Page 14 of Shades of Mercy
Jag pinched off a hefty amount of bread to dip into the gravy. “Does the move mean what I think it does?”
“The house will be available for the crew,” Puma said. “Bryar and I will be moving into town over the next few days. I’m going to start renovations at the bunkhouse, and we’ll move forward with the plans to use it for soldiers who need some rest and relaxation. We’re starting to make a profit on beef, which means we’re ahead of the game quicker than I thought we would be. Thanks to everyone’s hard work and skills. We’ve brought all our knowledge together to make this a reputable ranch again.” Puma turned to Jag. “I’ll need you to be my go-to person while I’m focusing on my family. I've set up the cottage for you to stay in, because a foreman needs his privacy.”
Jag soaked up the news. “Are you sure?” As much as he wanted his place, he didn’t like the idea of having more than anyone else.
“The men and I have talked about this,” Puma explained. “You’ve put in a lot of work around here, with the ranch and getting the business off the ground. The cottage isn’t five-star accommodations, but I think you’ll like it there.” He slapped Jag on the back. “And the rest of you will be moved into the farmhouse.”
“Good thing before I strangled a man,” Bear said, partly teasing.
“Now, for the next order of business.” Puma pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and tore it into strips.
The men watched, pausing from shoveling food into their mouths.
“Seeing that we’re faced with a dilemma and need a cook ASAP, I’m going to ask if any of you want to volunteer for the responsibility until we can get someone else in here.” He looked at each of them. None of them spoke up. “Didn’t think so. So we’re going to do it the easiest way possible.”
Jag didn’t like where this was headed.
Puma pushed the pile of scrap paper toward Arrow. “I want each of you to put your name on a slip of paper.” He grabbed an empty bowl. “Fold them and put them in there.”
Each man finished the task and Puma took the bowl. “We’re going to do thissimple. I’m going to draw a name, and whoever the lucky man is, he gets the responsibility of being a temporary cook. I don’t want to hear one word about it. Understood?”
“This ain’t a gripe, but I know for a fact that Kye can’t boil water, let alone prepare an edible meal,” Bones groused.
“Then one of you with a grain of cooking skills better speak up, or we’ll leave it to fate,” Puma warned as he haphazardly tossed the scraps of paper.
Still, no one volunteered.
“Then so be it.” Puma grabbed a piece of paper and unfolded it. His gaze slanted to Jag. “Looks like you’re the winner.”
Jag let out a silent curse. He'd learned long ago that sometimes a man ended up with the short end of the stick, so to speak, but at least he'd be licking his wounds in the privacy of his cottage. Soldiers were infamous for making do with what they had. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d cooked on the hot engine of a Humvee or sat down to eat with families in villages because they’d been kind enough to share a meal.
“Now that we have that settled,” Puma finished his meal. “Tomorrow, we get to the fences. So you fellows get some rest tonight.”
After the men finished, they each stood and languorously made their way outside. Jag stayed behind, guessing he had kitchen duty.
He’d just loaded the dishwasher when Bryar came into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Looks like I came just in time. However, it wasn’t my plan for you to clean the kitchen. Technically, your new chore doesn’t start until tomorrow.”
“So Puma told you?”
“That you’ll be taking over cooking duties? Yes, he did.” She offered him a smile of apology. “I’m sure you have better things to do, so why don’t you go ahead and enjoy your evening? I’ll take over.”
“I can knock the rest of the dishes out by hand in no time. I was going to make myself a cup of coffee. Would you like one?” Jag noticed that Bryar looked tired.
“If you can make that coffee a decaf tea, I’d love one.”
“Then have a seat. I need to get used to the layout in here anyway.” He laughed, but it was far from being funny, but he’d deal with whatever came his way.
He quickly did the remaining pots and searched for tea bags and coffee, while Bryar seemed interested in a book. “What are you reading?”
“It’s a book on how to take care of a newborn.” She looked overwhelmed as she closed the paperback and set it aside.
He finished making her tea and his coffee, then placed the cups on the table. “I've never made tea before, so I've no idea if it needs sugar.”
“Just a little honey will do,” she said, drizzling some from the container on the table and stirring. “Thank you, Jag.”
“It was easy. I just poured boiling water in.”
“I’m not talking about the tea. I’m referring to your friendship with Puma. He’s glad you’re here and enjoys having everyone around, especially you. He mentioned how close you two had grown on your missions. Even if you didn’t realize it, you helped him get through some tough times.”
