The Rancher's Texas Twins

by Allie Pleiter

  “Mr. Boots?” Nick asked, barely containing a laugh.

  “Not one word,” Gabe growled, trying not to be annoyed that even the sanctity of his barn had now been invaded by tiny pinkness. Couldn’t Avery keep them confined to the porch and the yard? He turned toward the little girl dwarfed by the huge barn door. “It’s not safe for you to be wandering around in here without your mama.”

  “But we were reading about flowers and now I want to plant some.”

  “Did you ask Ms. Marlene? She’s the one with the flower boxes.”

  “She told me to go find you hiding in the barn and ask you myself.”

  “Hiding in the barn. She’s got you pegged,” Nick teased, walking up to Dinah. “My name’s Nick,” he said, holding out a hand. “What’s yours?”

  “Dinah.”

  “Why do you call Gabe here ‘Mr. Boots?’”

  “Leave it, McGarrett,” Gabe warned in the most pleasant tone he could manage.

  Dinah simply smiled. “’Cuz he wears ’em. All the time.”

  Nick turned to peer back at Gabe with a mock investigative squint. “That he does. How do you like living with Mr. Boots?”

  Gabe cringed at the emphasis Nick gave the title. Maybe it was time to take a few of those tools back out of the crate.

  “I like him a whole lot,” Dinah said, nodding. “He’s really nice. One day he even came to our tea...”

  “There you are, Dinah girl!” Avery came rushing though the door, clamping a hand over tiny Dinah’s startled mouth. “Next time Marlene tells you to go to the barn, come get me first, okay?”

  Debbie appeared right behind Avery. “Hi, Mr. Boots. Whatcha doing in the barn?”

  “Hiding,” Nick suggested in a whisper as he came over to hoist the box Gabe had filled. He stopped in front of the girls as he returned to head toward the barn door. “You must be Debbie.”

  “Yep.”

  “How is it living here with Mr. Boots?”

  “It’s very nice,” Avery answered for her. “We’re very grateful for his hospitality, aren’t we, girls?”

  The twins nodded.

  “And we’re going to leave Mr. Boots to his work in the barn and promise not to bother him anymore today, aren’t we?”

  “But my seeds...” whined Dinah.

  “I’ll take a look and bring you some later if I find them,” Gabe offered as they left. He wasn’t ready to admit to Nick or Avery how much he hid in the barn lately. He used to hide in his study, but the girls somehow always managed to nose their way in there—much like they did to his barn just now. It was starting to feel like there wasn’t a private place left on the entire ranch.

  “Flower seeds?” Nick snickered, grinning entirely too much as he came back from loading his truck. “Does Mr. Boots grow flowers now?”

  Gabe considered asking for all his tools back. “Mr. Boots grows impatient and frustrated, that’s what Mr. Boots grows.”

  “Hey, aren’t impatients a kind of flower? That’d be kind of ironic if you had those, wouldn’t it? Maybe I’ll go ask Marlene.”

  Gabe stopped and glowered at Nick. “You don’t need to enjoy this quite so much.”

  “Oh, I disagree.” Nick leaned back against the wall, laughing. “I’m enjoying this very much. Corey’s put me in my place a time or two, but he’s got nothing on those two little girls.”

  “It’s for the boys ranch,” Gabe reminded Nick. “Avery has to stay, and she had nowhere else to go. Surely, you can see it’s worth the minor inconvenience.” Gabe nearly laughed at his own understatement. Avery’s and the girls’ stay on his ranch was fast becoming a major issue on several levels, not a minor inconvenience. For crying out loud, he had swings in his yard. And drawings of bunnies stuck up on his fridge door with cutesy little magnets. Was it any wonder he preferred the barn these days?

  “How’s all that estate stuff going?” Nick asked, thankfully taking the cue to change the subject. “You found everybody yet?”

  Nick had managed to pick the only subject more painful than tiny pinkness. “Still no Theodore. I had Haverman look over the will again to see if there’s a loophole like we had for Carolina Mason standing in for her great uncle Mort.”

  “Nothing, huh?”

  “Either we prove Linley’s dead, or we produce him. No other options.”

  Nick put a hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “You’ll find him. Or you’ll figure something out. You always do.”

  He did. Gabe was the kind of man everyone counted on to set things right. He prided himself at being thought of that way. This is gonna knock the pride right out of me, Lord, Gabe groaned to Heaven as he walked away from the barn. If that’s what You had in mind all along, couldn’t You find a way to do it that doesn’t hurt all those boys?

  “Hey.” Nick stopped walking. “Weren’t you going to look for flower seeds?”

  “No need to look. I don’t have any. I’ll swing by the supply store and grab something this afternoon.”

  “Gabe Everett buying flower seeds.” Nick shook his head. “Next thing I know I’ll hear about you buying flowers.”

  Gabe had actually seen some of the first bluebonnets of the season yesterday up on the eastern pastures and thought about—not actually done, mind you, but thought about—bringing some to Avery.

  Not that anyone would ever be told a secret like that. Besides, that wouldn’t have counted as buying flowers so when he gave Nick a decisive “Nope!” it was the truth.

  Chapter Eleven

  When Heath Grayson opened his door Monday afternoon, Avery recognized the universal countenance of a new father: equal parts wonder and exhaustion. Remembering the haze of days and nights in those first weeks with Debbie and Dinah, Avery had let Marlene talk her in to adding her name to a church sign-up for bringing the new parents supper. Everyone in Haven seemed to be taking a turn, and Marlene had said she already had a huge pot of chili planned, so all Avery had to do was deliver.

  “Hey, proud poppa,” Avery greeted. “How are you holding up?”

  As if to answer the question, baby Joy’s cries echoed from behind Heath. “Ranger duty has nothing on diaper duty. I feel like I’m in parenting boot camp.”

  Avery laughed. “I suppose you are.” She pointed to the burp cloth still perched on the Texas Ranger’s shoulder.

  He pointed to the paint smears not quite gone from Avery’s hands and arms. “And you’re still purple from this morning’s painting session. I heard you and the boys had quite the time of it.” Heath ushered her in with a chuckle.

  “It’s maroon, actually. And it was fun. I’m pretty sure most of the paint ended up on the picture frames, but I can’t be certain.”

  “I’m still trying to make sure most of the diaper ends up on the baby,” Heath admitted. “How’d you ever manage this with two of them?”

  “I remember thinking I would never sleep again. I’ll bring the girls for a shorter visit next time, but I left them with Marlene so I can give you both a shot at peace and quiet.”

  Josie came out of the kitchen holding a wailing little Joy tucked in a pale yellow blanket. If it was possible, Josie looked even more tired than Heath. “Peace and quiet?” Josie asked. “I forgot what those are.”

  Avery walked up close to see the tiny weeks-old newborn in Josie’s arms. “Little Joy hit her first growth spurt, did she?”

  “If you mean did she reach the point where she does nothing but cry and eat for hours on end, then yes, Joy is in a growth spurt.” Heath moaned. “Or a whatever spurt. All I know is that I’ve done more laundry this week than in a month of my bachelor days.”

  Heath’s words could be classified as complaints, but the affection on the man’s face was nothing but pure love for his new family. If he wasn’t Joy’s biological father—Josie had been a pregnant y
oung widow when she and Heath met—he was surely that little girl’s daddy in his heart. Avery felt a stab of regret remembering that Danny had looked at her daughters that way once.

  “Would you like to hold her?” Josie asked.

  “I’d love to. Let me set my things down and wash my hands.” She tucked the pot of chili and the pan of corn bread into the Graysons’ kitchen and washed up. Coming back out into the living room, Avery took the beautiful little girl in her arms and sat on the couch while Heath and Josie settled across from her.

  “Look at those eyes,” Avery cooed. “And all that hair!” The baby had the gray eyes of so many newborns, but the full head of red-brown hair seemed to be the gift of her mother.

  “She has her mama’s hair, that’s for sure,” Heath said.

  “And her mama’s lungs, I’m afraid,” Josie said with a weary smile. “A champion crier. I thought being a nanny before would make this easy, but...”

  “It’s a whole new world when it’s your own baby, isn’t it? Twice as wonderful but three times as much work.”

  “On half as much sleep.” Josie yawned. “You were so kind to offer to come and bring supper.”

  “Marlene did the cooking, but I was happy to help. No one should have to do this alone.” It struck Avery how poignant she found the words. She probably had looked as harried to Gabe when he’d offered his help back on Roz’s porch. If Gabe had offered his help that afternoon, surely she could do as much right now. “When’s the last time you two sat on your porch alone together and watched the sun go down?”

  One look at their faces told Avery it had been quite a while.

  Avery stood. “Tell you what—put the baby swing in the kitchen and I’ll get supper on while you two get reacquainted on the porch. If I did it with two babies, heating up supper with one ought to be a cinch.”

  “But you don’t have to—” Josie began.

  “Sure, I don’t have to, but I want to.” She had no way of repaying Gabe, but she could “pay it forward” and help out Josie and Heath. It made her feel more human, less like a pawn in Grandpa Cyrus’s from-the-grave chess game.

  Joy fussed a bit, but settled drowsily beside an adorable small stuffed goat—surely a ranch gift—in the swing. After a few minutes of cooing until the child’s eyes closed, Avery made her way around the Graysons’ kitchen to prepare the meal. There had been one or two—not many, but a few—women who did this for her and Danny when the twins were first born, and she remembered being so thankful. Opening the fridge for some butter for Marlene’s cornbread, she saw a list held to the fridge door with a magnet.

  It was the same schedule for the next two weeks she’d seen at church. Supper was arriving via a different member of Haven Community Church each night. She saw Rhetta was on tomorrow night, and several other names she recognized. Of course, Marlene was on tonight’s list, but Avery found herself glad to be taking the housekeeper’s place. “Go get to know Josie,” Marlene had encouraged her. “A new mom always needs another mom to help hold her up.”

  She’d never known a community as tightly knit as Haven. Sure, Haven had its share of small-town faults—judgmental old hens like Roz Sackett and grumpy, meddling old men like Cyrus—but it had a lot more of what small towns ought to have. Kindness and generosity and connection. It was getting hard to deny the fact that she felt more connected in Haven than she had back in Tennessee. Still, the obstacles to staying—no place to live, uprooting her business, getting Danny’s consent to move the children out of state—weren’t going away. It still made more sense to head back to Tennessee and redouble her efforts to build a better life there than it did to daydream about a life here.

  The oven timer beeped, and Avery walked to the front door to call in the couple for their supper. At first she thought they’d been cuddling on the porch swing, but a closer inspection showed the pair to be fast asleep.

  Oh, those sleep-deprived first weeks, she thought to herself. Let them be, poor things.

  She walked back into the kitchen, covered the cornbread and turned off the oven. Avery turned to grin at Joy’s bright gray eyes—the baby was now wide-awake. “Don’t you know you’re supposed to sleep when they do?” she cooed as she picked up the infant. “Why don’t you and I explore the backyard while Mom and Dad nap?”

  She scribbled a quick note to put where Josie or Heath would easily see it, and tucked her cell phone in her back pocket. It showed a missed call from Gabe, but she figured she could return that later. Walking into the Graysons’ tidy backyard that looked out over the small farm, she spoke in lively tones to the little girl as she patted her tiny back. “Some day soon you’ll strew this with toys. And probably make your daddy mad by leaving them out in the rain. And hand your mommy endless stains to try and get out of your pretty pink clothes.”

  Joy merely made sweet baby sounds and settled against her shoulder. She barely even whimpered when Avery’s cell phone went off again in her pocket.

  A little quick maneuvering showed her the call was from Gabe. “You’ll never guess where I am,” she said into the phone.

  “I know you’re at Heath’s cooing over his baby, but you don’t want to guess where I am.” His voice held none of the amusement hers had. As a matter of fact, she picked up the distinct and frightening sound of Debbie’s cries in the background.

  Fear shot through her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Debbie fell off the swings. Jethro is home with Dinah but Marlene and I are on our way to Dr. Delgado. Meet us there. It’s three doors down from Lila’s.”

  Oh, no. Dear Lord, watch over my girl, Avery prayed as she rushed back through the house to shake the Graysons awake from their peaceful nap on the porch swing.

  “Is Joy okay?” Josie’s startled eyes shot wide.

  “Joy is fine, but I have to leave.”

  “We nodded off,” Heath said, dragging himself awake. “Everything okay?”

  “Debbie fell off the swings. Gabe and Marlene want me to meet them at Dr. Delgado’s.” She wished she could be calmer, but her pulse was thundering. Debbie’s hurt. Bad. She could hear it in Gabe’s voice. She deposited Joy in Josie’s arms and pulled on her jacket. “Supper’s in the oven. I’ve got to go.”

  “Oh, no. Of course you do. We’ll say a prayer for poor Debbie. Let us know how everything turns out, okay?”

  * * *

  Gabe tried to keep his eyes on the road and stay within the speed limit, but both tasks were hard with Debbie’s frightened cries right next to him.

  “Hold that arm still now, baby girl,” Marlene said in softer, calmer tones than he could hope to manage.

  “It hurts,” Debbie sobbed. “I want Mama.”

  “She’s on her way, darlin’,” Gabe reassured her. “She’ll be right there at Doc Delgado’s.”

  “I’m rotting!” Debbie cried with new alarm as she moved her hand from where it held her forearm.

  “Rotting?” Gabe was almost afraid to ask. Visions of gruesome gashes filled his brain. He was a cool-headed manager, but little-girl emergencies were not exactly his thing.

  “I’m turning black like the bananas,” Debbie moaned as the tears came harder.

  “Oh, sweetheart, you’re bruising,” Marlene said. “That’s your body sending in soldiers to help take care of your arm. It’s a good thing, I promise.”

  Gabe wasn’t sure of the accuracy of Marlene’s preschool description of the human immune system, but he wasn’t about to argue, since the explanation seemed to calm Debbie. He turned the last corner carefully so as not to bump the tender limb. “Here we are. Doc Delgado will have you fixed up in no time.”

  “I’m scared,” Debbie whimpered. “I want Mama.”

  Avery came out of Dr. Delgado’s door, eyes wide with fear. “She’s already here,” Gabe told her.

  “Baby!” Avery cried.
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br />   Gabe ducked out of the door and intercepted the panicked Avery. “She’ll be okay. It’s her arm. She’s scared but...”

  “Mama!” Debbie burst into further tears.

  Avery moved to scoop up her daughter. “Mind the left arm,” Marlene warned. “I don’t think we want to jostle it.”

  “It hurts,” Debbie whimpered.

  “I know baby, I know,” Avery said as she nearly ran toward the door. Marlene and Gabe followed fast behind. He was unprepared for how tiny Debbie’s injury rattled him. He’d bought the swing set and had it installed. He felt responsible. And hang it all if he wasn’t growing fond of all that tiny pinkness around the house. It felt like all of March was spiraling out of his control into places he didn’t want to go.

  When Dr. Delgado ushered Avery and Debbie into his office, Gabe’s stomach twisted until Avery motioned him into the office with her, Marlene right behind. He’d have stayed out in the waiting room if that was her wish—he wasn’t their kin, after all—but it would have driven him crazy.

  “I’ve seen you in church. My Martin’s not much older than you. Remind me of your name, sweetheart?” Dr. Delgado’s calm, quiet voice cut through the panicked chaos of the last few minutes.

  “Debbie,” the little girl replied as she clutched her arm. Gabe thought she looked so small and pale sitting there on the examination table.

  “Well, Debbie, I’m Doc Delgado. Gabe here tells me you took a tumble off some swings.”

  The words sent stinging little stabs into Gabe’s chest. Avery hadn’t given him a “you hurt my baby” look yet, but it was only a matter of time.

  “How about you let me take a look at that arm?” Dr. Delgado asked, gently peeling Debbie’s other hand off the injured arm. “Look at all those colors,” Dr. Delgado said, as if it was a wonder of science rather than the telltale signs of a serious injury. One Gabe had made possible. “Box of sanity,” huh? What made him ever think those swings were a good idea?

  “I thought I was rotting. Like a banana.” Debbie sniffed with a dramatic air. Marlene offered a chuckle, but Avery gave Gabe a questioning look.