She had not found an answer when he returned to the house.
“Ready to meet your milk cow?”
She hung her apron on a hook and followed him outside. “Eddie, come with us.”
He trotted to her, Skip at his heels. When she held out a hand for Eddie to take, he took Jace’s instead, smiling up at the man.
Jace’s eyebrows rose, and he gave Dianne a questioning look as if asking if she minded.
She shrugged. Maybe her son could influence Jace to stay. She wasn’t above letting him because she had no alternative plan.
Chapter Twelve
Jace grinned at Eddie who clung to him and looked up with big adoring eyes.
“I used to take my little sisters for walks.” Now why had he said that? It caused his throat to tighten and the back of his nose to sting.
Dianne patted Eddie’s head before she brought her gaze to Jace. It was full of warmth and…love? Love for her son which was to be expected.
He cleared his throat and looked away. No need for him to continually hear Chet’s voice reminding him of how pleasant it would be to have a pretty young thing and children on the place.
With the barn gone, the cow and calf had been moved to a shed where they normally stored hay. Someone—he guessed Cal or Lee—had fixed up a pen for her and on the other side, a smaller one for the calf who currently was getting his supper of milk.
They waited at the fence until the calf finished.
She hugged her arms around herself. “Am I stealing milk from the calf?”
“He eats hay and grain as well. I’ll show you.” At the calf pen, he showed her how to put out feed and fill the troughwith water.
Eddie ran ahead as they returned to the bigger pen where he hung on the fence.
“Son, get down. It’s not safe.”
“They won’t hurt him.” From the look on her face, Jace hadn’t convinced her. “They’re as gentle as Skip.”
“Are you sure?”
He snorted. “Would I say otherwise?”
“Of course not.”
The calf trotted over and pressed his nose to Skip’s, bringing a burst of laughter from Eddie.
“Mama, they kissed.”
“They said hello. They’re friends.” Jace opened the gate and waved Dianne forward.
She hesitated, her gaze bouncing back and forth between the cow and Jace. “She’s big.”
“Yup. She’s a cow. Remember?” His slow lazy drawl might not have succeeded in hiding his amusement. But it brought her shoulders up square as he’d wanted.
“Show me what to do.”
“I admire spunk.” He hadn’t thought before he spoke, or he wouldn’t have used that word.
She scowled at him. Then her anger or annoyance, or whatever it was, vanished, and she chuckled. “I can learn to milk a cow.” Her smile flattened. “But I can’t run a ranch full of them.”
“No matter how many times and ways you tell me you can’t manage, I haven’t changed my mind.”
