by Liz Isaacson
Happy birthday, Bear! Sammy had written. Keep your eyes peeled around the ranch today to stay safe. See you tonight.
She’d drawn a heart, which made Bear’s heart do somersaults, and then signed her name. That was loopy, with rounded humps for those M’s in her name. He lifted the card to his nose and took a deep breath. It smelled mostly like paper, with that hint of Sammy’s floral perfume.
Bear sure had enjoyed his time with her over the past three and a half months, and every day showed him what his life could be with her in it. He was happier than he’d ever been. He looked forward to every morning when he got to pick up Lincoln, and he loved seeing Sammy in the evenings.
He loved holding her and kissing her. He loved telling her about the ranch, his family, and his life. He loved listening to her talk about her parents and growing up with her sister. He loved watching her interact with Lincoln, and he loved that little boy with his whole soul.
As he stood in the foyer, he had the very real feeling that he was in love with Sammy Benton too. All the way in love with her.
He turned away from the door and went upstairs, his step lighter but his mind racing. He went into the east wing, where Ranger lived, knocking as he did. “Ranger?” He entered to a living room that looked like Ranger never used it.
He didn’t; he hung out downstairs with Bear, Lincoln, Sammy, and Bishop in the evenings. They ate together in the kitchen down there, so as Bear went through the kitchenette, he wasn’t surprised to find everything as still and as clean as a rental. Down the hall sat three bedrooms and two baths, with an additional room that didn’t have a closet. Since it couldn’t technically be called a bedroom, Micah had labeled it an office.
Bear and Ranger owned the ranch together, both of them the oldest sons of their fathers, who had been brothers and co-owners. Bear thought that eventually, he and Ranger would find wives and families, and with two wings in the new homestead, they could continue to live together, manage the ranch, and have personal space.
“Ranger,” Bear said again, moving down the hall. He passed the door to the office and glanced inside. His step stuttered, and he stopped. “What in the world?”
He backed up and went into the office, which Ranger definitely used. His desk was covered with papers and files, as his brother had an accounting degree and they took care of most of the finances on the ranch. He had an affinity for lamps too, and three sat on his desk, including a blue lava lamp. Among all of that sat a bright blue envelope, again the size of a greeting card.
It had been propped against a stack of books, and it bore his name. He frowned as he picked it up, because this was Ranger’s handwriting. His heart spun the same way his mind did, and this time the card depicted a cartoon polar bear on the front. He held a birthday cake in his giant paws and said Happy birthday, baby brother!
The word baby had been struck out with a thick, black marker.
Bear looked up without opening the card, because this didn’t feel like Ranger at all. His cousin was his best friend and had been for many years. Bear had celebrated many, many birthdays with him, and he’d never gotten a card once, especially not one with a cartoon bear on it.
“This is Sammy,” he whispered.
Looking back at the card, he flipped it open to find a child’s handwriting on the inside. Happy birthday, Bear! Thank you for letting me come to work with you on the ranch. Link.
Bear grinned and chuckled, wondering how many more of these cards she’d hidden around the ranch. Had she gotten all of his brothers to put them somewhere he’d find them? What if he didn’t find them all and he missed something she wanted him to have?
He’d left his phone downstairs in his room, so he turned and headed into Ranger’s room with, “Ranger, time to get up, cousin. The power’s out, which means your alarms didn’t go off.” His cousin barely moved, and Bear went to the side of his bed.
“Ranger,” he said, his voice loud. “Time to get up.”
“What?” Ranger said, his eyes flying open. “What time is it?” He looked to his alarm clock which flashed with the time 3:13. No wonder it was so hot; the power had been out for hours.
“The power went out,” Bear repeated. “Time to get up.” He waved the card in his face, because it was even hotter up here on the second level. “Bishop is starting the generator, and—” He cut off as the air started blowing through the vents, adding some noise to the space. “There it is. He’ll be making coffee soon enough.”
Ranger picked up his phone and muttered under his breath. “It’s almost eight.”
“Yeah,” Bear said. “We’re late.” He turned to leave, because he usually picked up Lincoln about nine, and he’d have to hustle to make that without texting Sammy.
Bear ran behind all day, but he managed to take it in stride. At least he thought he did. Through the cleaning of stalls, the monitoring of fields, the fixing of one fence that refused to stay straight, eating lunch, and helping Lincoln make a bracelet for his grandmother’s birthday, Bear found seven more greeting cards.
They’d each come in a different colored envelope, each with handwriting from one of his family members. They’d all wished him happy birthday, and Bear wondered how long it had taken Sammy to get around to everyone in the family.
He had a feeling he hadn’t found all the cards yet, because he actually had eleven siblings and cousins, though a couple of Ranger’s sisters didn’t live at the ranch.
He didn’t have a card from either of them, nor Zona, nor Cactus. His mother had called him about mid-morning and wished him a happy birthday, and she’d said she and Zona would be at the house about five o’clock with dinner and a cake. He’d told Sammy, and she’d said she’d be there.
“Okay,” Bear said about four-thirty. “Go put that in your bag, Link. Let’s get this cleaned up. My mother will be here soon.” He picked up their glasses, noting that Link had barely drunk any of the lemonade he’d asked for. He did that a lot, and Bear had given up on trying to make him eat or drink more than he did. He wasn’t wasting away, and if he was hungry, Link ate.
“You know what we should do for your birthday?” Lincoln asked. “We should go bowling.”
Bear smiled at the child. He’d been suggesting things all day, most of them ten times more ridiculous than bowling. There was no way they could get all the cowboys that had helped with the tornado clean-up together on such short notice. And Bear didn’t even know the YouTube personalities Lincoln had mentioned they should get to sing to him.
“We’re not going to go bowling,” Bear said, putting the glasses in the sink. “My mother is bringing dinner, and my sister made me a cake. All of my brothers and cousins will start showing up. Your mom. We’re going to eat here.”
“Did you get a lot of presents for your birthday?” Link asked.
“No, buddy,” Bear said. “Just the cards. You were with me for most of them, remember?” He turned around and smiled at the boy.
“Do you want a lot of presents for your birthday?”
Bear shrugged. “Not really. It’s just nice to have your family get together.” His family was loud, true. They sometimes poked a little too much fun at each other, and feelings got hurt. Apologies had to be made, and the best part about Bear’s family was that they made them. They had to, because all of them were necessary to run the ranch.
“Will Cactus come?” Lincoln asked.
“Yep,” Bear said in tandem with someone else. He and Link looked toward the foyer, where none other than Cactus stood. He had a green envelope taped to the front of his shirt, and he’d said yep at the same time as Bear.
Bear grinned and indicated his brother. “See? There he is.” He crossed the room toward Cactus and took the card from his chest before he took his brother into a hug. “Hey, Cactus.”
“Happy birthday, Bear,” he said, and when Bear stepped back, he actually caught a smile on Cactus’s face. His brother had been through an incredibly tough time, and only Bear, Ranger, and Judge knew all of it.
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Bear didn’t blame him one bit for retreating from the family and the ranch. The fact that he’d stayed, even in a far-reaching cabin, was a miracle. After the losses Cactus had suffered, Bear was surprised Cactus had stayed in the state.
At the same time, he knew why he had. Family. He didn’t truly want to be alone, and Cactus had stayed because the ranch was familiar. His family would forgive him and support him, even if he pretended to be prickly and grumpy.
Bear smiled at Cactus and held up the card. “How long have you had this?”
“Just open it.” Cactus was the king of not answering questions, and Bear shook his head with a chuckle.
He did open the card, which had a red panda on the front. “This isn’t a bear,” Bear said, because he’d lived with his name for over four decades. He knew every type of bear there was. “It belongs to the raccoon family.”
“That’s not true,” Lincoln said, reaching up to take the card from Bear. “They reclassified them a few years ago.”
Bear cocked his eyebrows at Lincoln. “I feel like this is something you just looked up,” he said.
Lincoln’s eyes widened, and he shot a look at Cactus, who simply shrugged. He wouldn’t be any help to the boy, Bear knew that.
He held out his hand. “Can I have my card back?”
Lincoln handed it to him. “They’re bears.”
“Okay,” Bear said, his voice a bit pitched up. “I believe you.” He opened the card and read Cactus’s birthday message to him. He smiled, feeling so loved today. He’d never had a better birthday, except maybe the one where his father had taken him into the old, dank office and given him a folder with the official ranch documents in them. He’d shown Bear his will and said the ranch would pass to him whenever he died. Until then, Bear was in charge.
Ranger, who was five years younger than Bear, had gotten the same paperwork a few years after that, and the two of them had been running Shiloh Ridge for fifteen years.
“Link.” Bear crouched down in front of the boy. “How many cards should I have found today?”
“I don’t know.” The little boy looked down at his hands, which was a tell-tale sign of Lincoln’s nerves.
“I don’t want your momma to be upset that I didn’t get them all.”
Lincoln looked over his shoulder, and then back to Bear. “I, uh….”
“Bear,” someone called, and Bear closed his eyes and hung his head.
“What’s going on?” Ranger asked as he entered the kitchen, Bishop and Preacher right behind him. “Link, did you get those buckets out of the barn like I asked?”
“Uh, no sir.”
“Come on,” Ranger said, plenty of frustration in his voice. Bear straightened, his knees protesting the crouch. He wanted to tell Ranger he could get the buckets tomorrow, but he didn’t want to undermine his cousin either. Lincoln was a good little worker, and if he’d said he’d get the buckets out of the barn today, he should’ve done it.
His phone rang, and Bear flicked on the call from Sammy. “Hey, sweetheart,” he drawled, turning away from everyone in the house.
“Bear,” she said, her voice heavy. His heart sunk. “I’m going to be there,” she said. “I am. I’m just going to be late.” She sighed. “Things haven’t gone well this afternoon with the Mazda, and I promised Marc it would be done.”
“It’s fine,” Bear said, but the minutes until he could see her were suddenly too long.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” he said again. “Honestly. With all the cards in random places around the ranch, this is already the best birthday I’ve had.”
“Oh, I’m glad,” Sammy said.
Bear grinned, wishing they were together. Then he could say such things and kiss her afterward. “I just need to know how many cards I was supposed to find today.”
“How many did you find?”
“Eight,” he said.
“You’re short a couple,” she said. “Well, you’re short about half.”
“Half?”
“Maybe a dozen.”
“A dozen?” Bear scoffed and turned around to find Bishop and Cactus had settled on the living room couches.
“I’m sure you’ll find them all.”
Bear didn’t see how. He wasn’t even going back out onto the ranch that day. “Okay,” he said, his tone full of doubt.
“I’ll call you when I’m leaving,” she said. “Don’t let them hold dinner. I can eat when I get there.”
“Okay,” he said, but his mother wouldn’t like eating without her. Bear didn’t like it, but he knew better than to get between food and nine men.
Things got considerably louder and more chaotic as Preacher, Ward, and Ace arrived at the homestead. A moment after them, Zona arrived with a cake, Mother following her with a sheet pan full of veggies. Fajitas. Bear’s mouth watered, and the steak hadn’t even been brought in yet.
“Preacher,” Mother said. “Go get the meat from the truck. Bishop, your sister needs help with the presents. Cactus, get over here and give your mother a hug.”
Bear smiled while he waited his turn for a mother’s hug. He loved his mother, and there was nothing better than one of her hugs. She stepped away from Cactus and beamed at Bear. She opened her arms and said, “Get over here, birthday boy.”
“Mother,” Bear said with a chuckle. “I’m not a boy. When are you going to realize that?” He hugged her, lifting her petite frame right up off the floor. “See? Could a boy do that?”
She laughed, and he set her down. She hugged him tightly and patted his back. “You’re such a good man, Bartholomew.”
“Thanks, Mother.” He stepped back, his smile genuine and his happiness radiating through his whole soul.
“Where’s Sammy?” Mother asked, her voice on the high side.
“She’s going to be late,” Bear said, turning away. “It’s fine. What can I help with?”
Preacher entered the house with a cookie sheet full of sliced steak. Bear was surprised the meat wasn’t cooked yet, and he watched as Preacher took it into the kitchen.
Judge and Mister came through the front door arguing, which was all they ever did. Bear honestly wondered how they managed to live together with how often they went at each other’s throats.
Gifts got brought in, and Bear marveled at them. His family had never really gotten him gifts before. He stood there in the midst of his own home, so much going on around him that made him smile.
“Bear,” a high-pitched voice cut through the lower, more masculine voices. He turned toward Link and scooped him into his arms. “Ranger says he wants to go bowling too.”
Bear grinned at Lincoln and shook his head. “We can’t go bowling, bud. Look, Zona brought a cake and everything.”
“You want to go bowling?” Zona asked, stepping to Bear’s side. “We can take the cake down there.”
Bear blinked, wondering what was happening. “You want to go bowling?”
“Remember when you had a bowling party when you turned ten?” Mother asked.
Bear swung his attention toward her. “Yeah, I was ten,” he said. “You guys planned dinner.”
“It’s not even cooked,” Mother said. “It’ll keep. We can eat fajitas for Sunday lunch.”
“Bowling,” Bishop started to chant, and that made Bear want to stay here at all costs. “Bowl-ing. Bowl-ing. Bowl-ing.”
Others joined in, and Bear saw his evening in the homestead with his family going up in smoke.
“Well,” Bear said, looking at Lincoln. “Look what you started.” He had to practically yell to be heard above his annoying, chanting family. “Your momma won’t have to drive as far.”
Lincoln grinned and hugged Bear. “Can we go then?”
“All right,” Bear said. “We can go bowling.”
A cheer went up, and Ranger took Lincoln from Bear with a big grin. He set him down and they slapped high-five.
“Let’s go,” someone said, and everyone started streaming out of t
he house. He started to text Sammy to let her know about their change of plans.
You’re going right now? she asked.
Looks like it, Bear said.
“Bear,” Mother said, and he looked up. “Get the cake, would you?”
“Yes,” he said, but he thought it odd he had to bring his own cake. The homestead had emptied fairly quickly, and Bear turned back to get the chocolate concoction Zona had brought.
Three new envelopes stood there that hadn’t been there a few minutes ago, and a smile burst onto Bear’s face again.
Chapter Eighteen
Sammy couldn’t believe they were leaving the ranch right now. She called Bishop, who said, “Shoot, Sammy. You’re right. We’re too early.”
“Stall them, Bishop,” she said.
“Sammy.”
“By whatever means necessary,” Sammy said, hanging up a moment later. She turned around and found Logan and Jeff both looking at her. Maybe she could stall the Glovers from getting to the bowling alley before six. It was five-fifteen, and it would likely take them a half-hour to get to the bowling alley.
“Fifteen minutes,” she said. “I need to delay Bear and his family from getting to the bowling alley by fifteen minutes. Ideas?” She looked back and forth between Jeff and Logan. They looked at each other.
“Um,” Jeff said.
“Maybe we can let some cattle loose,” she said, quickly reaching for her phone. “Sheep, pigs, chickens, I don’t care.” She tapped and got Micah’s number dialing.
“Heya, Sammy,” he said easily. “How’s the roof?”
“So good,” Sammy said. “Listen, I need to delay Bear coming to town from his ranch. Could you guys, like, I don’t know.” She pressed her eyes closed and wiped her free hand through her hair. “Let out some cattle?”
Micah sat there for a moment, then two, then three. Then he burst out laughing. “Seriously?”
“Yes,” Sammy said. “I rented the whole bowling alley, but Harlan said I couldn’t have it a moment before six, and one of Bear’s brothers just texted to say they’re leaving already.”
