like a big sister.”
Carolyn wrapped her arm around her sister and led her away. “If I was being j
ust like a big sister, I’d push your head into the toilet and give you a swirlie again like the old days. Want to try me?”
CHAPTER 6: Tucker
After devouring heaping plates of the delicious meal that our moms had prepared, everyone was useless for a while. Bears, being bears, gorged themselves and then found couches to stretch out on before falling into naps. I was tempted, but I had other things on my mind. I was too keyed up to nap. The kids were all passed out on the living room floor with throw blankets and afghans, sleeping to the sounds of the football game playing on the television. The women were spread out. Some were helping with clean up, while some were lying next to their men, napping alongside them.
Lettie was in the kitchen, fielding questions from my mom while doing the dishes. I would’ve been worried for her, but she’d known my mom for years. She’d be fine. Instead, I walked out to my truck and made a few calls to check on the status of the kids’ mother.
“Found her, boss.”
My heart sank to my feet. “Already?”
Steven Hannity made a scoffing noise. “Not a lot of good it did. She freaked. Said she had no interest in ever seeing the little heathens again. Went on and on about the little one being a freak of nature.”
I growled. “Where is she?”
“Already in Colorado. Headed towards a boyfriend in Alaska, apparently. You know I read people pretty well. She’s not coming back for those kids, Tuck.”
A big part of me felt devastated for the children. Losing your mother, especially by her choice, couldn’t be easy. Another part of me felt something strangely similar to relief. No way should a woman who is capable of leaving her kids out in the middle of nowhere to freeze to death on the side of a highway be allowed to have said children back in her care.
“You want me to start a file on them so we can get them into the system?”
“No.” I looked up and saw Lettie step out onto the porch, her arms wrapped around her to ward off the chill. “No, don’t do that. I think we’re going to do something different with them. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? Thanks for working today, and thanks for getting that information so quickly.”
“Anytime, boss.”
I put my phone away and then made my way up to Lettie. She shivered against the cold so I took my jacket off and slipped it around her shoulders.
“Don’t. You’re going to freeze.”
I pulled it closed around her and smiled. “I’m a bear. Remember?”
She rolled her eyes and then looked down at our feet. “Was that a call about the kids?”
“Yeah.”
When she looked back up at me, her eyes were brimming with tears. “She can’t have them back, Tucker. It isn’t right. She’s awful. You saw how she left them on the side of the road! She doesn’t deserve those babies.”
I pulled her down the porch steps and across the property, to the barn. It was closed up, so it was warmer than just standing out in the cold. I let us in and then pushed the door closed behind us. “I don’t want Bear hearing this. He’s going to be able to hear anything and everything with his shifter hearing.”
She stepped closer to me, her eyes wide. “What is it? What happened with their mom?”
“My guy found her but she doesn’t want anything to do with them. She kept going, heading up to Alaska for a boyfriend.”
“So, you’re going to put them in the system?”
I sighed and shook my head. “I’m supposed to, but with Bear being a shifter, it’s not safe. We would try to get him placed someplace local, but there’s just no telling where he’d end up.”
“What are you going to do?”
I pulled my hands down my face and then shoved them into my pockets. “Let me think about it tonight.”
Lettie moved even closer and rested her hands on my sides. “Please, Tucker. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel a connection to them, like we were meant to find one another. I have loads of room in my house and I make plenty of money. I can take care of them.”
I growled low in my throat and had her in my arms in barely a second. Having her touching me was too much. Right now, I was feeling more like bear than man and all I wanted to do was take her. “I’ll think about it tonight, Lettie.”
She made a sound close to a whimper and then locked her arms around my neck. “We don’t have a choice now.”
I raised my eyebrow and looked up when she nodded that way. Hanging above us was a perfectly positioned sprig of mistletoe. Weird. In the barn? Not one to look a gift horse on the mouth, I looked back down at her and wound my fingers into her hair. “It would be in bad taste to just walk away.”
“Bad luck and all that.”
I stepped forward, tipping her back, and then lowered my mouth to hers. When our lips met, my chest fluttered. My bear roared and I ended up growling into the kiss. Her lips were soft and plush, her skin smooth. Everything about the kiss felt perfect. She felt perfect. I knew I should’ve been gentle, but I couldn’t stop myself from sliding my tongue between her lips and tasting her mouth.
She kissed me back with fire. Her hands tugged at my hair and she worked her tongue against mine with unbridled lust. I knew she could feel my erection digging into her stomach, but she just held me tighter against her.
I kissed across her jaw and down her neck, biting at her skin until she moaned and worked her body against mine. My bear scratched and clawed against my skin and I’d almost sank my teeth into her neck when I realized what I was doing and jerked my head back.
Lettie saw my face, my teeth exposed, and moved away from me. “What just happened?”
I’d almost marked her, that’s what the hell just happened. I’d almost fucking marked Lettie Jay as my mate. I looked into her wide blue eyes and realized that I wasn’t freaked out that I’d tried to claim her, only that I’d almost done it without any kind of consent from her. Lettie was my mate. My mate!
Holy shit, I’d been blind.
CHAPTER 7: Lettie
Tucker led me back to the house without answering my question. He just kept looking over at me. I was feeling self-conscious and a little concerned that maybe the kiss that had just rocked my world didn’t have the same effect on him. I’d seen his teeth coming out. Was he that displeased with what’d happened? Was it that bad?
I stayed silent and tried to give him his jacket back once we were inside. “Here. Thanks for letting me us it.”
“Keep it. You still look cold.”
I sighed and shrugged it off anyway. The smell of him was driving me insane and I didn’t want people to assume that we were together, especially when Tucker so obviously was not that into me. My chest ached painfully at that thought. Something in me had changed today and I was realizing that I really, really wanted him to want me back. With the same intense desire with which I wanted him. I’d felt the earth move when he kissed me. Apparently, it was one sided.
I went to the living room and found Carolyn slipping in a DVD. She looked back at us and smiled.
“There you two are. I’m putting in a Christmas movie. I want the kids to wake up to it.” She nodded towards the loveseat. “You two sit down.”
I sat at the edge of the couch and tried to be as small as possible. Tucker looked over at me, yet again, and frowned.
“You okay?”
I nodded. “Just feeling tired.”
He leaned in closer. “You’re a terrible liar.”
I frowned at him and looked towards the TV. “The movie’s starting.”
He leaned back and let me silently stew in my thoughts while the movie played. I stared at the screen, but didn’t see anything. My mind was trapped in thoughts of Tucker rejecting me and the kids being taken to a shelter. Halfway through the movie, Bear woke up and crawled into my lap and I realized for a second that I would be devastated if they were taken away.
The kids had all woken up by the time the movie ended, but Carolyn quickly put in a second to distract them while she got gifts together. She’d explained to me e
arlier, while we were in the kitchen, that they’d only let the kids open a few gifts that morning and still had a ton to go through. They waited until Christmas night and gathered around the tree to open the majority of them. She’d also mentioned that Abby, Joey, and Bear had plenty of gifts to open, as well.
I owed her so much. Without batting an eye, she’d made Christmas special for three abandoned kids, like they were her own.
Abby crawled in between me and Tucker and rested her head against me. “It’s nice here.”
I looked up at Tucker and he smiled. “Yeah?”
She nodded. “I know Joey and Bear want to go back home because they’re little, but I don’t want to. Mom is mean. She never did stuff like this for us. I want to stay with you.”
I hugged her to my chest and squeezed her. “We’ll figure something out, Abby.”
She sighed. “Okay. Miss Carolyn brought in a lot of presents.”
I wanted to kiss Carolyn, I was so thankful that she’d thought of the kids. “Some of them are even for you and the boys.”
“Really?!”
I nodded. “Yeah. You’ll have to be sure to give Miss Carolyn a big hug and tell her thank you. You can make the boys do it, too.”
She jumped up, pulled Bear up with her, and ran over to Carolyn, leaving me alone with Tucker again. Everyone was waking up and moving around, so the couch felt much less secluded.
“Want to come get a snack with me before they open presents?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Sure. If that’s what you want.”
He gave me a weird look but caught my hand and pulled me after him. In the kitchen, a Christmas CD played and the smell of freshly popped popcorn hung around.
I leaned against the island and toyed with an unlit Holiday candle. When I looked up, Tucker was just staring at me. “What?”
He took in a big breath and then moved closer to me. “How have I never noticed the way you smell before?”
Rancher Bear Complete Series: PLUS NEW BONUS BOOK: Rancher Bears' Merry Christmas Page 27