Katie has been here two weeks and she is a more than I could have ever hoped for in an old lady. It’s Christmas Eve and today we went ahead and moved all of Katie’s stuff in the apartment over the barn. I want her in my house, but we are taking it one step at a time. If I know she is mine, that is all that matters. After the altercation between them at the clubhouse, Cap banned DaVine. That’s not a headache I have to worry about anymore. Katie starts work right after New Year’s. She’s already doing housework for a paycheck, but her farm duties start then. Not that she hasn’t been attached to the animals already. I picked up her two perfect Christmas presents this morning. It’s a major surprise. She gets one tonight at the clubhouse and one in the morning at Lil and Cap’s.

Katie finished her first semester of college and is already pre-enrolled for the next one. We got her fixed up with another old truck. She had her pick of the extra vehicles Cap and Lil had and she picked the oldest truck they had. She said it had character.

All the brothers are getting restless and our stomachs are growling with the smells coming out of the kitchen. The clubhouse is festive with almost everyone here. Lil and Katie have been cooking for three days. Lil finally comes out of the kitchen and waves Cap in to get the bird out of the oven. All the brothers make their way to the table. Cap sets the turkey in the middle of the food table and makes his way back over to have his say at the head of the table.

“We have had a good year this year. Everyone is healthy, and we haven’t lost any of our loved ones. We’ve added Katie, so everything is good. We are expanding our territory and our businesses are prosperous. All in all, a momentous year. Thank you, ladies, for doing a fantastic job on our meal. Let’s eat.” Cap grabs a plate, and everyone follows him. It was a great meal. The ladies cooked, so the prospects clean.

After everything is cleaned and put away we make our way over by the bar and the tree. It’s full of presents. Lil makes sure everyone has at least one for tonight and one for in the morning. She’s our own Santa. Katie’s present for here, I took care of.

Everyone has a gift wrapped present in front of them, so I take the envelope out of my pocket. I try to straighten it, but it really doesn’t matter. I hand it to her and she stares at it. I think she will love it, but now I have doubts. She is going first, or my nerves will kill me. “Katie, you get to go first.” Katie is still shy, so she looks to me and I nod my head. She rips the envelope open and she gets the biggest smile on her face.

“You got me a puppy. Thank you. I’ve never had a pet of my own before. I’ve never been in a situation that I could take care of one.” Katie has tears in her eyes.

“Katie Bug, are you okay? I didn’t mean to make you cry. I will get you something different if you want me to.” I just wanted to make her happy. She loves Lil’s pets.

“These are happy tears. I have a home, so I can take care of a dog of my own. When can we go to the shelter to get it?” She likes it.

“They won’t be open until Monday. You can pick the one you want. I paid all the fees. You just need to find the one right for you. I thought it would be better that way.” Katie comes over and sits in my lap with a big smile on her face. My baby is happy. She stays in my lap most of the rest of the night until it is time to leave. Everyone else opens their gifts and we celebrate, but after a couple of hours the club girls start to arrive, and I know it is time to take my baby home. I want to go home and curl up with Katie in her new apartment.