Gunner was having the hardest time not laughing. He’d invited Rachel, Marcus, and Chelle to visit the farm area of the compound and to have lunch at the diner. In the last week, they’d made major headway on the shop. He, Rachel and the kids had spent most of the evenings together eating supper and playing games. Then, at bedtime, he helped put the kids to bed and kissed Rachel goodnight before heading back to the clubhouse.
He and Rachel were going to work later in the day, but this morning was about spending time with Rachel and the kids. He didn’t have just Rachel to convince but also Marcus and Chelle.
Since they’d all left the house walking toward the farm area, Marcus and Chelle had beendiscussing all the animals Phoebe and Blake had at their houses. For the last five minutes, Marcus had been reciting facts about how much having an animal helped with overall health.
“And did you know that pets are a natural antidepressant? Seventy percent of pet owners report less loneliness, which would be good for you, Mom. Chelle and I are at school all day. It must be lonely for you,” Marcus said.
Gunner fought the laughter. Rachel was working hard to keep her face calm but after being around the kids, Gunner didn’t believe Rachel was lonely while they were at school. It was a break from the noise and chaos.
“It is different when you’re at school, but I run our craft business. And now, I’ll be working full-time at the coffee shop. I would think that it might not be fair to an animal to leave them alone all day,” Rachel said.
“Mom, that’s why Phoebe, Blake, and Benji suggested we ask for two. Then they can keep each other company when we’re all gone,” Chelle cajoled with a smile on her face.
“Oh, they did, did they? Any thoughts, Gunner?” Rachel asked.
“I did have pets growing up, and I agree with them being a great support. I also remember when my mom let us boys get puppies. They weren’t trained to go outside to the bathroom yet. Brody, Flick, and I had to play rock, paper, scissors on who had to clean the poop off the floor,” Gunner said, shuddering.
“Ewww,” Chelle said.
“I know. Animals are a huge investment of time, but the plus is that because you live at Bluff Creek now, you have all these animals to visit,” Gunner said, opening the barn door. The kids ran in while Rachel paused.
“Thank you. I’m not quite ready to add another thing that needs to be taken care of yet,” she whispered.
He slid his arm around her shoulder. “I’ve got your back,” he whispered close to her ear. And yep, seeing her little shiver had him running multiplication tables in his head. Nope, he was not getting hard for her in the barn. Marcus andChelle were way too inquisitive. Gunner was not ready for why his dick was hard in his jeans, nor the sex talk with the kids.
“Mama, Gunner, hurry up. There’s a cat with kittens in here,” Chelle yelled.
He followed behind Rachel, trying not to stare at her butt cupped in her overalls. He needed to get his dick to go down, not get harder. He’d never been around any woman who wore overalls, but he was a huge fan of them now.
“Why are they in with the donkey?” Chelle asked, trying to climb on the gate to Sourdough’s stall.
“I don’t know. Maybe the cat is friends with the donkey,” Gunner said.
“Someone dropped them off at the front gate in a box. I brought them into the barn and put them in the empty stall on the end last night. Now they’re in Sourdough’s stall. Maybe they feel safe?” Baron said, walking over by the kids.
“Wait, someone just put them in a box and got rid of them?” Marcus asked.
Baron shrugged his shoulders, “Yes, sometimes people don’t understand how much work animals are. We have to feed them, keep their stalls clean, and make sure they have fresh water. This time of year, we also have to check the outdoor water and break the ice off the top if it freezes.”
Marcus scowled. “That’s a lot of work.”
“It is but they are worth it. And they really appreciate when you kids come visit them. Sourdough, here,” Baron said, clicking his tongue.
Gunner adored the awe on Marcus and Chelle’s faces as Sourdough came closer. Baron showed them her favorite spot to be rubbed. The kids deserved to experience every special moment in their lives, and if he had his way, he’d be the one to help make it happen.
“Do you want to play with the pigs?” Baron asked.
“Pigs?” Chelle squealed. He loved her dearly, but he had no idea young voices could hit that note.
“Yep,” Baron said, leading them to another stall.
“The one that is a darker pink color is Baby Back Ribs, and the other is Pork Chop,” Baron said.
“We’re not going to eat them, are we?” Marcus asked. The green tinge to his cheeks had Gunner hoping Marcus wasn’t going to throw up.
“Oh no. These are pets. They were sent to the rescue because someone thought they were getting mini pigs and they grew bigger than the person wanted. I got them for Regina,” Baron said.
Gunner stood beside Rachel, his arm almost itching to slide around her shoulders. He gave in to the temptation and slid it around her. She turned toward him, smiled, and leaned against him.
