Read Online The Rancher's Christmas Princess by Christine Rimmer - Free Book Online Page A

Charlotte, who
was waiting with Ben and the old man in the warmth of the motel reception
room.
    Belle’s companion came out carrying the boy. The old man pushed
the empty stroller, which he folded up and stuck under the camper shell in the
back without even having to be told to do it. Like he knew exactly what to do
with all the equipment you needed to take care of a kid.
    And maybe he did, come to think of it. He’d raised Pres after
all.
    Charlotte marched right up to Pres. “Excellent job installing
the seat.”
    “Er, thank you, ma’am.”
    Ben was making chortling sounds and trying to stick his
mittened fingers into Charlotte’s mouth. “Shar-Shar...” He said something else.
Something not in any language Pres was familiar with.
    Charlotte kissed his cheek. “Yes, and I adore you, too, young
man.” She caught Belle’s eye and the two women exchanged a look. Then Charlotte
said, “And for your next lesson, you will be putting him in the seat.” He
realized she was talking to him when she tried to hand the kid over to him.
Panic gripped him.
    The boy didn’t seem to like the idea either. He let out a
scared little squeak and buried his head against the older woman’s shoulder.
“No. Shar-Shar. No...”
    He felt the strangest admixture of relief and disappointment.
“Uh, maybe we ought to give him a chance to get used to me first....”
    Charlotte regarded him through those enormous eyes of hers.
“Put your hand on his back. Gently.” He was afraid to do it. What if the kid
started crying or something? It would be his fault. “Do it,” Belle’s companion
said pleasantly, yet with a definite thread of steel underneath.
    So he did it. He laid his gloved hand lightly on the small back
of the little boy. Even through the layers of winter clothing, he felt the kid’s
living warmth.
    Ben lifted his head and looked over his shoulder. It was a wary
sort of look, but at least he didn’t look scared or like he was about to burst
into tears.
    “Hi,” Pres said, for lack of anything better. He felt like an
idiot. And at the same time, pretty damn wonderful.
    “Hi,” the boy parroted in a small voice. And then he pressed
his face into Charlotte’s shoulder again, his small arms clutching tightly
around her neck.
    Pres arched an eyebrow at Belle’s companion. Charlotte gave him
a regal nod, which he took as permission to remove his hand. He did, slowly.
With great care.
    Charlotte put the boy in the car seat. They headed for
Missoula, Pres and Belle in front, Charlotte with the little one in back. The
old man rode with the bodyguard in the black SUV.
    The paternity test didn’t take long. There were forms to fill
out, IDs to produce. Pres let them take his thumbprint. For Ben, they wanted a
print of his right foot. And they took pictures of both of them as well. Then a
nurse swiped a Q-tip along the inside of his cheek. She did the same to Ben. The
results would be sent to the ranch by courier at the beginning of the following
week.
    That was it. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet, so they went
straight back to Elk Creek and had lunch at the Sweet Stop in the same booth
they’d shared that morning.
    After that, Belle checked out of the Drop On Inn. Larry was
running the front desk. He fell all over himself saying how sorry he was to see
them go and how much he hoped they’d enjoyed their stay. Pres wanted to tell the
fool to cool his jets, but he kept his mouth shut about it. It wasn’t his
business if Larry Seabuck wanted to act like a love-addled fool. And Belle knew
how to handle herself. She nodded and smiled and thanked Larry for his
hospitality.
    Outside, his father and the bodyguard were loading up the SUV
and the back of the quad cab with suitcases and baby equipment. Pres went out to
help, although they were doing just fine without him. It was better than
watching Larry drool all over Belle.
    For the ride to the ranch, somehow Charlotte ended up in the
backseat of the SUV with the old man. The car