Page 17 of Mountain Man's Treasure

"How's my beautiful wife?"

Oz slides onto the sofa beside me, snuggling up against me while I gently rock our four-week-old son in my arms.

"Mmm," I coo as my hubby kisses me, "fabulous, just a little sad about going back to work in a couple of weeks."

"You don't have to; I've told you a million times we'll be just fine on one income if you want stay home."

Oz stretches greedy hands out to take Fields from me now that he's had his lunch and is sleeping it off.

Snuggling up against my hubby, I lay my head on Oz's shoulder and pet our son's shock of soft, red curls with my hand.

I'm determined he's going to grow up loving that hair.

"I know, but I really do love my job." Oz and I have talked a lot about this, and I'm still torn. Being a forest ranger was my dream job since I was little, but I had no idea how much I was going to want to be home with my babies once I started a family.

"Whatever makes you happy, Red. I'll support it. Just be warned that as soon as Doc Jones gives us the all clear in a couple of weeks, I have every intention of getting started on a sister for Fields to protect."

"Speaking of protective big brothers," I say, "I think Mesa might ask her at the wedding."

Osprey and I did the courthouse wedding just a couple weeks after we got together-- when you know, you know-- but since Fields came along so soon, we put off the big to-do until later this summer.

My brother's had a hell of a year, but Robin has been at his side the whole time. There's no doubt in my mind that I'm getting another sister-in-law soon.

"About damn time. Those two have been head over heels since first sight. Mesa should have married her a long time ago."

"He was kind of busy," I remind my hubby, getting up and gently taking our sleeping son from his arms so I can put him to bed.

Oz rolls his eyes and gets up when I beckon him to follow.

"He coulda at least proposed," he grumbles on about my brother as I put Fields down and take Oz by the hand back to our room.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you had plans for me that are going to have the Doc cussing me out next time she sees us."

It's only been four weeks since Fields was born and we're not cleared to get back to the sex life we're used to, but I did ask Doctor Jones about other options and she gave me a few ideas that I've been dying to try.

"I promise not to get you in any trouble," I tell him, pulling him onto the bed with me with my fingers crossed not-quite-behind my back.

EPILOGUE 2

Ten Years Later

Osprey

"So, we’re gonna have to sheer these every year?"

I look out at the fenced area where the kids are having a blast chasing the new kids. That'd be our children and the four Pygora goats that just joined the family.

"Yup, they're just like sheep," Red replies with a giggle, tucking her shoulder under my arm.

"Or Cypress and Violet's alpacas, I take it."

"The goats need less space," Red points out, "and they aren't nearly as obnoxious as those Spanish crosses that Abu pawned off on Vale and Sparrow."

I suppose it was inevitable that I was going to end up with a yard full of goats eventually, it seems to be the price you pay for marrying into the Diaz family.

But our eight-year-old daughter, Prairie, wanted "soft" goats like she'd seen at the fair, so here we are; starting a new family tradition, raising fiber goats for fleece instead of the meat goats that Meadow's brother started with years ago.

Out front, the sound of a car coming up our driveway interrupts our conversation.

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