Page 40 of The Soldier and the Cowboy

“Excuse me,” Cal said. Turning, he made his way out of the room. He kept his back to her, but Bailey could still see him wiping his eyes before he rounded the corner into his bedroom.

She resumed her post by the window, but the storm outside had lost its appeal. What before had seemed like a promise of renewal now seemed ominous. She shivered and ran her hands up and down her arms, taken with a sudden chill.

Chapter 17

Alone in his room, Cal pulled out his phone and called his brother.

“Hey, aren’t you in the middle of branding?” Cam answered.

“I thought you’d be nostalgic for it, so I’m calling to commiserate,” Cal answered, scrubbing at his eyes a final time.

“You know I had a dream once I was putting a calf in a shoot. Woke up trying to truss Maggie with the bed sheet. Freaked us both out pretty bad,” Cam said, giving Cal a much needed laugh. “How’s it going with Bailey?”

“Good, it’s really good. She’s implemented a lot of positive security changes, and she’s become a friend. A good friend.”

“How’s that going over with Is?”

“About as well as you’d expect,” Cal said.

Cam laughed. “I’d say Is would scratch her eyes out, but something tells me Bailey can probably hold her own.”

“That she can,” Cal agreed. He took a breath.Say it, just tell him. Get it over with and the truth will be out there and you can move on.

“Hey, speaking of Is, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Cam said.

Cal gripped the phone tighter. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“I have some vacation time coming up and Maggie’s making me use it this time. We were thinking of getting a house on the gulf, and we want you and Is to come.”

“You…you do?”

“Absolutely. Maggie is, er, extremely family centric. She’s really been on me about the lack on our end, and she’s right. We don’t see you guys enough. Someday we’ll have kids, and we want them to know their uncle and aunt. I want them to see the ranch, to know how we grew up.”

“Okay. I’ll get back to you. Kind of crazy busy right now, you know.”

“Sure, absolutely. I remember those days. But, Cal, I meant what I said. I want us to spend more time together. It’s ridiculous how rarely we see each other.”

“Agreed,” Cal said, his throat beginning to close again.

“Give the calves a kiss for me.”

“Do the same to Maggie,” Cal said, clearing his throat.

“I will, but if I try to brand her again, she’s going to be pretty mad,” Cam said and Cal laughed again. They disconnected and Cal sat on his bed a long time, staring at nothing.

The next morning was Monday,the last day of branding. Bailey started with the men before dawn and worked the entire day. When the sun fully rose, Cal disappeared into the house for a few minutes and handed her a Stetson.

“This was my first hat when I was fourteen.” He placed it on her head, ceremonially, she thought, and then handed her a pair of sturdy leather gloves. “To keep those fingers clean,” he added with a smile.

“Too late for that,” she said, holding her dirt-crusted fingersaloft for his inspection.

“I like a girl with a bit of muck on her,” he said, flicking her hat before he disappeared again.

That night they sat on the porch in the glider, too tired to talk or even move.

“Going to have to cut my boots off,” Bailey said. She was accustomed to hard, physical labor but nothing had prepared her for a full day of ranch work. Bailey felt like everything hurt and maybe she was dying, but she wouldn’t say so because if he could do it and keep functioning, then so could she.

Cal picked up her legs, unlaced her boots, and rested her feet in his lap.

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