have a clear path there, huh?”
“Yes, Curly.” The kids scrambled, and Curly looked at him. “We got to get them set up so they can sleep and heal until Hal gets back with the food.”
“Jakob said something about rubbing them.”
“He has good instincts. They ain’t quite that young, just undernourished.”
“Good deal. They’re gorgeous.” Fuzzy balls of black and white cuteness.
“They are. Looks like maybe hound-border collie? We’ll see, I reckon. Those ears say hound.” Curly got two babies in a towel. “To the couch. Get Jakob to hold them in his lap. I’ll be right there.”
“Yes, sir.” He got the two puppies set up with Jakob, then Daisy started crying when a clap of thunder sounded so loud that it shook the house. “Dammit. Curly, you good? I have to grab the baby.”
“We’re golden.” Curly had the other two pups and was tucking them in the basket, showing the girls how to rub them very, very gently to dry them as they lay in the towels. He was a cowboy, that Curly.
Trace got Daisy changed and grabbed her a bottle. Lord help him, this sucked. He couldn’t just let those puppies die, though. Who would leave them out on a ranch road to die?
A cold nose nudged him, old Mama Cass looking at him with her soulful bloodhound eyes. The rain made her hurt, so she’d been in the house.
“You’d know what to do, huh, old lady?” He found her a Cosequin and tossed it to her while he headed back to the front room. “How’s it going, intrepid explorers?”
“They’re sleeping, Dad-O!” Caro watched the puppies with a rapt expression.
“Good deal. Warm and safe is the best, right?” He sat with the baby. “Man, I’m tired of this rain.”
Jakob gave him a knowing look. “It’s been a long time, huh? We all want to go outside.”
“Yes, and dry out and see the sun.” He winked over, waggling his eyebrows to make Jakob laugh. “My tan is fading.”
“I know!” Jakob cradled the one puppy he still held. “He’s so little.”
“We’ll feed them. They’ll grow.”
“Are we going to keep them?” Caro asked.
“Yes. God bringed them.” Susannah’s tone brooked no argument.
Fuck.
“We have to talk to Daddy Brent.” There. Pass the buck.
Suze pouted, because that was still kind of awkward for her, but Caro bounced. “Daddy Brent loves dogs. He has a bunch already.”
“There is one for every kiddo. I like that.” Curly was a butthead.
Yes, but none of these kids were old enough to help. Maybe Jakob.
“Mine is named Silver Star Fairy Twinkle,” Susannah announced.
“Ooh…that’s pretty.” Caro frowned, eyebrows pulling together. “Mine is… Rosie Puppy.”
“That’s stupid. I want mine to be Captain Ironman.” Jakob rubbed his puppy’s belly.
“This one can be Marigold. They grow with daisies.” Curly wasn’t helping.
“Oh, Daisy will love that. They can grow up together!”
“Guys, we don’t know that we can keep them.” Trace would rather disappoint them now than have them keep building their hopes up.
“We can. Daddy will let us.” Jakob sounded so sure. “I’m a cowboy. I can do this, Dad-O. You have to believe in me.”
Believe in him. Jakob was five and a half going on forty.
“I do, buddy. I just know puppies can be a lot of work.” And he was tired.
“I’ll take care of them. Don’t worry.”
“I hear there are new puppies. I brought kibbles, formula, and wormer for a few weeks from now. Vet’ll be by in a few days. There any of them cookies left?” Hal shook, water going everywhere. Trace was gonna have to mop that.
He was going to scream or cry or something.
“In the cookie jar. Can you watch the kids with Curly for a few? I have a raging headache, and I need to take some Tylenol.”
“Sure, man. I can spare ten minutes. You okay?”
“Fine. Headache. Sinuses.”
He took Daisy with him to the bedroom, only thinking after he did it that he went to the master, not the room that was his. Dammit.
Screw it. The bed was big, it was cool and quiet, and he needed to lie down for five minutes. He took his Tylenol, then stretched out, Daisy in the crook of his arm.
“Five minutes, huh, baby? Five. That’s all I need.” He closed his eyes, drifting already. God, this was nice.
“Trace? Trace, man? Where are you? I need Hal back at the barn.”
His eyes popped open. Shit. Shit. “Sorry, I was feeding the baby.”
“Hey. Are you okay?” Brent came over from the door of the room, staring down at him.
“Yeah. I had a vicious sinus headache,