Skyler's Wanna-Be Wife

by Liz Isaacson

  No robots, though he had paid someone to come hang his Christmas lights.

  “Let’s see if we can get the front fence,” Skyler said, turning to go down the steps. No one else had arrived at Seven Sons yet, so Skyler and Mal should be able to get the job they wanted. “Daddy will see that first, and we can make sure it’s perfect.”

  “And we really do this in one day?”

  “I think so?” he said, but it was more of a question. “I don’t know, Mal. I haven’t been here for the holidays before.” He went down the steps, Mal following him. “Rhett says they get the ranch decorated the day after Thanksgiving, and Daddy’s coming home tomorrow. So it has to get done today.”

  Skyler would stay up all night if he had to. He wanted everything to be absolutely perfect when his father arrived at this ranch, where he would spend the next several months recovering.

  As he walked next door, Skyler ran through the list of things he and Mal needed to have ready. Bedroom. Check. Food. Check. Medical consultation with the doctor. Check. Medication chart. Check.

  Skyler felt like he had everything ready, except the Christmas decorations. He desperately wanted this holiday to be the best one the family had ever experienced. They’d almost lost their patriarch, and every time Skyler let himself think too long about it, his emotions overwhelmed him. As it was, Daddy had been in the hospital since July—five months—and he still had a very long road ahead of him.

  But his father was a tough old cowboy, and if anyone could make a full recovery, it would be him.

  “Morning,” he called as he entered the homestead. The scent of sausage and maple syrup met his nose, and Skyler’s mouth watered. He rarely ate breakfast, because he spent mornings out on the ranch. He wasn’t sure how Jeremiah had the energy, as all this ranch work had taken a toll on Skyler’s ability to stay awake all day long. He was getting better and better about not taking a siesta in the mid-afternoon.

  It was hard for him not to slip down the hall and climb into bed with his wife, who often took a nap in the afternoon. She got up at two a.m. so she at least had an excuse. Skyler’s was that ranching was a lot harder work than going to college or forcing Wyatt to take a walk with him and then take his pills.

  “Mornin’.” Jeremiah stood at the sink, washing something. Whitney worked in the kitchen too, flipping fried eggs. Both of their kids sat in highchairs already, and Mal went over to the table to sit with them.

  “Can we do the front fence?” Skyler asked, picking up a plate.

  “Sure,” Jeremiah said. “I pulled all the boxes to the front of the shed. They’re marked.”

  “Great.” Skyler smiled as Whitney put two eggs on his plate. “Thanks, Whitney.”

  “Sure thing.” She cracked more eggs into the pan, and soon enough, they all had plates with food. Jeremiah stacked his eggs, sausage patty, and cheese onto an English muffin, and Skyler shook his head. He ate all the same foods, but not everything had to be made into a sandwich.

  “Eat your eggs, JJ,” Whitney said, nudging a few chunks of scrambled egg closer to the boy. He was looking more and more like a toddler than a baby these days, and Skyler smiled at him.

  “Here you go,” Mal said, forking one of the eggs and waving it around. “Open up.” She zoomed the eggs toward JJ, who opened his mouth. Mal slipped them right in, and they both laughed. Skyler watched her with awe, thinking she’d be a great mom.

  “Here comes Liam,” Jeremiah said. “I’ll get the eggs going again.” He got up and moved back into the kitchen.

  “Morning,” Liam called as he came through the back door.

  “Uncle Skyler!” Denise ran toward him, and Skyler barely had time to toss down his fork before the four-year old was upon him.

  “Heya,” he said, scooping her onto his lap. “Whatcha got there?”

  “Clover honey,” she said. “Mama and I made it.”

  “You made it?”

  “The bees made it,” Denise said, looking up at him. She reached for his cowboy hat, the way she always did. Skyler let her take it off, and then he took it from her so she wouldn’t drop it on his messy breakfast plate. “But mama and I collected it, and we spun it around real fast.” She made a whizzing noise with her tongue and twisted in his arms.

  He chuckled. “Well, that’s awesome. I love honey.” He held up the pretty bottle of pinkish honey so Mal could see it.

  “You should see him,” she said. “He almost drinks it.”

  Skyler laughed and shook his head. “I do not.”

  “Come eat, Denise,” Callie said, and the little girl squirmed off his lap.

  Skyler got up and took his plate to the kitchen sink. “I’ll help her.” He took the plate from Callie.

  “You sure?” she asked.

  “Yeah, sure. Tell Uncle Sky what you want,” he said to the little girl.

  “Scrambled eggs.”

  “Uncle Jeremiah is making those. Do you want sausage?” He picked up one of the links with a pair of tongs.

  “Yes,” Denise said.

  “Scrambled eggs,” Jeremiah said, and Skyler stuck Denise’s plate out to get a scoop. The activity in the kitchen continued as Rhett arrived, and then Wyatt. Skyler didn’t see Micah, which was surprising as he lived right down the hall from the kitchen. Tripp had gone to Tennessee to visit Ivory’s family, and Skyler suddenly realized what he’d missed the past few years by not being here to contribute to the holiday decorating of Seven Sons.

  “All right,” Jeremiah said half an hour later. “Sky and Mal are doing the front fence. Liam and Callie are on the oak. I’m hanging the lights outside.” He looked around. “Who wants to do the trees in here?”

  “I’ll help with the lights,” Wyatt said. “Those fake trees make me break out in a rash.”

  “The mighty Wyatt Walker gets a rash from a Christmas tree?” Rhett teased. That caused some laughter, and more jabs were tossed back and forth. Finally, Rhett said, “Evvy and I will do a tree in here. She can’t do much, and this way, she’ll have access to a couch if she needs to rest.”

  Skyler looked at Evelyn, and he was surprised she could even walk. She was huge, being pregnant with three babies. She wasn’t due until April, which was just over four months away. But she looked ready to pop already.

  “I’ll help with the trees,” Marcy said. “I can lay Warren down for a nap that way.”

  “Where’s Micah?” Skyler asked.

  Silence filled the homestead, and he felt like he’d missed something important.

  “What’s going on?” he asked. When no one would say anything, he reached for his phone. “I guess I’ll call him.” He couldn’t believe Micah himself hadn’t told him what was going on, nor that literally everyone else in the family knew. That keen sense of being on the outside looking in hit him again, and he swallowed hard.

  “He’s probably at Simone’s,” Callie finally said. “Don’t bother them.”

  “Simone?” Wyatt asked, and Skyler’s gaze flew to his. He didn’t seem to know what was going on either.

  “They’re…talking,” Evelyn said. “We only know because she’s our sister.”

  “Married to Callie,” Liam said. “That’s how I knew.”

  “Micah lives here,” Jeremiah said. “I caught him sneaking home late one night, and he admitted he’d been at Simone’s. That’s how we knew.” He indicated himself and Whitney.

  “Well,” Wyatt said. “I guess Sky and I are the only ones who really respect his privacy.”

  Another beat of silence passed, and then Skyler and Wyatt both burst out laughing. He was surprised that Micah hadn’t said anything to him. He’d been fairly distant since Ophelia Montgomery had broken up with him, and Skyler had thought he just needed some space.

  “Sounds like we need another breakfast,” he murmured to Wyatt as they went out the back door to get the Christmas decorations they needed.

  “I’ll send the text,” Wyatt said, already tapping on his phone.

  Skyler smiled, an
d he and Mal loaded up the back of his truck with all the boxes labeled FRONT FENCE, and they got busy hanging garland, looping Christmas balls over rungs, and stringing lights so Daddy would be welcomed to Seven Sons Ranch when he got released from the hospital tomorrow.

  When they finished, Skyler sighed and stood down the road a bit. “It’s awesome,” he said.

  “Skyler?” Mal asked.

  He turned toward her as she came to his side. The day was bright, though not terribly warm. Winter in Texas was his favorite time of the year, that was for sure. Even the humidity was bearable today. “Hmm?”

  “I love you, and I love your family.”

  Happiness moved through him, and he took in the two-homestead ranch, the waving fields, dormant for now, and the many Christmas decorations going up right in front of him. “Me too,” he said. He took her into his arms and kissed her. “And I love you the most.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Momma inched along beside her husband, her hand out to his side as if she could catch him should he stumble. She couldn’t, and they both knew it. A sense of drowning overcame her, but she pushed against the feeling. She’d raised seven boys, sometimes by herself as Gideon was off working. She could do this too.

  And she wasn’t alone. Her sons had rallied around her in a way she couldn’t even imagine. They’d brought her food without her asking them to. They’d show up at the house just when she thought she couldn’t be alone for another moment. They’d sat with Gideon when she needed some fresh air or a break. They’d taken care of her lawn, her house, the farm, Gideon’s horses, all of it.

  Her daughters-in-law had all been simply wonderful, and Momma had thought she’d never have enough room in her heart for more than her husband and sons. But she’d been wrong. They’d found wonderful women, and they were all raising families of their own.

  Not all of them, she reminded herself. Poor Micah was still searching for that just-right woman for him. She amended her thinking, because her youngest son would not be happy she’d thought of him as “poor Micah.”

  He came over several times a week, and his visits both at the farm house and at the hospital had increased since his break-up with Ophelia. He’d told Momma once, “I’m fine, Momma. You don’t need to worry so much about me.”

  “I know,” she said. “But it’s what mothers do.”

  “Okay,” he said, and he hadn’t been happy. “But I’m doing great. I’ve got my new business, and I’m busy on the ranch, and I’m okay.”

  She hadn’t pushed the issue, though she was sure Micah would love to have a girlfriend and then a wife to bring to all the family functions.

  “There he is.” Skyler’s voice filled the air, and Momma smiled at him. “How ya doin’, Daddy?”

  “Good,” Gideon said. “Good.” He wore a smile, and he definitely had more pep in his step than any other day. He was still using the single crutch on his right side, and the doctor had said to use it for several more weeks too.

  Skyler enveloped his father in a hug, and Momma tried not to let her emotions rear up. She had a long day ahead of her, and she couldn’t be crying before they even left the hospital. She didn’t succeed in keeping all the tears back, and she swiped quickly at her face before anyone but Mal could see.

  Mal squeezed her hand, and said, “Let me take that bag, ma’am.” She took Gideon’s bag from her and put it in the back of the van. “You get to ride back here with me.” She wore such a pretty smile, and Momma smiled back at her.

  “Thank you, dear.” She got in the van easily while Skyler helped Daddy get in the front seat. Once everyone was in, Momma couldn’t help having a chuckle at the two, broad-shouldered cowboys riding in the front seats of a minivan. But Gideon couldn’t get in and out of a truck right now, and she’d bought this van last week for them to use until he healed fully.

  “Here we go,” Skyler said. “Who wants a churro? Mal made them herself this morning.”

  “I’ll take one,” Daddy said, and Momma watched him take two. She took one as well, and the crispy, crunchy outside was sweet and delicious.

  “Mal,” she said. “These are amazing.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Jeremiah is feeding everyone lunch at the homestead,” Skyler said as he got the minivan moving. “And we’ve got anything you could want at our place.” Skyler filled the van with conversation on the way out to the ranch, telling everything about their dog, Rosie, and the decorations, and where he and Mal were going to go for a late celebration of their anniversary.

  “All right,” he finally said. “Here we go. Are you ready for this, Daddy?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Gideon said with a slight laugh.

  “Well, we’re just so glad to have you home for Christmas,” Skyler said, making the turn and going down the lane to the ranch.

  “Look at that,” Gideon said. “Lights and garland all over the fence.” He sniffled, and Momma nearly lost her own composure. “I love seein’ those seven stars.”

  Momma did too, and while she hadn’t been sure what Rhett was doing when he’d bought this place, she now knew it was the perfect place for their family to be.

  “What’s going on across the lane here?” Momma asked. “Surely you’re not getting a new neighbor out here.”

  “Yeah,” Skyler said. “That’s Micah’s place. Didn’t he tell you about it?”

  “No,” Momma said.

  “He told me,” Gideon said. “He bought the land, and he designed the house.” He looked to his left. “It’s comin’ along.”

  Maybe Micah had mentioned it. Momma wasn’t as good at holding facts and bits of conversation in her mind as she used to be. Several trucks sat in the driveway, and Skyler veered right to go around them and up to the gorgeous house where he and Mal lived.

  “I love that wreath,” Gideon said, and Skyler made a triumphant sound.

  “Stay there, Daddy. I’ll come around.” Skyler jumped from the van and went to help Gideon, and Momma and Mal got out of the back by themselves.

  “Momma.”

  She turned at the sound of Jeremiah’s voice, and she hugged him fiercely though he held Clara in his arms. “I’ll take her,” she said with a little bit of weeping thrown in.

  “You sure?”

  “It’ll give me something else to focus on,” she said, taking the baby from her son. Clara was a beautiful girl, one of the calmest babies Momma had ever encountered. She probably knew that JJ had already caused quite a bit of stress for their parents, and she wanted to give Jeremiah and Whitney a break.

  Greetings began, and Momma hugged everyone who even got near. It sure was nice to have this big family gathering somewhere besides a hospital, and after Liam and Callie had shown Gideon the tree, they all went into Jeremiah’s house.

  Gideon took the stairs very slowly, and Momma was glad Skyler had considerably less than Jeremiah. The homestead was warm, filled with cheer, Christmas music, and the scent of good food.

  Momma didn’t want to admit it, but she was so tired that she went straight to the couch instead of into the kitchen, where she usually helped Jeremiah. He didn’t say anything, and Whitney, Callie, Marcy, and Evelyn joined her with their kids. With all the babies and kids on the floor, Whitney got toys out of the toy box next to the couch, and they started playing happily.

  “How are you feeling, Evelyn?” Momma asked.

  “Good.” Evelyn sighed. Or maybe she was just breathing out. Breathing with that many babies up in her lungs would be hard, and Momma had a flash of empathy for her.

  “How are you, Penny?” Mal asked, stepping over babies and toys to hand Penny a cup of tea.

  She looked around at all the women watching her. She couldn’t lie to them, and she didn’t even want to. “I’m hanging in there,” she said. “The best way I know how.” She glanced into the kitchen, where Gideon had settled at the huge dining room table where they’d all eat.

  “We’re all here,” Callie said. “Literally three of us on
the same property. If you need something, all you have to do is send a text.”

  “I go to town every day,” Mal said. “I can bring you anything.”

  “Wilde and Organic delivers now too,” Whit said.

  Momma felt so loved among these women, and though she was a generation older than them, she felt like she’d been thrown back into her community in the Hill Country, where she and Gideon had started their family. All seven boys had been born there, and they hadn’t moved to Austin until Gideon had sold the ranch, lost his business, and they’d lived with his parents for a year.

  No matter where Momma went, she managed to find a group of women to form a community with, and she wouldn’t have chosen any differently than the women surrounding her here in Three Rivers.

  Whitney, the perfect compliment to Jeremiah’s rough side.

  Marcy, the softer, serious side of Wyatt.

  Evelyn, the fun-loving, whimsical side to Rhett’s more analytical mind.

  Callie, the nurturer to Liam’s tech-minded brain.

  Mal, the outgoing friend-to-all when Skyler just wanted to hide.

  Ivory wasn’t here, and Momma missed her in that moment. She was serious when Tripp wasn’t, and she kept his big head grounded.

  The back door opened, and another woman entered. Momma nearly burst from her seat when Simone Foster entered. The woman looked around as if no one would see her, but Momma felt certain everyone had already glanced at her at least once.

  Micah certainly knew she’d arrived, and he went to greet her. Simone looked into the living room, but her eyes skated past Momma’s to those of her sisters’. She didn’t come join them in the living room, though Momma very much wanted her to. So she got up and went into the kitchen for a refill on her tea.

  “Come tell us about your play, dear,” Momma said, sliding her arm through Simone’s. “Micah said something about you being the lead?”

  “Oh, no, ma’am,” she said. “I mean, I’m Anita, and she’s a star role, I guess. I mean, not a star role. That sounded arrogant. She’s a—”