“Yeah, sure, that would be great,” Tracey said.
Lacy got them all glasses of orange juice, then began cleaning the pans.
“I can’t believe you’re having Lacy make us breakfast when it appears she has already eaten,” Hal teased.
“How else would we get such a beautiful breakfast treat?”Tracey said, enjoying her crepes.
“Mommy can’t make this,” Liam said, finishing his ham.
“Oh, sure she can,” Lacy said.“But I love to cook so it’s a pleasure for me to do so.Have you found anything about Timothy’s whereabouts, Hal?”
She figured they might have had a search party look for him this morning, but maybe it had been too early.
“Right after we finish eating, we’re headed out on horseback and in cougar coats,” Hal said.
“We want to go,” Tabitha said.
Hal ruffled her hair.“No kids.”
“I want to go,” Lacy said
Hal took a deep breath and let it out.“All right.”
“Thanks.”She understood why he didn’t want her to go, but she had to be there if they found him.“I’ll go as a cougar.I have only been on a trail horse, and he tried to dump me in the creek we crossed.”
Hal laughed.
“We’ll teach you how to ride,” Tabitha and Evan Chase both said at the same time.
Lacy smiled.She figured that since she was mated to Rory, she would learn a lot more about ranch life, including riding horses.That way, she could ride with Rory across the land.That would be fun.
“The guys are just feeding the cows and horses,” Hal said, taking his and Tracey’s plates into the kitchen.
The kids finished their breakfast and then carried their plates into the kitchen.Tracey joined them and began putting them in the dishwasher.
“I already told them that we would be going on a hunt for Timothy after that.”Hal got another cup of coffee.
“Who will be riding horseback?”Lacy asked.
“Only two of us.The others need to run as cougars because once we get to the mountains or rocky cliffs, we’ll need to climb, and cats can do the job.Not the horses.But if we find a body, we’ll bring it back by horseback.”Hal drank his coffee.
Lacy was ready for this.
“Are you going to be all right running with your injuries?”Hal asked.“You and Rory can stay here if you can’t shift yet.”
“I’m sure of it.”She hadn’t thought about that.Both were still bandaged.But she thought they would do all right.She was sure that Rory would want to be on the hunt, not left behind to watch over her.
After cleaning up in the kitchen, she and Hal put on their jackets, hats, and gloves and went outside.
"Not that I'm trying to rush anything, but if you and Rory decide to mate, you can build a house on the acreage.We have tons, enough for each of our ranch hands to mate and build a home and live here.We need them on hand, but I understand you're working in town, and the two of you might want to build a home closer to town."
"I don't mind commuting."She loved how close everyone was at the ranch.Special trips into town for events like the dance would be fine, since she and Rory would go together.
Rory met with them and asked Lacy, "Are we staying or going?"
She appreciated that he asked her and didn't just assume one thing or another."I'm good for going.How are you feeling?"
He smiled as if he were thinking of all their wild lovemaking last night.
