Cowboy Logic - B.A. Tortuga Page 0,40
Crunchy it is.”
“Thank you. How do you like it?”
“Crunchy, but not burnt. I like low and slow.” He grinned down at her.
“Then you get me.” She nodded in satisfaction. “Can I have a little milk, Momma?”
“Sure, baby. Be careful not to spill.”
“I can help,” he offered, and Darcy shook her head.
“I can do it.”
“Coolios.” He watched, though, trying not to be obvious. Bailey must have eyes in the back of her head, because she never turned to look, but he had a feeling she could mobilize fast.
Darcy managed, mostly. That was the fullest glass he’d ever seen. She leaned over, sipping at the glass on the table. Oh, good girl.
He grinned when he saw Amanda and Ellie peeking around the door. “Hey, ladies. Awake, then?”
“Uh-huh.” Ellie blinked over. “Is it midnight munchies time?”
“It is! Come on and sit.” He winked at Bailey, who laughed softly. These littles reminded him of them when they were kids. “Grilled cheeses sound good?”
“Cheesy sammiches!” Amanda crowed, jumping up and down.
“Mmm. Don’t wake your brother, baby. He needs his beauty sleep.”
“Baby sleep, Momma.”
Bailey laughed at little Amanda, shaking her head. “Yes, honey. Baby sleep.”
Lord, she needed ten or twelve more kiddos. She was so good with them. She could start all over again with Dave. He would have to tell her that. She would hit him.
Still, Deputy Dawg was giving her the eye, and it would distract her from his little fling with Jericho…
He grilled cheese sandwiches like a fiend, cutting crunchy ones into strips for little hands. That was a good stress reliever. Conor was going to drive him to a heart attack at a very early age.
A private investigator. That had to be a help, right? He would call. He just had to quit getting sidetracked.
By the time they got everyone fed, the whole crew was flagging. Bailey looked around and smiled. “Should we all pile together with Tangled?”
“Yes, please, Momma.” Amanda held out her arms, so Bailey picked her up. Logic put an arm around Darcy and Ellie, steering them to the big sectional in the family room.
“Do I need to check on Mason?” he asked.
“Do you mind? Bring him down if he’s restless.”
“I’m on it.” He ran up and peeked, meeting big, sleepy blue eyes. “Hey, big man. How’s it going?”
“Ma!”
“Yeah, let’s go. Are you wet?” One thing he’d learned from Darcy and Dougie was how to change a diaper. “Whoa. Okay, let’s do this. Dude, man… Do you have a bladder the size of a hippopotamus?”
He got Mason clean and dry and redressed, and then they were heading into the family room to Bailey’s arms. Mason was a good little guy, staring up at him and not crying, but man, he was glad to see his mom.
They all settled, the movie started, and suddenly everyone but him was asleep.
He curled up in the recliner and shook his head, changing the movie to The Incredibles.
Rapunzel wasn’t his thing, but Mr. Incredible? Whoa.
Chapter 12
Jericho poured cereal into a bowl for Travis. Dougie was lagging a bit, but Jericho had gotten him awake, at least. He needed to get Dougie back to Bailey’s, because Ellie had a Girl Scout thing this afternoon.
“Thanks, Dad. Can I go to Mike’s tonight? We want to work on our science project.”
“Are Mike’s folks going to be home?”
“Yes, sir. He asked me this morning.”
“Texted, huh?” He would call Mike’s mom, Lanie, just to be sure, but he trusted Travis. And Mike, come to that. Sometimes they forgot to iron out details like whether Travis was supposed to eat at home or bring a bag lunch or drinks or something.
“Yes, sir.”
His phone started ringing, the sound startling him enough that he damn near dropped the milk on the table.
He looked. Anderson, who he’d added last night. “Hey, is everything okay?”
“Nope. Fences are down. Horses are out. Three of your cows are in the backyard. Can you bring Doug and Trav? We need Trav to help with the kids so we can fix this.”
“Shit. Of course. I’ll be right there.” He hung up without another word. “Doug! Horses are out. Get your butt moving. Travis, get a granola bar. Miss Bailey will have cereal, and you’ll have to feed everyone.”
“Let me grab my boots and my phone.” Travis sprinted for his room.
Both kids were ranch kids, and both boys were on the move like he’d lit a fire under them.
They were out the door in less than five minutes, which was crucial. When fence was down, animals got loose, and