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I gazed up at the sky, noting the building clouds. “I guess there’s a real chance for the sky to open up and fuck us all over again.”
“That’s what the weatherman is saying. He’s been right most of the time with all this weather, so I guess it’s relevant.”
“Great,” I grumbled as he put the Ranger in park. “I don’t know if we can keep this up. We’re already shipping out cattle across town, and I don’t like that now that you’re talking about rustlers. I don’t know why anyone would be doing that kind of shit in the middle of a disaster like we’ve had.”
“I don’t know, kid.” Dad let out a sigh as he pocketed the keys. “But I don’t want to go off assuming that Ryder is caught up in any of that. He could just be having his own shit going on—and we both know what that’s like. You’ve got plenty going on in your life.”
“Yeah, I know.” I rubbed my jaw as it tensed beneath my calloused fingers. “I didn’t see this whole baby thing coming, and it’s a hard pill to swallow.”
“Yeah, it can be, but to be honest, I see it as more of a blessing for you. You know that I like Cheyenne, but beyond that, I think it’s about time you get something good out of life. You’ve been working your ass off the last few years, and while you’ve got a great beef operation going on here, you ain’t got no one to pass that to.”
I nodded. “It’ll be nice to have a family to share that with. I’m just worried. Cheyenne didn’t want a family. She point blank told me that, and I know you mentioned that can change... But this isn’t the way I wanted to change her mind.”
“Well, not everything can go perfectly, Wade. Sometimes we’re thrown into the middle of a storm and we have to figure out how to make it through. That’s what happened to you and Cheyenne—literally,” he added with a chuckle, leaning back in the seat of the Ranger as we sat there in the quiet barn.
“I know, but man, this is just a lot. I don’t do relationships—and haven’t in so long. I thought that was going to be the only thing that I changed, but now there’s a baby in the mix. I thought the dog was gonna be enough of a challenge.”
Dad burst into a fit of laughter. “That dog has already been giving you a run for your money. I like the little guy. He’s great practice for you, especially knowing how big of a handful a little Wade is gonna be. You weren’t no walk in the park as a kid. Wouldn’t change you for the world, though.”
“Good to know,” I grunted. “Cheyenne is the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met, so the mix of the two of us is gonna be interesting.”
“You’ll be fine.” He patted my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “I’m gonna spoil the shit out of the kid. I’ve been waiting on grandkids since the day you were born. I always was told those were the fun kids to have.”
“Jesus, thanks, Dad.” I shook my head, letting out a sharp breath. “I think she’s really nervous about it all.”
“Who? Cheyenne?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course, she is. I was married to your mother, and she was a nervous wreck. Having a baby is hard, and Cheyenne doesn’t have the same security you and I had. Everything in that woman’s life has been turned upside down.”
“I know. I wanna do something sweet for her—make her feel like she’s part of the family without you know,marryingher. I don’t want to scare her off.”
“You really have some serious feelings.”
I nodded. “They just seem to be growing more and more serious by the day, actually. I don’t know what my deal is.”
“Love does strange things to a man.” Dad slid out of the Ranger, slamming the door as he walked around to the front. “But if you want to do something special for her, like giving her your best horse isn’t enough, why don’t you think about what family looks like for her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, your idea of family is this—us.Her idea of family looks a lot different. She’s been on her own most of her life, and never really had anyone.”
“She had her sister, Leia.”
“And the dog.”
“Yeah, the dog.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t get what you’re suggesting.”
“Maybe you should make her family feel likeyourfamily.”
“Damn, Dad, why the hell are you talking in riddles?” I exasperated, kicking open the door and sliding out to join him. “Like if you could just say what you actually mean, that’d be fantastic.”
He laughed, tossing me a broom to sweep up the dried mud on the floor of the equipment barn. “I was mostly thinking of her dog, since that’s the easiest way for you to do something soon. Idothink that you should fly her sister and her family out here, get to know them all. But anyway, the dog is pretty much like a kid to her, right?”
“Uh, I guess.”
“Well, I saw on the internet,” he began.
