Ranch Manny - B.A. Tortuga Page 0,72
hope the little goat is okay.”
“She’ll be fine. Goats are pretty resilient. But if you want to go check, I can watch for the girls.” His mom was in full-on granny mode.
“They’re out for a bit, but I will. Just to make sure the other goats aren’t stressed.” Was that weird? He was pretty sure it was weird. He was absolutely sure the cowboys would think it was weird.
Still, he got his boots on and headed out to the pen.
“Hey, baby. Come see our new additions. Jakob says you ought to name them.” Brent grinned at him, waving him over.
“Additions? There are two?” He slipped in, going to Nanny to love on her gently. She bleated at him like, look what I did. Twins.
“Yep. Look healthy, they’re suckling already, and they’re two pretty little girls.”
“I’ll call them Mina and Lucy.”
“Oh, I like it. Blood suckers, huh?” Brent teased.
“Right? Suck suck suck.” He winked and went to peek at them, and God, they were beautiful. Gray and silver with tiny little white masks.
“They’re so cute,” Jakob said.
“As cute as your puppies?”
“Nope.”
That was his loyal boy. “Did you help Daddy with the birth?”
“Uh-huh. It’s messy. Cool, though.”
“Birth is always messy.” He knew that well from Susannah. “But it’s amazing.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I don’t want to have babies. That looks gross.”
“Totally up to you, son.” He didn’t laugh or anything, but Jakob was a cowboy. Somehow there would be babies.
Brent chuckled. “Never say never, kiddo.” He held up his hands. “I need to wash up. You got this, Wiley?”
“You know it, boss. Uh, is there enough pizza for me and Jesus? We’re gonna have to be here late.”
“There will absolutely be enough, guys.” He knew now to make double, and somehow there would be men to eat it.
“Thanks, Trace. You’re a star.” Wiley grinned at him, freckles stretching over his nose.
“Come on, y’all. Let’s get washed up. I have to go save the brownies.” He was going to have to learn all about kid goats now.
How was this his life?
“Brownies!” Jakob ran for the house, and Brent hollered.
“Stop in the mudroom and take off those boots! Wash!”
“The brownies are for dessert.” He shook his head as the mud flew, and then Jakob tripped and went crashing to the ground and slid over the slick grass. “Wow.”
“Safe!” Brent shouted like an umpire. “You okay, kiddo?” Brent picked Jakob up when they reached him.
“Uh-huh. That was fun!” Jakob was filthy. Soaked and muddy and grinning from ear to ear.
“Lord.” Trace was gonna have to hose him down. Maybe the rain would help a little.
“Inside,” Brent said, laughing.
They got in the mudroom, and Trace took off his wellies to go find Jakob a big towel. He needed a bath.
“Everything okay?” Pop asked.
“Two baby goats, rain, five-year-old, improvised Slip ’N Slide.”
“Ah.” Pop grinned. “That’s a lethal thing.”
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to turn the hose on him.”
“Well, I’m good at that.”
“I can take a shower!” Jakob squealed, and Brent took the towel from Trace and wrapped a wiggling, naked boy in it.
“Yep. You’re going to do that now. You have mud in your hair.”
“And in his ears and in his eyelashes and probably in his toes!” He winked at Brent.
“And then some.” Brent just hauled Jakob through the house under one arm.
“I’m going to make another pan of brownies and another set of pizza dough. We’re full for supper.” He’d have an entire house full.
“I’ll help. I put the baby in her playpen in the front room,” Mom said. “How’s the goat?”
“Goats. Dual. Oh, you mean Nanny? She’s tired and wet.”
“Dad-O! Dad-O, help!”
Trace headed off at a run. That wasn’t fussy, that was scared.
The little girls were standing on the bed, a scorpion on the floor.
“Ack!” He didn’t have shoes on. “Brent! Babe! Scorpion!”
Brent flew in, toilet brush in hand, but just stomped on it when he saw it was on the rug. “Boom.”
“Thank you. I’m barefooted.” His knight with shining…toilet brush? Seriously?
“Yeah. I thought if it was on the wall I could knock it down.” Brent had seen where he looked.
“Brilliant call. Let Daddy pick it up, girls.”
“Ew.” Susannah was staring at it. “We were sleeping.”
“How did you know it was on the floor?” God, what if it had stung them?
“It knocked over our Barbie!” Susannah said, and Caro nodded.
“We thought it was Jakob.”
“Oh man. From now on I put you in bed.”
“I’ll get Tom out this week to spray too. Kids can go get ice cream while he’s here.” Brent whisked the thing away.
“Thank you.”