Ella stooped beside him. Her hands lifted a chunk of warm earth from the ground, and her fingers slid over the surface. They came away grainy. She frowned. Something wasn’t right.
“Isaiah, let’s get your siblings inside. When Papa Cody comes home, we’ll show him the garden.”
“Okay.” Isaiah took off for the blanket, concern apparently forgotten. Ella stared another moment at the ground, as if it could give her answers.
None came.
“Papa Cody! The ground is white!”
Cody paused in unsaddling his horse and looked down just as Isaiah ran into his legs at full speed. Grunting, Cody steadied himself against the side of the barn. Interesting welcome to coming home for the evening. “Easy there, Isaiah. What’s going on?” His mind caught up with the boy’s words. “What did you call me?”
“Mama Ella said I could make a compromise and usepapawith your name. So you’re Papa Cody now.”
“That so?” Cody squatted down to Isaiah’s level, joy rising in his chest. “And you don’t mind using those names?”
“Nope. Now come with me.” He grabbed Cody’s hand and made for the door.
So much for processing his new title. “Whoa, buddy. I need to put Preston in his stall first.”
Isaiah crossed his arms. His foot tapped against the ground as Cody set about bedding his horse down for the night. He hid a grin, knowing that would do nothing to improve the five-year-old’s waning patience. His heart warmed at the fact that his son now acknowledged him in some way as his father and Ella as his mother. How had she reacted to the christening? Giving Preston a final pat, he turned to Isaiah. “All right, you can show me.”
The boy latched onto Cody’s hand and hauled him toward the garden. “It’s white!”
“Like frost?”
“Kinda.”
They made it to the garden in record time. Isaiah dropped his hand and pointed. “See?”
Cody surveyed the ground. He frowned, crouching down to touch the dirt. “Was it like this in the morning?”
“Uh-huh. Mama Ella didn’t know what to do.”
He rubbed some soil beneath his fingers. Curls of dread pricked his gut. Careful to keep his expression neutral, he held out a hand to Isaiah. “I’ll have Mr. Hank take a look, see what he thinks. He knows soil better than me.”
The sinking feeling in his chest told him he knew exactly what the white film was.
Isaiah slipped his hand into Cody’s, hopping along as they went to the house. “When’re you gonna see Mr. Hank?”
“As soon as I let Aunt—I mean, Mama—Ella know.”
Thankfully, Hank and the twins lived in a cabin on the west side of the ranch. It would only take five minutes to get there at a gallop. He’d have to take Carter instead of Preston. His horse deserved a break after a long day.
Delicious aromas filled Cody’s nose the moment he walked through the door. He detected earthy vegetables, savory gravy, and succulent chicken. Mouth watering, he followed the smell into the kitchen. Isaiah let go of Cody’s hand and headed for the parlor.
Ella bent over the oven, pulling out a pan. She set it on the stove.
Cody went to her and kissed her cheek. “Hey, darlin’.”
“Cody!”
She turned to him with a smile. His heart thumped hard when she slid her arms around his neck and pushed up on her toes to kiss him. He responded at once, his hands pulling her close. A man could lose himself in moments like this. When they pulled back, he smiled. “If I’d known that’s the greeting of a woman in love, I’d have tried wooing you back when we first married.”
Her breath tickled his lips as she laughed. He leaned forward again, catching those lips in his and kissing her thoroughly. After a while, he finally let her go. Her eyes twinkled, and she ran a hand over his cheek. “I’m glad you’re home.”
Reality crashed in. Cody gently gripped her upper arms. “I need to head out to get Hank.”
Her lips opened as if to protest, but she paused. “Is this about the garden?”
