Page 29 of The Cowboy's Christmas
Chapter Six
“Iwant anothermouse. One with great big ears,” Jessa said as Deke started pouring batter onto the griddle one-handed. Saturday was pancake day and Savannah played it smart and didn’t try to keep Deke from indulging in the tradition he’d forged the very first Saturday the girls had been there. That had been one rough morning, with Sophie and Jessa wondering where their parents were, and unable to understand the length of time they’d be staying with Savannah and Deke. Fortunately, Sara had made a video call that morning and suggested that the girls might like to help Deke make his world-famous mouse pancakes. And thus, a tradition was born.
“One mouse coming up.” He swirled the batter into three adjoining circles on the griddle while Savannah brought her plate to the sink, rinsed it, then put it in the dishwasher. She had almost everything loaded, except the batter bowl and the girls’ plates and utensils, hoping that Deke would return to his chair after he was done with the pancakes.
He frowned as he controlled a runaway edge with the side of his spoon.
“You’re a much better pancake artist than I am.”
“A master,” he said gruffly.
“No. Really. I never had the guts to attempt a T. rex.”
“That was a dog.”
Savannah gave him an oops smile. “Whatever, it was delicious.”
Her head came up at the sound of the flatbed pulling to a stop and despite a stern warning to herself, and lots of self-talk the previous evening, her pulse jumped. “I guess I’m going to work.”
“Does Quinn want to eat one of Uncle Deke’s pancakes?” Sophie asked.
“I’ll bet he’s already eaten,” Savannah said, watching through the kitchen window as he got out of the truck, then held the door open so that Pepper could jump out. Joey and Harold greeted her like an old friend, and soon the three of them were chasing each other around the vehicles, dodging and feinting one way and the other, as herding dogs did.
Savannah opened the door as Quinn mounted the steps, letting in a blast of cold air.
“Do you want me to warm up the tractor while you get ready?”
“I want you to come inside,” she said, holding the door wider. “Have you eaten?”
“I did. Got a breakfast burrito to go at the Java Café.”
He reminded her of her cautious old barn cat as he crossed the porch. “You’ve met everyone,” she said as he stepped inside.
“Hi, Quinn,” Jessa piped up from where she sat at the table, a table knife in one hand and a fork in the other in classic ready-to-eat position.
“Nice fingernails,” he said, and both little girls held up their hands, spreading their fingers wide, so that he could admire Tropical Sunset on Jessa and Pink Cloud on Sophie.
“Show him yours, Aunt Vannie.”
Aunt Vannie pulled her hands from behind her back and displayed her nails, which were painted blue, along with her cuticles and quite of bit of the skin surrounding the nails. Quinn gave a low whistle.
“Nice,” he said solemnly. “It’s a shame to make you work with nails like that.”
“I will wear gloves so as not to ruin my manicure,” she replied, impressed by the rapport he’d managed to develop with his nieces in less than a minute.
“Uncle Deke makes mouse pancakes,” Jessa said. “But they don’t have any mice in them.”
“I’m four,” Sophie said from the other side of the table, finally finding her voice after her silent meeting with Quinn the day before. “My mom is a soldier.”
“That’s cool,” Quinn said.
“Our dad is a soldier, too,” Jessa added. “He has a dog.”
“My brother-in-law is part of a canine unit,” Savannah explained. “Bomb sniffing.”
“Who wants a mouse?” Deke asked.
The girls both raised their hands and Quinn glanced toward the window. “Maybe I should go start the tractor?”
