by Zoe Matthews
“That’s great,” Sierra exclaimed as they ran towards the forest line. “We should find them quickly then.”
“Well, I am not sure she will bark here, since we have only been here for a short time,” Logan said.
They soon reached the trees and walked along an overgrown path that led to the river. They both started calling Mason and Noah’s names, but there was no answer. Ten minutes later, there was still no answer.
Sierra could tell that Logan was starting to get very worried. She felt awful this was even happening. She shouldn’t have left the boys by themselves. This was all her fault. She would definitely talk to Logan about making other arrangements when this was all over. She obviously was not the right person for the job.
Suddenly, they heard a faint bark. Sierra and Logan looked at each other and then ran towards the sound. As they followed the winding river, they soon saw the two boys, along with Sunny. Mason and Noah were standing in the river, the water up to their knees. Sunny was barking, running back and forth in the water in front of the boys, doing her best to keep the boys from going any further. Noah pushed at the dog, trying to keep her away from him as he took another step deeper in the water. Sierra stopped running and watched as Logan ran up to his sons. He scooped them both up and took them to dry ground.
Sierra sat on a large rock nearby, emotionally spent now that the crisis was over. She watched as Logan alternatively hugged and then scolded the boys. Sunny came over to her and sat next to her, dripping wet and panting heavily. Sierra patted the dog and praised her. It was obvious that the boys were safe because this dog did her best to keep them out of the rushing river.
The others soon arrived and then headed back to the Ranch House when they learned everything was okay. Stella took Sunny back with her so she could be returned to Annie.
Sierra walked back with Logan and his boys, but she hung back behind them.
“You boys are in deep trouble,” Logan told them. “You will not be allowed to see the colt today. You also will not be allowed to go to the campfire event. You will spend the day in our cabin and go to bed right after dinner.”
When both boys started to argue, Logan became very firm. “I don’t want any arguments, or the punishment will continue into tomorrow.”
For the first time that Sierra could remember, both boys fell silent and stopped arguing. She could tell that the boys were starting to respect their father and what he told them. Even though having them disappear like they did was awful, maybe this was also a turning point between Logan and his sons.
Chapter 14
Logan led his boys to their cabin and helped them take a bath. They were both very cold by this time, shivering and shaking in their wet clothes. He called Jed and made arrangements to take the rest of the day off. He wasn’t about to ask Sierra to watch them again. He knew it wasn’t her fault they took off and he didn’t want her to worry about them for the rest of the day. He could tell she felt awful about the events and he knew he would need to talk to her about it, but he would do so later. After the boys had their baths and were in dry clothes, he sat them both on kitchen chairs.
“Do you boys understand how dangerous it was to take off like that?” he asked them. They both shook their heads.
“Sierra wouldn’t let us leave the house,” Mason complained.
“We wanted to go outside with Ashley and Elysha and she wouldn’t let us,” Noah added.
“I have asked Sierra to watch you and what she says, goes, is that understood?”
Both boys nodded their heads reluctantly. Logan did his best to explain what could have happened if they had gone into the river any further.
“Sunny was protecting you. Do you realize that if you had gone any deeper, you could have been swept away down the river and probably would have drowned?” Logan hated to be so graphic, but he wanted the boys to know how serious their actions were.
Mason started to cry at his words, with Noah soon following. Logan pulled both boys into his arms.
“I want you both to promise me that you will always obey the rules. You are never to go off by yourselves. You are to listen to Sierra when she is with you. You both need to always obey and do what you are told.”
“Are you going to make us go back and live with Grandma?” Noah asked with tears running down his face.
Logan’s heart dropped. Was this what their bad behavior was all about? Did they want to go back to Wyoming and live with Harriett?
“No,” Logan told Noah firmly. “You both belong with me. This is our new home.”
“Honest, Dad?” Mason asked. “We really do get to stay with you?”
“Yes, I want you both with me. We are staying here. If you want, we can go visit your grandma, but you will never live with her again.”
Mason and Noah exchanged big smiles and then lunged themselves into Logan’s arms.
“Good,” Mason said. “We want to be with you.”
“We’ll be better, Daddy,” Noah told him, his face buried in Logan’s shoulder. Mason repeated Noah’s words.
Logan held his boys for a long time. The boys were obviously afraid he was going to send them back to their grandmother. He hoped he was able to convince them that they were staying with him. When he picked them up from Harriett’s he had explained all of this, but obviously they either didn’t understand or didn’t believe him.
He felt a deep love for these boys, the children Sarah sacrificed her life for. He hoped things would be better, that Mason and Noah will be better behaved and happier. He hoped this would be a turning point for all of them. He vowed he would continue to be a better father.
Suprisingly, the boys accepted their punishment without any more arguments. They played quietly in the cabin the rest of the day. After a simple dinner of macaroni and cheese and fruit, they went to bed without complaint.
****
Spencer built a huge fire in the new firepit. Sierra liked how Spencer had designed it. It was large enough for several people to stand around it. He had placed large rocks around the perimeter of the fire. He had also cut large logs that were about six to eight feet long and arranged them a few yards away from the fire for sitting.
A picnic table had been set up nearby and Kathy had arranged hotdogs, buns, and condiments on it, along with a large potato salad and bags of chips.
The entire family participated in this first meal around the fire. Sierra helped her daughters cook hotdogs and then made one for herself, although she usually wasn’t too fond of them. For some reason, hotdogs always tasted better when cooked over a fire.
After the hotdogs, they roasted marshmallows and made s’mores. This was a favorite dessert of Sierra’s when she was a girl. She showed her daughters how to make one. After roasting the marshmallow golden brown, being careful not to burn it, she placed it between two squares of graham crackers and a piece of a chocolate bar. The dessert was so good, people wanted “s’more,” hence the name.
There was a lot of laughter and joking among Sierra and her siblings. She was glad to see Sheridan relax and he even praised Spencer for building the firepit and told him how nice it looked.
The only people who were missing were Logan and his boys. Sierra felt sad that they were not there, although she totally understood and agreed with Logan’s punishment after the antics of that afternoon.
Annie had come with Kathy and Jed and after asking where her brother was, didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t there. Sunny was with her, an ever present companion to Annie. Sierra could tell that the dog had received a much needed bath.
The group sang silly campfire songs. When it started to get dark, Sadie left to put Brooklyn to bed. Stephanie and Sheridan needed to make a phone call, so they headed towards the Ranch House, along with Stella who carried some of the leftover food. Kathy, Jed, and Annie left soon after.
Sierra allowed her girls to stay and they stood close to the fire since it was starting to get cold. Sierra sat down on one of the logs and was staring at the fire w
hen she felt a presence behind her. She knew without even turning around that it was Logan.
“Did you guys have a good time?” Logan questioned quietly as he sat down beside her.
“We did,” Sierra smiled at him. “Did you hear us? We were getting quite loud for a while there singing those silly campfire songs.”
“I heard a bit,” Logan smiled back. “The boys are asleep and I decided to come out and enjoy some of the fire, at least.”
They sat together quietly for a while until Ashley came over to them. “Mom, I’m cold,” she complained as she leaned in for a hug.
“I can take them inside if you will take care of putting out the fire,” Spencer offered with a grin on his face. Sierra could tell he felt like he was helping a romance along.
Sierra hesitated. She really didn’t want to be left alone with Logan, but it would be a good time to talk to him about what had happened that day with his boys, so she nodded her permission.
“Come on, girls,” Spencer told them. “Let’s go help Kathy clean up the kitchen.” Ashley and Elysha readily followed their uncle.
“I am really sorry about what happened today,” Sierra told Logan. “I shouldn’t have left them alone.”
“I am not blaming you, Sierra,” Logan told her as he scooted closer to her and grabbed her hand. Sierra couldn’t bring herself to pull away. It was so comforting to have her hand held. Logan didn’t just hold her hand, but would brush his thumb along the back of her hand periodically, sending a tingling sensation up her arm and into her heart.
“Well, I guess I will blame myself for the both of us then. It shouldn’t have happened. I think maybe you should think about hiring a nanny or someone who can give your boys undivided attention. I am not able to do that. I have Ashley and Elysha to think about, along with working with my siblings on getting this dude ranch going.”
“Are you suggesting a nanny because you don’t want to do it anymore, or because you are blaming yourself?” Logan asked easily, forcing her to look at him with her answer.
“I don’t mind watching Mason and Noah,” Sierra explained. “I really don’t. I just don’t think I can give them the attention they need.”
Logan sighed. “Let’s try it for one more week. If there are still problems, then I will make other arrangements, deal?”
Sierra nodded her agreement. They really were adorable boys and had been doing better in her care after the first few days.
“It’s beautiful out here,” Logan said to her, changing the subject. “I forget how well you can see the stars up in the mountains like this.”
Sierra looked up and could see the stars starting to appear one by one. They showed brightly against the ink black sky, millions and millions of twinkling lights. She could see the moon rising over the nearby mountains.
“I want to talk to you about something else,” Logan said and held tight to her hand when Sierra immediately tried to pull away.
“I think I know what it is you want to talk about, and I am not sure I want to,” Sierra admitted but stopped talking when Logan leaned over and brushed a lock of hair from her face with one hand. He then cupped her chin and captured her mouth with his. It was a perfect kiss and she let the sweetness of it sweep through her. He didn’t deepen the kiss though, as if knowing she wasn’t quite ready for more, and he pulled away, but still kept her hand in his.
“Well, your kisses sure are powerful,” Sierra said shakily with a smile.
Logan grinned at her words. “I am starting to have strong feelings for you, Sierra. I would like to get to know you better and see where this leads.”
“Do you mean, to see if it leads to marriage?” Sierra asked. She wanted to make sure she understood.
Logan nodded.
“I already told you…” Sierra started to say, but Logan interrupted her.
“I know you aren’t planning on marrying again. I know you have been through a lot. I know the shock of your husband dying in a car crash was devastating to you. I just want to get to know you, spend time with your daughters, all of us together with my sons. I am asking you to stop avoiding me.”
Sierra looked down at her lap and found herself staring at their clasped hands. She realized that she had not insisted he let her hand go. It felt good to have a man beside her again.
“I will need to think about it,” she finally replied.
“I know you aren’t ready for a serious relationship, but I am willing to wait until you are.”
“You are?”
Logan nodded. “You are important to me. I want you to feel comfortable with me.”
Sierra gazed at the dying embers in the firepit. What would it hurt to spend more time together? She knew her girls liked him and most of the time they even enjoyed being with Mason and Noah. She found herself nodding her head in agreement to Logan’s request.
“Okay, let’s get to know each other as friends, for now. But no more kissing.”
Logan laughed aloud at her words and pulled her towards him in a hug. “Sorry. I can agree to be friends, but I can’t agree to no kissing.” He leaned over to kiss her and again Sierra was immediately caught up in it.
“I think we both enjoy kissing each other,” he whispered to her. “But I can agree that kissing is as far as we go. I will not take you to bed unless we marry.”
Sierra felt a peace at his words. Her respect for him grew at his words, but she also still felt very afraid at allowing herself to love again.
They both stopped talking and just enjoyed each other’s company as the fire continued to die. Logan finally stood up and helped Sierra to her feet. He picked up a large bucket of water that had been placed nearby and poured it over the dying embers until the fire was completely out.
“Come, I will walk you to the Ranch House,” Logan held out his hand. For the first time, Sierra willingly put her hand into his. She would try to trust him. She suddenly realized she also wanted to get to know him better.
****
A week after the hotdog roast, Sierra and Sadie were sitting out on the deck having another meeting about the activities. Logan’s boys, along with her own daughters and Brooklyn, were playing nearby. Mason and Noah were like different boys since they ran off. Even though they still had their moments, they had stopped arguing so much and were listening to her. Sierra hoped that they were now settling in and happy to be on the ranch.
Logan had made an effort to spend time with her every day. Sometimes it was just a few minutes of time alone together. Other times it was with all four kids, but Logan didn’t seem to mind when the kids were present. He always managed to sneak a kiss or two, though, and surprisingly Sierra didn’t mind. She was starting to look forward to his kisses.
Bridger had made a good start on the new lodge. He had brought even more men to help and it was quite noisy around the meadow during the day, with the work on the lodge, and remodeling the older cabins. Logan had moved into her father’s rooms in the Ranch House the day before so the cabin he was staying in could also be remodeled.
Sierra knew that Bridger had also talked to Sheridan about the plans for the building that would house their summer employees and that building would be started soon. Things were moving along quickly.
Sheridan had asked that they have a daily meeting with all the siblings right after breakfast to report to each other what they had accomplished. Everyone had a specific job to do except Spencer. Spencer had refused to be over the cattle, although he had agreed to take over the job until someone could be found to replace him. Spencer tended to jump from job to job, which irritated Sheridan greatly. One day, Spencer would work in the vegetable garden. Another day, he took his plane up and flew around the nearby mountains, looking for good views for air tours. He helped Sierra and Sadie come up with more ideas of activities. He helped Jed with the cattle, but only when he had to.
Spencer spent one afternoon cleaning out a shed that was full of stuff. He found a number of fishing poles and gear that could be used for the gues
ts. He also found some climbing rope that Sadie wanted to try out and make sure it was still in good shape for rock climbing and repelling.
Sierra could tell Sheridan was very irritated with Spencer and the way he wasn’t sticking to one job, and she knew she needed to talk to her brother and advise him to back off of Spencer. She was afraid Sheridan was going to push Spencer too hard and he would leave.
Maybe now is a good time to find Sheridan, Sierra thought to herself. She and Sadie had finished their planning.
“I would like to go talk to Sheridan,” Sierra told her sister. “Could you watch all the kids for a while?”
“Sure,” Sadie agreed. “I was going to go inside and type this up, but I can do it just as well here.”
Sierra headed to the large office Sheridan usually worked in. The door was partially closed, but she poked her head through the doorway and saw that Sheridan was behind the desk talking on the phone. When he saw her, he waved her inside and motioned for her to sit down in one of the cushioned chairs in front of the desk.
