Page 83 of A Heart Falls Cowboy Christmas

Ivy was talking quietly to the children. Fern was discussing something with Jake and Cody, waving her arms so excitedly in the air that she nearly hit Chance in the head with her prosthesis.

Rose was on the other side of Chance, settled beside their mom, a pile of presents at her side.

Four so very different girls who’d all been brought together into one family. Now that they’d added husbands and children to the mix, Tansy had more of an idea of how hard her parents had worked to make that family be what it needed to be for each of them.

They weren’t cookie cutter images of each other except in the one way that really counted. They all loved unconditionally. Which was huge. Was everything, and Tansy finally felt it to the core of her being.

She was loved. End of sentence.

“Open this one.” Fern handed one of the packages to Rose. “It’s one of only two presents that I don’t know what’s inside.”

Rose laughed. “And satisfying your curiosity is of vital importance?”

“Of course.”

Rose held the box toward Chance, but he shook his head. “You get to unwrap. I’m hoping at some point I get to reclaim my daughter.”

“Eventually. Did you take a ticket and get in the number queue?” Cody asked. He was the current cuddler of the baby and looked in no hurry to give Lily up.

After the paper flew, Rose revealed that the box held a sturdy looking funnel with a turning handle.

“Handheld food grinder,” Grandpa Ashton explained. “So eventually you can use what you made for your dinner for Lily to enjoy as well. Supposed to be a really good idea from what I researched.”

Rose smiled at him. “Thank you, Grandpa. That’s thoughtful.”

He made a sheepish face. “If you’d had a foal I’d know exactly what to suggest, but this baby business is still pretty mysterious. It’s my first go-round with one this little.”

Walker laid a hand on Ashton’s shoulder. “You’ve gotten pretty good at the Grandpa and Great-grandpa gig, in spite of your inexperience.”

The older man grinned. “Old dog, new tricks. Still learning.”

Conversations continued even as Rose unwrapped baby presents. It was so…them. The presents were important, but so were the talks and the smiles and the teasing that carried on throughout.

The package from Walker held a tiny pink onesie with a fluorescent orange cow on the front. The cow wore sunglasses and the speech bubble over its head read, I’m MOOOO-volous.

Rose laughed. “We can enter Lily into the Tacky Threads Throwdown.”

A chuckle drifted from Walker. “I hadn’t even thought of that part. I liked it because it glows.”

“It what?”

“Glows in the dark.” He wiggled a finger at the outfit dangling from Rose’s fingers. “You’ll always be able to find her in the middle of the night.”

Laughter bloomed across the room, drifting into corners and settling in the depths of Tansy’s heart as she watched each gift opened, heard each teasing bit of joy.

When Rose lifted the gift wrapped in silver, though, Tansy held her breath.

Here we go…

A moment later Rose held up the simple picture frame that Tansy and Jake had made together with so much joy. Six oval cut outs in the base frame with the words stenciled at the top.

Cousins Are The Best

“Oh, that’s so sweet.” Rose traced a finger along the red cedar frame as she turned it so the family could see. “Thank yo— Hang on.”

She jerked the frame to the side and examined it closer.

At the same moment, Fern gasped. Tansy’s mom pressed her fingers to her lips. Chance let out a hoot.