"Yes sir." Daniel nodded at his dad. He would have given a mock salute if he’d had the energy to lift his arm that high.
He made his way to the big house where his mom, housekeeper for the Winters family, prepared all the meals. After washing up, he dropped into a chair at the kitchen table. He yawned again, so big his jaw popped. He was tempted to lay his head on the table and take a nap but knew his mother wouldn’t approve.
Who needs food? All I want is sleep.
Mom slid a bowl of beef stew and a grilled cheese sandwich in front of him. "Here, eat something before you fall flat on your face." She made tsking noises as she returned to the stove. "I don't understand why you insist on burning the candle at both ends. When you pull an all-nighter at the calving sheds, you're entitled to sleep the next day. But no, you insist on mucking out the stalls and doing anything else your dad or Jake ask."
The way he saw it, he owed Jake a huge debt. He and his older brother Robert, who happened to be the sheriff, went to court with him when he faced jail time. They managed to convince the judge to let him fulfill his community service hours here on the ranch.
He'd paid off that debt a long time ago, but when his dad and Jake had to drag his butt out of jail again last fall and bring him home to dry out, Daniel promised himself he wouldn't let them down again. However, what little sleep he'd snatched here and there after covering so many nights at the calving shed wasn't enough anymore.
Maybe I’ll skip tonight's AA meeting to catch up on sleep.
His sponsor would be on his case, but Daniel was too tired to care at the moment.
He was halfway through his lunch when Jake's wife, Emily, walked in with three-month-old Adam in her arms.
"Smells delicious as usual, Lottie," Emily said as she settled the baby into a bouncy infant recliner contraption.
His mom waved away the praise. "Just something I threw together."
Jake's mother had insisted it was ridiculous to expect Lottie to cook for them then turn around and cook for her own family. So, the Hamiltons always ate their meals at the big house with the Winters. When Jake married Emily, she'd insisted on keeping the tradition. Emily worked part-time as a psychologist at the hospital and part-time at the high school, so she was grateful to keep Daniel's mom on as cook and housekeeper.
“You look tired.” Emily studied Daniel’s face. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.” He lied. “Just tired.”
“Let me know if you need to talk, okay?” Emily waited for him to nod before she broke eye contact. She got herself some food, then sat across from Daniel at the table. "Jake got a phone call from Riley, so it might be a bit before he joins us.”
Daniel didn’t know if she was talking to him or his mom, but his heart stumbled at the mention of Jake's younger sister.
Riley hadn't been home to visit since Christmas. Even then, she'd spent most of her time in town with her mom and her Aunt Charity.
Riley used to be his best friend, and at one point, he was certain she was the woman he would marry. That is until she dumped him and returned to college, leaving him feeling like he'd been nothing more than a summer fling.
The last three years since she broke up with him had been strained and awkward between them when she came home. It was just as well because he didn't want her to know the things he'd done and the depths to which he'd sunk.
Jake joined them a few minutes later, sliding into his seat beside Emily. He put his arm on the back of his wife’s chair. "Riley wants to come home. I told her she's always welcome here. I hope that's okay with you."
Daniel's heart tripped up again, and he held his breath waiting for Emily's response.
"Of course, it is. How long does she plan to stay?"
"I'm not sure." Jake scratched the back of his neck. "She asked if shecould work on the ranch for the summer." He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "That's one less ranch hand we'd have to hire."
For the summer? Riley's coming home? For months?
"For the summer?" Emily echoed Daniel's thoughts. "What about her job?"
"I asked her about that, and she said she's taking a leave of absence."
"But why?" Emily's brow furrowed. "It's not like her to leave her job.”
"I know." Jake shrugged. "But the more I pressed to try to figure out what was going on, the more upset she sounded."
"Upset?" Daniel's mom spoke up now. "Upset how?"
"Her voice got shaky. Like she was on the verge of tears."
