“I can’t say I’m disappointed. I like the idea of you being home. Your brother…he’s not at all appreciative of you, is he?”
Brittany sighed. “It’s hard to raise your siblings. Imagine if Adam had ended up raising you. Do you think you’d have been appreciative?”
“Yeah, I do think so. I don’t like the way he talks about you. Do I have your permission to treat him as a hostile witness?”
“Shifting into lawyer mode again, Gideon? I guess you can do what you have to do. Don’t treat him any differently than you would one of the boys you counsel.”
Gideon smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“You look like you have something devious up your sleeve.”
“He’s going to get the McClain treatment. Every one of us went through a phase where we felt like we were better than the boys’ ranch boys…well except Kevin, but he doesn’t count!”
Brittany grinned at the mention of the boy who had been left on their doorstep and raised with them. “I like Kevin!”
“Everyone likes Kevin. He’s practically perfect in every way. He’s a male Mary Poppins!” Gideon shook his head. “Anyway, every time one of us decided we were better than the boys’ ranch boys, Dad would give us the treatment. We’d be out there working with them, we’d eat with them, and we’d have to earn any screen time. Life was much easier at home, and we learned to appreciate it.”
“Sounds good to me. Treat him as you will.” She watched as he finished his supper. “How long before they find someone to take your place?”
“I think they’re already working on it. I’ll be able to fill you in more tomorrow.” He stood and stretched. “You’re not doing dishes tonight, are you?” he asked when she picked up his plate and carried it into the kitchen.
Thankfully his mother had put in a commercial dishwasher, and Brittany and Madison had mostly loaded it. “I just need to stick this in the dishwasher and start it. Go on up. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Gideon nodded, starting for the stairs. He heard voices coming from Madison’s room, so he knocked. After a minute, she called, “Come in!”
“Who’s in here with you?” he asked.
“Nobody. I was talking to a friend, and I had her on speaker.”
Gideon concentrated to feel her emotions, but decided she was telling the truth. “All right. Sleep well.”
“G’night.”
Gideon went to his new bedroom, feeling strange that he was now in the master bedroom, though he’d always known it would one day be his. The past week had changed his life forever, and he couldn’t help but be grateful for the girl who’d agreed to marry him, even with her misgivings.
When Brittany entered the room, he pulled her down on his lap and simply buried his face in her neck. “Have I told you yet today how much I love and appreciate you?”
Brittany smiled at that. “You just say that cuz you’re worried I’m already pregnant.”
He pulled his head back and looked at her. “I hadn’t even considered that!”
She laughed. “Hopefully we’ll have a year or two. Four would be good, because then my siblings would be out of the house before the babies started coming.”
“Not happening. Just so you know. It never takes more than a year for the first baby, and after that they’re like clockwork. It’s very annoying.”
“Well, I’ll just have to do everything I can until then. Madison and I got all the boxes in here unpacked today, and we got most of her room. Kaeden’s stuff isn’t here yet…”
“And when it is, he’ll be unpacking it himself. It’s not your job to unpack his room. He’s lucky you cook for him, and that may be ending as well.”
She sighed. “Madison’s attitude isn’t a whole lot better than Kaeden’s.”
“Well, I can’t put her to work with the boys, because there’d be a conflict of interests there, but I can make him work. I’ll tell you what, you bring her around, and I’ll bring him around. If she doesn’t want to behave, I’m sure Claire wouldn’t mind a kitchen girl to do whatever she was told.”
“Oh, that would be mean. Madison hates cooking.”
“Then it sounds like the perfect punishment to me. But whatever you want. Just make sure neither of them are talking back to you in my presence. I won’t stand for it. You gave up too much for them.”
She shrugged. “I did what any loving human being would have done.”
“Then they should appreciate the loving human being they got for their sister, shouldn’t they?”
Chapter Nine
True to his word, Gideon took Kaeden under his wing the very next day. Kaeden helped get the very last of the things Brittany was keeping moved to the big house, and then he started working doing the same chores as all the other boys on the ranch. He would come in tired at the end of the evening, and then have to do his homework. No longer was there unlimited screen time, and he had to earn every minute. He wasn’t happy about the change, but he wasn’t about to argue with Gideon.
On Friday afternoon, Kaeden came home from school and collapsed at the dining room table, reaching for the snacks Brittany had put out as she was preparing Friday night supper for the entire ranch. Thankfully, she had Claire and Lillian at her side, helping her every step of the way.
Brittany heard something from the dining room, so she hurried to find both of her siblings sitting quietly at the table talking. She stayed just out of sight and listened, Claire on one side of her and Lillian on the other.
“I feel like I’ve just planted every crop on the whole ranch with my own two hands. Gideon is a slave-driver!”
Madison sighed heavily. “It hasn’t been much better for me. Brittany is making me help with everything. I’m surprised she hasn’t already dragged me into the kitchen to help with Friday night supper.”
“Maybe we should have been more grateful for how easy things were before Brittany got married. Now she’s making us do things we probably should have done all along,” Kaeden said. “But we’re not used to it, and it just might kill us both!”
“It’s not going to kill us. It’ll make us stronger and better people and all that garbage. I guess we need to start appreciating Brittany. We should thank her for our easy good lives before. Don’t you think?”
Brittany turned and looked at Lillian with wide eyes. They’d figured it out a lot faster than she’d expected. She couldn’t wait to tell Gideon!
Lillian, Brittany and Claire headed back into the kitchen, carefully peeling potatoes. They’d decided to cook chicken breasts on the grill that night, so that Hunter could eat everything the others were eating and not feel quite so conspicuous.
Madison came into the kitchen a few minutes later, and leaned against the counter. “Offering another pair of hands to help the work process.”
Brittany wanted to grab her sister in a bear hug and give her a big smacking kiss on the cheek, but she also didn’t want Madison to know that she’d listened. So she pointed to the small mountain of potatoes in the sink. “Peel them, please. We’re having mashed tonight.”
Madison walked over and picked up a knife without complaint, starting the process of peeling. When Kaeden came in five minutes later, he said, “Gideon isn’t here for me yet, so how can I help in the kitchen until he gets here?”
“Help your sister peel potatoes, please,” Lillian said, grinning at Brittany.
“I’m going to get the chicken out to the grill,” Brittany said. “I’ll be back in a little bit.” She picked up an ice chest filled with the marinating chicken, and was surprised when Kaeden took it from her.
“That’s too heavy for you. You lead and I’ll follow.”
Brittany winked at Claire as she left the house, followed by her brother. They went to the picnic pavilion beside the main house. “Just set it down, and I’ll get started.”
“Do you have the fires going already?” he asked.
She nodded. “I started them before I went in a short while ago. I can handle it.�
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Kaeden stared at her in indecision for a moment. “I know you can handle a lot more than you need to. How about letting me help you with it?”
Brittany nodded, stepping back. “I appreciate the offer.”
Gideon walked over with Frank and their six boys. “You need help, Brittany?”
“Kaeden already offered. I could probably use two or three more boys if someone else would like to help me.”
“What are you making?” Hunter called.
“Grilled chicken for everyone!” Brittany responded, grinning at him.
“I’m helping then!” Hunter loved it when he could eat what the others ate.
“Me too!” Nick called.
“I’ll help too,” Jose said, walking over to Brittany.
Gideon shrugged at Frank. “I guess that puts you in charge of Benjamin’s minions tonight.”
Frank sighed heavily. “Benjamin’s bossy during planting season!”
“I guess you should have married the woman in control of Friday night suppers…”
“I’m happy with my wife, thanks!” Frank led the other three boys off to work on the planting until supper.
Gideon caught Brittany by the shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss. “How do you want your troops arranged?”
She grinned. “There are four huge grills. If we can have an MIT man each one it would be very helpful.”
He frowned at her. “MIT? You lost me.”
“Man in training. That’s what this ranch does—teaches boys to be men.”
He smiled. “I can go with that.” Walking over to Kaeden, he looked at how he was carefully putting each piece of meat on the grill with tongs. “Good job. I think you’ve done this before!”
Kaeden shook his head. “No. Never. But you’ve taught me if I’m going to do a job, I should do it well the first time.”
Gideon clapped Kaeden on the shoulder, grinning at his response. He wasn’t so hard to teach after all. He walked around the circle, watching each of the boys as they manned their grill. Turning to Brittany, he frowned. “We men are going to be hot and thirsty. Maybe a few bottles of water could be fetched for us.”
She shook her head. “I should tell you to do it yourself, but I know you think that you have to supervise the grills, because you’re a man. I’ll handle it!”
Gideon shook his head at her as she walked back to the house. “She makes me want to sing a song from The Muppet Movie.”
“Seriously?” Nick asked. “The Muppet Movie?”
“Yup. There’s this great song that Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog sing together after Miss Piggy leaves Kermit high and dry. It’s called, ‘I Hope That Something Better Comes Along.’ Now I know she’s just right for me, and I don’t hope for something better for me, because there isn’t…but…for mankind in general? Yes!”
Kaeden dug into his pocket and got out his phone, pulling the song up on YouTube. The boys were laughing hysterically at the lyrics when Brittany came back with the bottles of water.
“Oh, this song is fun!” Brittany said. “That was one of my favorite movies when I was a little girl. I had it on VCR, which most of you probably haven’t seen.” She walked to Gideon and handed him his water. “You’re making me feel old!”
“You’re my old lady!” Gideon said with a laugh.
The boys all chuckled, and she walked around giving them each a bottle of water. “I’m not sure that’s the kind of thing you should be teaching them,” she said with a frown.
“Trust me…most of them could teach me a thing or two about the chauvinistic way men treat women.”
“That’s probably not good,” she said, stopping in front of him. “I’m going to go inside and help out with the rest of the meal. We’ve got the fire on low, so it’s going to take an hour or so for the meat to cook. By then we’ll have everything else done.”
“Good. Cuz we’re all going to be really hungry by then, right, men?”
“Yes!” the four boys chorused as if they’d rehearsed it.
She rolled her eyes and walked back toward the house with a grin on her face. Her brother was fitting in with these boys and making friends. He’d had a chip on his shoulder for so long, it was surprising to say the least.
When it came time to eat a short while later, Madison offered to take Brittany’s place in the serving line. Brittany frowned at her. “Are you just wanting to check out every boy? Make sure you know them all?”
“Not at all. I just want you to know that you’re appreciated, and I think you should get to eat with your new husband. You’re still a newlywed, after all.”
Brittany shrugged, happy to take the offer. “That would be great!” Her legs ached from the sheer number of hours she’d spent in the kitchen that day, preparing dinner rolls and making cherry cobblers.
After she’d gotten her food and was walking toward the table where all of the McClains and their wives were sitting, she noticed a beautiful vase full of blue bonnets on the table. “What are the flowers for?” she asked.
Gideon grinned at her. “For my beautiful wife on our one weekiversary.”
She couldn’t help but smile, feeling special. Putting her lips against his ear, she asked, “Did you grow them yourself?”
He laughed, hugging her close. “I didn’t need to, because they’re everywhere. I’ll grow you some in the fall.”
“They are my favorite flower.”
“Then we’ll make sure you always have some.” Gideon sat down at the picnic table and watched her take the seat beside him.
She enjoyed her time talking to the other brides, truly feeling like the others had become her sisters.
At the end of the night, she was tired, but happy that her first Friday night supper had turned out so well. When she walked over to help with the dishes, she noticed all the boys were gone. Lillian had commanded her army of lost boys to do every dish that needed to be washed, and Brittany almost crumpled to the floor with relief. She’d had no idea how much cooking it really was—or how sore she’d be.
Gideon slipped his arm around her, helping her up the stairs. He called back over his shoulder. “I’ll be checking to make sure you’re both in bed in thirty minutes!”
“We will be!” Madison called back.
When they were finally alone, Brittany sighed. “I think I might need a hot bath.”
He grinned. “Tonight? Or do you want to wait until tomorrow?”
She thought about it for a minute. “I’m so tired I might just drown.”
“That’s what I was worried about.” He knelt at her feet and removed her shoes and then her socks. “The meal was fantastic.”
“I had a lot of help, and I still feel like I’m going to die.”
“You did very well. Do you think you’ll keep the tradition going?”
She looked at him with shock on her face. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t disappoint those boys for anything.” She watched him as he massaged her feet for a moment. “I overheard my brother and sister talking today.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“They were talking about how good they’d had it before, and how they were going to be more appreciative. Both of them volunteered for work tonight. I think they’re afraid you’re going to make them plant a whole field of crops by themselves.”
He laughed. “Hard work is good for them. And I’m glad they finally see what they have in you. They were really frustrating me before.”
“I could tell.”
He got up off the floor and sat beside her on the edge of the bed. “So now that we’ve been married for a week, how do you feel about what’s expected of you?”
She shook her head. “You have to give me more time to answer that question. I spent half the week unpacking and fighting with Madison. Ask me again in a month, and I’ll have an answer for you.” She groaned softly. “Maybe you could find someone who gives massages to come here and take care of me.”
“I’d be happy to give you one myself.”
“Rea
lly?” She looked at him skeptically. “I’d like that if you’re willing.”
“Sure.” His massages were a lot less massage than they were healing the sore muscles, but both would have the same effect in the end.
She laid down on her stomach and folded her hands under her head. He started with her feet, drawing the pain from them. Moving on to her calves, he rubbed them a bit, but mostly just drew her pain into him, feeling it fade away.
Brittany frowned. “I know you’re using your healing on me, and it feels so good, I’m not even going to complain.”
He chuckled. “Good. Just let me help you.”
Twenty minutes later, he was finished, and she was sound asleep. He found an extra blanket in the closet, and he pulled it over her instead of trying to tuck her into the bed. Kissing her cheek, he slipped from the room and went down the stairs to check on Madison and Kaeden.
He found them sitting on the couch in the living room talking to each other. “Time for bed.”
Neither of them argued. “G’night, Gideon!” Kaeden said, hurrying up the stairs.
“G’night, Kaeden!” Gideon called back, pleased with the boy.
“G’night, Gideon,” Madison said. “Thanks for being so good to Brittany. She deserves it.”
“Yes, she really does.” He watched as she rushed up the stairs and to her room, shaking his head. They had four more years with those two—at least. He knew they’d have at least four children by that time. His mom had given them rooms at the other end of the hall from them, which was good. They’d want to fill the rooms near them with the babies.
He walked through the house, shutting off all the lights and looking at the subtle changes she’d made that week. All of his mother’s personal belongings were gone, but all of Brittany’s things were added in. It looked good to him, and showed him just how much work she’d done that week. He was so glad the godmothers had sent someone to help.
The next day, Gideon slept in, waking only when Brittany finally did. She slept very late because of the healing she’d received right before bed. He watched her as she slowly came awake, something he hadn’t been able to do since they’d moved to the ranch on Monday.
Gideon (Seven Sons Book 7) Page 7
