The bond between them as brothers was as strong as ever, but they no longer had to be everything for each other.
Joel held his daughter’s hand, walked beside his twin, and stared out over the land to where his wife and unborn child were riding slowly toward him.
This? Yeah, it might feel unreal at times, but it was exactly where he needed to be.
Dare took another deep breath of the crisp February air, letting it out slowly as their horses began the final slow ascent to the houses silhouetted against the winter sky. “I’m so glad we went riding today.”
Vicki grabbed hold of the saddle horn and let out an enormous sigh as she all but sprawled on the back of her mount. “Me too. Don’t think I’ll be riding for too much longer, and I’ll miss it.” She glanced over at Dare, eyeing her also blooming belly. “Your days are limited as well.”
“Truth.” Dare examined her sister-in-law and how relaxed she sat on the back of the horse. “I have to admit it’s rather amusing to know that the idea of not getting out on the big, stinky beasts is making you sad.”
“Shut up,” Vicki said, but she smiled.
It was neat to have been a part of each other’s lives for long enough now that even stories from when they hadn’t been friends were well enough known to be shared and teased about.
Vicki’s past fear of horses had been the catalyst for her getting together with Joel. Dare’s sadness over the loss of her family had triggered the one-night stand that resulted in both Buckaroo and Jesse changing her world forever.
Vicki knew the stories. Dare knew the stories. They were sisters by choice in a way that made each day special.
Which meant teasing was very necessary.
“We could put some horse manure in a bucket,” Dare offered. “We’ll stick it in the back of the crew cab, and then you can drive down the road with the windows open and have that same sensation—”
“You’re terrible.” Vicki sat a little straighter, but she patted a hand against her horse’s withers. “You’re not stinky. Nope. You’re a pretty girl.”
“Still think it’s funny.”
This time, when her sister-in-law glanced toward her, Vicki’s expression was more serious. Thoughtful. “Yeah, it is funny, but in all the right ways. I mean, it feels like a long time ago I made that confession to Joel. And back then, the idea of getting up on a horse was enough to make me want to get sick.”
Dare stayed silent, but again her gaze drifted over the other woman who had become a friend as well as family. There was no hesitation as she moved in an easy cadence with the solid beast under her. Vicki’s hands on the reins were competent, nearly as relaxed as Dare’s, and Dare had grown up on a ranch and been around animals her entire life.
Vicki continued, her voice growing clearer by the moment. “There’s a lot of things we think when we’re young. There’s a lot of—call it baggage—we have to go through. And I know we’re still young in many ways,” she said, meeting Dare’s eyes. “But we’ve got each other. We’ve got Jesse and Joel, and all the rest of their family supporting us… It’s like the things that scare me now are so fleeting, because I know there’s a whole mess of people willing to help me with problem-solving. To help me find my way through.”
It was a simple but profound truth, and Dare found herself nodding. She considered her own past, with the pain of having lost her family and yet being surrounded by the love of chosen family, both here in Rocky Mountain House and in Heart Falls, where she’d grown up.
These were people who would help her and Jesse, no matter what.
They finished the ride in peaceful silence, their men meeting them in the small shared barn that sat across from their houses. Jesse and Joel took care of their mounts while the children caught them by the hand and tugged them back toward the house.
“Val’ntine surprise is ready,” Joey insisted, glancing for a moment at Jesse. “Right, Daddy?”
“Right, Buckaroo. You and Jess take your mamas to the house. We’ll be in right away.” Jesse offered Dare a wink. “Valentine’s Day refuses to wait any longer.”
The house smelled amazing, but both she and Vicki laughed as they reached the table where childish Valentine’s cards were propped up in front of two plates, each with a single cookie on them.
Vicki leaned in and murmured softly, “You did spot the cookie crumbs in my daughter’s hair, yes?”
“I was kind of distracted by all the cookie crumbs decorating my son’s mouth and the front of his shirt, but now that you mention it…”
Dare and Vicki grinned at each other.
The guys came in, and they gathered in the living room to talk and share stories and just be together. Jesse pulled Dare into his arms, and she settled against him easily, his warmth perfect on the chilly day.
She hummed with happiness at the touch of his fingers on her jaw as he turned her face toward him and kissed her right then, right there, just because he wanted to.
Laughing when he let her go, they turned back to the room to discover little Jess and Joey lined up at the edge of the couch, waiting for their own kisses.
Valentine’s Day was no longer just about romantic love but about enduring love, giving love. Laughing and teasing and connection beyond imagining.
Cookie crumbs and sweet kisses filled her heart to overflowing.
SP Ranch Journal
~Michael Coleman, August 1985 ~
This summer—God, what a year.
The boys all arrived in June. Yes, all boys.
Randy and Kate added Trevor to the Moonshine clan. Dana had Michael, and before the day was out, that nickname I expected was making its way through the hospital. I guess that’s what happens when you give two kids specifically biblical names. The Angel Colemans are all doing well.
And our Daniel arrived right before the month finished. Marion told me she might be willing to do it one more time but to not get my heart set on six boys like Ma & Da had. I’m not set on it. Still have this sneaking suspicion that it’s going to happen.
(Marion, I’m just kidding. Don’t skin me.)
Daniel’s a sweetheart of a kid. Marion says she can feel peace pouring off him, which is good, because there’s been a hell of a lot…
I’m getting ahead of myself.
Or behind myself—between the babies and George and Sally’s wedding last weekend and the rest of the work around here, I’ve fallen out of journaling. Need to get back to it, though.
Truth is, I learn a lot when I’m taking the time to write out my thoughts. Told Marion I needed her help to keep me on the straight and narrow when it comes to journaling. She’s agreed to pick up and read what I’ve written. I don’t have secrets from her, anyway, and knowing that she’ll poke me if too many days go by without an entry is the motivation I need right now.
I want a record of all the things that need remembering so I can fix what goes wrong.
And it’s a doozy this time. Mark finally showed up yesterday. We were all gathered in the barn, and he just walked in as if he hadn’t been gone for almost a year.
God, just seeing his face made something break inside me all over again, because I instinctively looked behind him, expecting to see John step in any second as well.