Page 49 of Petals & Promises

We were all distracted when Deanna and Gareth rejoined us, carrying a tray of filled glasses and another full of daintily cut sandwiches. There was no way she’d done that just now, seeing there were four different types to choose from. Just how much had she done to prepare for us to visit?

“Bailey-Rose, the lemonade is for you,” Dee pointed out. “Gareth wrote down the list of things to avoid so I can make sure we have something for you to enjoy. I make my tea strong and sweet, so I think that might be a little too much for you, darling. As for the sandwiches, I didn’t know what everyone would like, so I did a little of everything. We have ham and cheese, egg salad, hummus and cucumber if anyone is a veggie lover, and my famous chicken salad.”

“Thank you, Mrs. … I mean, Dee,” Yun-Sun said, catching himself. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for us.”

“Nonsense, meeting my sugar bear’s pack for the first time is a major deal,” Dee argued, sitting in a well-loved armchair. “Now help yourself… there’s plenty to go around. I’ve got more in the kitchen.”

twenty-three

Gareth

For the next few hours, we chatted and filled my mom in on how we met, Bailey-Rose’s surgery, and the adventures we’d been on for the past few weeks. I’d been worried that coming home after so long, Mom would start in about how I’m never around and worry over every little thing I did. What I hadn’t expected was for her to be so absolutely invested in getting to know my pack. Granted, once my brothers found their packs and matched with their Omegas, they didn’t bother coming home anymore.

I knew she worried about me more because of what happened with Callie and the fact it hit me so hard. It was another reason I didn’t want to be here in this house that reminded me of my little sister, not that you’d know I had one since there wasn’t a picture to be found. My fathers decided it was best to remove all traces of her from the home so Mom wasn’t tortured by Callie’s ghost, which was one of the many things I viewed differently than my fathers.

Through our bond, I could tell that while Bailey-Rose was enjoying the social time, she was anxious to do something else. I glanced at my watch. It was close to dinner time for the animals and us.

“Hey, baby girl,” I said once the conversation fell to a natural lull. “If you want, it’s almost time to feed the horses. Any interest in helping me?”

Instantly, her eyes lit up. “Yes. One hundred percent, yes.”

Grinning, I stood and held out my hand to her. “Then let’s go see what you ordered from Ranch Depot. You’ll need something other than sandals to wear out to the barn.”

The guys excused themselves as well since it would be a good chance to get settled and figure out rooms. One of the rooms was larger and had a king-size bed with a futon that pulled out into a queen bed. This meant we either agreed to snuggle up to all be in the same room or split it three and three. We decided to split the rooms, and we’d rotate who slept with Bailey-Rose.

“It’s only for a short time,” Vili pointed out. “We will manage until going home.”

When we decided to come here, we settled on three days so we had a week at home before our leave ended. Of course, for most of us, nothing really changed after that, but Ulysses and Yun-Sun still hadn’t decided what they were going to do for the long term. Either way, we had a little over a week before we had to worry about all that.

Once the rooms were sorted, the boxes were opened, and our girl was decked out in jeans, boots, and a T-shirt, we headed to the barn. The moment we entered, I was hit with every scent that reminded me of home and fond memories of growing up here. Guys were tossing hay down from the loft, prepping for feeding, filling the air with its sweet scent.

God, I’d missed this.

“Gareth… Gareth Watson, is that you?” an older gentleman asked, walking over to us.

It took me a moment, but I recognized the man as Tripp Carson. He’d been brought on as ranch manager a few years after Callie’s death. My father, Jonathan, had concluded we needed someone who didn’t know our family trauma to run the ranch. So he fired the man who’d been working for our family since I was born and brought on Tripp.

“Mr. Carson, it’s nice to see you,” I greeted, shaking the man’s hand and gestured to my right. “This is my bonded Omega, Bailey-Rose.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Tripp said with a tip of his hat. “What brings you two out here… getting a little dark for a ride.”

“Actually, we were looking to help with feeding,” I explained. “Do you still use the annex barn as the old folks’ home?”

Tripp grinned and nodded. “Sure do… best-looking lawn ornaments in all four counties that I know of. If you two want to handle those four, we’ll settle up here in the big barn.”

“Sure thing. You still keep your notes in the same place?” I asked.

“You bet, no point in changing a system when it works,” Tripp answered. “Oh, while you’re out there, could you take a look at the water trough? Your mother decided to try a new idea and add goldfish to the tanks. Something about keeping them from getting green so fast in this summer heat. Told her we’d try it out there before adding them to all the water troughs.”

I sighed, shaking my head. “No problem.”

“Oh, and make sure to keep the little dog away from Titon. He don’t take well to them,” Tripp added as we headed for the barn.

Pulling open the barn door, I let Bailey-Rose and the dogs in before shutting it. “First, we have to open the stall doors since they’re trained to walk right in from the pasture to their spot.” I showed her how the lock worked, and she took care of the two on her side.

“Now, we put a little grain in a bucket and shake it,” I explained, stepping into the small feed room where the grain and other everyday supplies were kept. “Those hungry beasts will come running no matter how far away they are. I’ve never met a horse who wasn’t eager to get their dinner when there was a promise of sweet, sweet grain.”

“How come these horses are kept separate?” Bailey-Rose asked.