“No, you’re not. But the doctor said they’ll send you to the cardiac rehab floor before you’ll be able to go home.” His daughter spoke calmly and matter-of-factly.
“What if I don’t want to do that?”
“Too bad. You don’t have a choice.”
The power struggle between the two was fascinating. Rob had thought Jethro was a cantankerous, stubborn man, but Catherine seemed just as stubborn, although a lot more pleasant about it.
He covered his mouth and coughed to cover a laugh before ending his visit. “I’ll let you get some rest, Jethro. Just know that the livestock and the ranch are fine. The farrier came today.”
“Oh, shit,” grumbled Jethro. “I didn’t leave a check.”
“Don’t worry. He’ll send an invoice.”
“Dad, we have to figure out how to pay your bills while you’re in rehab. Maybe you’ll want to add me to your bank account so I can write checks for you.”
Jethro scowled. “You don’t know nothing about running a ranch, Catherine. Maybe you could bring me the checkbook from my office.”
Rob didn’t want to get between these two family members. He used the moment to leave, telling them both, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
***
MJ heard Rob’s truck pull into the driveway and took the turkey tetrazzini out of the oven.
“Hi, honey, I’m home,” he said as he came through the kitchen door, leaning down to kiss her soundly. Maverick wedged himself between them, giving Rob’s hand a sniff and a lick.
“How’s Jethro?”
“Ornery. Catherine will have her hands full.”
“I can imagine.”
“Hard to decide who’s more stubborn. Jethro doesn’t want to go to cardiac rehab, but she’ll make it happen, I’ll bet.”
“I agree. I can’t imagine that he’ll be ready to go home. How long is she going to stay?”
“No idea. They were arguing about how they would handle the ranch’s finances when I left. Someday, I might want to buy the place from him, but I can’t imagine he’s ready to sell.”
“You’re thinking about it, huh?”
“It’s a great place, MJ. It’s the right size, and I like the location, being in the shadow of the mountains. Actually, if he has me run the place while he’s recuperating, I’ll learn more about the operation. I’d be able to study the genetics of the herd, look at feed selection, and the ratio of hay to grass.”
“Sounds like there’s a lot to learn.”
“There is if you want to be successful at ranching. We used to run spreadsheets and test every variable we could. That’s how you know if your agricultural strategy is working. You can’t account for everything, but the more you know, the more you can control what’s manageable. There’s science involved, as well as economics. The County Extension Office can help with that. I don’t know how much Jethro studies soil composition, or tracks the amount of fertilizer he uses, or the water used in each field. Not all ranchers approach everything scientifically.”
“It sounds like that’s what you want to do for your ranch, though.”
“Yep. Ranching is hard work, both physically and mentally. You make decisions practically every day. I figure I might as well make good decisions, rather than haphazard ones.” He shrugged.
She turned the oven off and carried the casserole to the table. “Better go wash up. This is ready.”
He came back and poured some wine for each of them. They continued to talk about ranching throughout dinner, and she felt like he was really letting her into his plans for the future.
“I didn’t realize there was so much to ranching. I thought you just took care of the animals and at some point sold them off.”
Rob laughed. “Well, yeah, that’s the overview, but there are a lot of details.”
She studied him carefully, unsure if she wanted to ask what was on her mind. She finally took a deep breath and jumped in. “Do you think I’ll be able to learn what’s necessary for ranching? If things work out for us, I want to be a good partner for you. I don’t know much now, but do you think I can learn?” She felt embarrassed asking. Usually, she didn’t feel as vulnerable about her abilities. She was used to researching the things she didn’t know. It seemed like there was an awful lot to know about ranching, and the knowledge base was important. She ducked her head and looked down at her plate.
“Oh, honey. You’ll be able to learn. In fact, we’ll learn together. I don’t expect you to know everything. Your willingness to learn makes me feel good.” He leaned over and pulled her close to him, practically tipping her chair over.
“Careful, Tarzan,” she laughed.
He pounded on his chest and warbled an off-key yell. Maverick scrambled to his feet, and approached Rob, his eyes worried.
“It’s okay, buddy,” she said. “Daddy’s just being silly.” Relief showed on the dog’s face, and he gave his doggy grin. “I don’t know which of you is more humorous.”
Rob growled. “It’s not a competition, and if it were, I’d win.” He nodded his head emphatically.
She leaned in to kiss him and then stood up to clear the table.
“Great turkey tetrazzini, sweetheart.”
“Thanks. It’s my grandma’s recipe.”
She washed, and he dried, and then they curled up together on the couch to watch a police drama.
“I love spending time with you,” she whispered, as she burrowed into him and laid her head on his chest.
“It’s the little things,” he said, nibbling on her lips and nose and giving her butterfly kisses with his lashes.
As he pressed his body against her, she shook her head, feeling his manhood against her hip. “I don’t think it’s that little,” she said.
He flipped off the TV and pulled her up, turning her toward the bedroom. Making love with Rob was the perfect ending to their evening. Definitely not little,
