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Jake’s head snapped up, his mouth dropped slightly open, and his head bobbed up and down.
The honest curiosity made Jared smile. “When you finish your cookies, come on out to the barn.”
The short bob of the boy’s head was no surprise, but seeing him shove an entire homemade cookie into his mouth and spring out of his seat had shocked the dickens out of Jared.
Eve’s soft chuckle drifted over his shoulder. “I think you’ve got this covered. If you don’t mind, I’ll make myself at home in the living room with my laptop and try to catch up a bit on work.”
That made sense. As much as he liked the idea of having Eve around a whole lot, he couldn’t just presume she’d always be there when he needed her. “Thanks.”
Her smile brightened. “No problem.”
“So…” Jared held the back door for the kid and hoped that he’d made the right choice asking Jake to join him. A little too late, his mind started playing through all the reasons why a barn housing full-sized horses could be a dangerous place for a child with no experience with horses. “You like horses?”
The question was clearly more of a challenge for him than math or science because he took a minute longer than he should have to nod.
“Good.” Jared stopped and grabbed a couple of apple biscuits from a container and handed them to Jake. “Put these in your pockets.”
At first, Jake quietly watched as Jared chatted a few minutes with his foreman before bringing Sugar out of her stall and putting her in the cross ties for a good brushing.
He’d grabbed two buckets and set one down in front of Jake, talking him through the steps of caring for the beautiful animal’s coat and hooves, pausing here and there to coo comforting words to the mare.
Jake’s gaze focused intently on the horse as Jared spoke. “Do you think she understands you?”
Jared smiled. “Absolutely, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
With a nod, the little boy seemed to consider the words and continued to follow Jared’s caring example.
“Remember to stay slightly to her side so she can see you. You don’t want to spook the horse and be surprised by a strong and painful kick in some unpleasant places.”
“Have you ever been kicked?”
“Oh, yeah.” He smiled at the boy and was rewarded with the first bright smile he’d seen on the child’s face. “There isn’t a rancher on the planet who hasn’t learned a few lessons the hard way.”
Again, Jake nodded and continued carefully helping to brush Sugar down. Done cleaning out the sweet horse’s hooves, Jared showed Jake how to give the beautiful animal a treat. “Now it’s time to reward her with the treats in your pocket.” He waited for Jake to retrieve the carrot-flavored treat. “Make sure to hold your hand flat, then hold it under her nose.”
When Sugar’s lips tickled his palm, Jake looked up at Jared, a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.
By the time they’d finished with Sugar and moved on to Pepper, Jake and Jared had developed an unexpected rapport. The kid asked question after question. Questions that took Jared by surprise, that he would have expected from another rancher, not from a little boy. But his favorite part were the smiles and giggles. Both his and Jake’s. Especially when the little boy in Jake came out at the sight of a kitten. His eyes lit up and he started in the cat’s direction, then stopped short.
“Misty, one of our barn cats, had a litter a few weeks ago.”
Jake’s gaze remained on the kitten, now accompanied by a second sibling.
“If you’d like, they’ll play with you.”
The boy’s head snapped around, and eye’s bright with interest now sparkled with excitement.
“Go on.” This was the first thing Jared had seen the child do that actually reminded him of a little boy and not a short adult.
The kid took off at full speed and within minutes he was surrounded by playful bouncing kittens while mama cat sprawled comfortably in the doorway sun light. A few more minutes and the kittens were scattered everywhere, climbing up and down the stacked hay bales with Jake chasing after them like a kid playing blind man’s bluff. The whole scene made Jared smile. He’d never taken much time to consider a family of his own. Sure, he assumed someday he’d marry and have a family, but someday was an elusive point in time that had little to do with his here and now.
An unexpected swell filled his chest. A joy at watching this bright child enjoy the simplest thing in life made him want to crow with delight like a rooster on a rooftop. He couldn’t begin to fathom how he’d feel if this actually were his son and not just a boy temporarily in his care. Suddenly, he understood, even more than before, why the work folks like his mother and Eve did were so important to the circle of life. He’d planned to drive out to West Texas in a few weeks to check out some horses. Maybe he’d move that up. Take Jake on a little road trip. How many boys and girls were there in this world whose lives could be turned around with a short week spent on a ranch with horses and kittens. Maybe he should get a few goats too. Or chickens.
He shook his head. Or maybe he should stick to what he knew—horses, cattle, and barn cats.
“You look awfully pensive.” Like an angel summoned from heaven just for thinking of her, Eve appeared in the sunlit doorway.
“Hey there.” He didn’t bother with the normal pleasantries and politely restrained chivalry. At this moment, in a backdrop of golden sun, she was irresistible. Taking two long strides in her direction, he swooped her into his arms and kissed her with all the emotion coursing through his veins. Like a rod attracting lightening in a storm, it struck him that his someday had just collided with his here and now.
