Page 5 of His Tenth Dance

“His mom too.”

“She is great.”

Kristie got whipped over to the third voice in the conversation, and now Mission stood there. He gave her a smile and stepped into Keith and Lindsay at the same time. “I sure miss you around here, brother.”

Keith laughed, and Kristie even heard Mission issue a chuckle. “Maybe I’ll come back if I can work for you.”

“Nah.” Mission shook his head. “You’ve got such a great gig at Blackhorse.” He nodded over to Kristie next. “She’s a great vet, but you can’t steal her from us forever.”

The way he spoke about her sent warmth spreading through her chest. She didn’t want to melt into the compliment, but she found herself smiling, ducking her head, and tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Maybe just in a pinch,” Keith said. “Bart’s been having a hard time finding a full-time vet.”

“I can give you my number,” Kristie said.

“Yeah, sure.” Keith smiled at her, and then someone tapped on a live mic.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Deacon said. “Cowboys and cowgirls.” He grinned, which Kristie didn’t see him do often either. She felt nothing for the cowboy standing several yards away, but the moment she looked at Mission, every cell in her body rioted.

The crowd quieted, all eyes turning to Deacon. Hunter stood nearby, but he also held his wife’s hand, both of them smiling at Deacon. Kristie glanced at Mission, noticing the way he straightened his posture, his jaw tightening slightly.

“We’re here tonight to celebrate two very important things,” Deacon continued. “First, the retirement of a man who has been the backbone of this ranch for so many years. Matt Whettstein, would you please c’mon over here?”

Applause erupted as Matt made his way to the center of the tent, his weathered face creased in a broad smile. Deacon clapped him on the back as he reached him, and the two of them spoke to each other, with the mic out to the side so it wasn’t broadcasted to the crowd.

Matt stepped back and wiped his eyes, and Deac lifted the mic back to his mouth. “Matt has been more than just a foreman,” Deacon said, his voice filled with emotion. “He’s been a friend, a mentor, and a part of our family. Heck, he’s been here longer than I have.” He grinned at Matt as several people laughed and agreed.

Kristie didn’t know the whole history of the Hammond Family Farm, but she knew Matt had come to the farm as the foreman every summer when Deacon’s parents went north.

“Matt, we can’t thank you enough for your years of dedication and hard work here at the Hammond Family Farm.” Deacon handed him an envelope, which seemed way too small for Matt’s big hands. He then passed Matt the mic, and he looked around the crowd for a moment.

“I can’t find my wife.”

“Right here,” Gloria called from back by the front of the barn.

Matt nodded, his throat working as he swallowed several times. “It’s been my honor to work for the Hammond family for so long. Some of them know this, and my kids definitely know this, but this job saved me. It saved my kids’ lives, and it provided a new start for Gloria and I that we needed so badly.”

He glanced around and nodded to various people, including Travis Thatcher, Cord Behr, Hunter, Deacon, his own brother, Mike, Joseph, and finally, Mission.

He said nothing, and yet the air carried an emotional charge that had Kristie tearing up. Why, she had no idea. Perhaps seeing such camaraderie and loyalty and love simply reminded her that the world still had good people living in it.

“The Hammond family has become my family, and I can’t wait to spend more free time with some of you.” He grinned then, and extended his arm toward Mission. “And I know I’m leaving the ranch in extremely good hands.”

Mission marched over to Matt, his legs barely bending as he did. He looked like he might start yelling at any moment, and then he stepped into Matt and hugged him. He softened then, and again, the two men talked without anyone else being able to hear them.

Deacon took the mic back, and Matt stood next to Mission, his arm around the man’s shoulders. “Which brings me to our second celebration,” Deacon said. “As one chapter ends, another begins. I’m thrilled to be the Hammond who gets to announce that Mission Redbay is the new foreman here at the farm, and we’re all really excited to keep working with him.”

He extended the mic to Mission, who looked at it like it had turned into a rattlesnake. Kristie ducked her head to hide her smile, because the thought of Mission making a speech was laughable.

Mission simply leaned over and said, “Thanks, everyone. I’m going to do my best.” Then he straightened and looked straight at her. She grinned and grinned, and she started to clap along with everyone else.

The applause swelled up and up, a few cowboys adding whoops and hollers to the noise, and Mission’s face turned an adorable shade of red Kristie would like to see again.

His words had been sincere, if simple, and Kristie whooped as the applause started to die down.

“Please, everyone, eat as much as you can,” Deacon said. “We have so much food.”

Mission got surrounded by friends and the cowboys he worked with, and since Kristie wasn’t on the staff here at the farm, she felt slightly removed from everyone. Thankfully, one of the counselors at Pony Power, a woman named Hannah, looped her arm through Kristie's and said, “Come get something to eat with me.”

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