Sawyer chuckled down deep in his chest. “Who says I’m that tired?”

“You might not be, but I am. I’m taking a shower and going to bed,” she said.

“Whose bed?”

“Mine. It’s supposed to be raining in the morning, and it’ll take us twice as long to do our ranchin’ chores. I don’t want to have to get up after two hours of sleep and kick hay bales or work with fifty-pound bags of feed.”

“Wow, girlfriend, you sure put a lot of faith in my ability. It’s midnight. You think I could last for three or four hours?”

She put the gray kitten in his lap, kissed him on the cheek, and headed for the shower. “I don’t have a doubt in my mind.”

Sawyer leaned his head back on the sofa. Try as hard as he might, he could not keep the grin from his face.

Chapter 26

That Sunday morning was as cold as a mother-in-law’s kiss, but there was no wind rattling through the mesquite. With layers of warm clothing and warm sunshine, it didn’t seem as cold as the thermometer on the side of the bunkhouse said it was.

They’d run out of small bales of hay and were down to their last row of big bales. Sawyer drove the tractor with an enormous bale on the front fork. He set it down in the middle of the pasture and put the tractor in reverse. The double prongs left it lying right there, with cows gathered around like it was a big, round dinner table.

Jill shimmied down out of the passenger’s seat, pulled clippers from the pocket of her overalls, and cut away the mesh wrapping so the herd could really get at the hay. “At least with the big bales, we don’t have to do this but once a day. I’m going to talk to Aunt Gladys about making all big bales next year. There’s a little more waste, but in dollars and cents, it makes more sense…”

“She’s old school, so I doubt that she’ll go for that idea, darlin’,” Sawyer said. “The old ranchers don’t feel like they can face winter without a couple of barns full of the old-fashioned hay bales. The round ones don’t compute to them.”

“She and Aunt Polly are both too old to be doing work this hard. They should be retired and enjoying life, maybe taking one of those senior citizens’ cruises. They could take Verdie with them and have a big time.”

“Good luck with that,” he said. “See that mesquite thicket over there? That’s the one I want to clear off and plant more grass for grazing or for baling. If we make it another six weeks until spring without buying hay, we’ll be lucky. The barn is empty.”

“I know, Sawyer. I vote we put in more acres of alfalfa for baling and wait another year to increase the herd. There’s at least a quarter of the ranch we could reclaim, and then we’d be ready for more cattle.” She slapped a heifer on the flank, and the cow shifted a couple of feet to the left so Jill could make her way back to the tractor.

“I talked to Gladys, and she said for me to go ahead and see if Rhett was interested in a job right now. At first, he’s going to help clear land.”

Jill’s heart fell into her boots. Another man in the bunkhouse would mean a lot of changes, and she liked the way things were. She had free run of the whole place, including Sawyer’s bathroom and bed. His cousin might be wild with his tat and ponytail, and he might not even blink at her coming out of Sawyer’s room in the morning, but just thinking about it put high color in her cheeks.

“We can clean out the room I was going to make into an office for him.”

“I thought that was going to be my movie storage room,” Sawyer said.

“We can’t throw him out in the yard with a blanket and a pillow.”

“Why? He’s tough.” Sawyer chuckled.

“So when are you going to talk to him?”

“Maybe this evening when we get back from our second date,” he said. “Hey, do I get a kiss or maybe even get lucky on the second date?” He put his hands on her waist and lifted her from ground to tractor seat in one fluid movement.

“Lucky doesn’t arrive until the fourth or fifth date, in my books,” she teased.

He kicked at the cold dirt like a little boy. “Well, shucks.”

“But we can find another antique to remember our second date by,” she said. “I really like that old ice tray. It’s amazing how much easier the cubes pop out of it than they do when I twist one of the plastic ones. Never know about the lucky issue though. If that cute little bear with the daisy on her belly is still there and you buy her for me, I might rewrite the rules in my book, and you could get lucky on the second date.”

The smile on his face rivaled the sun when he looked up. “Then we’ll definitely look for the bear. What makes you think it’s a girl bear?”

He jogged around the back end of the tractor and climbed inside the cab.

“It’s a girl bear because no self-respecting boy bear would have a daisy on his belly,” she answered.

Sawyer started up the engine and turned the tractor around. “Maybe he’s not afraid of his feminine side. Maybe he even watches old movies.”

“Nope, it’s still a girl bear, and her name is Daisy.”

“And if we buy Daisy today and bring her home, I might get lucky?”

“Maybe you won’t, but I might,” she teased.

He stopped the tractor in front of the barn and pulled her across the bench seat to his side. “Lucky takes on a whole new meaning with you, Jill. I’m lucky for every single moment I get to spend with you.” He tipped up her chin, and she got lost all over again in his dark eyes. When his lips covered hers, the kiss was so sweet and so passionate that she had to keep the tears at bay.

* * *

“I thought the preacher was going to talk forever. I’ve looked forward to this all week. It’s our first date since we got married,” Callie said as the waiter seated them in the little café at the back of one of the antique shops.

“Blue plate special today is your choice of chicken-fried steak or meatloaf, served with mashed potatoes; your choice of okra, pinto beans, or green beans; and a basket of hot rolls,” the waiter said. “Or you can choose from the grill menu. You should try our onion blossom or jalapeño poppers for an appetizer. They’re really good. I’ll take your drink orders now and be back when you’ve decided.”

“Sweet tea,” Jill and Sawyer said at the same time.

Callie and Finn nodded.

“And bring us a double order of the poppers and an onion blossom,” Finn said.

“You hungry, darlin’?” Callie asked. “Or do you think we are?”

“Starving. My stomach was growling so loud, folks around me thought I was snoring in church,” Finn answered. “Hey, I thought Mavis and Naomi might lock it up right there in the church house after church. Anyone else see what happened?”

Jill shook her head.

“They came up to shake the preacher’s hand at the same time. That meant one had to step aside,” Callie explained. “Even Verdie held her breath.”

“Why?” Sawyer asked.

“Because it would be like losing a battle in the war to whoever took second place, right?” Jill asked. “Which one lost?”

“Neither,” Callie said. “Verdie stepped between them and started talking. She steered them out of the church without stopping to visit with the preacher at all. She rambled on and on about Salt Draw and the kids, and neither of them said a word to her or to each other. When they were outside, they went straight to their own trucks.”

“Damnedest thing I ever saw. Verdie said that she did it because she didn’t want our date ruined.” Finn laughed. “I love that woman.”

Callie touched his arm and looked up into his eyes. “As much as you do me?”

“Oh, honey, I don’t love anyone that much.” He kissed her on the tip of the nose.

“How would two old women rolling around and tearing up their panty hose ruin our date?” Sawyer asked.

“I didn’t ask. I just figured Verdie knew what she was talking about,” Finn answered.

“Sweet tea for everyone,” the waiter said at Finn’s elbow. “The appetizers will be here in about three minutes. Have you decided on dinner?”