Another goat nibbled the edge of his shirt. He tugged it away, trying to keep his composure. “Now see here…”
But within seconds, two more trotted up, nosing his pockets and pushing at his hands. His attempt at dignity crumbled when one of them jumped up with its little hooves against his thigh. Dr. Greer let out a startled laugh that quickly gave way to something warmer.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” he muttered, crouching so they could crowd around him. “Fine, you win. I surrender.” He scratched behind ears, rubbed soft muzzles, and even let one clamber into his lap. By then, his face was alight with pure joy. “You are impossible not to love.”
Jasper grinned so wide it looked like his cheeks hurt. “Told you my ladies have good taste.”
By the time we looped back around to the barn, Jasper had his arm thrown wide like a tour guide. “And these are my ladies,” he repeated proudly, introducing each goat by name as if they were royalty. He finished up with a proper walk across the land Sissy had left him, pointing out spots where he had plans for the future.
Jasper offered to grill steaks for dinner, but I insisted that the rest of us could handle it instead. He’d done enough all weekend, and he needed some downtime. His dad nodded approvingly when I insisted that the four of us could manage to feed ourselves and him.
Jasper entertained his family while I took care of my animals and did my scheduled checks, but surprisingly, Rowan and Gage asked to tag along to see what I did in action. It didn’t seem that exciting to me, but I shrugged and agreed. Once again, Gage surprised me with his spot-on questions about conservation of land and animals. I might have misjudged him, but I wasn’t ready to change my mind just yet.
After dinner, we each occupied ourselves with separate activities. Gage and his dad argued about some new diagnostic procedure while Rowan slipped in earbuds and tapped out something nonstop on his laptop. Since they all knew Jasper was a little, it seemed silly to pretend that the movies he watched were anything but the animated ones he preferred. He put on a comfy pair of pajamas, grabbed Nessie from the bed, and settled onto the sofa with me to watchCars.
With Jasper’s head on my shoulder and his sweet body curled next to mine, it was hard to remember that his dad was in the same room as us. I wanted to strip him bare and remind him how loved he was, but I had to settle for a few kisses and snuggles. It wasn’t long before Jasper squirmed on the couch next to me. A quick glance made his issue clear.
“Daddy, I love them, but I need them to go to bed,” Jasper whispered into my ear.
“What’s the matter, sugar?” I answered, just as softly. His hand was in mind, and I traced the lines of his palm. He shivered but didn’t pull away. The heat in his eyes was obvious, but he was gonna have to wait a little longer.
“You know,” Jasper said with narrowed eyes.
“No, I don’t.” I tried hard to sound as innocent as possible. Jasper didn’t bother to answer me but gave me the evil eye and hmphed in my general direction.
I suspected Jasper’s dad and brothers knew what was coming because they glanced in our direction and immediately started packing up their things to head back to the main house.
“Jasper, I think we’re gonna head over for the night,” his dad said. “We have to get up so early in the morning that you shouldn’t worry about making us breakfast. We’ll grab something on the way to the airport.”
Gage and Rowan both nodded in agreement, but Jasper looked horrified.
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to get shortchanged in the breakfast department, and I don’t want to miss seeing you off.”
“Jasper, no. We’re leaving at four a.m. to make sure we get there on time. You should not be getting up just to wave us off. We’ll be fine.”
Jasper nodded reluctantly.
When they had gathered the last of their things, Dr. Greer pulled Jasper into his arms. He held him close, and though I couldn’t hear what was said, Jasper looked a little teary-eyed. Afterward, Dr. Greer handed Jasper off to Rowan for a hug, then turned to me with an outstretched hand. I clasped it and gave him a firm shake.
“I hope you meant it when you said you weren’t wasting his time.”
“Sir, I don’t say shit I don’t mean.”
Dr. Greer gave me a searching look, then finally nodded. “I don’t think you do. Take care of him because Jasper’s the best of all of us.”
Jasper and I watched the taillights until they’d disappeared around the bend of Cypress Creek Road. Although his dad told him not to bother getting up, Jasper had been wide awake at three-thirty, prepping fresh coffee in disposable cups and organizing snacks to eat in the car on the way into San Antonio for their flight. They’d been worried about traffic, and my assurances that they’d have no issues at this time of the morning were brushed aside. No amount of explaining that San Antonio traffic wasn’t like Seattle traffic worked to reassure them.
“I’m going to miss them,” Jasper said wistfully. “They drive me batty, but they’re mine.” At my urging, he turned and let me hug him. My hands ran up and down his back in an attempt to soothe the sting. “Rowan said he had a medical conference in Houston planned for next month, and he was going to drag Vaughn along so they could come see me.”
“Good. Then all your brothers can be properly impressed with what you’ve done with this place.” Jasper huffed a laugh. “I’m serious. You should be proud of yourself.”
Jasper’s only response was a quick shrug and an attack on my hand. “Now that they’re gone, we can go back to bed, Daddy,” he said with a soft smile.
He led me back into the little cottage behind the main house, down the hallway, and into his bed. Over the last couple of weeks, this place had started to feel more and more like my own. My boots were at the front door. I’d started keeping some extra clothes here, so I didn’t need to go home and change in the morning. The townspeople had stopped commenting on where my truck was spending its time, and my toothbrush had a permanent place next to his on the counter. I felt more at home here than I ever had in my own home, even though I’d been there my entire life.
Once we were back in the bedroom, we both stripped pretty quickly and climbed back under the comforter. Jasper, as always, immediately snuggled close. I wrapped my arms and legs around him because it seemed like he’d gotten a little chilly in the early morning air. His sigh sounded content and happy, and I couldn’t ask for anything more than that.
“Thank you for letting me meet your family, sugar.”
