Page 13 of Forever His Brat

She heard the scraping of the plow from a distance and knew Sam was on his way back. She hurried to throw some bacon in a pan. The oatmeal would be enough on its own, but everything was better with bacon. The honey and fruit gave the oatmeal a sweetness too that balanced nicely with the salty meat.

It took him time to get inside because he’d waited to shovel the porch until after he’d plowed the road. She had steaming bowls, hot coffee, and a plate of crisp bacon waiting for him when he came in on a burst of cold air.

She stopped to stare at him. “You look like a snowman.”

It was only a small exaggeration. The blowing snow had done its best to cover him in a coat of white, though it was clear he’d taken time outside to brush as much off as he could. “I feel like one too.”

He shrugged out of his heavy coat and hung it up and then sighed as he looked down at his jeans. “I’m going to have to change before I go out again,” he grumbled.

She could see the problem. Once he brushed off the loose powder, the denim was dark all the way up to mid-thigh. “How on earth did you get soaked?”

He didn’t look up, too focused on kicking off his boots and then wrestling the wet jeans down. “The wind blew a drift against the truck. I had to clear it off just to get the door open, so I was covered in snow and then the heater melted it.”

He sighed and then seemed to catch the scent of the cinnamon and honey in the air. That perked him right up. “You did the oatmeal?”

“It seemed like a good day for it.”

“Damn, it smells amazing. Perfect meal for a day like this. I love you, Charlie girl.” He flashed her a brilliant smile, as if it had made his whole day. “Let me just go get changed so I can eat.”

The look of warm approval melted her insides and was worth all the work. “I love you too, Daddy, but it’s going to get cold... do you want to eat first?” There was plenty more still warm in the pot of course, but the coffee and bacon were cooling, and he looked chilled.

She frowned as she looked him over. “You probably need a hot shower before you get dressed. Your lips are blue.”

“You’re not wrong about that. Not that I’ve got time to start the whole day over, but—” He stopped and a longing glance settled on the plate of bacon. “How about this, babe, run and grab me some warm pajama bottoms to change into and I’ll eat first.”

It seemed like a good compromise. She let him finish peeling off the wet clothes while she grabbed him the warmest pair she could find. Between that and the hot meal it seemed to be enough to bring the color back to his face.

“Is it just me or does the cold seem worse this year?” The question came after he’d polished off a full bowl of oatmeal; before that he’d been eating too ravenously to say a word.

She hesitated as she thought about it. “It seems about normal for this time of year. Maybe more storms though?” After a long pause she added, “You were pretty sick not too long ago, Sam. Maybe you haven’t gotten all your endurance back yet.”

She hated to say it, but it was true. It was one of the reasons Sam had finally admitted he needed to pull back from trying to do the plural jobs of foreman and owner. It was the main reason Nick was here now.

Sam didn’t like to admit to weakness, and it showed in the way he lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. She didn’t think he’d say anything more about it, but after he grabbed another slice of bacon he did return to the subject.

“You’re probably right.” He snapped the bacon in two and devoured one half. “Hell, I know you’re right. The doctors wanted me to take it easy for longer than I did, but you know how it is around here during calving season. And then there was the livestock auction.”

“Uh-huh.” Charlie did her best impression of Sam hearing something he wasn’t believing.

The look he shot her said he didn’t appreciate it. “Nick was supposed to be here weeks ago, Charlie. I couldn’t do anything about them getting held up, could I?”

“I could have—”

“You’re already balancing enough Charlie. And you’re spending way too much on your classes to blow them off. Besides you were already putting in some long days yourself.”

That was true. He reallyhadtried to work less when he first came home from the hospital. But they controlled the calving season on the ranch and once the babies started coming there were a lot of births at once.

For almost three months they were kept busy as the heavily pregnant cattle gave birth to their calves in staggered groups according to when they’d been inseminated. It wasn’t like clockwork of course. They could only estimate the due date; as with any pregnant mother there was always variation.

And even though their ranch favored late winter births for healthier calves, the newborns still required a lot of extra checks. Every calf that was rejected by their mother was a potential loss. Occasionally one of the other mothers would adopt a crying calf, especially if she’d lost her own.

That was the best outcome. Otherwise, if they found them in time, the babies had to be bottle fed to keep them alive. Charlie loved the sweet new babies but caring for them was exhausting and she tended to get attached. That was always a bad idea because they couldn’t keep them.

Beef cows that were weaned too soon never got to the size they needed to be when they were auctioned at eighteen months. But they didn’t have enough help to bottle feed all the strays for as long as they needed it to be healthy. The only alternative was to wean them early and sell them. It was her least favorite part of ranching.

So he was right, they had needed him. That first batch of babies had been huge, bigger than expected with more twin births than usual. Every hand was needed, including both of hers. That didn’t mean she liked it. She was worried that he hadn’t yet regained all his energy and the cold seemed to wear at him.

Charlie took a deep breath and let it out in one loud gust. “Well, it’s a moot point. Nickishere now, and things are going to be a lot easier. We’ll be able to get the gazebo started as soon as the weather improves and then we can finally make a decision on a wedding date.”

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