Page 38 of Roping Her In

His son smiled at him and sighed as he got to his feet. “Theo said he had a headache, and I told him I’d feed his horses.”

Finn blinked as he looked at his son, then looked down the hall again. “Okay, I’ll check on him and come join you in the barn.” His five-year-old was still adjusting to his kindergarten schedule, and he didn’t expect to see Dusty up yet.

Finn found Theo in bed, and he did seem to have a bit of a fever. He took the boy’s temperature, found it elevated, and gave him some orange juice and painkillers.

Great, he thought as he left through the back door of the house. One son down, and Theo didn’t cause problems. The boy would be twelve this spring, and that somehow felt so old to Finn. Theo worked hard around the farm, doing his morning and after-school chores without much complaint.

He’d often wander out to Edith’s she-shed in the evenings and keep her company while she finished up her writing for the day, but she’d turned in her latest book over a month ago now. Finn cast a look at her she-shed in the lightening sky and hurried to help Bubba with the animals, milking, and other farm chores.

By the time he had his two younger boys fed and ready for school, Edith had texted to say she had Theo in their bed, and their son had fallen asleep again. “Go get in the van, boys,” he said to Bubba and Dusty, and he quickly texted his wife back.

I can get anything we need in town after I drop off the boys. I just have to pick up the pizza by ten-forty for today’s meeting.

We have OJ, right?

Tons, Finn said.

Then he won’t need anything.

What about you? Finn asked as the garage door slammed. He hurried after his boys and pulled on his coat before joining them in his truck. “Ready, guys?”

“Ready!” Dusty yelled, while Bubba just looked out the window. Finn watched him for a moment and then backed out into the wind. His weather station updated him with readings all day long, and the wind in the Texas Panhandle never seemed to stop. Finn had learned how to read the measurements, and he’d started to be able to predict some storms by watching the air pressure drop rapidly, the wind pick up and turn north, and a quick temperature drop.

In fact, he’d set his phone to alert him through the app if any of those happened, and he could get himself and his boys out of harm’s way before the storm arrived in full force.

He dropped off the boys at their elementary school, smiling with everything he had as Bubba waited for Dusty and then took his younger brother by the hand and headed inside with him. Such love for his family filled him, and Finn snapped a quick picture and returned to his texts with his wife.

The boys are so stinking cute, he said, and he attached the picture of his two younger boys.

She’d said she didn’t need anything, but she started typing, and Finn stayed in the drop-off lane to wait for her message to come in.

I just threw up, Finn. Can you get some ginger ale, and do you know if we have any Pepto?

The low alarms that had been sounding in his head for a couple of hours now got louder. I don’t know, he said. I’ll get some and see you in a few.

He made his way to the grocery store, his phone chiming several times. He had a small ranch owners’ meeting that day, and the cowboys often sent a flurry of messages about a variety of things.

He, Henry, Paul, and Libby, Tyson, and Jake had been assigned this month’s food—a representation of Three Rivers Ranch—and Finn had ordered the pizza for their meeting today. Libby and Paul had handled the coffee cart, and Ty, Henry, and Jake had said they’d be there early to set up, put food out, and provide all the paper products required to feed over twenty people.

Finn paused in the cab of his truck as the wind buffeted it, deciding to check his messages before he went inside.

Tyson: Winnie’s not feeling well today, so I’m going to bring my baby to the meeting. Is that okay?

Libby: I will fight you to hold him.

Tyson: No fight needed. He still sleeps a lot, and Winnie says he should be an angel.

Finn smiled, because he’d absolutely loved seeing Ty settle into his life, get married, and become a father. His son, a darling boy with dark hair and eyes, had been born in late November, and they’d named him Grant Rowdy Greene.

By all accounts, the boy was the sweetest thing ever, and Finn was glad to see several others telling Ty that bringing the baby wouldn’t be a problem.

Link: I hope Winnie feels better quickly. My kids just got over something, and it passed through in a couple of days.

Alex: I’m not going to make it today, boys. Nikki and I have one more meeting with our foster placement advisor at ten-thirty.

Colt: Congrats, Alex. This is exciting that it’s getting so close.

Finn’s heart expanded yet again, because his brother- and sister-in-law had been working hard to become foster parents. They’d had twins almost nine years ago now, but it had taken a lot of appointments and a fertility specialist to get them.