Page 25 of Marrying Bonnie

“He saysit’s still going to be a while.” Noel shoved her phone into the back pocket of her jeans.

Bonnie looked at the clock for the tenth time that hour. It was nearly half past six. “I hate to eat without him.” And unless Cabe took something out there, the guys didn’t have anything to eat for dinner, either.

Noel appeared to be thinking along the same lines. “What if we made sandwiches and took food to them? Jace told you where they’d be, right?”

“Yes, and that’s a great idea. It’ll give Gunner a chance to see his dad before bed, too.”

The women smiled at each other, snagged Gunner, and headed for the kitchen. It took them a while to make enough sandwiches for the four men as well as themselves. Forty minutes later, they were in Noel’s car. It wasn’t hard to locate Jace and the guys.

The men were busy working on the fencing but paused the moment the car came into view. Noel waved.

Bonnie tried to ignore the flutters in her stomach at the sight of Jace. The truth was, she’d seldom thought about Lew since their break-up. But Jace? That was a whole different matter. Thoughts of him filled way more of her waking hours than they ought to.

They got out of the car. “We thought we’d bring you guys some food. I hope you don’t mind,” Bonnie explained as she helped Gunner out of his car seat.

Noel retrieved two large blankets from the trunk. After spreading them out on the ground, she got the cooler they’d packed.

The men quickly abandoned the fencing in favor of food. Bonnie hadn’t met everyone yet, and Jace made the introductions. She shook Cabe’s hand and instantly liked the older gentleman. Brady tipped his hat politely while Elvin only stared at her curiously. When he realized she’d seen him, he blinked and looked away.

Everyone was hungry, and it wasn’t long before they were all seated on the blankets.

Bonnie thought they would be plenty big enough, but that proved to barely be the case.

She sat first to help unpack the simple dinner. Jace chose a spot next to her, their knees a mere inch from touching each other. If it were possible, she could have sworn there was an electrical current jumping that small gap.

She busied herself handing out food and did her best to ignore Jace’s close proximity.

Noel pointed to the fence. “How’s it going?”

“We’re getting there,” Cabe replied. “It took longer than I would’ve liked to get the panels. It’s just a good thing we didn’t lose any sheep. They were in a different field.” He motioned around their small group. “With the four of us working on the fence, we should have it finished soon.”

Jace had mentioned the different fields earlier.

Bonnie had been wondering about the logistics behind where the sheep were placed. “How do you decide which sheep go into which fields?”

Jace swallowed his bite of sandwich before answering. “We keep the ewes and lambs in one field together close to the barn. Older lambs are separated by gender and placed in separate fields. Then we have several sections we use when it comes time to breed the sheep.”

“A lot of the time we rotate, too,” Cabe added. “It’s better for the crops that way.”

That made sense. “So you’ve had the flock in this field before, then?” Bonnie could tell which of the replaced panels were new. The hole in the fence looked to have been a substantial one.

“Yep.” Jace brushed his hands off on his jeans. “Which is why it’s such a blessing that wasn’t the case this time.”

They all ate the sandwiches and cookies. Soon afterward, Cabe and the other two men went back to work on the fence. Jace joined him, taking Gunner along.

Bonnie watched as Jace patiently showed Gunner how to use the hammer and then helped the little boy try it himself. Gunner listened attentively and then put his all into the attempt.

“He’s an amazing dad,” Noel said as she began to put everything back in the cooler. “I wholly credit Grandpa for that, and Jace’s determination, because our own father sure wasn’t a good example.”

There was no missing the bitterness in Noel’s voice. Bonnie could certainly sympathize. “Yeah, my parents were never the hands-on type, either. Sometimes, though, having that kind of influence makes us want to do better.”

Noel nodded thoughtfully. “I’m sure that’s true. It just makes me happy that Gunner has a dad that cares so much about him.”

“What was Gunner’s mom like?” The question was out of Bonnie’s mouth before she realized it. Immediately, she wished she could take it back.

While Noel looked a little surprised, she didn’t miss a beat in answering. “Samantha was quiet. Sweet. But she had a lot of walls that made it hard to get to know her. She was that way with Jace even after they got married.” She got a faraway look on her face. “Their marriage was almost one of convenience. I know they cared a lot about each other, but I’m not sure they were ever in love. I don’t think they realized that until later, either.” As though she might have said too much, Noel focused her attention on Jace and Gunner in the distance.

Her voice sad, Noel continued. “Samantha died of an embolism just a few days after Gunner was born. It was such a shock for everyone. She adored Gunner. She would’ve been a great mom.” She sighed, looked at Bonnie, and smiled again. “That’s why it makes me happy that Gunner has you, too.”

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