Page 44 of Lost and Found Cowboy
“Far be it from me to stop my small child from witnessing the miracle of childbirth…or in this case, calfbirth,” Lorna said. “But only if it’s before midnight. Otherwise, you can just go see the new baby in the morning.”
Max frowned then pointed his fork at Dodge. “You think you can ask her to try to have that baby before midnight?”
Dodge laughed. “For you, I’ll sure give it a try.”
“It’s nice that you have a camera set up in the barn so you can keep an eye on things,” Lorna said.
“Oh yeah, we’ve got cameras all over this place,” Dodge said. “The ones in the barn are on a subscription, like the ones for your doorbell, but we’ve also got motion-sensor wildlife cameras set up in the pastures and the mountains around the ranch that we can check for signs of mountain lions or bears. They’remainly triggered by deer and wild turkeys, but we’ve caught plenty of bears and coyotes, and once even caught these two foxes playing together on it. They’re more old school where you have to check the SD card, but they’re free, and Gramps likes to switch the cards out then upload the photos to his laptop.”
“I’d like to see a bear,” Max told them.
“On the camera, please,” Lorna said, ruffling her son’s hair.
Max shrugged. “I’m okay either way. Mack told me if you see a bear, you’re good as long as you can run faster than the guy next to you. And I’m a pretty fast runner.”
The table erupted in laughter as Ford offered a solemn nod. “It’s a fair point.”
After supper, Ford, Dodge, and Mack shooed the women and their grandfather into the living room while they cleared the table and filled the dishwasher, then Duke served up slices of his famous Peanut Butter Pie.
“This is amazing,” Lorna told Duke as she took another bite. The lusciously light peanut butter filling paired perfectly with the crunchy Oreo cookie crust. “I think I gained ten pounds just being here for supper tonight.”
“Yeah, but it was worth it,” Elizabeth said as she cradled a sleepy Izzy on her shoulder.
Since his brother had moved in with Elizabeth, Ford’s room was free, so Lorna and the kids were sleeping in there. Mack had set up the travel crib and put a sleeping bag on one of their camping cots for Max. He and Lorna put both kids down for the night, promising to wake Max if the cow went into labor before midnight.
“Can I play a game on your phone before I go to sleep, Mommy?” Max asked as they were leaving the room.
Lorna debated the idea. “Okay, but only for ten minutes, then you have to turn it off and go to sleep.”
Max frowned. “How abouttwentyminutes? Since this is like a special occasion.”
“How do you figure?”
“We’re having a sleepover at the ranch, so that makes it seem special.”
Lorna had to concede his point. Tonight did feel special. “Okay.Fifteenminutes. But you have to set the timer and as soon as it goes off, you shut down the game and go to sleep.” She passed the phone to her son. “I’m going to have Mack set a fifteen-minute timer, too. So, if I come back to check on you, that phone needs to be off.”
The boy was already clicking through her passcode and opening the timer app. “I promise I’ll turn it off right after the timer beeps.”
“Okay. Good night.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her son’s blond head. He smelled like minty toothpaste, laundry detergent, and little boy, and she was tempted to pick him up and cuddle him to her. But he was already engrossed in the game.
“That kid is really smart,” Mack told her as Lorna carefully pulled the bedroom door shut behind them so as not to wake Izzy.
“Yeah, he is. And he knows how to do more things on that phone than I do. Last week he Face Timed his grandma in Florida just because he missed her. I’m not sure I even knowhowto do that. But I downloaded a couple of games that are specifically to help with his dyslexia, so I don’t mind having him do those before he goes to bed. They’re puzzles and activities that help teach him phonics and reading and spelling. But he doesn’t know that. He just thinks they’re fun.”
“So, not only ishesmart, but his mom is, too.”
She grinned and offered him a little extra wiggle of her hips as he followed her back into the living room.
After another round of beers and several hands of cards, Ford and Elizabeth left and Duke headed to bed. Dodge and Maisie were spending the night at the ranch, and they went to Dodge’s room to watch whatever Netflix show they were binging while they waited for notifications from the moo monitors.
“You have everything you need?” Mack asked as Lorna came out of the bathroom after brushing her teeth and washing her face in preparation for bed. He’d turned out the lights in the living room but left the one above the sink in the kitchen on, and it gave off a soft glow in the otherwise darkened house.
“Yeah, I’m set,” she told him. “Honestly, I’m so tired, I’m sure I’ll fall asleep the second my head hits the pillow.”
“Yeah, me too.” He stopped outside the door to Ford’s room then jerked his thumb at the next door down. “I’m right here if you need me. Or need anything, I mean.” He leaned down and brushed a tender kiss against her cheek. “I’m glad you’re here.”
His lips were soft against her skin, and she wanted to fling her arms around his waist and bury her face in his chest. She had a sudden image of him picking her up and carrying her into his bedroom then stripping her naked and having his way with her.
