Cowboy All Night (Thunder Mountain Brotherhood, Book 5) (2 page)

“And there you go,” Herb said. “Just like that. All done. Lucy, you have a beautiful little colt.” He reached for a bucket and began cleaning the glistening membrane away.

Brant glanced up at Aria and smiled. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Her response was shaky and she blinked away tears as she continued to hold on to the stall door for support. Behind her the others kept up a happy little buzz of conversation. Their camera phones clicked many times, but Aria didn’t move.

“Yep, he looks great,” said Herb. “Brant, ready to switch with me while I check Lucy’s vitals?”

“You bet.” Brant traded places with Herb and sank to his knees next to the peach-colored colt. This little guy might turn out to be a palomino like his mom. “Pleased to meet you, buddy.” He picked up a clean towel from the stack Herb had brought in and began slowly wiping the colt’s damp coat while he murmured every compliment he could think of.

When the foal was reasonably dry, he discarded the towel and used his bare hands to massage the tiny body. Then he raised his voice enough that Aria would be able to hear him. “Does this fellow have a name?”

“Linus,” came the whispered reply.

That made him smile. Linus had been his favorite
Peanuts
character.

“Can I...can I come in?”

He mentally crossed his fingers. “Sure.” He kept his focus on the baby, who seemed relaxed. “Just do it slowly. No quick movements.”

Her flowery perfume was subtle, but he registered it as she knelt in the straw beside him. The straw must be rough on her bare knees, but she didn’t seem to notice. Her breathing was steady and he didn’t feel tension coming from her. For a moment she didn’t say anything.

He wasn’t surprised. Miracles had a tendency to rob people of speech. He would have been disappointed if she’d started chattering away, oblivious to the wonder of watching a life begin.

At last she spoke, awe in her voice. “He has a blaze.”

“Yep.”

“And blue eyes.”

“For now. They’ll darken later.”

“He’s...perfect.”

“Yes, he is.” The emotion in her voice matched what he felt every time he attended a birth. He didn’t know much about her, but judging from her reaction to this foal, he would get along with her. If she could manage to relax a little more, they’d get along even better.

2

A
S
THEY
ALL
headed back to the house for a celebratory dinner, Aria was still puzzling over this exceedingly tall and muscular cowboy with the gentle voice. Her high school memories of him were vague, although she’d recognized him the minute he’d walked into the barn. But she hadn’t spent any time with him before today and hadn’t been prepared for his laid-back attitude.

When it came to this foal, she wanted a trainer who had laser-like focus. Rosie had said Brant was the best, but Rosie was prejudiced. She thought all her foster boys were the best.

Aria couldn’t deny that Brant had concentrated on the task during Linus’s birth. He’d been calmer than Herb. Although she didn’t fully trust his relaxed manner, she’d felt it settle over her like a soft blanket when she’d dropped to her knees to pet the foal.

Slowly her agitation had been replaced by awareness of Brant, the man. How unnecessary. How inappropriate. In spite of that, she’d noticed the ripple of muscles in his tanned forearms. She’d glanced at his profile and admired his strong nose and well-defined chin.

As if he’d felt her gaze on him, he’d looked her way. The warmth in his hazel eyes had stolen her breath. He loved animals. She could trust him with Linus. That might be all she needed to know.

On the way to the house, Cade, Lexi and Brant walked ahead with Cade’s gray cat, Ringo, trotting behind them. At one point Brant stopped, scooped up the cat and carried him. Ringo wore a blissed-out expression as he perched on Brant’s wide shoulder.

She couldn’t hear the cat purring at this distance, but with Brant stroking him, he must be. Brant made some remark about being a certified cat whisperer. Then he started whispering to Ringo and whatever he said sent Lexi and Cade into hysterics.

What a happy soul, this Brant Ellison. She wondered what it felt like to be that relaxed. She wouldn’t know.

Whether due to nature or nurture, both she and her brother had been high-energy kids who’d thrived on competition. She’d always known she’d run her own business someday and Josh had expected to ride his way to fame and fortune. Although fate had knocked him down, she was determined he’d get back up.

Brant must have been knocked down, too, or he wouldn’t have landed in foster care as a teenager. But if he’d been emotionally traumatized, he hid the damage well.

Rosie and Herb walked on either side of her on the way back to the house. “I’m sorry Josh wasn’t here.” Rosie’s voice was filled with compassion. “I know how much you wanted him to be a part of it.”

“He’d said he would come, but then he changed his mind. He must have had a bad day.”

“I’m sure it’s tough.” Herb took off his glasses and tucked them in his shirt pocket. “I’ve never had to use a wheelchair, thank God. Is he making any progress with his physical therapy?”

This was a recent development Aria hated talking about. “He’s stopped going. Says it’s no use.”

“Huh.” Herb tugged on the brim of his hat, a gesture that usually meant a cowboy was buying some thinking time. “He’d have an easier time working with Linus if he could get out of that chair.”

“I know. I thought he’d be motivated by Lucy’s impending due date. Instead he seemed to get more depressed.”

Rosie put her arm around Aria’s shoulders and gave her a quick hug of support. “Linus is a handsome colt. Wait’ll Josh gets a look at him. He won’t be able to resist that sweet baby.”

“He is handsome.” Aria’s throat tightened with gratitude. “Thank you both for making this possible. I didn’t have a clue what I was getting into.”

Rosie chuckled. “I could tell. I’m glad you went for the idea of boarding Lucy here.”

“So am I,” Herb said. “I haven’t delivered a foal since I retired. That was a blast.”

“You did a fabulous job, Herb. So did Brant.”

“He has the touch,” Herb said. “I knew that the first time I took him along on a call and watched him with a pregnant mare. Then he went nuts over the foal and he’s been in love with the process ever since.”

“So why didn’t he become a vet like you?”

“I can’t say for sure, but he never expressed any interest in the other parts of the job. He only wanted to come with me when a mare was foaling. Besides, he doesn’t like being tied down, and a vet needs to live in one place and establish a practice.”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t fit Brant,” Rosie said. “He likes to stay loose, take life as it comes.”

The exact opposite of her, Aria thought. She required routine, stability and concrete goals. Her brother’s uncertain future coupled with his lack of focus had worn her to a frazzle. “Thank goodness he was available today.”

“It was meant to be.” Rosie looked pleased with herself. “Did you get pictures? I didn’t see you taking any.”

“I didn’t have my phone. I left my purse and my phone in the van and didn’t even think about pictures until it was too late.” And that was unlike her. She was usually a details person, but having Lucy go into labor early had thrown her off her game.

“That’s okay. We all took some. We’ll text them to you. That will light a fire under that Gloomy Gus of yours.”

Aria smiled as she followed Rosie up the porch steps. Rosie’s confidence boosted her own. “I’m sure you’re right. By the way, are you going to let me cook tonight? I really want to, after all you’ve done today.”

She’d discovered her passion for cooking through sharing meals with her best friend Camille’s large Italian family. Her bank job allowed her to save money toward her goal of opening a cooking school. In the meantime she made deliveries for Camille’s restaurant in exchange for using the kitchen to give classes on Monday nights. She lived for those classes.

Rosie paused before going inside. “You sure don’t have to. I thawed some chicken and planned to bread and fry it like usual.”

“Do you have mushrooms?”

“I think so. Yes, I’m pretty sure I do.”

“I saw a package of mushrooms in the fridge,” Herb said as he joined them on the porch.

“Okay, good. How about bacon and pearl onions?”

“I always have bacon, and I still have some pearl onions left over from the last time you cooked for us. What are you leading up to?”

“Coq au vin! It’s one of my new specialties. I taught the recipe to my cooking students last Monday night and everyone loved it.”

“Coq au vin?” Herb’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Wait a minute,” Rosie said. “I just remembered it’s Friday night. What about your deliveries for Camille? Can you even stick around, let alone cook dinner?”

“Absolutely. I called her after I heard from you. For all I knew Lucy could have been in labor all night and I wasn’t going to leave to make deliveries. Camille asked her sister to fill in for me.” She let out a breath. “So I actually have the night off.”

“What a concept,” Herb said. “Nobody works harder than you.”

“I don’t mind. I like staying busy.” Especially when going back to her apartment meant dealing with her brother. She’d optimistically encouraged him to move into a first-floor apartment in her complex so she’d be available for anything he needed during his recovery.

But instead of helping him get better, she was forced to watch him giving up. He’d found an IT job that allowed him to work from home and set his own hours, so theoretically he didn’t need to learn to walk again.

“There’s such a thing as being too busy,” Rosie said. “Why not let us fix
you
dinner while you relax on the porch with a glass of something refreshing?”

“That’s very sweet, but cooking is fun for me, and doing it for people I care about is even more fun. Your kitchen is one of my favorite places in the world, especially when everybody hangs out while I’m fixing the meal.”

Herb looked at Rosie. “Then it looks like we’ll be feasting on coq au vin tonight.”

Aria saw a subtle message pass between them. “Is that a problem? I didn’t think to ask if you hated it. I can make something else with the chicken. I don’t have to—”

“We both love it,” Rosie said. “We had it on our honeymoon in Jackson Hole at the fanciest restaurant we’ve been in before or since. I briefly considered trying to make it, but one look at the complicated recipe took care of that.”

Aria began having misgivings. “Was it a five-star restaurant?”

“Probably.” Herb chuckled. “There were no prices on the menu, so the bill was a bit of a shocker, but...” He shrugged and gave Rosie a fond glance. “It was worth it.”

“Hey, slowpokes!” Brant opened the front door and came out holding two frosty champagne bottles with vapor coming from the uncorked necks. “We fed the cat and then I found these hiding in the rec room fridge with a bunch of their buddies. Looks like we’re all champagned up for this occasion.”

“I knew we’d be celebrating,” Rosie said, “so I stocked in plenty.”

“Excellent.” Brant nodded in satisfaction. “So are we going to toast Linus or stand around gabbing all night?”

“I’m ready to toast.” Lexi walked out on the porch, clutching four champagne flutes by the stems. Cade followed with two more.

Aria was charmed by their enthusiasm. Although she wished Josh had come with her, she couldn’t predict his moods anymore and he might have been a sourpuss. Maybe it was just as well he’d stayed home. She took the flute Lexi handed her.

After everyone had glasses, Lexi turned to Brant. “Okay, do your thing.” She moved over next to Aria. “Hold your flute next to mine and be amazed by the two-fisted pourer.”

“Aw, shucks, Lexi.” Brant ducked his head. “You’ll make me blush.”

Lexi snorted. “As if. You’re too cool to blush.”

“When you’re right, you’re right.” Grinning, Brant lifted both bottles and filled their glasses without spilling a drop.

Cade rolled his eyes. “You are such a show-off, Ellison.”

“Just honoring the lady’s request for a demonstration of my unique skill.” He turned the bottles upright with a flourish and glanced at Aria. “You’re in charge of the toast, so make it good.”

Aha. A challenge. Anticipation fizzed within her like the champagne bubbles in her glass. “Oh, I see. No pressure.”

“None at all.” He used the same dramatic pouring routine for Rosie and Herb. “Just be aware that some excellent toasts have been made on this porch, so the bar’s pretty high.” He winked at her before continuing over to Cade.

“Way to go, Ellison,” Cade said. “Intimidate our special guest.”

“I’m not intimidated.” A task she could handle got her blood pumping, but Cade and Brant might not know that. She waited until everyone had champagne before raising her glass. “To everyone who’s a part of Thunder Mountain Academy. Today a handsome colt named Linus became linked with its history and I thank you all for giving him that honor.”

Cheers and whistles of approval followed. Before taking a sip, Aria looked over and caught Brant’s smile. She was ridiculously pleased that he seemed to like her toast.

“Now that we all have champagne,” Rosie said, “we should move this party into the kitchen. Aria’s going to make coq au vin.”

Brant’s eyebrows lifted. “That sounds sexy and possibly illegal. I’m in.”

“Down boy.” Lexi patted his chest. “It’s chicken cooked in wine.”

“It’s way more than that.” Herb moved to the door and held it open as they all trouped inside. “It’s a dish fit for the gods.”

Although Aria had faith in her cooking skills, she’d never put her work up against that of a highly paid chef. “I can’t promise a dish fit for the gods. Your chef in Jackson Hole probably studied in Paris.”

“What chef are we talking about?” Once they were in the kitchen Brant emptied the rest of the champagne into Rosie’s and Lexi’s glasses.

“The one who cooked their most memorable honeymoon dinner, which happened to be coq au vin,” Aria said.

“No kidding? This is new information.” Dropping the empty bottles into a recycling bin, Brant turned to Cade. “Do you remember hearing anything about this?”

“No, but they got married, so it stands to reason they’d have a honeymoon.”

“Of course we had a honeymoon.” Herb leaned against the kitchen counter. “Three days in Jackson Hole.”

Cade nodded. “There you go. So, logically, you had honeymoon food, and it stands to reason it would be fancy and pricey.”

“Huh.” Brant polished off the last of his champagne. “I always figured honeymoon food would be booze and munchies.”

Aria spoke without thinking. “Remind me never to go on a honeymoon with you.” Then she realized what she’d said and felt her cheeks warm. When Cade grinned at her, she braced herself for some teasing.

But then he surprised her by turning to Brant. “I would never go on a honeymoon with you, either, Ellison.”

Brant’s deep laughter filled the kitchen. “And here I was all set to propose, bro. Way to shoot a guy down.”

“Seriously, Aria.” Cade gestured toward Brant with his champagne flute. “This guy may be able to double-fist a couple of champagne bottles, but after that, it’s nothing but chips and peanuts. Maybe some cheese. He has no concept of honeymoon-worthy dining. Keep that in mind.”

“I will.”

Brant shrugged. “I like things to be simple and straightforward. Nothing wrong with that.”

“There is if you’re talking about that special time after the ceremony when you pull out all the stops,” Cade said. “Obviously, Dad knew that.” He set down his empty glass on the kitchen table. “But if we’re going to continue this discussion, we need more bubbly and I know where to find it. Be right back.”

“We can drop the subject of our honeymoon.” Rosie opened the refrigerator and began pulling out ingredients. “It was a long time ago and I’m sure customs have changed.”

“Have not!” Cade called out from the rec room.

Rosie chuckled. “He’s really looking forward to having one, Lexi.”

“I know. He probably will, eventually. Hey, Aria, Rosie and I can be your sous chefs, or whatever they’re called.”

“No, you can’t.” Brant put aside his empty glass. “You’ve both worked hard all day while I’ve been sitting on my butt driving. Allow me to help Aria. The rest of you have a seat. We’ve got this.”

Cade walked back into the kitchen with an unopened bottle of champagne. “Did I hear that right? Is Ellison, the chips and peanuts king, going to help prepare this fancy dish?”