Nineteen

The family bedlam of eleven people sitting around the table—and two six-month-old babies babbling gibberish and rolling around on a blanket in the nearby great room—was music to Jake’s ears. He noticed Lloyd and Katie and Evie and Brian watching Randy curiously. She was as much her old self as ever, ordering Katie and Evie to set out platters of scrambled eggs, ham, bacon, and biscuits.

“Mom, you’re doing too much,” Evie urged.

“I am just fine. I haven’t done all the cooking in a long time, and I’m enjoying this.” She looked at Lloyd. “And you, young man, are staying here today and not doing chores or riding off to round up strays. Let the men take care of it.”

Lloyd took a chair next to Katie and leaned over to give her a quick kiss. “Mom, you know chores can’t wait around here.”

“Yes, they can,” Randy insisted. “You were gone six days just coming to get me and your father, and it seems like it’s getting harder and harder to get the whole family together at the same time. Besides that, you’ll be herding cattle to Denver soon, and that means you’ll be gone again, and for a good two or three weeks. Please stay home today with Katie and the children. Maybe we can have a picnic later. Just the thought of you going back to Denver after last summer gives me the shivers, but at least we know no one will be there waiting to—” She didn’t finish her sentence.

Lloyd studied her closely as she set a basket of biscuits on the table before taking a chair. “What’s going on?” he asked her. “Mom, is something wrong that you need me to stay here?”

“Nothing is wrong. I’ve never been better, and that’s why I want all of you to stay home today. It’s going to be a nice day, so let’s all take some family time.”

Lloyd looked at Jake. “Is she okay?”

Jake grinned. “She’s just fine.”

Lloyd frowned at the scratches on Jake’s cheeks. “What the hell happened to your face? It’s all scratched up.”

“It’s a long story. We’ll talk about it later. Let’s just be glad your mother is back to her old self, which means I’m getting bossed around something awful. I’m going to have to figure out how to rein her in.”

“Did you do something? Say something? Did Mom put those scratches on your face?” he asked teasingly.

“Hell no! And quit asking questions. Just eat.”

The rest of them took their seats.

“Are you better, Grampa?” Little Jake asked.

“Much better.”

Little Jake grinned and nudged his cousin Stephen. “I told you he was okay. Grampa’s tough.”

“Heck, I know that,” Stephen answered. “How did you get those scratches on your face, Grampa?”

Jake was not pleased with the literal chicken fight he’d had earlier. He scowled at the looks of unquenchable curiosity on everyone’s faces.

“I had a run-in with an angry rooster this morning.”

Sadie Mae giggled, and Jake winked at her, a grin replacing the scowl. He put a finger to his lips for Sadie not to tell.

“Gramma, are you happy now?” Tricia asked, innocently blurting out the question everyone else was secretly wondering.

Randy looked at Jake and smiled. “I am very happy, and things are going to get back to normal around here.”

Lloyd and Evie looked at their father.

“Daddy, what’s happened?”

Jake dished a big piece of ham onto his plate. “None of your business.” He handed the platter to Stephen, who sat on his right. “Eat up, Stephen. You’re a growing boy.” He noticed his son and daughter exchange a look of surprise, and he knew they were filled with questions.

Randy began loading her plate with food, and practically every person at the table quietly stared at her.

“Mom?” Lloyd asked. “Are you really going to eat all of that?”

“I most certainly am.” Randy looked around the table. “For heaven’s sake, you’ve all been after me to eat better, so why are you staring at me like I might die any minute? You should be happy.”

“We are,” Evie answered, “but just yesterday you—”

“That was yesterday,” Randy interrupted. “And I’ll have you know that I was up at two o’clock this morning eating too. I had ham and eggs and biscuits, and I’m already hungry again.”

All of them looked at Jake.

“That tonic she’s been taking must work wonders,” Brian told Jake, smiling teasingly as he spoke.

“I guess it must,” Jake answered.

“Something tells me Pa is the tonic,” Lloyd joked.

Jake just grinned and leaned back in his chair. “Evie, we’ll let you say grace, as you always do. We should have thought of that before we passed the food.”

Evie looked warily at her father. This was twice he’d asked her to say grace, something that was nothing short of a miracle. She glanced at her mother again. Randy was watching Jake and smiling. “Oh my gosh,” Evie muttered. “Everyone hold hands.”

Jake grasped Lloyd’s hand on his left and Stephen’s on his right. Evie thanked God that her mother seemed better and her parents happier, thanked Him for the beautiful day, and “we thank Sadie Mae for finding us so many eggs.”

On that, Sadie Mae let go of Tricia’s and her father’s hands and clapped a hand over her mouth, giggling.

“Amen,” Evie said quickly, frowning at Sadie Mae. “Sadie Mae, you shouldn’t giggle during a prayer. It’s a nice thing you did, going out this morning and collecting those eggs.”

The child burst into even more giggling, watching her grandfather, her dark eyes dancing. “Grampa got the eggs!” she burst out.

“Grampa?” Lloyd exclaimed. He looked at his father. “You gathered eggs?” He laughed. “Now we know where those scratches came from! You’ve never even been inside that chicken coop! Did Mom order you to do that?”

Jake watched his granddaughter. “Sadie Mae, you’re a tattle-tale.”

The little girl couldn’t stop giggling over her wonderful secret, nor could she keep from telling it. She put her hands to the sides of her face and laughed even harder. “Grampa said a whole bunch of bad words too!” she revealed. “And chickens were flying all over and squawking really loud. And Grampa threw the rooster out the door, and he came out with feathers in his hair and a whole bunch of eggs in the basket and a mean look on his face!”

Jake scowled at his granddaughter. “Sadie Mae, I should come over there and tickle you till you can’t stand it.”

“Pa, I’m surprised you didn’t shoot some of those hens!”

“If I’d had my guns on, I would have. A couple of them are lucky I didn’t wring their necks and bring them in the house for Randy to cook.”

They all burst out laughing and passed around more food.

“I don’t know what’s going on between you and Mother, but I like it,” Evie told her father. “But really, Daddy, did you have to use those bad words around Sadie Mae?”

Jake cut into a piece of ham. “You know me.”

“God help us,” Lloyd muttered before picking up a cup of coffee.

“Son, I will have you know that last night your mother said I was the nicest man in the world.”

Lloyd literally spit out his coffee, and everyone at the table broke into laughter. The children wiggled and laughed, and Randy just smiled, but she gave Jake a warning look.

“Don’t you dare say another word, Jake Harkner.”

He leaned back in his chair, chewing on the ham and giving her a look that said it all. She would be in trouble later tonight. She wanted to cry at the realization that she truly did feel stronger. She didn’t need her husband to be constantly at her side, because he was constantly at her side—in spirit. They hadn’t connected that way in a long time.

“I can read off a long, long list of men who would argue against you being a nice man,” Lloyd teased.

“Yeah, well, they’re mostly all dead now, so it doesn’t much matter.”

“Well, I’m one of them, but I love you anyway,” Lloyd bantered.

“Thank you for your always-kind words, son.”

“And thank you for gathering the eggs,” Randy told Jake.

“You’re welcome. Just don’t ever ask me to gather eggs again, Mrs. Harkner. I hate arguing with you, but that is never going to happen.”

Sadie Mae giggled again.

“And what were you doing up so early on the porch with Terrel?” Brian asked his daughter. “Jake said he saw you and came to get you to help with the eggs.”

Sadie Mae’s eyes widened, and she sobered, staring at her grandfather.

Jake smiled at her. “She just happened to wake up before everybody else and decided maybe she’d gather eggs for her mother. She stayed on the porch just like she’s been told to do. Terrel saw me coming out of the house, and he waved me over, so I went and got Sadie Mae, and we went to the chicken coop together. I told her to wait and let me gather the eggs, because Randy had asked me to, and I decided to prove to her I could do it. But I don’t want to see another damn chicken for a while. I don’t even want to eat one.” He winked at Sadie Mae, who smiled but had tears in her eyes.

“Sadie Mae, what’s wrong?” Evie asked.

The girl just shook her head. She climbed down from her chair and ran around the table to Jake, climbing up on his lap and throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Grampa. I’m sorry the bear hurt your back.” She broke into tears.

Stephen spoke up. “A bear? How did you see Grampa’s back? That wasn’t a bear. That’s from his—”

“Stephen!” Lloyd interrupted. “If Jake told her it was a bear, then that’s all your cousin needs to know. She’s only five years old.”

Stephen looked down.

Jake patted Sadie Mae’s back. “Sadie Mae, it’s all better. Don’t be crying.” He turned her around, facing the table but sitting on his lap. “Eat now. Grampa fought those chickens to get these eggs.” He reached around to wipe at the girl’s tears with his fingers, glancing at Evie as he did so. “I’ll explain later. She’s just a little girl with a big heart, a lot like her mother.”

Evie smiled, shaking her head. “Is everyone else as confused as I am? Mother insists on a big family breakfast, Daddy gathered the eggs, which he’s never done in his life, Mother is eating like a starved horse, and Sadie Mae is talking about a bear hurting Daddy’s back.”

“We’re talking about Jake Harkner,” Lloyd quipped. “In which case, it’s probably better to just be glad Mom is better this morning and not ask questions.” He folded his arms, looking sidelong at Jake. “As far as the egg story and the bear story, I guess that’s between Pa and Sadie Mae.”

Evie sighed, glancing at her husband, who just shrugged.

“I’m with Lloyd,” Brian told his wife. “I quit trying to figure out your father years ago. Understanding involves too much stress and can turn your hair white…and I personally have a lot more white hairs than I did when I first met you.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Everybody eat,” he announced.

“I’m for that,” Lloyd agreed, cutting into a piece of ham. “You all right?” he asked Jake.

Jake drank some coffee. “Other than needing a cigarette, I’m fine. I am actually a very happy man this morning, in more ways than one.”

Lloyd grinned. “Good. It’s always a relief when my father is in a good mood. It doesn’t happen often.”

“I have my good days every now and then.” Jake cut off a small piece of ham and fed it to Sadie Mae, who gladly stayed on his lap. He glanced at Randy to see she was eating voraciously. He kissed Sadie Mae’s hair, saying an inward prayer of thanksgiving that his wife was back to her old self. He just hoped things would stay this way.