“He fell asleep?” Returning to the mixer, she dropped the beaters in the sink. “That surprises me.”
“I almost did, but I decided to leave and make sure I’d get back in plenty of time. Besides, we both needed sleep. He’s an insomniac, too.”
“What you just said makes no sense.” She tucked the batter in the fridge. “Two insomniacs should be up all night doing it like bunnies.”
“Well, it appears that good sex is a cure.”
“I’ll be damned.” Mari picked up a half-full mug from the counter and raised it in her direction. “See? You were made for each other.”
“Mm.” Avoiding her sister’s gaze, she sipped her coffee.
“What’s wrong?”
“I told myself I wasn’t taking anything away from Tex by going over there, but?—”
“You’re not. He’s asleep and you’re doing something for yourself for a change. And curing your insomnia in the process. Win-win.”
“If it’s win-win, why do I feel so rotten about sneaking off to spend hours alone with the cowboy he idolizes? Why do I cringe at the thought of him finding out? He would feel betrayed.”
“He won’t find out. Besides, you don’t want him spending a lot of time with Mister Monty, remember? You’re afraid he’ll get too attached.”
“I know, but when he came into my room this morning all bubbly and eager to go over there today, and I’d just had a wonderful couple of hours with the guy….”
“Zinnia Dawn.” Setting down her mug, Mari took her by the shoulders. “You and Tex are two separate people. You need closeness with Monty and Tex needs some daylight.”
“But—”
“You can nobly sacrifice your needs if you must, but that won’t help Tex wean himself away from Mister Monty. Only time can do that.”
She gazed at her little sis. “You’re right. Again.”
“Of course I am.”
“I hope you know you’re flipping the script. I’m supposed to be the wise older sister giving you advice.”
“Don’t worry. The script will flip again one of these days.” She smiled. “C’mon. Let’s go see how many layers of cuteness that little guy has added since last night.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.” As they walked down to the barn, Zinnia vowed to spend the next several hours focused on her son, her mare, and the new baby.
She failed miserably. Tex kept bringing up Mister Monty and the impending party. On top of it, Speckles’ adorable foal was his namesake. By the time she settled Tex in his car seat and climbed into the passenger side of Uncle Graham’s fancy red truck, her excitement about seeing that cowboy again rivaled her son’s.
They didn’t live far away, and when Tex got a load of the imposing metal gate decorated with a running horse, his eyes widened. When they drove through and her uncle announced they were now on ranch property, her son went supernova.
“All this?” He spread his arms wide. “All this is Mister Monty’s?”
“Not just his.” She turned from the passenger seat to look at him fully. His car seat was helpful since the elevation gave him a better view. “It belongs to his whole family.”
“Look at all the trees! They have so many trees!”
“They do.”
“Mommy, Mommy!” He pointed to his right. “I seed a horse over there. And another one! They’re loose!”
“They’re wild, buddy,” Uncle Graham said. “But they’re not loose. There’s a fence. You just can’t see it very well because it blends into the trees.”
He gasped. “They’re wild? Like in The Black Stallion?”
She nodded. “Like that.” A couple months ago she’d decided he was old enough to watch the movie, and he’d loved it, even if the boy in it wasn’t strictly speaking a cowboy.
