Chapter 3
Crane drove to the house before breakfast so he could give Daniel a ride to the garage. During the drive to town, Daniel asked if it was okay to go out with Renee. Crane told him it was fine, but mindful of his discussion with Molly about Renee's possible motives, Crane cautioned Daniel, telling him the reasons for their breakup in college. She wasn't a lady interested in settling down—especially on a small cattle ranch in a backwoods like Murphys. Daniel grinned from ear to ear and nodded, but Crane got the impression that everything was going in one ear and right out the other without even registering. Well, Renee always did have a way of making caution disappear. Crane just hoped she didn't break Daniel's heart in the process.
And while Crane told Daniel it was okay for them to go out, he had to admit, if only to himself, that it felt weird. He was happily married, crazy in love with his wife, couldn't be more content…but to know his old girlfriend was now dating his younger brother felt…uncomfortable. Adam, Brian, and Hannah each came to him during the day and asked if he was okay with the situation. He convinced them he was fine. Either that or they just let it go. But he also realized they knew him just as well as anyone and would understand if it did rankle a bit regardless of what he said.
Molly was fantastic—quiet or distracting or pretty much whatever Crane needed at any given moment. Amazing woman, his wife. As the week progressed, he kept getting reminded of that as she looked at him with understanding whenever he felt just the tiniest bit unsettled about the whole situation. She never got upset or jealous or angry…just stayed available for him. Geez, he loved her!
Daniel had been on cloud nine since dinner Monday night. At least that's what Crane heard. He didn't actually see much of Daniel after his brother asked for Crane's blessing. Reportedly, he and Renee had lunch every day as Daniel was working in town. And then they went out almost every night. Daniel had been over the moon according to the family. They were all pretty much just rolling their eyes at him now. But he was a crash waiting to happen as far as Crane could figure.
Now, here it was Friday night, and Crane was looking forward to some quality time with his wife. He told the family he was cutting out early—plans already made, etc. Of course, he didn't mention that the plans involved a surprise romantic dinner to thank his bride for being so understanding. He rode Gypsy home and set out a couple of steaks and wine. Of course, dinner was just the prelude; he had bigger plans for after.
Right after he started setting the cabin for romance, Molly phoned and said she'd been called to a ranch near Glencoe for a foaling, but she'd be home right after. He adjusted his time table for the delay and went on with the plans.
Then he got another call—this time from Hannah. Molly had phoned and asked Evan to come help her as the mare was having problems. She did this occasionally since Evan was so good with animals of any shape and size, and he'd become very adept as her assistant when she needed help in the field. Brian had a date with a girl in Mokelumne Hill, so he dropped Evan at the ranch where Molly was working because Ford (home from Davis for the weekend) and Guthrie were borrowing Evan's truck for a double date that night.
Crane sighed. A difficult foaling generally meant a long afternoon that might stretch into evening. He decided to put the steaks and shrimp back in the 'fridge and make a meatloaf instead. It could easily be reheated if Molly ran late. He'd tell her of his plans, let her rue the mare's rotten timing, and they'd reschedule for another day. She'd appreciate his effort at any rate.
After he put the meatloaf in the oven, he pulled out the calendar and began listing some of the late fall and early winter activities on the ranch. These days, he had to work everything around his brothers' outside work schedules as well. Crane had slowly been introducing Ford to some of the ranch accounts; maybe it was time to work in some of the scheduling as well.
Outside, the afternoon slid into evening, and Crane put away the candles he'd had on the table. He turned on the lights in the living room to welcome his lady home after a long day even though it banished the romantic atmosphere he'd planned. They'd just have their date another night. And it didn't mean that they couldn't go ahead with his after dinner plans anyhow.
Finally, he heard her Jeep. He put away the calendar and notepad and took the meatloaf and potato casserole out of the oven where they'd been keeping warm. He turned off the stove top for the side of green beans and threw the rolls into the oven to crisp up. He turned as he heard the door open and saw Molly come in. With Evan.
That was just…terrific.
She trudged back to the kitchen, and Crane wrapped his arms around her. She was bone tired and mostly just collapsed in his arms. "Hi."
"You smell horse-y."
"We both do."
He caressed her cheek. "Why don't you two get cleaned up, and by then, I'll have the food on the table." He looked at Evan leaning wearily against the back of the sofa. "Hit the head. I'll grab ya a clean shirt."
Crane ran hot water in a basin and took it to the loft so Molly could freshen up. Once there, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply.
She dropped her head on his shoulder, "Even horse smell doesn't scare you away…such a romantic I married. "
"I was trying to be, but my wife keeps working all these long hours."
She pulled back to look at him. "Seriously?"
"I had big plans for tonight."
"Oh, honey, I'm sorry."
"It'll keep. Steaks and shrimp are in the 'fridge."
"And shrimp? Oh, honey. I'm so—" She looked crushed.
"No harm done. I just wanted to thank you for being so great this week. We'll do it another time."
She rested her forehead against his. They were a perfect fit. "I love you so much. Even when I screw up your sweet plans."
"I love you, too. Just trying to show you how much. And then you bring my brother home with you."
She buried her face in his neck. "I'm sorry. It's just that he worked so hard for me today, and he never lets me pay him anything. I really felt like I owed him supper at least."
Grateful that his wife and brothers loved each other so much, Crane shook his head, "Don't worry about it. He'll never know what he interrupted, and we'll still have a good time…especially after I take him home."
She grinned in anticipation and kissed him with relish. Great heavens, what a woman he'd married!
When they got downstairs, he tossed a clean sweatshirt at Evan as Molly hurried into the bathroom.
"Gimme a job, big brother."
Crane had Evan set another place at the table as he dished up the food. Soon, the three of them were eating, and Crane got the high points of the foaling. Still a little unhappy with the outcome of his plans, Crane asked why his brother wasn't on a date that night, and Evan reported that he was seeing his girl of the month the following evening. They were going to see Daniel's band at a club near San Andreas—which was actually where Brian and his girl were right then. Just too bad for Crane that Evan's date hadn't been scheduled for tonight. Not that he didn't love having his brothers over, but he would like to be able to plan a night without one of them being a third wheel. How Adam and Hannah had managed with six extra wheels was beyond him.
After supper was over, Crane and Molly cleaned up the kitchen, and Evan waited on the sofa. It was kind of late for them to be eating supper—nearly nine o'clock—but that was how it happened sometimes on a ranch. Husband and wife talked quietly and laughed with each other, anticipating the rest of their evening together. It didn't take long to set everything right, and Crane grabbed the keys to Molly's Jeep so he could run Evan home.
Instead, he found his brother asleep against the arm of the couch. He let out a deep sigh as Molly walked up. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and murmured her apologies once again.
Crane's disappointment was great. "I could wake him up."
"Oh, honey, don't do that. Please."
"We can't…enjoy tonight…if he's here. He might hear us."
"I know, but— Come upstairs, so we don't wake him."
He followed her to their bed and glanced over the loft railing to where Evan had literally fallen asleep sitting up. Molly pulled Crane over to sit on the bed.
"What we told you about the foaling was just the tip of the iceberg. I might well have lost that mare and her foal if Evan hadn't been there. It was a big colt, and she tried to birth him through the rectum. The tear was substantial, and I had to fix it right then or she would have bled to death. Meanwhile, Evan was trying to work the foal out the right way, but the colt got twisted and his presentation was wrong. We finally got him turned, but by then, the mare was so worn out that she didn't have the strength to push. I thought I was going to have to do a cesarean, but Evan kept pulling and we finally got him out. And then there was the afterbirth and making sure the colt was all right…
"Honey, I know you had plans for tonight and I love you for trying, but please don't wake him. We'll have our romantic evening tomorrow with all the bells and whistles and lingerie you want. How 'bout that, cowboy?"
Hearing about their hard day, Crane didn't have the heart to wake Evan up just to take him home. He thumbed Molly's cheek and kissed her tenderly. "I'm gonna hold you to that, doctor lady. And you look like you could use some rest, too, so why don't you lie down, and I'll let the family know Evan's on the couch."
"Thank you."
"I'll be right back, and we can do some serious…cuddling. That won't wake him up, will it?"
She shook her head with a smile and held her finger to her mouth in a shushing motion.
He went to the phone in the kitchen and quietly called the house, telling Hannah that he and Evan would see everybody in the morning. Then he pulled a blanket from the extra linen. He removed Evan's boots and eased him down to lie flat, placing the blanket over him. Evan never even stirred. Crane turned off the lamps and headed back to the loft.
Molly was waiting, and they wrapped each other in love. What an amazing woman he'd married. She loved him, she loved his brothers, she loved their life. How could he ever want more?
