Cassidy duly looked in on the giant calf and said with the patient authority of an older sibling who had been managing Noah’s irrepressible energy for seven years, “C’mon.Let’s look at the rest of the calves.”
Bonnie watched her children head off with a tiny smile on her face.He felt the same unusual tightness in his chest that he'd been conscientiously ignoring for two weeks, now.
“Thank you for letting them come see the calves,” she said.
“They’re Jenna and Sully’s calves.I’m just helping get them born safely.”
“For which I happen to know Jenna is immensely grateful,” Bonnie replied.
“Family helps family.Not only is Sully my cousin by blood, but he and his brothers grew up next door to me and my brothers.Our mothers are twin sisters.”
“That’s so cool,” Bonnie murmured.“I can’t imagine raising three of Noah.It would kill me.One of him is almost more than I can handle.”
“You’re doing a great job with both your kids.They’re happy and bright and smart.You feed their curiosity but also keep order.”
Bonnie looked startled.“That’s a really nice thing to say.”
“It’s the truth,” he replied.“You’re a terrific mom.”
“It doesn’t feel that way sometimes.They’re growing up so fast, and I never feel ready for the next stage they’re about to hit.”
“I expect most parents feel that way,” he said mildly.
“Maybe.But it’s scary.”
An urge to be there for her, offer to help her with Cassidy and Noah long-term, to stand by her side, supporting her and telling her daily how great she was doing, rolled over him.
He stopped, arrested by the thought.Him?A family man?A husband and parent?
He’d never considered the possibility before.Ever.But now that it had occurred to him, it filled his whole brain with possibilities.Potential.An abrupt and compelling need to have a family of his own.
He resumed walking down the dirt alleyway in front of calving stalls, and Bonnie strolled along beside him.They followed Noah and Cassidy as the pair peered eagerly into every stall.
After a few minutes Gray commented, “Noah's good with animals.When he talks to them, it’s the calmest I’ve ever seen him.”
Bonnie retorted under her breath, “He talks to everything.Last week he had a no-kidding conversation with a traffic cone.”
“What was the upshot of it?”Gray asked, amused.
“Apparently the cone had a lot to say about road safety.”She tilted her head.“Did you know he’s picked up your obsession with fire science?He read two chapters of a book about combustion chemistry over the weekend.He's seven.”
Gray replied, “He’s a really smart kid.Every bit as smart as Cassidy.Just with a different kind of intelligence.She lives to gather facts and put them together.He lives to question facts and take them apart.”
Bonnie stared at him.She looked ...surprised?Lord, he wished he could read her better.
“That’s an insightful description of my children.”
He shrugged modestly.“I like your kids a lot.”
“Well, you’re having quite an influence on them.”
“Is that good or bad?”he blurted.“I don’t want to intrude on your parenting.”
She smiled a little.“Never fear.I’ll let you know if you do.”
He nodded, relieved.
She continued, “Noah’s been reading at the dinner table,” she said.“He insists on reading interesting parts of his fire chemistry book aloud.Cassidy and I now know more about fire triangles and ignition cycles than either of us ever cared to.”
