Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
At lunchtime, Liam hunted down Johnnie Clemons. When the super busy man was able to, he would pitch in and still help at the ranch, but he was also a sensei at a dojo he started. His wife, Maggie, was a successful businesswoman, and they had four children.
“How do you manage it all?” Liam asked when he tracked down the cowboy walking away from the chicken coops.
Johnnie chuckled. “Didn’t you remember that we talked this over before?”
“Yeah,” Liam admitted. “Before Jacob was born and then again before Aaron was born, but honestly, by now, I thought things would be easier. All of my different jobs pull me in different directions, and I feel like I’m dropping eggs all over the place.”
“You have egg on your face, huh?” Johnnie crossed his arms and laughed again. “No one ever claimed that being a father was easy. Even being a stay-at-home dad can’t possibly be easy. Life has a way of coming at you again and again, and you have to roll with the punches?—”
Liam groaned.
Johnnie grinned and held out his hands. “In my defense, you had to know that cracks about punches and kicks are gonna happen from time to time.”
“No, I mean I get it, but…”
“What in particular is on your mind?” Johnnie asked, hands on hips now, looking more serious.
Liam lifted his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “I feel like Rebecca and I don’t have any time for ourselves. We’re both working so hard, and I do chores around the house and spending time with the kids and meals and homework and all of that, but we’re both so tired at night that we don’t have any time to spend with each other.”
“It’s eating away at you, huh?”
Liam nodded glumly.
“Well…” Johnnie rubbed his chin. “What do you have planned for Valentine’s Day? Not that you only want one day of romance, but it can be a start.”
Liam blinked a few times.
“You forgot about Valentine’s Day,” Johnnie said.
Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “No. Not exactly. I was going to make reservations at Angelino’s, her favorite Italian place, but you have to call to make them, not just do it online, and by now, they might be all booked up.”
“There’s always Mis Amigos Restaurante ,” Johnnie offered. “I’m sure Clara will be able to squeeze you in, no problem.”
“Yeah, but that’s not Rebecca’s favorite, and it’ll be obvious that I waited to the last minute.”
“It’s not exactly last minute,” Johnnie pointed out. “It’s the very beginning of February.”
“I know, but…”
“There are other options. So many options,” Johnnie said, “but I’ll leave you to figuring out Valentine’s Day by yourself because this goes deeper.”
Liam nodded. “Any tips for making time for each other… especially with us both being so tired. It’s not like we can stay up later to solve that issue, and we already get up so early in the morning to that getting up even earlier to have time before the kids get up… That’s not happening during the school year at least. Maybe in the summertime, but then the kids basically live at the ranch with me, so…”
“It’s the little moments,” Johnnie said. “You can make connections all throughout the day. Texts, calls… Making dinner together, doing dishes together… Stolen little pockets of time. If that’s all you can manage, then make the most of it.”
“We do that,” Liam protested. “It just doesn’t feel like it’s enough.”
“It might not feel like it, but so long as you do what you can, it’s enough.”
“But it doesn’t feel that way,” Liam said, growing frustrated.
“Then see what you can take off your plate.”
“There’s nothing I can do. We own the place, and?—”
“I would never suggest that you sell it, but what about an assistant? Someone you trust who can handle enough responsibility that you can cut back on your hours some?”
“That could maybe work,” Liam said slowly.
“Then you could help more with the kids to take time off of Rebecca’s plate. Spread the wealth of time around, and it’ll give you more time to connect. Maybe you both won’t feel as tired so you can stay up a little later or get up a little earlier and enjoy your morning coffees just the two of you before the craziness of the day starts.”
“That won’t be a quick and easy fix, though,” Liam realized. “In fact, it would increase my workload because I would have to create a job listing and interview candidates and then train him or her…”
“But you two are married for life. This isn’t a small problem. Even if it takes time, don’t you think it would be worth it in the end?”
Liam nodded, but his mind was already racing. “There is one thing I wanted to run by you, something I think all of our families will enjoy. It’s spur of the moment, but we can pull it off.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
Liam grinned. “A calf-roping competition.”
“That city girl of yours does love rodeo competitions, doesn’t she? Sounds like fun! And if it’s not for the entire community, I don’t see why we can’t hold it before the holiday. What all do you have in mind?”
The two cowboys continued to plot and plan, and Liam felt a little better.
But only a little.