Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Rhett laughed. “Granddad! I’m baking…of course I have flour on me!”
He held up his hands in mock apology, then turned to me. “Whose horse is in labor?”
“No one yet, but one of the horses over at the Wildes’ place is pregnant with her first. It’ll be any day now. Caden asked me to come over and take a look at her.”
His brows rose. “Caden, huh? I bet that didn’t sit well with Emeline. Those horses are her babies.”
I chuckled. “She wasn’t thrilled her brother went around her, but apparently this horse is Caden’s favorite.”
Dad grinned, then asked, “Was she close?”
“Yeah, I’d say in the next few days. Rhett wants to see it happen.”
My father pointed to his grandson. “A boy after my own heart.”
Rhett beamed. “I’m going to be a veterinarian one day and work with you and Daddy.”
Dad tossed his head back and laughed. “I’m afraid by the time you get out of school, I’ll be too old to still be working. I’ll be sittin’ back on a beach somewhere, drinking something cold and stiff.”
“Stiff?” Rhett asked.
“We’re going to let that one go,” my mother said, giving Dad a look. “He’s already had one conversation that was a bit too mature for his age this afternoon.”
Rhett just looked at me, confused, and I winked.
“What’s for dinner?” Dad asked as he eyed all the cookies.
“I’ve got a roast in the Crock-Pot. I’m surprised you didn’t smell it.”
Dad chuckled. “The only thing this nose smells is sugar and vanilla.”
“Let me get this last batch in the oven, then we can eat. The roast is ready.”
I walked over to Rhett. “Why don’t you head on upstairs and wash up for dinner.”
“But I’ve got to help Grammy clean up our mess,” Rhett argued as he motioned to the flour all over the kitchen island.
My mother beamed with pride at my son. “You go on and do what your daddy says, he’ll clean for you this time.”
Rhett gave me a look that clearly said he was glad it was me, not him, doing the cleaning.
I helped him get the apron off and lifted him down from the chair he’d been standing on. “Wash your hands good, Rhett,” I called out as he hightailed it out of the kitchen. Turning to the sink, I grabbed the dishcloth.
“Take off your cowboy hat,” Mom said as she motioned with her head.
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, doing as she asked.
After I hung my hat up on the rack by the back door, I got to work cleaning the island while Mom slipped the last batch of cookies into the oven.
“I’ve got some bread over there we can heat up, Oliver, if you want to do that.”
Dad took the bread out of the bag and set it on a small cookie sheet before placing it in the Breville oven I’d bought for them last Christmas.
“That little oven has come in handy more than once,” she said with a wink in my direction.
“I’m glad you like it.”
The three of us worked in comfortable silence. Once I’d cleaned the island and helped my mother put away all the ingredients she’d used for the cookies, I grabbed four bowls for the roast, along with silverware.
“Are we eating in here or the dining room?”
“Let’s go to the dining room. I’ve been in this kitchen nearly all day. I’m afraid Rhett won’t ever want to help me bake or cook again, but he was a good sport about it.”
Shaking my head, I replied, “He’s loving the time he’s spending with you, Mom. Thank you for that.”
“It’s not a hardship on my part, I can tell you that right now. He’s such a kind and well-mannered young man, Levi. You’re doing great with him.”
“I had good teachers.”
Mom grinned. “Flattery will get you everywhere, son.”
Rhett came bounding into the kitchen, all cleaned up. “Can I help?”
“Why don’t you help me set the table.” I motioned for him to head to the dining room. As I placed the bowls down, Rhett followed me with the silverware. “Did you have fun today with Grammy?”
He looked at me and smiled. “Yep! We sure made a lot of cookies today. I tried not to eat a whole lots, but it was hard.”
I chuckled. “I bet it was. Rhett, I was talking to Emeline, who’s Caden’s sister. She takes care of all the horses on the ranch.”
“Have I met her before?”
With a shake of my head, I answered, “No, you haven’t met her yet. She’s a good friend of mine, just like Caden. Anyway, she also runs a summer camp on the ranch. Would you be interested in going? They do all kinds of things, like horseback riding, hiking, archery, learning how to make things, and the campers even get to help around the ranch, so they can see what being a rancher is like.”