Page 90 of A Heart Falls Cowboy Christmas

It’s not as if she was truly worried anything would be left undone—not with the team of organizers, including herself, having done all they could to make for a memorable evening. But the first official event in the new Heart Falls Community Centre was worth fussing over.

And definitely worth a quiet moment of reflection on her own.

Just after lunch, the house went quiet. Or as quiet as the Ryder household got these days. Mason and Nathan were down for naps. Zoë was using her limited allotted time on the iPad to pop rainbow coloured balloons in assorted shapes, computer-generated woo and whee mixing with her little girl’s excited cheers. Baby Silas lay in the crib tucked against the kitchen wall, his arms and legs wiggling enthusiastically as the musical mobile over his head turned and childish music repeated over and over as a cow leapt over multiple moons.

Strong warm arms wrapped around Lisa’s waist as Josiah nuzzled her neck. “Hello, beautiful.”

“We’re not going for another August baby,” she warned, amusement in her tone.

“Nope, we’re not.” He kissed a line under her ear and nipped the lobe gently. “Only letting you know that I love you, Mrs. Ryder.”

“Love you, too.” Lisa twisted so she could catch hold of his neck, all lined up sweetly against his torso. “Dance with me tonight?”

“Tonight, and every night,” Josiah promised.

“Charmer.”

“Lucky,” Josiah replied instantly. “You excited to see the hall finally with her full party dress on?”

“Beyond excited,” she confessed. “Is that ridiculous? It’s just a building.”

He tweaked her nose, eyes sparkling as she nipped at his hand. “Never silly. That thing that’s just a building was the heart of the community in the past. We’ve missed it, and now we get to start creating new memories and new traditions.”

“True. Smartie pants.” She went up on her toes and pressed a slow, heated kiss to his lips. Intimate and needy. Hmmm, delicious. She pulled back and smoldered at her husband. “My dad said he’d be here by two. Did you get the guest room ready for him?”

“That’s not what I was hoping to hear you say after that kiss.” Josiah winked at her, though. “Yup. Me and Zoë did it this morning while you were making breakfast. Your dad will be delighted to know Zoë insisted Geegee use her star pillowcase so he’d have a good sleep.”

The idea of her dad laying his head on Zoë’s extremely yellow pillow instead of the usual grey guest sheets was another bright spot in the day.

Not because of the pillow itself.

It warmed Lisa’s heart knowing that her dad would now recognize the honour and accept it with great pomp and make Zoë feel treasured instead of silly. It had taken work on his part, but Grandpa George had finally earned his stripes as a beloved grandfather—and father.

Lisa swallowed around the lump in her throat as Silas stopped being happy and started complaining.

Before Lisa could move, Josiah swung into action. He scooped their four-month-old up smoothly after years of both parenting and caring for animals.

“Well, hello, little mister. Did you hear Mom and Dad and want to get into the conversation?” Josiah settled Silas in his arms and spoke earnestly with him. “That’s a smart little guy. Yes, look at that smile. Your Mommy and Daddy love you so much, yes, we do.”

Lisa leaned over Josiah’s shoulder to take in the sweetness of the two of them making faces at each other. Tears came unbidden. She was so damn happy, but her eyes continued to fill, and there really wasn’t anything she could do to stop it.

Dear Lord, it wasn’t hormonal, was it? She was not allowed to be pregnant again this quick.

Josiah pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You good?”

“So good,” she insisted. Impulsively, she cupped his face. “Come to the hall early with me? Dad can bring Zoë and Mason and meet us later. We’ll take the littles with us. I want to walk through the halls and soak it in.”

His blue eyes twinkled. “Whatever you want. Us, or you alone, or the whole family. We’ll make it work.”

In the end, they weren’t the only ones who arrived far earlier than necessary. The buzz of voices in the main hall and ringing laughter of the children in the playroom faded as Lisa linked her fingers with Josiah and they paced slowly down the side halls and peered into rooms.

“It still smells new.”

Josiah said it with a respectful amount of awe. Lisa loved that his excitement was as high as hers.

Shiny windows, shiny floors. So many shiny possibilities waiting to happen.

Josiah tugged her to a stop in an alcove off the stage. “There’s a view you need to see from here.”