“She likes hearing about your dating escapades,” Daddy said.
Deacon groaned even as his momma said, “You can’t go into it with such a bad attitude.”
“I don’t have a bad attitude,” Deacon said. “I’m dressed up real nice, and it’s Alaska. Besides, she thinks anyone who talks to her has hung the moon.”
“So you don’t think she’s a potential serious girlfriend?” Daddy asked.
“I don’t know what I think.” Deacon sighed. “You wanted me to call?”
“Yeah,” Daddy said. “It’s only a couple of weeks until Christmas, and Jane and Cord are coming up here. I know it’s hard to leave the farm, but we wanted to know if you might be coming with them.”
“I don’t think so,” Deacon said. “Mission will be around, but four of our other cowboys are leaving the farm for a few days for the holidays.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Daddy said. “It’s a hard time.”
“What are you going to do then?” Momma asked. “Uncle Wes and Aunt Bree are out at Gerty and Mike’s.”
“Yeah, they invited me to eat with them,” he said. “But I don’t know if I’ll go.”
“Well, you can’t have Christmas at that farm by yourself,” she said.
Deacon wanted to ask herwhy not?but he held his tongue.
“Matt and Boone also invited me,” he said. “They’re doing stuff with their kids, and I thought that might be a good place to go.”
“Tuck and Bobbie Jo are going to Oklahoma,” Daddy said.
“Yeah, they sure are,” Deacon said. “And Hunter and Molly are going to be in town with her folks. Tarr and Briar are going out to Mike’s, and so are Steele and his girlfriend—probably his fiancée by Christmas.”
“Yeah, I heard he bought a diamond ring,” Daddy said.
“He did,” Deacon confirmed, trying not to be too salty about it. But he wanted what Steele had managed to do: meet a woman, ask her out, hit it off within minutes, start dating, and six months later be planning to propose.
He didn’t want to go hang out with couples, and that was all who would be out at Mike and Gerty’s farm, while Matt and Boone, who’d both worked the farm while Deacon grew up, had teenagers and single young adults. Keith and Lindsay would be there with their new baby, and so would Britt and Lars—and she was due with their first child just after the first of the year.
But Deacon wouldn’t be the only single one there; he wouldn’t be this massive fifth wheel, taking up too much space at the dinner table.
“Yeah, I’ll probably go to Matt and Boone’s,” he said. “I’ll text him and see what he wants me to bring.”
“Well, we’ll miss you,” Momma said. “Maybe you can come up in January or February for a visit.”
“I’d like that,” Deacon said.
“I know Uncle Wes was going to ask you to follow them back,” Daddy said. “They’re staying through West’s birthday at least, but they like having help if something happens on the roads between here and there.”
Deacon nodded to himself. “I can coordinate with them.” He looked out the window above his kitchen sink. “I’ll look at mycowboys’ schedule and talk to Mission, because it would be nice to get away from the farm for a couple of weeks.”
“You need that sometimes, son,” Daddy said. “That place will eat you alive if you let it.”
“I know, Daddy.”
His father had told him that many times. Deacon loved the farm and loved the work; he loved the sky and the fields and the cattle; he also loved the horses and the cowboys and cowgirls who worked with him. He loved the horseback riding lessons and the children who came to the farm, bringing it life and vitality.
But Daddy was right. The work was never-ending, and the farm never slept.
“Wish me luck on this date,” he said. “Are you guys watching the rodeo finals tomorrow?”
“Sure are,” Daddy said.
