Page 25 of A Rancher's Heart
Caleb ignored the lot of them as he grabbed a saddle and headed to work. He kept an eye on his watch, though, and made sure he was back inside the house in plenty of time to be cleaned up and ready to help before supper was on the table.
He pulled on clean jeans and a dark T-shirt, dragged a comb through his hair and called it done, hurrying in case there were any more temper-tantrum emergencies to deal with.
Instead, peaceful quiet greeted him as he left his room, the low murmur of country music growing louder as he entered the great room. The table was set and the most amazing smells floated on the air. He double-checked to be certain, but Sashawasin the room, playing a board game with Emma as they sat on the floor in front of the unlit fireplace. Tamara sat at the island, cookbooks and paper at hand as she wrote. A new calendar on the fridge held a bunch of bright notes written in a bold hand, and there were more cookies cooling on racks on the counter.
Caleb didn’t say a word for fear there was some magic at work, and talking about the serene situation would break the spell.
Not only were the girls in their right minds, the room felt cozy. Plus, he wasn’t about to regret there was food on the table he hadn’t put together.
He closed his eyes and took a deep, appreciative breath. “I swear it smells better when somebody else cooks.”
“Daddy!” Sasha scrambled to her feet.
Both girls came running to greet him, and he had to admit there was something soul-satisfying about the happiness on their faces and the tight squeeze of their hugs. He wasn’t a perfect father, but they seemed pleased enough with him, most times.
Tamara had risen as well, and she motioned toward the table. “You ready to sit right away, or you want a drink first?”
“I could eat.”
He and the girls were halfway to the table when there was a brief knock at the kitchen door. An instant later it swung open, and Dustin poked his head in and smiled. His brother’s face was heck of a lot cleaner than it had been a half hour ago when he could’ve sworn the kid had been rolling in the mud.
“Am I in the right place?” He stepped inside, basket in hand. He held it in Tamara’s direction. “Fresh bread. JP sent these for you.”
Tamara pulled the basket from him, motioning him toward the table. “Take off your boots then sit,” she said. “You’re right on time.”
Caleb counted quickly and realized the table was set for five. “You didn’t say you were joining us for dinner.”
“Tamara invited me when I stopped by earlier.” Dustin stepped out of his boots, lining them up on the mat beside the door. He stopped to wash his hands before moving toward the table, ruffling the girls’ hair before dropping into the chair next to Sasha. “And we were working. I didn’t want to interrupt since I figured I’d see you soon enough.” He grinned at Tamara. “Man, it smells like heaven.”
A tray filled with ribs settled on the table in front of Caleb, and there was no time for him to complain about not knowing what was going on in his own home.
Although he knew damn well one thing that was going on that wasn’t going to continue for much longer—if Dustin thought he could flirt with Tamara,hell nofor so many reasons.
Tamara placed the rest of the food in front of him. She’d stacked all their plates there as well, and when she sat to his right, he hesitated. Especially after she picked up the water pitcher and began pouring for everybody.
A flashback to an earlier time struck hard—Wendy in that same position. Her blonde hair pulled back, face tight. Silent as the girls babbled and Dustin, Ginny and Dare teased each other.
Tamara’s expression shifted to worry. “This is right, isn’t it? The table setup?”
He hurried to assure her, the tightness in his gut uncomfortable even as she waited for his answer. “Family ritual,” he explained putting a scoop of everything on the first plate. He hesitated, then placed it in front of her. “I don’t even remember when it started, but my dad used to serve everyone. When they passed on, I kept up the tradition.”
Dustin lost his smile, thoughtfulness drifting over his expression as he met Caleb’s eyes. “We needed that bit of sameness during the mess of them being gone.” He glanced over to Tamara. “I was too little to remember all the details, but my guess is with seven at the table some days, and eleven when Dare’s family joined us, it was the only way to make sure everybody got some food from the pot.”
Caleb had kept serving while Dustin talked. Sasha glanced at him as she passed him a full plate, as if realizing something for the first time “You were as big as I am now, when grandma and grandpa died.”
Dustin nodded once.
“I’m not too little to remember things. And neither is Emma. We rememberlotsof things.”
Her lips twisted stubbornly, and Caleb had to laugh. “Yes, pumpkin, you remember lots of things. I think what Uncle Dustin’s saying is he’s gotten so oldhe’sforgotten what it’s like to be seven and nine like you and Emma.”
Emma poked Sasha and did something under the table with her fingers, then for some strange reason, they both glanced at Tamara before Sasha gave him a pointed glare.
“Emma’s seven and ahalf,” Sasha reminded him sternly.
Everyone had food and drink, and conversation turned to memories and whether they were more like a TV show or a framed picture, and slowly that sense of being watched by a ghost diminished enough Caleb could take a deep breath and push past it.
The food helped. He sank his teeth into another bite of barbecued ribs and sighed happily.
