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Henry, still a bit suspicious, reached over and did the same with one of his sausage links. He dunked the end in his syrup and brought it to his mouth. Just like his sister, his eyes lit up.
“Wow!” he shoved the rest of the link down so quickly that I had to say something.
“Easy, kid,” I said. “Don’t forget to breathe.”
“Can we have sausage on our ice cream tonight?” Hattie asked.
That got a laugh out of us all.
“Let’s not go crazy, Hats,” Adam said. “Therearelimits to the sweet-salty combo.”
“Bacon on ice cream,” Tyler said, thoughtfully running his hand through his beard. “Nowthat’sgot potential. Maybe a little syrup, a splash of bourbon…” he took out his phone and began typing away, no doubt adding the idea to one of his notes.
“Speaking of dinner,” Adam said. “Aubrey, we were thinking that, since you’re going to be here in the morning anyway to see us off, you ought to spend the night here again tonight. And we can do a big family dinner this evening.”
Her eyes lit up. “Seriously? I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“Have dinner here!” Henry said. “Please!”
“Please-oh-please-oh-please,” Hattie added.
I laughed. “You’re not overstaying your welcome as far as we’re concerned. And you can see what the twins think of the idea.”
She smiled. “OK, that does sound nice. But I do need to meet with Aggie and make sure she’s on the same page as far as farm duties are concerned. She’s got most of it covered for while you guys are gone and I’m going to be with the kids, but I don’t want to spring more on her than necessary.”
“Understood,” I said.
With that, we finished our meal and cleaned up. I threw on a coat and went into the garage after breakfast, spending the next hour or so getting the plow hitched onto the front of the F-350. Once that was done, I took a little time to shovel the walkways around the house. Aubrey spent the time with the twins, the guys getting our gear in order for our flight the next day.
As I worked, I couldn’t help but think about how, as strange as it might’ve been, I alreadymissedAubrey. I’d known being away from the twins would be hard, but Aubrey was another matter altogether. The connection we’d made last night had been intense; intense enough for feelings to sneak up on me.
I put it all out of my head as best I could. We had the mission of a lifetime in front of us, and none of us could afford to have matters of the heart taking up too much mental space if we wanted to come home in one piece.
When I got back to the house at noon, Aubrey and the twins were in the den, a fire crackling in the hearth as she read them a story. I leaned in the door frame, watching as their little eyelids grew heavy as she spoke.
“Looks like it’s time for a nap,” I said when Aubrey closed the book.
“I think you’re right,” she said. “But… I still need to get over to Downing.”
“No problem at all. Won’t be the first time I’ve toted around a couple of sleepy kids. You get Hats; I’ll get Hen.”
Together, we scooped the kids off the couch, carrying them into the entry room. Henry rested his head on my shoulder as I carried him, and I could sense that he was right on the verge of falling asleep.
“Let’s get them in their coats and boots,” I said, speaking in a low whisper. “Truck’s ready to go, got the car seats strapped in.”
She gave me a thumbs up, the two of us going to work getting the twins prepared for the cold and snow. Hattie and Henry were in a sleepy stupor, barely able to stay awake. Once they were ready, we carried them outside, the sky still bright and clear. The truck was right out front, and each of us strapped in a twin before climbing into the front seats.
The drive didn’t take too long, the truck plow pushing effortlessly through the foot or two of snow. I followed the main road, clearing a path for when she needed to come back to the house while we were gone.
During the drive, I couldn’t help but stare at her out of the corner of my eye. She was so damn beautiful, effortlesslygorgeous. Her curls were stuffed under a blue knit cap, the cold of the day making her olive skin glow. She was like something out of a damn dream.
We pulled in front of her place, unbuckling the kids and heading inside. I couldn’t help but notice how much I loved her house. It wasn’t as big as Thousand Acres, but it was homey and cozy. I was glad as hell that the kids would be spending so much time at a home like this over the next couple of weeks.
Aubrey silently led the way to the guest bedroom on the second floor. We’d had a couple of twin beds ordered for her, and they were set up and ready for the kids. The rest of the room was perfect, stocked with clothes and everything else the kids would need.
We took the twins out of their winter gear and tucked them in. They’d been so sleepy on the drive over that it took no time for them to zonk completely out. We watched them for a time from the front of the room, making sure that they were out before shutting the door and entering the hall.
“Aggie’s not going to be here for a little bit,” she said. “Had some errands in town.”
