Chapter 14
Finley Ackerman grinned at his phone as text after text came in. He should have known his ranch friends would be up before the sun, especially with how hot it had been this summer.
Finn felt loved every day of the year, but especially so on his birthday.
He’d been given strict instructions by his wife, Edith, to stay in bed until the boys brought in his coffee and breakfast, something that his eldest, Theo, had put together with his brothers, Bubba and Dustin.
Theo had just turned ten, and Edith had been teaching him a lot more in the kitchen.
Happy Birthday, brother, Alex said, and Finn realized that it was really Alex who had been teaching his son to cook. Edith didn’t like the activity much, but none of them had starved in the past twelve years that they’d been a family.
Finn closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, he said, “Thank You, Lord, for bringing me home and giving me such a great wife and boys, and friends and family.”
Then he opened his eyes and started answering his texts.
His daddy had already sent him a birthday greeting on a group text with his momma and all of his half-siblings: Libby, Mike, and Sammy.
He wasn’t surprised to see Libby’s response coming in quickly after their daddy’s, but neither Mike nor Sammy had replied yet.
Thanks, Daddy, Finn said. Libby, are you sure it’s okay if we have the party at the ranch tonight? Like super sure?
He and Edith had been planning it at their own place, but it had been so hot, and they didn’t want to do anything outside. Libby ran their family ranch, along with her husband, Rusty. Her new baby boy was almost two months old now, and she was mostly back to full-time work at Three Rivers Ranch.
I’ve got the air conditioning going already, she said. It’s going to be great.
Gratitude filled his heart, and he thanked her, and then moved over to his ranch owner’s text string. His cousin Henry had started it all at four-thirty that morning, and a scoff fell out of Finn’s mouth.
Happy birthday, Finny! Have the best day ever!
But Dawson had chimed in not much later, and then Link, Wilder, and Tate had followed. They sent various renditions of Happy birthday with emojis or pictures, and Finn smiled at every one, thinking about each man and what he had going on in his life.
Tate and Clara Jean were about to have their first baby, and Finn knew what that was like, and how scared he’d been when Edith had gone into labor with Theo.
He’d been working with Dawson out at Brandon and Lenore’s homestead, though they’d been home for about a week now with their new baby, Julia. He knew Alex would be going there later this afternoon before coming to the party.
Henry and his wife, Angel, bore the constant pressure of running a huge boarding stable about forty minutes away from Three Rivers and where they lived. They had to balance childcare with family relationships and managing dozens of men and horses.
Paul’s text came in next, and Finn thought of him and Brielle and how badly they had wanted their baby. Spur was almost two now, and every time Finn saw him, he had the fleeting thought that he would like another child too.
Edith wanted a girl, and as Finn rolled onto his side, a twinge of pain ran through his back, reminding him why he didn’t want any more kids.
He was turning forty years old today, and his youngest was only three.
He’d be kept on his toes for many more years to come, and he really didn’t want to start over with a newborn.
Happy birthday! I hope you get everything you want, Gun said, and Rock followed it with an animated picture of a birthday cake with huge firecrackers on it. Finn chuckled to himself, thinking of the Glovers and their ranch south of town.
While sometimes it looked like everything was peaches and cream at Shiloh Ridge Ranch, he knew they experienced their fair share of trials, just like everyone else on this planet.
He hadn’t heard any news from Gun and Camila about having a baby, but they’d only been married for a year.
Of course, Rock and Clover had gotten married the week after them, and they were having their first child in October.
Conrad’s message came next, and a flash of love for the man filled Finn from head to toe. JJ’s birthday wishes followed, as did Trap’s and then Colt’s, and finally, Tyson’s. Finn wanted all of his friends to have everything they ever needed, and his eyes paused on Colt Franklin’s name.
The man had been married, had a son, and then divorced. His wife had moved to Amarillo, and Colt had full physical custody of Jonas.
Jonas still went and saw his mom a couple times a month, and Colt had taken over the apple orchards in full force this year. He’d added a café and a farm store, and to be honest, Finn wasn’t sure how the man had the energy, as he was only a few years younger than Finn himself.
Smiles Glover texted in his birthday wishes, as did Jake Ahlstrom, the full-time vet at Three Rivers. And then finally, his momma’s message came in on the family thread. It was more than just a quick Happy birthday, and Finn navigated over to it.
Happy birthday, my precious boy, she said.
You made me a mother forty years ago, and that has been the best gift of my life.
I love how good you are to everyone around you and how much you care for your friends and family and children.
I love watching you with Edith and with your boys.
I pray for you every single day that you will have what you need to be happy too.
Tears filled Finn’s eyes as a P.S. came in. There are no livestock gifts this year, just so you know, but we can’t wait to have you for dinner tonight.
She added a couple of laughing emojis, and Finn chuckled through his emotions.
He’d been given some sheep a few years ago, and the running joke was what kind of animal he would need to load up and take home with him.
His birthday had sort of become a hallmark at Three Rivers Ranch, and among his friends.
Finn quickly put down his phone as the bedroom door opened and started to creak inward. Whispering filled the room, and he heard, “Is he awake, Momma?”
“He’s awake,” Edith said, her voice a normal volume. “Go on in.”
Finn sat up and smiled at his boys and adjusted the pillows behind him so he could lean against the headboard.
“What’s going on here?” he asked, taking in the radiance on Theo’s face.
The boy loved to give gifts, and he was thoughtful and kind, just like Edith.
He looked like her, too, with blonde hair and brown eyes, a sort of combination that didn’t quite make sense to Finn, but was the perfect blend of himself and Edith.
Bubba, his seven-year-old, walked behind Theo with Finn’s big thermos, and he skipped and said, “Daddy, we gotted you breakfast.”
“Did you?” Finn grinned at his son and motioned for him to climb up on the bed.
Edith, who carried Dustin in her arms, set him on the end of the bed and said, “Crawl up to Daddy, buddy.”
“Come here, Dusty.” Finn took the thermos from Bubba and braced himself as his son crawled over him.
Dustin arrived, babbling something about eggs and chickens.
“Did you guys go out and get the eggs this morning?”
“I did it,” Theo said. “Bubs made the coffee, and Momma helped us make the omelet.”
“Dustin laid all the bacon in the pan,” she said. “And Theo got all the eggs and cracked them. Bubba made the juice and the coffee, and we all manned the omelet on the stove.”
“Wow, you guys are professionals.” Finn took the TV tray from his son, and it had legs that would sit on either side of his lap so he could eat.
The omelet looked pretty good, and his bacon was perfectly crisp.
Edith had included a sugar bowl and a small jug of cream for his coffee, and Finn reached for the tall glass of orange juice first.
“What are you guys having for breakfast?”
“I’m gonna make omelets for everyone,” Theo said. “And then Momma says we have to go school shopping today.”
“That’s right,” Finn said. “That’s your gift to me—going shopping with your mother without throwing a fit. School starts in a couple weeks, and you all need new shoes.”
“Momma said I can get those camo shorts,” Bubba said.
Finn reached for his wife as the boys piled on the bed with him, practically knocking the breakfast tray over. She leaned down and kissed him. “Happy birthday, baby.”
Finn felt like he had everything he needed right here in this five-foot radius around him.
“We’re going to go shopping this morning,” she said. “So I can finish the cake this afternoon.”
“Cake,” Dusty said, and then he babbled a bunch more stuff that sounded like party and Grandma.
Finn grinned at his boys and picked up his first piece of bacon. “Yeah, we’ve got a party tonight. You guys are going to be on your best behavior, right?”
“I am,” Theo said. “And Mason said he’s going to be there, and Grandma said I might be able to help with the apple booth.”
“What’s the apple booth?” Finn asked.
“She’s doing bobbing for apples,” Edith said. “For the kids.”
“And she said I might be able to help her.”
“That’s great,” Finn said. “I think Diesel’s going to be there too, Bubba.”
Link had a seven-year-old son as well, and a four-year-old and a two-year-old daughter, and while they lived on opposite ends of the town, a couple of hours apart, when they did their family nights, their boys got along great.
The next family night wasn’t until September, and Finn had been planning an outing to the Harvest Festival in the downtown park, where his friends and their families could meet and wander around, get food from the food trucks, get their faces painted, and whatever else they wanted.