Page 6 of Her Cowboy's Valentine

“Mary’s going to icing them, and I’m going to eat them,” Jacob declared.

“I can grab them at the normal time from my mom’s,” Liam offered.

“Okay,” Rebecca said. “Thank you.”

“Gotta go.” He kissed them all and then was out the door.

Rebecca served breakfast. Mary was the only one to use syrup with her pancakes, although sometimes Aaron wanted to dip his in syrup. No matter how many times Rebecca told her boys to use a fork and knife, they insisted on eating with pancakes withtheir fingers. She should cut the pancakes for them, but already she was feeling the pinch for time.

She got them ready, and Mary and Jacob headed outside for the school bus. Some mornings, Rebecca would drive them in, but today, she just took Aaron to his grandmother’s after the bus arrived.

Then, she worked her shift at the hospital. She had more patients than normal to take care of, so there was zero chance for her to head out for lunch. She barely had time to scarf down the tenders and fries she purchased from the café since she had forgotten to pack a lunch in the morning chaos.

By the time her shift was over, she was wiped. She barely had a moment to think about Liam or what to get him for Valentine’s Day, but since he was handling the kids, she dutifully drove from store to store, trying to find him something that showed her love, her appreciation, her heart.

Nothing fit him or her or them.

It was all for naught.

Oh, well, tomorrow would be another exhausting day.

CHAPTER 4

At lunchtime, Liam hunted down Johnnie Clemons. When the super busy man was able to, he would pitch in and still help at the ranch, but he was also a sensei at a dojo he started. His wife, Maggie, was a successful businesswoman, and they had four children.

“How do you manage it all?” Liam asked when he tracked down the cowboy walking away from the chicken coops.

Johnnie chuckled. “Didn’t you remember that we talked this over before?”

“Yeah,” Liam admitted. “Before Jacob was born and then again before Aaron was born, but honestly, by now, I thought things would be easier. All of my different jobs pull me in different directions, and I feel like I’m dropping eggs all over the place.”

“You have egg on your face, huh?” Johnnie crossed his arms and laughed again. “No one ever claimed that being a father was easy. Even being a stay-at-home dad can’t possibly be easy. Life has a way of coming at you again and again, and you have to roll with the punches?—”

Liam groaned.

Johnnie grinned and held out his hands. “In my defense, you had to know that cracks about punches and kicks are gonna happen from time to time.”

“No, I mean I get it, but…”

“What in particular is on your mind?” Johnnie asked, hands on hips now, looking more serious.

Liam lifted his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “I feel like Rebecca and I don’t have any time for ourselves. We’re both working so hard, and I do chores around the house and spending time with the kids and meals and homework and all of that, but we’re both so tired at night that we don’t have any time to spend with each other.”

“It’s eating away at you, huh?”

Liam nodded glumly.

“Well…” Johnnie rubbed his chin. “What do you have planned for Valentine’s Day? Not that you only want one day of romance, but it can be a start.”

Liam blinked a few times.

“You forgot about Valentine’s Day,” Johnnie said.

Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “No. Not exactly. I was going to make reservations at Angelino’s, her favorite Italian place, but you have to call to make them, not just do it online, and by now, they might be all booked up.”

“There’s alwaysMis Amigos Restaurante,” Johnnie offered. “I’m sure Clara will be able to squeeze you in, no problem.”

“Yeah, but that’s not Rebecca’s favorite, and it’ll be obvious that I waited to the last minute.”

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