Page 26 of Ashes of the Past
“Why don’t you three go round up the guys and ask them to get washed up for lunch?” I ask.
All three respond in some way before racing out the door. Joanne and I continue moving about the kitchen, getting everything ready for the guys to come in to eat.
In no time, all the ranch hands are in the house filling their plates with food. Some of these guys have been working for us since I was a teenager, so it really is a family dinner for us.
Jack comes in last. He leans against the doorframe, his dark brown eyes observing the room carefully. He tugs on one of Ava’s braids.
“Uncle Jack!” she gasps.
“Is that all you’re eating, Ava?”
“They’ve been stealing bowls full of sausage dip since we got here,” Joanne says with a laugh. “Make sure you get some of that; it’s really good.”
“I’ll do that.”
“It’s usually the first to go,” Paulo says over his shoulder.
“It’s the most addicting thing I’ve ever eaten,” Steve, another ranch hand, adds. “Miss Brynn’s potato salad is really good, too.”
“It’s Mama’s recipe, not mine,” I say dismissively.
“She taught you well,” Dad interjects.
“But the apple pie is the worst thing you’ll ever eat in your life,” Nick, one of the oldest ranch hands, chuckles. “Don’t touch it.”
I swat at him playfully. “I made you one of your own. I know how you try to get it all to yourself.”
“It usually works on the new guys,” he chuckles, his bright blue eyes shining back at me.
Nick has been here the longest of anyone. He started working here when he was only fourteen and never left; he’s almost fifty now. Dad offered him the management position originally, and he turned it down.
Everyone’s plates are full, and we all gather in the dining room with the special table my dad handmade for my mom and these special moments. There’s laughter and conversation like any other Sunday dinner.
My eyes keep flitting to Jack, though. I watch as he teases Bret, Ava, and Olivia, but also how he interacts with them. They’re all having a conversation as he gets to know them better. I don’t know that I’ve noticed him having a real smile on that gorgeous face of his until right now.
Jack glances over, catching me staring. “What?” he asks, his tone sharp but not unkind.
I shake my head, a small smile tugging at my lips. “Nothing. Just…you’re good with them. The kids, I mean.”
He shrugs, looking almost embarrassed. “They’re family. Comes with the territory.”
But it’s more than that, and we both know it. Jack might not be the easiest man to get along with, but there’s a heart buried under all that gruffness. And today, I’ve caught a glimpse of it.
Chapter Ten
Jack
“I’m glad you called and that we got to hang out today anyways,” Joanne says with a grin as the three kids run around playing tag.
“Me, too. I wasn’t expecting Sunday lunch to be a requirement.”
“It’s good for you. All of this is good for you. Especially that you’re finally back in Hicks Creek. I know you always hated it here, but…”
“I don’t hate it here. I hated the gossip that everyone always had to take part in. These small towns are just so… small-minded.”
“Maybe so.” She shrugs. “But I can’t imagine living or raising these babies anywhere else. I’m glad that you were there for Tate. You’re fully responsible for how amazing that kid is, and I’m so damn grateful things worked out how they did that you’re now back here with us. I’m thrilled that my kids are going to get to spend more time with you now.”
“Kids weren’t…they were always a dream we had, and we never got one of our own.”
