Chapter Fourteen
"Goochy-goo." Teaspoon cooed, grinning down at Katie, who lay contentedly in his arms.
He received a toothless grin in return for amusing her. He sat at his place at the table in the bunkhouse, waiting for Rachel to put supper on the table. Kid, Lou, Cody, and Noah all sat around the table as well, watching Teaspoon's interaction with Katie with much amusement.
Katie smiled and cooed at Teaspoon, clearly enjoying the amusing expressions they older man was making to amuse her. Kid's heart turned over at the gurgling sounds Katie was making as she reacted to the older man's silly antics. Lou, too, was equally moved by the endearing scene she was witnessing. She had never seen such delight on Teaspoon's wizened features and knew it was a memory she would never forget.
"Lou, will you help me set the food on the table?" Rachel asked from her position by the stove.
"Everything looks and smells real good Rachel." Cody licked his lips and eyed the food she and Lou set on the table.
There was a platter of fried ham steaks, buttery mounds of mashed potatoes, bowls of green beans, carrots, gravy, and buttermilk biscuits.
"Make sure you all save room for dessert." Rachel instructed as she joined the others at the table."I made peach cobbler for dessert."
"You know I'll save room for that." Noah stabbed a ham steak with his fork.
"Noah." Teaspoon turned a stern eye on the black rider. "Will you say grace?"
Noah turned a questioning eye on the station master. Saying grace wasn't something they practiced regularly, only on special occasions. He glanced at the others and saw he wasn't the only one eyeing Teaspoon in puzzlement.
Teaspoon sighed and looked down at Katie, and back up at Noah. "Saying grace is going to become a habit around here now that Miss Katie is here. Some other things need changing too, but for now this will do. Noah."
Noah set his fork down and lowered his head. He waited until the others had done so as well, before he closed his eyes, and asked a blessing over their meal.
"You planning on holding Katie while you eat?" Kid asked.
"Yep." Teaspoon forked a ham steak onto his plate. " She's settled in for a little nap on my legs, and I'm not going to disturb her."
Kid grinned and dug into his food. In less than a day's time, Katie had already worked here way into his and Lou's hearts. Rachel's too. Now it appeared their daughter was working her magic on Teaspoon as well.
Talking was minimal as they enjoyed the delicious meal Rachel had prepared for them. When they did talk, it was at a lower tone so they wouldn't wake Katie. Rachel has just served everyone peach cobbler with cream, when the door burst open, and Jimmy stormed in.
"Man what a ride! I hope you saved some supper for me!" Jimmy, upon entering the bunkhouse, had turned immediately to hang up his hat, coat, and holsters on the pegs by the door.
He jumped nearly out of his boots when a piercing wail filled the bunkhouse. Jimmy spun around and demanded, "What the hell is that?"
"Don't swear in front of my daughter Jimmy" Lou snapped, rising quicker than Kid, and moving to take a wailing Katie from Teaspoon.
"Daughter?" Jimmy gaped at her in shock. "Since when do you have a daughter? How long was I gone?"
"Sit down and I'll get you a plate of food while Kid explains how he and Lou became parents while you were away." Rachel told him.
Jimmy did as Rachel instructed, his eyes never leaving the baby Lou was gently rocking in her arms. He listened as Kid gave him an abbreviated version of how he and Lou came to be parents, as he dug into the plate of food Rachel set before him.
"So that's the gist of it." Kid said when was finished explaining.
Jimmy eyed him thoughtfully as he savored the bite of peach cobbler with cream, he had placed in his mouth. The rich dessert tasted so good after the mediocre food he'd eatne over the past couple of days.
It also gave him time to consider his response to what Kid had just told him. He tried hard nowadays not to pick fights with anyone, let alone the folks he cared about. He and Kid had mended their friendship, thought they still had moments when their tempers flared up. Both of them were too hotheaded for it not to happen upon occasion.
He glanced up from his dessert to see a wary look settling on Kid's face. Kid was bracing for an outburst from him. He glanced at Lou and saw a similar expression on her face. He sighed.
"Guess that makes me an uncle." He grinned at Kid.
Relief flooded over Kid at Jimmy's words. He didn't' want to fight with Jimmy. It was important to Lou that he and Jimmy kept their friendship intact. It was important to him too.
"So, where is the little one going to sleep?" Jimmy asked glancing around the bunkhouse. "A bunkhouse isn't exactly a fit place for a baby."
"Katie is going to stay with me." Rachel informed him."We made over my spare room for her. Kid and Lou will stay there too."
'You're moving out of the bunkhouse?" Jimmy's eyes sifted from Kid to Lou.
"Not entirely." Kid told him. "We want to care for Katie as much as possible. So on the nights, neither Lou or I have rides the next day, we'll both stay with Katie at Rachel's."
"At other times, one or the other of us will be with her." Lou added. "When we're both away on rides, Rachel has agreed to care for Katie."
"Count me in on helping with Katie too." Noah said.
"Me too." Cody said. "After all the rest of us are Katie's uncles too."
"Yes she is." Kid agreed, fighting the wave of emotion filling him.
"Since I'm finished eating, I'm going to go give Katie a bath and get her ready for bed." Lou rose from her place beside Kid and headed toward the door.
Kid started to rise to go with her, but Lou gestured for him to sit back down. 'Stay and finish your cobbler. Join us when you're finished."
Jimmy rose from the table. "I'll walk you over to Rachel's."
Lou had expected that Jimmy might seize an opportunity to speak to her in private. "If you like."
Lou bid the others goodnight and headed for the door. Jimmy beat her to it. He held it open for her. She eyed him for a moment before she exited the bunkhouse. Jimmy followed her out and closed the door behind him.