Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Hank
“All right, everyone. Come and try out the breakfast,” Jasper said with a flourish as he plopped the last bowl down on the buffet side table.
“During the week, I’m going to focus more on grab-and-go stuff, but on the weekends, I want it to have a brunchy vibe.
So I need you to tell me if this works for you. ”
Jasper bit his lip, already sliding into apparent worry.
Why, I had no idea, because his food was always amazing, and this morning was no exception.
He had gone with a Mexican theme: a breakfast casserole with chili and cheese, fruit salad with lime, and a sprinkle of salt to bring out the flavor.
At some point yesterday, he had even gone into town to get fresh tortillas.
They were warmed and waiting alongside bowls of freshly made pico de gallo and salsa.
“Damn, baby boy, this looks good,” Gage said as he saddled up to the food.
“You don’t call him that,” I growled.
Jasper laid a placating hand on my back, but, in a huge surprise to me, Gage put up his hands in surrender.
“You’re right, big guy. I forgot. Sorry.”
I glowered at him but gave a curt nod.
“I can call you big guy, right?”
Rather than answer, I rolled my eyes and started working on my plate. I tried to make one for Jasper, too, but he shooed me away, saying he wanted to watch everybody’s expressions as they ate. He needed to know if his menu was going to work.
We all shoveled food into our mouths without speaking.
The only sounds around the table were noises of appreciation and the occasional comment about needing a bowl to eat the salsa or spooning up the pico de gallo.
Jasper’s feet wouldn’t stay still. He happy danced over to the table, and I snagged him around the waist, pulling him onto my lap.
I offered him a bite of my breakfast taco, which I’d built from the casserole, and he happily accepted.
“Are we going to have to watch this every time we visit?” Gage asked with his mouth full.
“I’m instituting a new rule, Gage. You don’t get to talk shit at the table.”
Gage and Jasper stared at their father. I think they weren’t used to him cussing.
“Gage, what did you do to our father?” Rowan asked from the doorway. He was still in his rumpled pants and button-down shirt from yesterday. He must have just collapsed on his bed after his all-night phone call.
“Broke me, Rowan. Your brother broke me,” Dr. Greer said with a straight face, though I caught the twinkle in his eyes. He wasn’t that upset about the breaking part.
“What was that call about?” Gage asked. He sounded casual, but I could tell he was actually listening for the answer.
“Stuff,” Rowan answered, then quickly shoveled food in his mouth so he wouldn’t have to explain further. Gage and Dr. Greer exchanged puzzled looks at his one-word answer.
For the rest of the meal, I kept Jasper firmly by my side.
He insisted on getting up a few times to replenish plates even though everyone told him it wasn’t necessary.
He said it was good practice for being an owner, and we needed to let him do what he needed to do.
That was enough to shut the rest of us up.
Still, I insisted that everyone carry their plates to the kitchen.
There was no way he was going to cook us breakfast and clean up after us like we were guests. They were his family, and he was mine.
After breakfast, we all ended up on the porch, sinking into the rocking chairs that dotted the front.
It was nice to sit and let the breeze wash over us.
It wasn’t too hot yet, though it was going to be a scorcher later.
Winter wasn’t really a thing in Central Texas, but I took the occasional cool breeze when I could get it.
“Dad, are you going back right away, or will you be able to stay for a couple of days?” Jasper asked. There was a wistfulness in his voice. I suspected he already knew the answer.
“Unfortunately, I’ll only be able to stay through tomorrow morning. Our flight leaves at eight, so we’ll be heading out before you’re even awake.”
“Are you sure you can’t stay for a few extra days? It feels kind of weird not to have you all around all the time.”
“Aw, baby brother, you do miss us,” Gage teased.
“It’s hard to believe, but I even miss you, Gage,” Jasper said. The pretend disgust in his voice made his dad chuckle and Rowan snort. If this was their normal, then it seemed like they were back to it.
“Actually, Jasper, I feel the same way with you not being around. I’ve talked to some of the doctors in my practice about bringing someone in because I don’t think I want to maintain the same schedule I’ve had.”
“Are you retiring, Dad?” Rowan asked.
“Not officially, but I am going to cut back on my hours. You boys have been grown for a long time. I spent decades raising kids, working, and nothing else. There are some other things I want to do. Things I promised your mom.”
“Like what?” Jasper asked.
“When your mom and I got married, we said we wanted to travel. We never got around to it because we started having babies right away. Then we thought we’d do it when you got older, but she passed away, and I put it aside because it felt like a betrayal that she couldn’t be with me.”
My fingers squeezed Jasper’s hip, and he relaxed back into me. I planted a soft kiss on the top of his head and caught a small nod of approval from Rowan at the gesture. Gage was an asshole for the ages, but Rowan was decent.
“Dad, you’ve said before that I’m the most like her personality-wise, and I can’t imagine her ever begrudging anyone wanting to travel. She’d want you to go and have a wonderful time.” Jasper’s tone was soft, and his dad shot him a grateful look.
“Yes, I think you’re right about that. If anything, she’d be upset that I waited this long.”
“Have you figured out what your first trip is going to be?” Jasper asked from my lap, where I’d planted him when we went outside.
“My favorite professor in college was from Edinburgh, and he always talked about what an interesting city it was. I think that’s going to be my first city in the country.”
“As in Scotland?” Jasper asked.
“Yep, but I’m going to make a stop on my way there and back.”
“Yeah? Where’s that?” I hadn’t said much, but I didn’t want Jasper to think I wasn’t interested in his family.
“Here. I’m going to stop here. It’s a toss-up on whether my kid will have room for me or not. Based on what I heard yesterday, reservations might be hard to come by soon.”
After the discussion about Dr. Greer traveling, we all lapsed into silence and let the rest of the morning soak in.
Jasper stayed on my lap as we quietly rocked in the sun.
The peace was only disturbed by the buzz in my pocket.
I fished out my phone and saw a text message.
A delivery had arrived at my ranch, and I needed Jasper to come with me.
“Hey, Jasper, I’ve got a delivery this morning, but I need you to be there for it.”
“Me?” he said. “Why do I need to be there? I mean, I’ll come, but I don’t know why.”
I booped him on the nose, then leaned in for a kiss to seal it. “If I tell you now, it’ll ruin it.”
“Ruin what?” he asked suspiciously.
“I’m not going to tell you that either.”
I pushed him off my lap, stood, and then pulled him to his feet. With his hand firmly in mine, I led him down the porch steps toward my pasture.
Behind us, Gage hollered, “Hold up, we’re coming too.”
I whipped around. “I don’t recall inviting you.”
Gage bristled at my abrupt answer, but Jasper laughed. “Gage, he’s pulling your leg. Come on.”
After Jasper spoke, Rowan and their dad rose from their chairs and followed too.
It felt like I was the Pied Piper leading a parade across the grass.
Or maybe it was Jasper who was the piper.
His goats bleated their greetings when they spotted him.
They knew he usually meant treats, and they were not happy when he bypassed them without stopping.
With his blond curls and a change out of his cutoffs and half shirt into tights and a feathered cap, he’d fit the part perfectly.
“It’s okay, ladies. I’ll be home soon, and I promise I’ll have your presents for you. I won’t forget my babies,” Jasper called.
His promises didn’t stop the bleating, but he kept his hand tucked in mine as we trudged across the pasture. At the front of my house, a truck with a trailer sat waiting.
“You Hank Vogel?” the driver asked as we approached. The dust kicked up by the truck made the air hazy, but the noises in the trailer were muffled behind plywood.
“Yeah, that’s me. Thanks for doing a delivery on a Sunday. You got the invoice for me?”
“No problem,” the driver said. “I was headed this way for home, so it wasn’t an issue to make a detour. You know where you want them?”
“Yeah, front pasture. If you move your trailer around, we can unload them directly into it. You can use the gate we just came through.”
I whistled for Mac, who came out of the barn at a dead run and planted himself by the gate, waiting for instructions.
He was crouched low, but his entire body was tensed with anticipation.
He knew he was about to get to herd and was excited for it.
The driver backed the trailer into place, and I asked Jasper to stand on one side in case anything bolted while Mac covered the other.
“I’m going to need you not to look in the trailer,” I told Jasper.
“Oh, come on, how am I not going to look?” he asked, exasperated.
“I know it’s a lot, but I just need you to trust me, sugar.”
Jasper sighed but nodded. He turned his face away, though I caught him trying to peek over the plywood barrier on the trailer.
When I arranged for the delivery, the lot owner thought I was crazy for wanting the trailer modified the way I did, but when I offered to pay extra, he laughed and said if I wanted to waste the money, he was happy to oblige.
I whistled the ready signal for Mac, then opened the gate. The trailer door rattled as I swung it wide. Six Babydoll Sheep barreled out, tumbling over each other in their rush to the pasture.
The second the first woolly body appeared, Jasper whipped his head around. His gasp carried clearly over the clanging of the gate.
“Daddy, how did you do this?” The wonder in his voice made every penny worth it.
“Sugar, I told you I needed something in this pasture.”
Jasper balled his hands into fists and set them on his hips. “You did no such thing.”
“Well, I meant to. If I forgot to say it aloud, it’s because I wanted to surprise you.”
“How long are you going to be able to keep them?”
“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be able to keep them?”
“Because you told me before that you never own stock yourself, you just keep it for other people.”
“Well, sometimes I say things, and I don’t know what I’m talking about. I think this pasture needs something permanent in it.”
“You mean they’re staying?”
“Yep. I thought maybe your ladies might like some company.”
Jasper crossed the space between us and wrapped his arms around my waist. I circled his shoulders and squeezed him just as tightly.
He looked up, and I dropped a kiss on his sweet lips.
They still tasted faintly of coffee, so I went back for a second.
Once wasn’t enough. I lingered this time, running my tongue along his bottom lip before giving a soft nibble.
I didn’t care who was watching. I was going to kiss my boy any time I wanted.
When I finally pulled back, Jasper looked bemused.
“Are these the Babydolls from Saddle Up?”
“Yep.”
“How? You said they got sold off.” Jasper looked suspiciously at me but kept glancing away to gaze at the sheep with a soft smile, then back to me with suspicion.
“It can be done if you’re quick enough.”
“And you were,” Jasper said with delight.
He escaped from my grasp and headed straight into the pasture.
Mac kept the animals herded close. Within minutes, they had him encircled and were vying for his attention.
Jasper’s happiness carried across the field and his giggles filled the air.
I could watch this man be happy for the rest of my days.
“Are you serious about him?” Silently, Rowan had sidled up next to me. Damn, he was like a ghost. “Because if you’re not, you need to end it before he ends up with another broken heart.”
“Yeah, what he said,” Gage announced on my other side. I’d heard his approach because he had all the subtlety of a bull on stilts.
“Yeah, I’m serious.” I nodded to them both and joined Jasper on the grass. His family could wait at the fence because I wanted to be with my boy.
“Sugar, what are you gonna name them?”
“I get to name them too?”
The amazement in his voice made me chuckle. “You did a damn good job with the goats, so no need for me to even try.”
“Daddy, you’re silly.” Jasper giggled. “You named Mac.”
“Uh, no, Mac came named. If it had been left up to me, he’d still be called Dog.”
“What? No. You can’t name your dog Dog. Maybe D-oh-gee, but not just Dog.”
“See, I didn’t know that. Good thing I have you to set me straight.”
I suddenly wished his family and the sheep were gone because I wanted to lie him down in the pasture and kiss him until he forgot his own name.
“Jasper?” I waited until he looked up at me and could see I meant every word. “I love you, sugar. Thank you for not running off the first time we met.”
“Daddy, I knew you were gonna be my Daddy. I just had to wait for you to catch up. I’m happy you figured it out.”
“Sometimes, you’re Daddy isn’t the best.”
“Stop it, you’re the best Daddy any boy could want.”
“Is that because of the sheep?”
“I mean, they definitely don’t hurt.” My mock outrage sent Jasper into a fit of giggles that turned to peals of laughter. He danced away from me, and I chased after him.
Damn, I loved that boy.