Jack stood at the stove, turning as Ted and Nate’s boots hit the hard floor. “Carne asada tacos,” he said.
“Bless you,” Ted said as his stomach growled. Not only would he get fed, but he wouldn’t have to continue the conversation about his “girlfriend” with Nate.
The next morning, Ted woke as the first rays of sunshine lit his window. He’d had a very hard time falling asleep, his anticipation keeping him mentally awake long after his body had collapsed into bed.
His mother was coming today. In fact, she’d be on the ranch in a few hours.
Excitement mingled with nervous energy, and he got up and into the shower. Afterward, with a towel tucked around his waist, he looked at himself in the mirror. Emma’s words circled through his mind, and he reached for his razor.
After making sure his beard was exactly right, he brushed his teeth and actually plucked a few errant hairs from his eyebrows. Nate knocked on the other door, calling, “Connor needs to use the bathroom.”
Ted opened the door, and the little boy streaked inside. “Hey,” he said to Nate, the two of them eye-to-eye in height. “Would you cut my hair this morning?”
“You already showered.”
“I’ll shower again,” he said. He didn’t need to say he wanted to look good for his mother. He didn’t need to ever tell Nate he was going to present himself perfectly and pretend he was happy.
He was happy.
Happier than he’d been in years and years. Hope Eternal Ranch was far superior to the River Bay FCI, and Ted merely needed to smooth over his nerves with a smile and clean-cut look.
That was all.
“Sure thing,” Nate said. “Let me get the kit. Meet you in the kitchen after you get dressed?”
Ted swallowed as he nodded, and the two separated. Ted didn’t bother with what he was actually going to wear that day; he simply put on gym shorts and went into the kitchen. Nate snapped the drape around his neck and got to work.
Ten minutes later, Nate brushed Ted’s shoulders and proclaimed, “You’re done.”
“Thanks, brother,” Ted said as Nate unsnapped the drape. Ted turned toward Nate, and their eyes met.
“I’m sorry about what I said last night,” Nate said.
“I’m sorry I got mad about it.”
“Oh, you weren’t mad.” Nate grinned, and Ted grabbed onto him and clapped him on the shoulders.
“I wasn’t mad,” Ted said, holding onto his brother and best friend. “I just don’t know what’s going on with Emma.”
“I know,” Nate whispered. He stepped back and cleared his throat. “I know, but you’ll figure it out.”
“I hope so,” Ted said, but he wasn’t so sure he could figure it out. He wasn’t particularly experienced in dating to begin with, and his long absence from normal society had further stunted his romantic side and his knowledge of how he felt about a woman.
“Okay.” Ted took a deep breath. “Be out in a bit. Thanks again, Nate.”
“Send Connor out, would you?” Nate said as Ted walked away. “It’s his turn to make breakfast.”
Ted did as Nate asked, and he showered again quickly, dressed in jeans and the nicest button-down shirt he’d bought earlier in the week. He pulled on his cowboy boots, because he’d been wearing them for several days now, and Nate had been right. They were comfortable.
Plus, he sure did like feeling like he was a real cowboy. He hadn’t tried to get on a horse again, and Emma hadn’t mentioned when she might be able to teach him. Thankfully, Jess hadn’t tried to get him in the saddle again either, and he’d managed to keep some of his dignity.
He went out onto the front porch to greet the sun. The heat of the day had already started to fill the air, and this side of the house faced directly into the sun. He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes as he tilted his head toward the brilliant sky.
“Hello, world,” he murmured to himself. What a luxury it was to stand outside in the fresh air, listen to the silence, and breathe in the sunshine.
His mother wasn’t due for another hour or two, so Ted went down to the stables, where there was always work to do. The foals weren’t in their pens, which meant Jess or someone had taken them out to spend time with their mothers.
He found Jess down the hall, standing in front of a stall where a tall black horse hung his head over the half-door. “What do you need me to do this morning?” he asked.
Jess glanced at him. “I thought your parents were coming.”
“My mom,” he said. “I’ve got a couple of hours, and I don’t need to just stand around.”
“Storm Warning needs a bath,” she said. “And you can feed Row H. That’ll probably take a couple of hours.”
“Consider it done,” Ted said, already moving toward Row H. Feeding was easy, and he knew how to do it. Bathing a horse was a little harder, as he’d only done it a couple of times. Hope Eternal had great equipment, and the horses were used to standing there and getting washed.
Ginger did take great care of her animals here, and the horses expected it.
Ted did his best by them, getting them fed and out into the pastures before he returned to get Storm Warning to take him to the wash bay. The separate building had three bays, and Ted took the end unit, hooking the horse to the tether. “You stay there, bud.”
He got the water hooked up, and he returned to the bay. “I took two showers already this morning,” he said. “So you hold still now, y’hear?”
Storm Warning moved one hoof, and Ted stroked his hand down the side of his face. “You’re a good boy.” He smiled at the horse. “I think you already know it, though.” He started bathing the horse. “So do you know Emma? What do you think of her?”
The horse didn’t answer of course, and Ted decided to whisper his secrets to him, getting how he felt about Emma out into words. When he finished, he was a little bit wet, but it wasn’t anything the hot Texas sun couldn’t dry quickly.
He put Storm Warning out in the pasture, cleaned up the wash bay, and headed toward the homestead. From a couple hundred yards away, he saw a car pull up to the fence. His heart started beating triple-time, and he broke into a jog when he saw Britta get out of the driver’s side.
His breathing came quickly by the time he reached the lawn. “Ma,” he called as Britta helped his mother out of the passenger side.
They both turned toward him, and Ted’s emotions rose in his throat. “Mom.” The word barely left his mouth, and he couldn’t get to her fast enough.
“Oh, my Teddy,” she said as Ted swept her into his arms. He held her so tight, a smile touching his mouth as he tried to hold onto his emotions so he wouldn’t cry.
But hugging his mother was like coming home, and Ted hadn’t been able to do either in so long. This—hugging his mother—was like heaven to Ted.
Chapter Twelve
Emma watched Ted’s reunion with his mother and sister through the bay window in the living room. She pressed one hand to her heart as she saw the joy on his mother’s face. They hugged for a long time, and then Ted stepped over to his sister and did the same thing.