Seth eyed me, then shouted, “Okay. Ten minutes.”
We could hear the dogs bouncing and barking around John as he headed off to the barn. I rolled on top of Seth and kissed the shit out of him, till he murmured, “Four minutes,” under my lips.
“Right.” We separated, and I struggled into my chilly clothes before taking my turn in the john.
Seth glanced at the kitchen area as we entered the main room. “Fuck. Forgot to set the coffeemaker.”
I grabbed him for a fast kiss. “We had better things to do. I can warm up your mouth—”
Seth gave me a shove and laughed. “Davis will have the ranch black gold at the house with a huge Christmas breakfast, as soon as the critters are tended to. We’ll live.” As I stepped into my boots, Seth took a furry beanie off a hook and pulled it down over my hair. “There. That’s warmer than yours.”
Tilting it to one side, I teased, “Do I look like a Cossack prince?”
“You look like a muskrat died on your head. But it was a warm, furry muskrat.” He slapped thermal gloves against my chest. “Come on. Work.”
John startled when he saw me, but just said, “Hey, Austin, can you get the water buckets?”
“Sure.”
Cody, coming the other way with sweet feed and a scoop, winked and elbowed me as he passed.
I didn’t mind. Liked it even, to have a place where people treated me like everyone else. The way Patch romped over to me for more petting, the way Ahwan nickered— even if she was greeting her breakfast and not me— settled me in my skin. Seth glanced at me, and I nodded. This was where I belonged, and the man I belonged with. I was going to fight like hell to make it so.
Seth and I cleaned up at his cabin after barn chores. He loaned me a warm flannel shirt, since mine were all dirty, and it hung off my shoulders some, but I tucked the tails into my jeans and felt like he’d wrapped his arms around me. I wondered if Seth might take my hand, thick glove in glove, as we navigated the tromped down snow path to the house, but he didn’t. Hesmiled my way, though, bright like the sun coming out, and that warmed me deep inside.
Once we’d ditched the outerwear, we made our way into the kitchen. Tiffany sat on a stool at the counter, her hair braided up, wearing a fancy red sweater and teasing Davis about how many cinnamon rolls he’d made.
Davis glanced up, saw me, and grinned. “Austin. Just the man I hoped would be here today. I’ve made plenty. I thought Seth went down to you, but I saw his truck here this morning, and I figured I’d either have to bandage his broken heart with food or feed both of you.”
“My truck’s in the shop,” I admitted. “And I’m starving.”
“Go sit at the table, people.” Davis waved to shoo us off. “Get out of my kitchen. John, go tell the boss to stop working on Christmas and come to breakfast.”
“Can do.” John strode off toward Kendrick’s study.
By the time we’d all sat down, Kendrick joined us at the head of the table, gesturing for us to dig into the feast. No one paused to say grace, and I sure didn’t miss Dad hauling out a disapproving God as a sour note on every meal. The cinnamon-sweet pastries were rich with thick icing. Biting into a sausage burst seasoned-pork flavor on my tongue. Beside me, Seth laughed at something Tiffany said and stuck half a roll in his mouth.
So good.I glanced around the table as I ate, trying to impress all of this joy into my memory. Two more months. January and February. I’d get through them somehow, with this as my goal. Seth, and this ranch, these people. With a goal, I could survive anything. Seth nudged my knee with his under the table, and I was able to smile back without reservations. We’d be okay.
We were down to picking at the scalloped potatoes and stewed apples to fill in around the edges when Davis stood and spoke up, his serious tone cutting through the chatter. “I havesomething to say. Boss knows, and this feels like the right time to tell the rest of you. I’m going to take the rest of the winter off the ranch and come back in May.
“What?” Seth stared up at him. “Why?”
A sinking feeling hit my stomach. I didn’t need that kind of charity. “If it’s to make room for me…”
Davis winked at me. “Don’t overestimate yourself, kid. Although you being here makes this the right time. I want to step down from riding and outdoor chores, at least in the cold weather. I’m popping Advil like candy to get my bad hip moving in the mornings, and it’s killing me at night. Plus, I have some goals. Kendrik and I talked about stepping up the food we serve the dudes.”
“What do you mean, stepping up?” Colby asked. “You cook the best of anyone I know.”
“Yeah,” Davis said. “I’m good at the stews, the chilis, the casseroles, but in the summer, that kind of food gets heavy. My bread is okay, but not great. Most of what I bake is cake or cookies. When you look at our reviews, some of them say our chow is boring.”
“Well, they’re wrong,” Seth insisted.
“I can do better.” Davis raised his chin. “Like, these cinnamon rolls are from a can. What if I could bake them fresh? We’re less than two hundred miles from ocean-caught fish for the asking. I could learn to do more with that. There’s a culinary school in L.A. that offers three-month sessions, and I want to sign up for the mid-January one. I asked, and they still have space.”
“January?” John’s eyes widened. “Like, now? Uh, Boss?”
Kendrick said, “I told Davis he needed to make sure his job here was covered before he went. But he’s not wrong. The dude part of our business is carrying more and more of our expenses. Word of mouth matters, and great food will help. Right now,we’ve got good food. I’m not ungrateful, but if Davis wants to level up, I’m all in favor.”
