Page 26 of Dependable Cowboy

The next evolution of their dynamic happened almost by accident. He’d stayed later than usual while watching a movie with the two of them. Joy knew it was past time she let him go home when Kara specifically askedhimto read her a bedtime story.

Stunned, Joy blinked at her daughter. Kara had never let anyone but her or Wayne read her a story, not that her MIA husband had done such a thing in years.

It was too bad, too, since he would act out all the scenes. But any chance of that was over now.

Maybe that was why Kara’s next question to Aaron sprang out as an entreaty. “Will you do the voices?”

Joy herself did the voices but didn’t go as far as acting the scenes out. She’d discovered long ago that pinging around the room during a time that was meant to calm her young daughter down was unhelpful. In fact, after Wayne left her room, she’d oftenhad to rock her little girl to get her to settle back down. That’s how long it’d been since Wayne had “read” her stories.

But remembering that was neither here nor there.

Aaron seemed to be game. “I’ll try. No promises, though. And no making fun of me.”

“Never,” Kara told him solemnly, so after clearing his throat for longer than it should’ve taken him, he began.

“Once upon a time…” Aaron did a decent job of reading the narrative part, but when the character’s dialogue started, he made this massive effort. He made his register go all high-pitched for the girl character, and for the boy, all low and raspy.

It was hilarious, and to keep from laughing out loud, Joy had to conceal her mouth behind her palm. She didn’t want to dissuade him, but his completely serious approach had her in stitches, especially as the expressions on his face remained strait-laced.

He was approaching telling the story as if about to perform some life-giving surgery.

It helped that during his first time changing his voice Kara clapped her hands in support, a giant smile on her little face as she begged for Aaron to continue. So, he did. This also helped Joy to get a hold of the wild explosion of humor that was trying so desperately to escape.

After a while, Joy’s mirth dwindled as it hit her just how compatible this man was with her daughter. He was downright wonderful with her and already becoming her friend. Things were so good between them that it made Joy’s chest ache with longing.

It meant so much to her. More than she could even express. Still, she had to tread carefully here. She didn’t want Kara going through what she already had with her father. The repeated disappointments. And now the absence of him. The loss.

Even though Joy craved being a family so much. She could imagine that future time so easily. Too easily. Joy knew she was falling hard for this man. Had already fallen.

And based on those open smiles Aaron kept providing her, he was falling right back.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Aaron had traveledto the most remote corner of the ranch in search of a heavily pregnant heifer. No one had seen her in a day or two, and he sincerely hoped she hadn’t managed to get herself in dire straits somehow while out of earshot. Most of their gravid cattle delivered without issue, but there were times when one would end up in distress.

It’d been Brock’s job to keep an eye on this section of pasture. What he should’ve done was bring the creature closer to the barn so Pete could easily see to her if necessary. Why Brock hadn’t, Aaron had no idea, but it didn’t exactly surprise him to have the weekend off only to discover that Brock had been the one to lose track of this female.

Brock was the one off today, so Aaron had taken it upon himself to see to it everything was as it should be. Which it wasn’t.

Fortunately, Aaron found her and her freshly delivered calf beneath a small grove of Englemann spruce trees. Immediately dismounting from his all-terrain vehicle, he scrambled over to check on her.

“Hey Mama, looks like you’ve got yourself a new baby.”

He spoke in calming tones, edging closer and closer. Nothing appeared to be amiss, thankfully. But he still carefully herded the two all the way back to the barn. Pete liked to examine every freshly delivered mother and new calf.

It was when he was about halfway there when his walkie-talkie buzzed to life.

“We need all ranch personnel to the main house pronto. That’s all ranch personnel to the main house,now.” The voice had been Bryce’s and while the overall head of the Duncan Ranch could be short with people at times, Aaron had rarely heard this level of sharpness from him.

Something was wrong.

“On my way,” Aaron reported in, then pushed the pair of animals along as fast as he could.

Once he’d settled the two in the barn he raced for the main house. The majority of the large staff and members of the Duncan family were already inside, and despite the expansive size of the downstairs living space, it was standing room only.

Aaron didn’t know if he was the last to arrive, but as soon as Bryce made eye contact with him, he began.

“Whitney went into labor a few hours ago again. Sam’s taken her to the hospital, and it seems she’s going to have to deliver this time. It’d put her and the babies in danger not to.”

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