Page 44 of Dependable Cowboy

Maybe she really was freezing.

“We’ll get her back out here after lunch. The temp should climb a degree or two by then, and I’ll have Mom give her some stalebreadcrumbs to feed the birds. Or maybe just the ducks. Those geese are hissy little cusses.”

And as if on cue, as he spoke, a pair of teenage girls tried to offer a large goose what looked to be popcorn. But instead of eating it, the giant thing ruffled its wings and chased after them, hissing like a ticked off alley cat.

“Yeah, Kara doesn’t need to be around that. I don’t want her developing a phobia around animals, especially since we’re in the middle of Montana where there are animals every where you look.”

“Could get her a pet,” Aaron suggested, and Joy had been considering it.

The friend Kara had recently spent the night with had both a dog—a corgi—and a cat—a Persian, as well as a pair of parakeets. Kara had been asking about going to one of the nearby farms the next time someone advertised having puppies or kittens to adopt.

“You mean like Roar?” Joy asked, quirking her lips up. Roar had been his hamster, and he’d been aptly named. She hadn’t seen a hamster since who caterwauled like that miniature creature had.

Aaron laughed. “Maybe.”

The meal had been a delight because Angie and Vance Hunter were the same kind and caring people they’d always been. They incorporated Joy and Kara into their holiday festivities as if they’d always been there, even encouraging the eight-year-old to decorate all the pies—pecan, peach, and pumpkin—with whipped cream.

Angie had hugged Joy close when they made to depart later. “It’s been so marvelous having you over again,” she murmured in Joy’s ear, the sentiment so genuine that her eyes burned. “And your little girl is so darling. You’re each welcome here anytime.”

“Thank you.” She’d forgotten how inviting Aaron’s parents had been. They were just the nicest people ever. “Thank you for including Kara, too.”

“Happy to.”

Kara’sninth birthday was the seventh of December, and since she’d requested next to nothing since their move, when she asked for a slumber party, Joy willingly accommodated her. What she hadn’t anticipated was Aaron’s reaction to her having to disappoint him.

“I know Fridays are usually our date night, but I doubt you’ll want to be here this time.”

“Why not?” he asked her.

“Because it’s Kara’s birthday slumber party, and she’s having not one friend over. She’s not even having two friends over, either. Oh, no, she’ll be havingfourgirls staying overnight to celebrate.”

Joy had been planning it for her all week. She’d bought streamers, one of those helium balloon machines that allowed you to inflate the balloons at home, a huge sheet of chocolate cake, and four different flavors of ice cream. And that wasn’t even mentioning the special present she’d be picking up for her as a gift this year.

“Don’t you want any assistance with all that? Four girls plus Kara sounds like a lot.”

It would be a lot. But Joy had decided it was the least she could do. Her daughter tended toward the well-behaved even on a bad day, and the past couple of years had saddled her with plenty of those. Kara deserved to have some fun, and a slumber party fit that bill to a T. Yet having Aaron be there would be asking too much.

“Have you ever been to a slumber party, Aaron?”

“Well, no.”

“Then unless you’re keen to experience nonstop giggling, squealing that runs late into the night, and five hyper third graders high on excess sugar intake, I advise you to pass this one by.”

Joy was certain that would be enough to scare him off. It’d be enough to scare any other man off. But Aaron wouldn’t be dissuaded.

“If it’s that hectic, that would be too much for any one adult. I think I need to be there.”

“I can handle it.”

“I’m sure you can. But I’m still coming.”

Joy ended up being incredibly thankful that he was there. She’d never had to deal with a gaggle of young girls from this side of things before. If she’d tried to do it on her own, she might’ve wound up under her bed babbling nonsense by the conclusion of it. But, of course, Aaron saved the day. And the night.

He pretended to be a horse and let them ride piggyback, put up with all the noise, and never once lost his patience or raised his voice. He seriously was a dream man.

Lately, Joy had begun to ask herself how she’d missed what a catch Aaron had been back when they were younger. Sure, she’d been foolish and naïve. That probably accounted for most of it. Maybe a bit blind, too. But sometimes, life worked out anyway.

She couldn’t be more grateful for it. Nor could she be more convinced that Aaron was the right man for her at this point. He always had been. Only a truly devoted man would put up with all that craziness on purpose.

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