She groaned, crawled out of bed, and lifted her pajamas off the floor and pulled them on. She went to the bathroom and took Dwayne’s heavy flannel robe off the hook and wrapped it around herself and cinched the belt. It was so big on her she felt positively dainty.
She slipped her feet into slippers and headed to the kitchen to join the men. Might as well drink in some eye candy while she had breakfast. Skipper bounced downstairs from the kid’s rooms and skittered happily around her feet.
“How’s my teeny weeny widdle Skippy Wippy cuddle bunny-poo?” She scooped him up and nuzzled his warm wriggling body.
“You and that dog.”
She turned at the sound of Char’s voice.
“Do you think I love him too much?” She gazed into his big, buggy eyes and grinned. “Do I love you too much, Skip?”
Charlene scratched his chin. “How would I know how much is too much where a dog’s concerned?” She grinned. “He is a little sugar pie.”
Char didn’t have a trace of makeup, her thick blond hair tumbled around her shoulders, and the belted robe she wore did little to disguise her fabulous curves.
“You look like a woman in love, Char.”
“That’s because I am.” She took her arm. “Let’s go down and enjoy looking at my brand new husband before he leaves for the day.”
“Just what I had in mind.”
Greeted by loud wolf whistles when they entered the kitchen, the twin sisters bowed slightly, fluffed their hair and tossed it over their shoulders as if they’d rehearsed it before coming downstairs.
Char swayed her hips as she vamped her way around the table. “Howdy, boys, mind if we join you?”
Donovan threw an arm around her hips and pulled her close. “We’d mind if you didn’t, sweet thing.”
Dwayne scooted over on the bench to make room for Marla. He puckered his lips for her kiss and slid his hand down her back when she took her seat. “Good morning, my love.”
“And good morning to you, my handsome hero.”
Cookie’s shoulders bounced with silent laughter. She flipped a pancake, her back to the room. “It’s gettin’ mighty thick in my kitchen.”
She carried a heaping platter to the table. “You boys eat up, then skedaddle. You got work to do, and I got a lot more folks to feed this morning. You hear?”
Dylan smiled at the woman who’d been cooking for the Burwell-Dempsey family beyond memory. “Thanks for this great breakfast, Cookie. We love you.”
“Go on now, I know you boys think you can butter me up, you jest git and use your charm on them cows you’re lookin’ for today.”
Marla had asked Dwayne about Cookie shortly after they’d arrived, but he’d told her he couldn’t remember a time when the woman wasn’t there, creating her special magic at the big kitchen stove. Another reason Dwayne and her brothers loved the ranch so much. Kathleen had maintained a wonderful home-away-from-home for her sons and their families.
Despite the early hour, the big house stirred with laughter and voices from upstairs. One-by-one the kids made their way to the kitchen. Grace came in, fully dressed, and kissed Dylan. “See you this evening, honey.” She grinned when he smacked her on the butt before heading out the door behind Dwayne and Donovan.
Charlene stood. “Cookie, Marla and I’ll finish our coffee and make room for the kids. Will there still be some breakfast left after we shower and dress?”
“You gals go right on, sugar. I’ll be cookin’ for another hour yet. I got all them men in the barn to feed. Don’t you never worry about gettin’ enough to eat in this house.” She tossed warm bacon to Jarhead and Skipper.
Marla shook her head. “Skip’s been completely spoiled by you, Cookie. How will I ever convince him to eat his dog food again?”
Cookie chortled at the dogs anticipating their next treat with enthusiastic tail wagging.
The sisters left the kitchen, but before going upstairs Char opened the front door in time to see the brothers and Arturo ride off in the distance, the sun barely up. They clutched their robes tight against the cold morning air.
The Dempsey boys had covered many acres of land before they found the break in the fence. They dismounted and removed tools and wire from their saddlebags.
Arturo inspected a couple of broken posts. “I can fix this if y’all want to see where the heifers run off to.”
Dylan unloaded the rest of his tools. “Go on. I’ll help Arturo. Keep an eye out for anybody who looks like he doesn’t belong. Len told me he saw a light in the old trapper’s cabin on Wolf Creek the other night. It was too late to investigate, but we’ll ride over there tomorrow and have a look.”
Dwayne and Donovan touched the brim of their hats and rode through the fence break to search for the cows.
It took a few hours to round up the escape artists, but they found all of them. They drove them slowly back to the fence line and urged them through the small break Dylan and Arturo had left open. “Looks like you’re about done with it,” Dwayne remarked.
Dylan straightened his back and wiped his face with a bandanna. “Yep, just waiting for you and the cows.”
Arturo and Dwayne piled up the debris and packed the tools while Donovan and Dylan secured the last of the wire to the posts, then they mounted and headed at a leisurely pace back to the ranch house, their heavy jackets tied to the saddles.
Dwayne rolled his shoulders in the warm sun. He loved this ranch with every fiber of his body and soul, but he couldn’t see himself living here full time. He thought perhaps he’d change his mind years down the road when their mother could no longer handle it alone.
They dismounted at the barn and unsaddled the horses. Bart led their mounts inside where he’d finish taking care of them after the long day on the range.
