Did you miss the first three chapters? If so, you can find them by clicking here: Chapters 1-3
Christmas at miller ranch, A Miller Family Novella
Chapters 4-6
Chapter Four
Katrine
Katrine didn’t know what possessed her to grab James’s hand. It was far too familiar, and yet it felt right doing so. The guy had been through a lot, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he was touch-starved on top of everything else.
Of course if he objected, she would have immediately let go. But he didn’t seem to mind, just following along beside her as she led him over to the icing table. Just like Ma Miller said, there were two lines of piping bags, all with different colored icings. Already her hands were itching to get started.
Not that she was an artist by any means. Not even remotely. But she loved crafting with her son whenever the opportunity arose, and this was pretty much the same, just with another adult than with a child.
“You wanna tackle the bells for a bit?” Katrine offered, handing James the yellow bag. She figured that would be the easiest, all things considered, and pretty low pressure.
“Sure, I can do that.”
Although she could tell that he was nervous when she’d first brought up the icing, he seemed less ruffled at the moment, grinning at her with the slightest flush to his cheeks. It was a good look on him, especially when one corner of his lip went higher than the other.
“Okay! I’m gonna take the red and fill in all the Santa hats.” Katrine looked over the dogs, cats, and actual Santas with a low whistle. “I hope this is enough. Think Ma Miller has another bag?”
“Knowing her, she has a whole vault of this somewhere.”
Katrine laughed, picturing that in her mind. “Hah, she one of those uber-prepared types?”
“Absolutely. The only reason she’s scrambling to get this done is because someone dropped something on her last minute, which people are often wont to do.”
“I know that feeling. When people think you’re capable of everything, they’re willing to drop anything on you.”
“Hospital woes there?”
“Oh yeah, lots of hospital woes. Sometimes it can get a little toxic, depending on who’s working and what’s going on in their personal life.”
James let out a thoughtful sound, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth ever so slightly as he concentrated on icing his first bell. “Gotta admit, I was never much cut out for official workplaces. Worked out well that I was born to a ranching family.”
“I suppose that is a spot of serendipity,” Katrine mused. “I don’t know if I was ever meant for OT, but I like all my patients and I like that I’m helping them out. It means a lot to know that I’ve changed their life for the better.”
James nodded. “You certainly did with mine.”
He said it so casually, his tongue hardly leaving the corner of his mouth with his brow furrowed as he concentrated. That little bell certainly was demanding a lot of his attention, which was incredibly endearing.
But it didn’t feel casual to Katrine, not at all. Her chest filled with warmth, and she was sure that her cheeks were much the same. How was it a practical stranger could say something so nice to her while her ex-husband had struggled with any sort of positive affirmation?
In some ways, Katrine was glad that the man had just up and left her without warning. Sure, there probably were better ways it could have gone, but if he’d given her a chance to fight for the relationship, she would have with tooth and nail. She never would have given up. But in retrospect, the fight wouldn’t have been worth it. Sure, maybe she wouldn’t be a single parent, but none of that was worth just how unhappy she’d been.
It was so easy to settle in that way. Between working full-time, being a mother, and everything else in life, it had been easier to pretend that she was happy rather than deal with the truth. Her husband up and leaving them had been the cold slap of reality she needed to come to her senses.
Even if it hurt.
“Are you alright?” James asked, pausing his studious foray into icing.
“Huh? Oh yes, just thinking.”
A sly look crossed the handsome man’s face, and Katrine got the impression that he was about to say something snarky. “You know, if you’re too intimidated by the icing, I can show you the ropes.”
“Hah! Are you an expert now?”
“Oh yeah. I’ve iced approximately half a cookie, so you could say I’m a real master of the craft.”
“Naturally. How lucky I am to have such a proficient icer with me today.”
“Is… is that what it’s called?”
“To be honest, I have no idea, but probably not.”
Both of them paused, deep in thought for a moment. It wasn’t until Katrine realized that they were two fully grown humans trying to figure out what someone who professionally iced cookies was called that she burst into laughter. James followed suit soon after and goodness gracious, it just felt so nice.
“I don’t remember you being this hilarious,” she said between peals of mirth. “I mean, you were always funny, and clever, but not funny-funny!”
“I must have graduated into the next class of humor. Next stop, stand-up comedy.”
“I’ll buy your first tickets!”
Their laughter continued for a bit before eventually petering out into chuckles and then happy sighs. But every time that Katrine would look over at James, she’d just crack up again and vice versa. And, as it turned out, it was very difficult to ice anything while shaking with amusement.
“We’re never going to get this done if we can’t calm down,” she bemoaned about as happily as someone could possibly bemoan at all.
“I apologize for being so witty and insightful. I’ll make sure to pull it back in the future.”
James’s quick rebuttal had her snickering all over again, so Katrine did the only logical thing; she took the white frosting she was doing for the pompom on top of Santa’s hat and iced a streak down James’s cheek.
“Did you just…” he sputtered, looking like he wasn’t sure whether to be indignant or break into laughter all over again.
“I did just,” Katrine shot right back, batting her lashes at him. “Is that not what I’m supposed to do?”
“Believe it or not, the icing is supposed to go on the cookies, not my face.”
“Hmmm, doubtful.”
James’s eyes narrowed, and once again, Katrine recognized that he was plotting something mischievous. It was amazing how she was able to read him so quickly after so long apart. She guessed that he’d made more of an impression on her than she thought. Not that that was a bad thing.
Not at all.
“You know, your technique is novel, but I think it has merit. Let me try.”
Before Katrine could quite decipher his quick retort, he had a green icing bag in his hand and did a tiny streak right down her nose.
“Hmm, yes. I would say that does indeed look correct.”
“I can’t believe you did that!” she said, huffing in her effort to contain even more laughing. Her belly was going to be sore tomorrow with the workout it was getting.
“Did what? Followed your impeccable example?”
“Exactly!”
They probably would have just kept on going forever, bantering back and forth like a couple of sitcom characters, but the timer on the stove dinged, reminding them they very much had important things to take care of.
“Whoops, got a little carried away there,” Katrine said, looking down at her ten cookies that had iced Santa hats and nothing else. “I’ll go get that if you want to do more bells?” It didn’t take a genius to figure out that James wasn’t the keenest on ovens. Which made sense. If she’d had burns over enough of her body to require a medical coma, she wouldn’t like being exposed to any sort of open heat like that either.
She just said it as a suggestion, but the soft, sweet smile he sent her made it seem like she’d just offered to fork over her life savings to him. Not that her life savings were anything close to even a quarter of his wealth. And it wasn’t like she was hurting either. She made good money herself and she’d gotten a sizable payment with the divorce. And although her ex was pretty much absent from her and Remy’s life, he was there financially, sending money once a month and setting up a college fund without Katrine asking.
“I’ll do my best.”
“I’m sure you will,” Katrine answered, trying not to sputter. Which was pretty difficult to do considering how breathless he’d made her.
Goodness, she wasn’t really one to be flustered by people, and she never had been during their treatment together. But now? Something about James seemed to really affect her.
Something she definitely liked.
Tucking those thoughts away, she hurried to the oven before anything could burn, feeling like she was back in high school with a bubbly sort of crush. It left her with a smile on her face, which only broadened when she returned to the icing table to see James had moved on to another cookie. It had the typical yellow frosting at the base, but James was adding to it with the smaller orange bag. Katrine approached, curious, to see that he was painstakingly icing some delicate cracks into it.
“Hey there,” James said, noticing her after a beat. “Just thought it needed a little character.”
Katrine’s throat grew tight as she nodded. She knew exactly why James might have been compelled to add those cracks to the otherwise perfect bell he’d made. “I think they fit just right.”
He flushed at that, going back to his cookie. “I’m glad you think so.”
“I do. I really do.”
Chapter Five
James
It turned out that making six full batches of gingerbread cookies and icing them took many, many hours. Before James knew it, they were about two-thirds of the way done before Ma Miller came sweeping in with two plates for lunch. They were rich affairs, with BBQ pork, salted potatoes, not to mention some grilled broccoli and squash. It was almost enough to put him in a real food coma, but he managed to pull through and finish all the gingerbread cookies.
And just in time too, because a half hour later, Meredith pulled up with a couple of shelter workers and picked them all up. Katrine tried to get put onto another task, but Ma insisted that they’d done enough and they should mingle with attendees, have some fun.
Fun wasn’t exactly James’s specialty. Not that he was a stick-in-the-mud, but he wasn’t exactly a social butterfly. Far from gregarious. Or any of those other things needed to walk up to someone and just have a good time.
But it was easier to do with Katrine there. She was able to just strike up a conversation with people without so much as a sweat, which allowed James to piggyback on her efforts. Which was how he ended up playing Go Fish and Speed with three other people for a couple of hours until the event ended.
“Thank you so much for inviting me to this,” Katrine said, grinning brightly at him as they headed back to the kitchen to see what they could do to help clean up. But they didn’t quite make it to Ma Miller before his own mother intercepted them.
“Oh, hey there, you two! Did you have fun? I’m sorry I didn’t get to talk much earlier. The gluten-free stuff just kept flying right off the table. I didn’t think there would be so much of a demand for it.”
“A lot of poorer people can’t afford gluten-free things, and what you had here was about half the price of what’s in the store, plus it’s for charity,” Katrine offered. “It’s a win-win situation, really.”
“Well, when you put it like that, I should have made a lot more. Oh well, live and learn for next year!”
“So y’all gonna do this again?” James drawled, although he kind of figured they would.
“I don’t see why we wouldn’t. We did very well, better than I could have ever hoped.”
“We nearly tripled what we raised last year,” Ma Miller said, red-faced but looking entirely pleased with herself as she approached. “Thank you so much for handling all that busywork. It really allowed me to focus on all of the things I was really needed for.”
“More than happy to help,” James said, tipping his head. And he did mean it. He’d had more fun than he’d ever expected for doing something so mundane. “Feel free to call in the reserves whenever you need.”
“Speaking of reserves,” Katrine cut in. “What do you need us to do cleanup-wise?”
“Nothing! You worked for almost five hours straight with the gingerbread cookies.”
“Aw, come on. We can do something else.”
James got the feeling that he was about to experience what it was like for an immovable object to meet an unstoppable force, but to his great surprise, Ma Miller just shrugged her acquiescence. “You know what? There is something you can do. I need you to carry something for me.”
Ma Miller disappeared into the kitchen only to return a few minutes later with a basket overflowing with all sorts of baked goods. Cookies, tea cakes, and James was pretty sure he even saw a pie in there.
“Oh, how lovely. Is this a gift basket?” Katrine asked, eyeing it with plenty of admiration.
It was funny, really. Katrine was plenty accomplished herself, being a successful occupational therapist, but she never failed to be impressed by other people’s achievements either. It was a pretty great character trait, in James’s opinion. Too many people felt threatened by sharing the spotlight with anybody else. They had to be the biggest person in the room, and that was that.
“It sure is. If you wouldn’t mind taking that to the entrance for me, it’ll be easy to see who it’s for.”
Ah, James knew where this was going. Withholding a chuckle, he held out his hand. “Why don’t I hold that for you while we go get Remy?”
“If he even wants to leave,” Katrine joked, handing the basket over. “I think I heard him having the time of his life at least three times while we were playing cards together.”
“Was that him? He certainly has a distinctive laugh.”
“Is it a laugh, or is it more an unhinged shriek of pure happiness?”
“Ah, potato, potahto.”
Katrine just shook her head, but she couldn’t hide her broad grin. “Come on, let’s go see if we can pry him from his new best friends.”
“Don’t be jealous of Keiko now. She just happens to be excellent with kids who most likely won’t poop or spit up on her.”
“Ah, so not a baby person?” Katrine questioned, sounding curious rather than judgmental as some people could be. James wasn’t the closest with Keiko, but what time they did spend together was always pleasant.
“No, not really.”
“Noted.”
Sure enough, when they reached the kids’ area, Remy was curled up on a beanbag next to Keiko. The woman was reading quietly to a few other kids while Remy was on the verge of snoring, completely passed out.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him so relaxed around someone he just met,” Katrine murmured before going to him. It was sweet watching her gently whisper to the little guy and gather him up in her arms. He was kind of tall for being halfway through his kindergarten year, and that, combined with his mother’s shortness, made him look like more than a handful.
“Do you want to carry the basket and I’ll handle him?” James asked as she walked closer.
“Oh, that’s sweet, but no, thank you. I get the feeling that I won’t be able to do this for much longer, so I want to do it now whenever I can.”
James nodded. He didn’t have a kid himself, but he did have enough nieces and nephews to open his own school. At first he hadn’t thought much of them, but over the years, he’d fallen in love with each and every one of them. Time just kept on chugging along, naturally, and sometimes he felt like he blinked and then a host of them would age about five years all at once.
“I understand. Let’s head out then, shall we? Seems like your little man is ready to head home.”
“Yeah, he definitely is.”
With her mind clearly on her son, Katrine never noticed that he was still carrying the basket even when they reached her car. In fact, it wasn’t until Remy was safely inside and buckled in that her eyes widened.
“Oh! I completely forgot about the basket. Who was I supposed to give it to?”
“Sorry for the trickery, but this is clearly for you.”
“Wait, what?”
James opened her car’s side door and placed the basket on the seat. “It’s for you. Honestly, this is pretty subtle for her.”
“But this is so much! This has to be at least eighty dollars’ worth of baked goods from the charity.”
“Yeah, like I said, subtle.”
Katrine made a series of incredulous sounds before eventually sighing. “There’s nothing I can do here, is there?”
“Nope,” James answered, popping the “p” of his answer for emphasis. “Other than getting your carbs on.”
“Fine, but I will have my revenge! Mark my words.”
“What is this, a nice-off?” he asked.
“Hah! Yeah, that Ma Miller and I are in a real nice-off. Tell her to watch out for my ooey-gooey cake and lemon squares!”
“I’m sure she’ll be shaking in her oven mitts.”
“Yeah, she better be.”
The bluster could only last for so long, and the two of them burst into laughter again. Honestly, James was surprised that Remy didn’t wake up with how loud they were being.
“You’re gonna kill me, James! My diaphragm is about to give out.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want that now. Maybe you should stay away for your own safety.” Except James very much didn’t want her to stay away. In fact, he kind of wanted her to never leave.
Was that strange? Probably. But he couldn’t help how he felt. He liked spending time with Katrine, more than he should.
Did… did he have a crush?
No, that would be absolutely silly. It was just that Katrine was a helpful figure from his past and she was attached to a lot of memories. That was all.
Except it didn’t feel like it was just that. He was drawn to her in a way that he couldn’t quite describe. Not quite magnetic, more subtle than that, but still just as irresistible.
“You see, I would, but I think you might have become one of my best friends, soooo, I’m not gonna.”
Best friend? That was certainly quite a level up. James’s eyes went wide, and Katrine must have misinterpreted his reaction because she sputtered to correct herself.
“Sorry, did that sound desperate? It’s just we click so well, which isn’t exactly the usual for me.”
James could hear her panic rising and he lifted his hand to cut her off. “No, it’s okay. I’ve really enjoyed our time together too.”
“Exactly. Gabi’s going to her family back in Puerto Rico this Christmas so I thought it would be pretty lonely. Now, thanks to you, it’s not!”
“Wait, you’re going to be alone on Christmas?”
While his family hadn’t been as well off as the Millers, they’d always had each other. The five of them, and that was if any of their northern cousins didn’t drive over to visit. He couldn’t imagine a single mom having to spend the holidays alone with only her son.
“Alone? No! It’s gonna be me n’ Remy all cuddled up together in our PJs and watching movies while ordering takeout.”
She said it so happily, but it was like every word was a shot through his heart. Sure, there was nothing wrong if she legitimately enjoyed that, but she deserved so much more.
“That sounds fun,” he said cautiously, trying very hard not to sound like he was judging. Because he wasn’t. Or at least he was trying not to. He maybe thought pretty poorly of whoever her ex-husband was and how he’d suddenly abandoned her. Clearly, he was an idiot. “But, uh, if you want to come over for Christmas, you could.”
Katrine went still at that, her face growing pale. “Pardon?”
“You don’t have to, of course. But we always have a big dinner with the Miller family and there’s always plenty of room for everyone. There’d be lots of kids for Remy to play with, and you would save on takeout.”
James felt like he could normally read Katrine’s expressions fairly well, but something about her expression was shuttered off. “I… are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I’d love to have you there.”
“And we wouldn’t be a burden? It wouldn’t be strange for people Ma Miller doesn’t know to just roll up?”
“The more, the merrier is what she’s always said. Besides, between cousins, in-laws, partners, and the kids’ best friends, there’s usually at least ten people she doesn’t know at any event they have.”
James hoped that he wasn’t pitching it too hard, but some part of him was a bit desperate to make sure that she wasn’t alone on a holiday that was all about family and the good Lord. Sure, many people had lost sight of Christmas and were obsessed with gifts and outdoing each other with the money they spent and how many Christmas lights they put up, but the heart of it was cherishing each other, the precious time they had with each other, celebrating the birth of Jesus, and sharing in a delicious meal together.
And he wanted Katrine to share in that too. She deserved to feel like she was beloved. Cherished.
“Okay then. I’ll come. Should I bring a dish to pass?”
“If you want to, but honestly, drinks are something we could use more of. Bring something you and Remy like.”
“I can do that.” Katrine seemed to grow more confident by the word. “Okay, yeah. You’re on. What time should I be there?”
“Let me ask Ma Miller and I’ll text you the info.”
“What, you don’t have her itinerary already completely memorized and sitting in your email?”
“Hah! Believe it or not, even Ma Miller isn’t that prepared.”
“Whew, good to know I’ll have a chance with our nice-off then,” she said, with a feigned look of utter relief.
“You’re really serious about that, aren’t you?”
“I’ll have you know that I take my niceness very seriously.”
“Alright, I’ll try to keep that in mind.”
They shared yet another laugh together, possibly the hundredth for the day, before suddenly Katrine leapt forward in a hug.
It was nothing inappropriate or even too long, but it sent electricity crackling up his spine and warmth rushing through him. But it was over before he could really comprehend it, and then she was getting into her car with a wave.
“Bye! See ya on Christmas!”
“Bye,” James murmured, his brain kicking in that the holiday was only eight days away. “See you then!”
“Don’t forget to text me the address and details.”
“I won’t,” James murmured. “Believe me, I won’t.”
But she didn’t seem to hear as she turned on her car and began to pull out. But that was okay. James didn’t really need to see his old OT hear him sound like he was pining for her when she was literally right in front of him.
Standing there, he watched her go, wondering exactly what he’d gotten himself into. And also, what kind of presents he should get her and her son.
Chapter Six
Katrine
Does one pm work for you? That’s usually when the meal starts.
Oh really? That’s so early!
Is it? Normally the present exchange starts at eight.
Katrine chuckled at James’s reply. You ranch people have a skewed perception of what’s early or not.
That’s fair. Most of us are up before five am.
Gross.
I’m thankful I’m no longer in the part of my life where I have to work those awful hours.
Hah, yeah. Unfortunately it’s more of a permanent thing for people in my line of work.
Well, you win some, you lose some, I suppose.
Fair enough.
With that, he sent her the address and the conversation petered out when James commented that he needed to get some colostrum to some baby goats. Katrine stared at her phone for a couple of minutes, knowing she had an appointment to get to, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
This was really happening.
She was going to a whole Christmas meal with James and his family. James Touhey, her old patient and stunningly handsome cowboy. Or was he a ranch hand? Katrine kind of used them interchangeably, but she got the feeling that was probably incorrect.
Either way, she was going to be spending one of the most important holidays with him and his massive extended family. It would have been one thing if it was just with his sister, his brother, and his parents, but no. It was with most of the Montana Miller clan, which was apparently quite massive.
Whew. It was a lot. More than she could handle on her own. So, with another glance at the clock on her phone ticking down to her next patient, she hurriedly texted Gabi.
Hey, can we talk tonight?
Sure, what’s up?
Girl, you will not believe what I have to tell you.
***
“So, do you like him?”
“Do I like him!?” Katrine repeated loudly before hushing herself. Thankfully, Remy didn’t even so much as look up from his book about a giant red dog. Goodness, it seemed like just yesterday he was learning his alphabet, but he’d taken to reading like a duck to water. His teacher said he was already at a third-grade level, which was pretty amazing to Katrine, considering she’d only ever been a casual reader. She liked it well enough, sure, but it was hard to carve out time in her day. And if it was difficult when she was younger, it was nearly impossible as an adult.
“What, are we in third grade?”
But Gabi didn’t relent on the other side of the phone. Katrine could just imagine her curled up on her couch, a cup of hot tea in hand while her son played his hour of video games that he was allowed on school nights.
“Okay, maybe I didn’t ask it in the most enlightened way, but I can hear it in your voice. Something’s different about this guy, isn’t it?”
“I dunno. Maybe. But it’s kind of inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate? How?”
“He used to be my patient.”
“Yeah, like a million years ago! And besides, he was assigned to a different OT that specialized in prosthetics. He hasn’t been your patient in a while.”
“But—”
“Katrine, I know you, and I know this isn’t about some sort of red-tape propriety thing. Why are you scared that you could possibly have feelings for a guy who apparently is tall, handsome, fully employed, and a whiz with kids?”
She had to put it that way, didn’t she?
Then again, she was spot on. In reality, it wasn’t about the fact that he was her patient. That was barely a blip on the radar of her concerns. But it was a whole lot easier to explain than pretty much anything else she could come up with. Because getting down to the root of the matter meant being honest with herself, and Katrine was oh-so-good at keeping just busy enough that she never had to do that.
“I… I guess I’m just scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“Everything. Having emotions. Trusting again. If you would have told me that Irving would have just up and left without so much as a goodbye, I would have told you that you were insane. But that’s exactly what happened. Sure, I feel… nice when I’m around James. And I am attracted to him. I just don’t think I can take another heartbreak like that, another betrayal, but there’s no way of knowing if he will or not. Not to mention I’ve got Remy to think about.”
Gabi’s frank tone faded, shifting into something much more understanding. Yet another reason she was Katrine’s best friend. The woman knew when to turn it on and off, and she was always ready to lend a kind ear.
“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry. That’s a really, really, hard situation to be in.” Oh boy, wasn’t it? “But you can’t live your life in fear. If you’re not ready, you’re not ready, and that’s okay. But if you are ready and you’re letting fear hold you back from something wonderful, life-changing even, then you’re doing a disservice to you and Remy.”
Katrine didn’t say anything for a long moment, digesting all of Gabi’s words. It was certainly a lot to think about, and yet it rang true in the deepest parts of her. “How do I even know when I’m ready?”
“That’s something only you can know. But you have to be willing to be open and honest with yourself. That’s the only way, really. Otherwise it’s too easy to just be scared and hermit yourself away.”
Katrine nodded, even though her friend couldn’t see her, turning everything over in her head this way and that. The silence was palpable across the phone, and after a few minutes, Gabi cleared her throat.
“I’m sorry, was that too much?”
“No, it was exactly what I needed to hear.” Katrine sighed, her emotions churning a million different directions within her. “This is what I get for having a psychologist for a best friend.”
“Child therapist, actually, but yes. That is what you get. But you do know I love you, right?”
“Of course, Gabi. You’ve been with me through thick and thin. If there’s one person I can trust in this whole world, it’s you.” They were best friends, but really they were more than that. They were sisters of the soul. Found family that looked out and cared for each other no matter what.
“That means a lot to me to hear you say that. But Katrine, as your soul sister, I think you should maybe take a leap of faith.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah, I do. And you might not know where you’ll land, but I know you’ll have one heck of an adventure along the way.”
“Well, when you put it that way…” Katrine steeled herself inside. She’d faced down everything in her life and came out the other side. This would be no different. And probably a whole lot more pleasant. “I’m gonna go. Besides, this will be a good chance for Remy to experience a holiday with a whole bunch of other kids. He’s still talking about that bake sale we went to. Can you believe that?”
“Hey, I’ve always said Remy was meant to have more brothers and sisters.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Remy’s plenty enough for me.”
“Yeah, as a single mom, but if there was someone else in the picturrrrrre,” she finished the last part in singsong before cackling. “You’re right. I am getting carried away. But seriously, with that man’s jawline and your nose, you’d have some seriously cute kids.”
“Gabi.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop. But like, maybe this is your chance at the ultimate Christmas present.”
“What, getting a free meal and flirting with an old patient?”
“No, you dip!” Gabi retorted. “Finding your soul mate.”
Oh.
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