Gifted to the Mountain Man Bonus Scene
Farzad
Five Years Later
“Who’s ready to go Christmas tree hunting?” I ask, laughing warmly at the precious scene unfolding before my eyes.
Shelby has Adam, our four-year-old, bundled up so tightly in a snow suit, scarf, mittens, knit cap, and boots that he can barely bend his knees and elbows. His cheeks glow red, giving the impression he’s burning up despite our snow-covered front yard. But none of this bothers him as he claps his hands together, screaming, “I’m ready, Daddy!” His bright gold and green eyes shine, reminding me of myself at his age.
But Ariana, our two-year-old, is all Shelby—round faced with stunning almond eyes the color of cinnamon, framed by thick black eyelashes. She’s too busy rolling around in the snow and making angels to answer me. And my lovely wife is so very pregnant that she wears one of my Carhartts to be able to fasten it over her beautiful, round belly.
Not that she probably needs it. At eight and a half months pregnant, she constantly complains about being too hot, but I insisted she start out in warm clothes even if she sheds them halfway through our expedition.
Her cheeks shine as bright as our son’s, and she scolds, “Ariana, get up. We don’t need you frozen before we even reach the forest.”
Loading the kids in our black dually and strapping them into their car seats with so many layers means adjusting the straps. So, I get Mama in first, boosting Shelby into the passenger seat. She unbuttons the front of my coat, already acting too warm, and I palm her tight stomach, leaning in to kiss it and whisper, “Next year, my son, you’ll be doing this with us, God willing.”
She places her hand over mine, a tender smile on her face, saying, “As much as I love being pregnant, I admit I’m ready to quit carrying Abdul around twenty-four seven.” As if providing his opinion, her stomach jumps as the baby kicks, and we both laugh.
“Maybe you’ll get your soccer star after all,” she giggles.
Eyeing our children still playing in the snow, I reply, “And to think with how quickly time moves, little Abdul will likely be carrying himself around on his own two feet by next Christmas.”
Shelby smiles warmly, and I lean in to taste her soft, pink lips. She wraps her arms around my neck, threading her fingers through my hair. The delicious feeling of her touch will never grow old, and I say, darkly, “I’ll be happy to get my beautiful wife all to myself again, too.”
“We definitely have some catching up to do, my husband.”
Growling deep in my throat, I say, “It’s the catching up that keeps landing us back in this spot.” I stroke her stomach some more, making it jump again. “Not that I mind. You have made me the happiest man in the world.”
“And you have made me the happiest woman,” my raven-haired beauty replies, covering the distance between us to capture my lips with her warm mouth.
When I pull back reluctantly, aware we need to get the tree hunting show on the road, I treasure the tears in her eyes, making them extra bright. Palming her cheek and stroking it with my thumb, I ask, “Are you ready to go find our tree, ātashé del-am?”
“I am, my husband.”
After wrangling the kids and harnessing them in, I pull out of the driveway slowly, hearing the crunch of powder beneath the wheels of the truck. Three days of storms have blanketed the Sierra Nevada in white, fluffy majesty, and Adam and Ariana chatter and giggle in the back seat, pointing at Wolfe and Izzie’s front yard as we drive past. A giant of a snowman stands guard, no doubt the work of the overzealous Ranger and his two oldest children.
“What are Wolfe and Izzie up to today? They didn’t want to come tree hunting with us?” Shelby asks, laughing at the sight of the large snowman.
“They got their tree a couple of weeks ago. You know how crazy Izzie is about the holidays.”
Shelby nods. “Well, December was a really important time for her and Wolfe from what she’s told me. It’s when they reconciled after nearly divorcing.”
I nod, remembering how heartbroken the Ranger once was, contemplating the demise of his marriage. “Years of deployments can be rough on a couple,” I observe.
She nods.
Reaching over the console, I grab her hand, squeezing it tightly, “Fortunately, circumstances are such that I never have to be away from you and the kids for more than a few days at a time.” I’m referring to when we head out on an undercover mission, usually to break up a human trafficking ring or other organized criminal operation. “But if you had been with me back when I worked as a combat interpreter, it would have been very difficult with many absences.”
After a long pause, where she looks out the window taking in the glittering winter wonderland, she turns to me, declaring warmly, “Nu unu soopedya.”
“And I love you very much, too, Princess. What made you say that just now?” I glance in her direction before turning my eyes back to the road.
“Just thinking about what an amazing husband and father you are.”
“Only because you are an even more amazing wife and mother, who has filled my heart with more love and life than I ever thought possible.” I squeeze her fingers before placing both hands back on the wheel. It’s slippery in patches, and the truck crawls along as we near our turn. I don’t want to miss it.
Many hours later, the tree sits in the corner of our cabin’s living room, and Adam and Ariana lie on the rug and cushions in front of the fire watching Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer on the flat-screen and growing quieter and more tired by the minute. Shelby’s plan has worked yet again.
The smell of delicious holiday treats fills the air, and I shove another stained-glass cookie into my mouth, noticing Shelby has her hand on her lower back and a tired look on her face. I wrap my arms around her from behind, nuzzling her warm neck and rubbing her large belly.
She smells like the Christmas sweets she insisted on baking all afternoon before making a big dinner. While the cookies are a cozy addition to our holiday cheer, she’s at the point in her pregnancy where rest is paramount. But I know she doesn’t want to hear my scolding. So, I tell her the truth she wants instead. “Your cookies are amazing. The cabin is cozy and warm, and everything is perfect. Will you not come sit with your husband for a bit and enjoy the fire?”
Leading her to the couch, we sit down, and I wrap my arms around her, savoring her smell, her feel, everything about her. We got couches and chairs a few years ago when Shelby was pregnant with Adam. As she made abundantly clear before he was born, crawling around on the ground and trying to get up is not compatible with the third trimester. I’m glad for the furniture’s comfort and convenience now as my wife snuggles into me, filling my heart with warmth.
Running my hands through her ebony mane, I marvel at its lustrous silkiness.
She says warmly, “Do you remember our first Christmas together?”
“How could I ever forget? It was the best night of my entire life…and the longest. I don’t know how I ever managed that much self control because desire for you burned me alive. But it was entirely worth it to ensure this blessed future. That said, since marrying you, you have crowded my life with so many best moments, I have trouble picking just one.”
“I had no clue when you brought me to this cabin what our future would hold together. Thank you for saving me in more ways than you will ever know.”
“And thank you for breathing new life, hope, and love into my heart.” We stare into the warm flames for a long time, savoring the glow of the tree, decked out in Shelby’s grandmother’s ornaments and many new ones commemorating our growing family. Thinking back on that first year together, I remember the interminable nine months I waited, knowing Shelby should be mine and clinging blindly to faith, unsure of how, when, or why it would happen. “You are the best gift God has ever given me.”
Grabbing my hand and clasping it in hers, Shelby traces circles in my palm and along my inner wrist, trailing fire every place her fingertips touch. Turning toward my ear, she whispers, “After the children go to bed, and we fill their stockings and leave out cookies for Santa, I have a request for you.”
“Anything, Princess.”
“I’d like a repeat of our first Christmas together. You know, the foot massage…” her voice trails off seductively as her fingers continue to trace warm circles on my palm.
Covering her neck, her cheek, and the shell of her ear in gentle kisses, I suck her earlobe into my mouth, savoring the way her breath catches in her throat and a tiny whimper escapes her lips. Pressing my lips against her ear, I answer softly, “We may start with your feet, but I guarantee that’s not where I’m going to end. I should probably warn you. I don’t plan on being nearly as restrained or gentlemanly as the first Christmas we spent together.”
She chuckles, reaching back to palm my cheek. “I’m counting on that, my husband. After all, isn’t Christmas all about getting what you want?”
I squeeze her tightly. “In my humble experience with the holiday, it’s about getting everything I want and far, far more.” She turns towards me, and I find her mouth, kissing her breathless as we savor the comfort of the home and family we have built together.
Want to read more about Wolfe and Izzie, Hawk and Roxy, Rutger and Bijou, and other characters from this book? Explore the Rough & Ready Country series and beyond, available now in KU.
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Izzie was my everything until years of hurt led to unsigned divorce papers. When my security company wins her workplace’s contract, long-buried desires rekindle. But is it too late? Read now.
Roxy & Hawk
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Bijou & Rutger
A six-figure bounty and a chance for revenge draw me to Nashville and my former fiancée. As I descend into a web of deceit and danger, the line between the hunter and hunter blurs. Read now.