"I am always surprised at how cold it is here whenever I come home from a trip," Lisa commented as Jack turned off the main road and onto the long driveway back to Heartland.

"I knew it was cold here, but geez," he exclaimed, "it's absolutely freezing. It's hard to believe that places have a warm, scratch that, a hot Christmas," he said with a nod. "I'd get that if it was the Southern Hemisphere, but it was downright hot and humid there in Florida, which is still on the same continent."

"Oh look!" Lisa exclaimed as they drove toward the house, and she gestured toward the pond. "It looks like everyone is outside skating."

"Either I'm getting old or I got too used to the warm weather because I can't believe they are out there skating," he said, turning the car toward the barn to park.

Lisa made a face as she looked over at him with a smirk, "I think both can be equally true." She started to chuckle, and he made a face back at her, finally parking and both getting out of the car. "Glad we left our coats in the car the airport, ehh?" Lisa asked, as both tried to bundle up even more. There was a good amount of snow that had fallen in the last week, and Jack waited for Lisa to walk around the car so they could walk together. She looped her arm through his, both for the closeness and the idea that maybe neither would slip and fall if they were walking together.

"I must say that getting some dinner in Calgary was a very good idea," Jack looked over at Lisa as they walked. "That steakhouse is always good, and we don't get to go there very often."

"I knew you loved that place. I do too," she grinned up at him. "I'd gladly go there any day over that all you can eat one you absolutely love," she grimaced, shaking her head. Jack chuckled.

"That's where we go when you're the one in the doghouse," Jack said, holding his head high as he nodded with a smile, looking over at Lisa.

"Then we shouldn't be eating there ever," she commented, a smirk on her face. "I never do anything wrong; I'm the perfect wife." Both started laughing then, and as they were enjoying their banter, their voices seemed to carry, and the family noticed they were walking toward them.

Jack leaned in before they got closer to the group, "You're certainly perfect for me. Thanks for the great trip, Lise. Just what I didn't know I needed."

"Gigi's!" The two heard and looked toward the pond, no doubt in their mind at the voice. They saw Lyndy skating toward the bench the family had down there, moving as quickly as she could in her ice skates to get to them.

"Looks like Tim did a good job with the lights around the pond," Jack commented. He and Lisa both waved at everyone.

"Grandpa, Lisa, hey, good to see you," Amy said, skating up behind Lyndy.

"Lisa!" Lyndy was almost jumping up and down, so excited to see her. Lisa dropped to her knee, and she opened her arms there to give Lyndy a big hug right next to the ice.

"Oh, it's so good to see you, Pumpkin," Lisa said, giving her a big hug. "It looks like you are having a wonderful evening out here."

"It's getting cold. I'm cold. I keep falling," Lyndy started to complain, and Jack, Lisa, and Amy all laughed. Lisa, who was still eye to eye with Lyndy nodded, "Well, maybe it's about time to get into the house. I'm cold, and I just got here."

"Did you bring me a present?" Lyndy asked.

"Lyndy!" Amy exclaimed, sighed, and shook her head, looking at Jack and Lisa. "Sorry guys."

Jack glanced at Lisa and started to chuckle himself, looking back to Amy, "It's a good thing I'm married to a very smart lady who thinks about things like this." Amy grinned, giving Lisa a nod of appreciation, and Lisa rubbed Lyndy's shoulders as she answered.

"We'll have to check our bags. I'm not sure if anything jumped in the bags for you. Maybe," she grinned, shrugging.

"Hey guys," Lou skated up. "If you need dinner, there are leftovers."

"We're fine, Lou," Jack waved. "We stopped at our favorite steakhouse in Calgary when we got off the plane. Only so many peanuts you can eat."

"There it is," Lou nodded, with a grin at Amy. "Ahh, we wondered if you would start complaining about this trip."

"I'm not complaining!" Jack exclaimed looking to Lisa. "Lisa will tell you I was a great traveler, enjoyed the trip very much, and no," he looked at the three women, "I'm not keeping my true feelings to myself."

"He did have a good time," Lisa grinned at the girls. "We both did and as a matter of fact," she nodded, gesturing to Jack, "Jack suggested we go back to Florida next December."

"Wow, Grandpa!" Amy grinned. "Nice job. I'm proud of you for embracing a trip. It looks like you both got some sun, either that or the glare out here is bad. I can't help but notice you are wearing some of those Florida pants Lisa bought you. Wow, you did have a good time."

"We did," Lisa nodded. "Ate too much," she chuckled. "Great seafood. Lovely walks on the beach each day. I mean, we even rode out our first tropical storm. Really relaxed, and we just really enjoyed ourselves."

"I'm so happy to hear that," Lou nodded. "I wouldn't know how to relax."

Amy and Jack glanced at each other, both having to look away before laughing at Lou's comment. Lisa gestured at Lyndy.

"Sweetheart, if you are ready to go inside, you can walk with Gigi and me. We're both very ready to get into the house."

"Oh, Lisa, you don't have to," Amy shook her head. "I can bring her in."

Lisa shook her head at Amy, "Not a problem, unless you are just wanting to come inside. You stay here and enjoy yourselves." Lyndy had already skated over to get her boots and very quickly flung her skates to get her boots on. The adults all laughed watching her. "I guess she's really done," Lisa chuckled, and they all nodded.

"Come on Lyndy," Jack put out his hand to take Lyndy's in his, and he extended his other hand to Lisa. "We have to move Lisa's car up to the house, and then we'll see if there's anything in our suitcases for you."

"Thank you both for whatever you brought her," Amy leaned toward them with a small smile. "You know you're spoiling her," she grinned at Lisa.

Lisa shrugged with a wink at Amy, "I recall doing the same frequently for her mother a very long time ago and am happy to do it now for Lyndy. It's just a stuffed animal with a matching book to learn about manatees."

"Oh," Amy nodded, "that sounds perfect. It will be good for her to learn something."

"Ahh," she gestured to Jack who was gathering Lyndy and her ice skates, "thank your grandfather for that idea. I found the stuffed animal, and he suggested the book."

"Wow," Amy nodded, quite impressed. "He even went shopping with you. Nicely done, Lisa."

Lisa winked at Amy, "You and I know Jack has trouble saying no to any of his favorite ladies. It was really nice to see him relax, and he planned a nice dinner for us too. He was very happy all week."

"Glad to hear that," she grinned as Jack walked back over with Lyndy and her gear.

"Okay, we'll see you all back at the house," Jack nodded to the group, and he, Lisa, and Lyndy made their way to her car.

Not long after, the entire family started to filter in from the pond for the evening. Jack and Lisa had an excited Lyndy waiting for her gift, and once they gave her the stuffed manatee, she jumped up and down, excited about it, and then proceeded to walk around the house with it until everyone came inside. Lisa jumped right back into the swing of things in the kitchen, putting on hot chocolate for everyone outside, and Jack built up the fire, then joining Lisa in the kitchen.

"I'm sure they will all appreciate the hot chocolate once they thaw out," he kissed her cheek as the group congregated around the fireplace, cold and trying to warm up. Lisa nodded, pulling out mugs and putting them on the tray, ready to fill them for the family.

"Well, anything that keeps me inside, nice and warm," she nodded to him with a grin. "As soon as everyone gets something to drink, though, I'm planning to head to bed. I'm beat with the travel and the time change."

"Oh, thank you," Jack nodded, his eyes already drooping. "I told everyone we'd tell them about our trip tomorrow. I came in here partly to convince you to head to bed."

"No convincing needed," she raised her hand and shook her head.

"I'll grab the marshmallows for them," Jack offered, and quickly, they had the tray ready for everyone.

"Guys, we are both beat," Jack told them as he carried the tray for Lisa. "We had a great trip, and we'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

"I love my cow!" Lyndy held it up, grinning.

"Lyndy, it's a manatee," Amy corrected her.

"No, no, you're both right," Lisa grinned. "They call manatees sea cows, which is very fitting for living on a cattle ranch. I read it in Lyndy's book and told her that when we gave it to her," and at that Jack put his arm around Lisa.

"See, I didn't even know that then, and I picked the right one," Jack grinned at the group. "Lise asked me to select from a few choices she had, so Lyndy, enjoy your sea cow."

"I love it!" Lyndy yelled, and Amy shook her head at her.

"Speaking of going to bed, Lyndy, you need to do the same. We'll let your Gigi's use the bathroom first while you have your hot chocolate, but then off to bed."

"And, that's our cue to head to bed," Lisa hooked her hand over her shoulder, and she and Jack gave a wave to the group.

It was still almost an hour later when Jack was coming back into the room, Lisa showering first, and he waved at her with a grunt where she was standing at their desk.

"Oh, leave it, Lise. We can sort the mail tomorrow. You know it's probably just all bills and junk."

"Hmm," Lisa spun around, Jack climbing into bed, and she nodded as she walked toward her side to do the same. Once they were both situated, Lisa, still with the lamp on, cleared her throat, and that had Jack open one eye, as he was already about ready to go to sleep, and look at her.

"Wat are you up to?" Jack asked, eyeing her. She gave him a nod and smile.

"I have a present for you, two things actually."

"Now?" Jack asked. "We were just on a vacation for a week. We said we didn't need to do anything for Christmas. What could either of us possibly need?"

"You'll like this," she patted his shoulder. "Trust me. Well," she paused as she considered the gifts, "okay, one you'll really like and one you'll get used to."

He groaned slightly, "Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"Come on," she smacked at him now. "Indulge me, please?"

He sighed, but nodded as he sat up, gesturing at her, "Do I need my light on or glasses?"

"Here," she handed him her glasses. "You'll want to read this."

Lisa handed Jack a paper, which looked like a bill. He made a face before he took it, smacking at the paper, "I thought you said I wouldn't see the bill for the trip, that you'd just pay it, and I was to just go with it."

"I did," she chuckled, grinning at him. "No, just look." She gestured to the paper again, and Jack sighed, trying to read it with Lisa's glasses.

"Okay, it's our joint bank account. What, is something wrong?"

"No," she nudged at him, trying to get him to see. "Jack," she sighed, shaking her head. "There," she pointed at it. Jack read it, glancing her way and then eyeing her.

"You changed your name on it?" Jack finally noticed and put the paper down, looking at her, the shock evident on his face.

She nodded, "I did. There. That's your gift. I was going through the pile of mail for that and a few other things. I've thought about it a lot lately. When we first got married, I told you I had always been Lisa Stillman, and I might always be that for work. It's just how I'm known, but as I've felt about travel, well," she shrugged with a small smile, "it's the same here. I never imagined I'd not want to travel as much and be a homebody, but that's what I prefer now, just being here with all of you. I don't know why I started thinking about my name, but it's actually quite funny you brought it up today at the airport about my passport without knowing that's exactly what I've been working on the last couple of weeks. I haven't touched my passport yet because it's up for renewal next year, and I figure I'll just update it then, but yes, Jack, after all these years, I have decided that I will change my name. I decided that it was time to drop Stillman and embrace Bartlett," she started laughing again. "It just still sounds so odd for me, even after all these years. It will take some getting used to, that's for sure."

"Well," his smile widened, and he grinned at her before he continued, "that is something. I never thought you'd do that, but I have to say, I'm very proud you are changing your name. I don't know," he shrugged, rolling his eyes, "I once told you I never expected you to change your name, but there's something awfully nice about the two of us having the same last name." He reached over and squeezed her hand. "Now, that's a gift I really love. Thank you," and he kissed her hand as their gazes met. She collected the paperwork and shifted to put it on her nightstand. Jack shifted as well, trying to get comfortable again watching Lisa and gesturing for her to curl up beside him.

"I thought you would like that gift, and I'll continue to work through changing things. It's quite the process, way more to it than I ever imagined," she rolled her eyes. Jack leaned over and kissed her, patting her leg as Lisa started to shift and looked like she was about to turn out the light.

"I'm very impressed," Jack told her. "I also know it doesn't change anything about my strong, independent, beautiful wife, I mean, yes your name changes, but your name doesn't define you, Lise, but thank you for doing that for me." He yawned and looked over at Lisa when she cleared her throat again. He eyed her, and she grinned at him, her eyes sparkling.

"Oh, we're not done," she said, pulling her hand up and extending a small box toward Jack. She nodded with a huge grin, "This is for you."

Jack's face dropped, even lying there in the bed, as he glanced at her and then at the box. He knew what a box that size had to contain, and he shifted to his side to address this.

"What is that?"

"Open it," she nodded as she started to laugh. He eyed her but opened it, nodding as he confirmed his suspicion.

"Jig is up, huh?" Jack eyed Lisa again, and she just shrugged with another grin.

"I figure if I can go through all of the painful motions and the red tape, and believe me," she pointed at Jack, "there's so many forms and red tape to just changing my name, you can get on board with wearing a wedding ring," she finally burst out laughing as she finished the sentence. Jack rolled his eyes and nodded at her, the two both on the same page about this topic.

Jack eyed the box, which she was trying to hand to him again. Lisa gestured as she continued.

"So, no, I'm not going to force you to wear a wedding ring, but if you are asking," she pursed her lips at him, and he sighed, nodding too, "I'd really like it if you did wear it. I love being married to you, and while it wasn't the reason we got so many odd comments in Florida, I do want people to know that we are married. I won't force you," she met his gaze, "but you can't wear one if you don't have one, so there you go."

"Well, maybe it won't fit," Jack smirked, giving a look at Lisa. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on," she smacked at him. "Do you really think I'd go to all this trouble if I wasn't sure it would fit? It will fit. I know it."

"Apparently I need to keep one eye open in my sleep," he said, giving her a look, and she burst out laughing, smacking his chest. "What? Have you been measuring my finger in my sleep?"

"No, I just took one of your gloves. Easy. Oldest trick in the book. It's not like I ever would have been able to drag you into a store for a ring, so wear it, don't wear it," Lisa offered a shrug. "You can make that choice."

"Right," he grunted. "As you pointed out, you went to all this trouble to finally change your name. Talk about doghouse. I'll live in it permanently if I don't wear a ring after you changed your name. Fine," he sighed, acting like he was put off with this, but when he really wasn't. Lisa watched and grinned as he opened the box and took out the ring. She bit her lip as he started to slip it on, seeing that he was almost hopeful it wouldn't fit. As predicted, though, it went on without a hitch, and she flashed a huge grin at him.

"You survived that," she nodded.

"Feels weird," he grumbled. She laughed and nodded.

"So does changing my name and seeing it in writing, but we'll both get used to it."

"Fine," he waved and frowned at her, but only in a teasing tone while she just flashed another grin and leaned over to turn off the lamp. Jack lightly chuckled as he pulled Lisa to his side.

"I'd better not hear of you taking it off or accidentally losing it. I seem to recall issues when I bought you your first iPhone."

"I won't lose it or take it off," he grumbled again, Lisa snuggling up next to him.

"Good," she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Lots of changes in a week. Thank you for trying new things."

"Way I see it," Jack commented in the now dark room as they were both about ready to drift off to sleep, "I got by 10 years not having to wear something I would have worn if you'd insisted back when we did get married."

Lisa burst out laughing again, smacking at him, "Just for that, maybe I'll look into another vacation idea for us."

"I told you I'd go back to Florida."

"No, in addition to Florida," she nodded.

"Great, just great," he grumbled.

"Love you, Cowboy," she leaned over and kissed him goodnight.

"Love you too, Mrs. Bartlett," he added, and Lisa groaned.

"Oh, that sounds so strange," she sighed.

"Here's to a great trip, a great Christmas coming up, and yes, going forward, some other great trips with you, Lise."

"Thanks for traveling with me, Cowboy. Living life is so much better with you."