Page 4 of The Cowboy Contract
“I guess you’ll have to take that up with him.” He didn’t have the faintest idea how to justify two sets of rules, and didn’t intend to try. That was for people lucky enough to be parents.
And he wasn’t one of them.
After securing Huck in his stall, Leland went in search of his sister and nephew. As Rosemary said, they were in the house dealing with the fallout of Will’s most recent explosion. While it appeared the worst of the situation had been remedied, the effects lingered.
“Holy sh—” He caught himself. “Why does he smell like that?”
“It’s peas. They don’t agree with him.”
Beverly stood at the bathroom sink with Sir William Stinky Pants on the rug at her feet as she rinsed a tiny pair of pants under the tap. A matching shirt and jacket were lined down the counter, wrung out, but still wet.
“It looks like you shoulda called the hazmat team for what came out of him.” He’d been on the receiving end of one of Will’s blowouts before, and the rumbling that accompanied detonation had been almost as shocking as the aftermath. “Is that normal?” Leland eyed the little boy currently chewing his fist and drooling all over his fresh outfit. “Should you take him to the doctor or something?”
His younger sister rolled her eyes his way. “Children are messy creatures by nature.”
Based on the noxious fumes penetrating his sinuses, that was a gross understatement. “They’re chaos monsters.”
And yet he’d still do just about anything for a few of his own. Didn’t matter what they smelled like. Or how much of a mess they made. Or even how little warning they offered before flinging themselves right at a possible head injury. Being a dad was a dream he couldn’t seem to shake, even as the years kept ticking by.
To be fair, he probably could have managed to create one or two if he’d really wanted. The problem was, he didn’t just want kids. He wanted a family. A partner in crime to help raise the little heathens they created. Someone at his side to go into battle with as the goblins destroyed everything in their path.
“They’re the lights of my life.” Sarcasm dripped from Beverly’s claim. She twisted out the bulk of the water from Will’s pantsbefore shutting off the faucet with a sigh. “But seriously. I love the crap out of them and can’t imagine my life if they weren’t in it.”
“I know you love your kids.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “So feel free to talk as much shit about them as you want. I won’t judge.”
“I heard you sayshit, Uncle Leland.” Rosemary jabbed one finger in his direction, her short stature lining that bony little digit right with his crotch.
He barely had time to block the attack, stepping back before she could try again.
“Stop poking at your Uncle Leland.” Beverly scooped up Will from where he was rolling around on the bathmat, slinging the chubby baby onto one hip as she gently reprimanded her daughter. “You know it makes him jumpy.”
“But it’s funny.” Rosemary’s stabby finger came his way again.
This time he moved out of reach. Thank God she had a small wingspan, otherwise—based on the amount of momentum his niece put behind the second swing— he’d currently be on his knees.
“It’s not funny.” Beverly grabbed her daughter by the hand, tugging her away. “Especially not if you ever want cousins to play with.”
His sister’s joke was innocent. She couldn’t know how touchy the spot was where it landed.
No one did, obviously.
“Did you just stop by to stink up my bathroom instead of yours?” He immediately moved the conversation away from the theoretical kids he’d been dreaming of for way too long. “Or was there some other, less disgusting, reason you came over?”
He and Bev had always been close. They grew up thick as thieves and just as sneaky. Less than a year separated them—a fact his mother would rather most people ignore since it indicated the lack of restraint she and his dad had had when it came to certain activities. It was an issue they continued to have to this day, which was why he made sure not to buy a house with an in-law suite for them to move into.
So, while it wasn’t abnormal for his sister to show up at his house unannounced, there was something in her expression that made him think this wasn’t just a social call. He knew when she was just looking for a chat and when she was looking for a favor. And based on the cringe of a smile she was giving him, it was one hell of a favor that brought her there.
“I was wondering if you could possibly babysit tonight.” She continued on, talking faster since she knew what a big ask this was. “One of Dean’s old coworkers is in town with his wife and they invited us to this fancy corporate event in Billings. It sounds like there will be a ton of people from all across the country there who would be great contact points for Dean, and he?—”
“Fine.” Leland cut his sister’s over-explanation short. “Just stop torturing me. You don’t have to bore me into submission.”
His brother-in-law was a great guy, but hearing about the man’s career as an investment banker made his brain try to melt out his ears.
“And you know I’ll always watch the little heathens.” He walked into the kitchen, washing his hands in the sink before pulling a stick of cheese from the fridge and peeling back the plastic. “What time do you need me to come over?”
Rosemary came right to his side, leaning against his leg as she batted her eyes up at him. “I love you, Uncle Leland.”
He sighed, passing off his snack to the only human in the world he could never seem to say no to.
