{Chapter 13}

“I hate it when Boss sends us out to get the eggs,” Tiny Morgan muttered to Gringo Thompson.

“I don’t see why you’re so scared of a little chicken. Just kick him outta the way” Gringo entered the chicken coop and Mr. Cluck moved out of the way.

Tiny looked down into the yellow eyes of the rooster. “I think it’s devil-possessed. Maybe we can try to, ya know, get the demons out?”

Gringo shook his head and smirked.

“It’s worth a try!” Tiny defended.

Gringo shrugged.

“Demons! Depart!” Tiny waved his arms around and Mr. Cluck took off running around the chicken coop, scaring the hens and sending the whole coop into an uproar.

Then Mr. Cluck ran after Tiny.

Tiny exited the coop, followed by Gringo.

“You know, Morgan, I had my doubts at first, but you just confirmed my suspicions!” Gringo shoved a finger in Tiny’s face. “You really are stupid!”

Tiny swatted at Gringo’s finger.

“You don’t know what that chicken’s capable of, Gringo. He’s just waitin’ until you get your guard down, then he’ll strike. Just like he did with me,” Tiny said.

Gringo shook his head and headed for the kitchen.

**********

Aubrey and Jay walked toward the main part of the MC Ranch. Aubrey needed to ask Katie where to put the pleats in her curtains and Jay wanted to go see the cowboys. They would probably be having breakfast now, but they would wait until they were finished.

“Can I go see the cat?” Jay asked.

“What cat?” Aubrey asked.

“The one in the barn. They gotta cat to eat the mouses. Tiny don’t want me tellin’ nobody, but he makes the cat sleep in the bunkhouse to scare the rooster off” Jay stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

Aubrey nodded. “Go ahead.”

She stopped at the door of the kitchen when she recognized Abe saddled and ready at the hitching post. Wade was here. She had forgotten that he stopped by the ranch first before checking on the cattle.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. She spotted Wade right away as he leaned against the far wall with a cup of coffee in his hand. He smiled when he saw her.

“I didn’t know you were coming here today,” He said.

“I had a question for Katie,” Aubrey said.

Truth was, she was starved socially. She needed to be around another person for a little while. Not that Jay was boring, but another woman would be nice.

“It’s good to see you, Aubrey. Come on in” Toni smiled from her place at the table.

Aubrey entered at shut the door.

“Where’s the little squirt?” Rawhide asked, shoveling in his breakfast as if he hadn’t eaten in a week.

“Yeah, where is the little squirt?” Wade echoed.

“He mentioned a cat or something and went to find it,” Aubrey explained.

Everyone nodded.

“What was the question, Aubrey?” Katie asked, putting her plate in the washtub.

“It’s about the pleats you showed me how to do” Aubrey said.

“Oh, I see” Katie nodded. “We’ll work on them after everyone is done eating. By the way” Katie turned toward the table. “I say Mark has dish duty.”

The rest agreed.

“I’d say it’s about time he did something around here,” Erik said with a grin.

Mark scowled at him. “You better be glad you’ve got a wife for job security, McBride.”

Erik’s grin widened, and he winked at his wife.

Toni nodded. “I agree that Mark should have dish duty. All in favor say ’I’.”

“I” several said.

“Opposed?”

“No!” Mark objected.

“The ’I’s’ have it. Scrub-a-dub-dub” Toni grinned and put her plate in the washtub.

Mark huffed as everyone stood to deposit their dishes in the washtub.

Aubrey smiled as Wade washed his own coffee cup.

“There. Now you don’t have to wash my dishes. Ha ha” Wade winked at her and headed for the door.

“Job security” he whispered to her as he passed.

She shook her head at him and ignored Katie’s smile.

“You two seem to be getting along well,” she whispered.

Aubrey smiled.

“He took me out to see the stars last night,” she whispered back.

Katie’s eyes widened. “That’s sweet.”

“The curtains?” Aubrey reminded her.

“Yeah, the curtains.”

**********

Aubrey couldn’t help but smile when she heard Jay and Sandy laughing together and they played on the swing hanging from one of the barn rafters. Jay pushed Sandy higher and higher until she began to cry, then he would stop the swing until she stopped, then he would start pushing her again. Aubrey didn’t know how long she had been watching them until she heard footsteps behind her.

A hand clamped over her mouth and startled her.

“Don’t move, missy,” a voice growled behind her.

She stood stock still for a moment before recognizing the voice. She removed the hand and turned to face her husband.

“You nearly scared the living daylights out of me,” She protested.

“I’m sorry. Couldn’t resist when I saw you standing here” Wade smiled.

“I was watching Jay. I don’t think he’s had much fun in his life” Aubrey turned back to face the playing children.

“Probably not. You ready to go home?” Wade asked her.

“You’re done with work?” Aubrey asked.

“Yeah, I just had to check on them. They don’t need to be moved or anything. Besides, Boss said I could take the rest of the day off” Wade told her.

Aubrey smiled.

“Or” Wade drew out the word. “I could take you to town to get some more supplies. I’m sure the both of ya’ll are sick of eggs. We could leave Jay with Katie for a little while.”

Aubrey nodded. “That sounds good.”

**********

Aubrey looked like a kid in one of those fancy candy stores when they arrived at town. He was surprised she didn’t come right out and say, “Look! A real live person!”

She smiled and nodded and everyone, saying an occasional “hello” to a passerby. Wade smiled at her as he walked beside her. He knew she was used to being around people all the time back in Tennessee, now all she saw was him and Jay. They were no company for a woman, for sure.

She looked around the general store and whispered to him how they could make better use of the space.

“They could put a display in front of that window, you know.”

“Look at how those fabrics are stacked! It’s terribly unprofessional. If they took the time to stack them properly, the customer could see them all better.”

“That’s an awful place for a barrel. It should be over there.”

Wade listened to her whispered reprimands and realized how much she had loved running that mercantile. He knew she missed it terribly, but there was nothing that could be done about that now.

They arrived back at the line shack around dark with Jay asleep in Wade’s arms. The boy was practically asleep when they had picked him up from Katie’s place, but now he was completely clueless of any movement in the world.

“You take Jay,” Wade whispered to Aubrey. “I’ll unload the supplies and be inside in a little bit.”

Aubrey took Jay and went inside the shack, closing the door against the cold.

Wade unloaded the supplies onto the porch and hitched the horses to the hitching post. He would need to hurry up and get that barn built so his horses wouldn’t be exposed to the weather.

He placed all of their supplies on the table and watched as Aubrey tucked Jay warmly in the bed, just like a mother would. The look on her face made him smile. A look of love, of a kind, concerning love that he remembered on his mother’s face.

He started a fire then started to go back outside.
“Where are you going?” Aubrey asked.

“To work on the barn,” Wade answered, turning to her.

Her eyebrows drew close together. “This late?”

“I’ve got to hurry up and get it finished. It won’t be for long,” Wade said.

Aubrey sighed. “Make sure to button your coat.”

Wade smiled at her. “Yes ma’am.”

**********

Toni left bright and early the next morning. She had to talk to Adam Sterling and be back in time for breakfast. She couldn’t allow her political problems to interfere with her ranching responsibilities. Sundance was barely waking up this early in the morning, and Toni wanted it that way. She walked toward the Sheriff’s office and looked inside. It was as she had predicted. Duncan wasn’t awake yet, and Sterling was.

She caught his attention from the window and waved him outside. His eyebrows drew close together and he quietly rose from his chair and came out onto the boardwalk.

“Somethin’ wrong, Miz McBride?” he asked.

“I know it’s early, so I’ll cut to the chase. I need you to run against Duncan in the sheriff’s election when it comes around. No, I haven’t forgotten what you did to Erik and me, but you’re a whole lot better than that procrastinating, side windin’ snake in there” Toni shoved her finger toward the Sheriff’s office door.

“I don’t know about that, Miz McBride…”

“Please?” Toni asked.

Adam looked at her strangely. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good deal. Get back to me soon, okay? You’ve got so many things stacked in your favor here. You’re younger, smarter, and more energetic than Duncan is. And we might as well face it, you’re in slightly better shape than he it” Toni looked down at Adam’s flat stomach.

“I-I’ll think on it” Adam said.

“Now about that gang…”

“Miz McBride, that was nearly four years ago!” Adam complained.

Toni flashed him a grin. “Just playin’ with you, Sterling. Don’t be so serious.”

“Serious? It’s 4:30 in the morning. Is anyone in the joking mood this time in the morning except for you?” Adam teased.

“Greenie” Toni shot back.

“Oh, and here we go with the ‘I could never make a rancher out of you’ speech,” Adam groaned.

Toni smiled and mounted her horse.

“I still say you’re not rancher material.”

“That’s why I’m an officer of the law, Miz McBride.”

“Likely excuse.”

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