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When he finally slipped out the door, Ms. Birch was nowhere in sight. She probably had found the bathroom. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to clean up before getting off to bed. It had been one heck of a night, and they all deserved some much-needed rest.
* * *
Adeline placed a cup and plate in front of Zeke, then hurried away only to return with a smaller plate with two slices of toast. “Did you hear about the old Mumford place? It was struck by lightning.” She took a seat beside her husband and gave him a wide look. “It was so close. That could have been us.”
Sean scooped up some eggs and took a bite, much to the disappointment of his son seated in the highchair at his side. The little tyke was coming up on eighteen months old, and it appeared he wanted any and all the food from his parents’ plates these days. His small grubby hands reached for Sean’s food, but Sean was now a seasoned father and he pushed the dish just out of reach before scooping a small serving of cereal onto the child’s tray. “I think I saw when the lightning struck. We’re lucky no one got hurt.”
Adeline leaned forward in her seat. “So that’s confirmed? No one was hurt?”
Sean nodded. “The chief filed a report early this morning, and Donahue told my mother. Apparently, the folks living there are new to the area.”
She gasped. “That’s so sad. I wasn’t sure if anyone had bought the place yet.”
“The young man who lived there with his mother works for us,” Zeke muttered.
His daughter swung her gaze onto him. “What?”
“Tom Birch. Brielle hired him a few weeks ago.”
Adeline covered her mouth with her hand. “That poor family. Where are they going to stay? Do they have family nearby?”
Zeke took a bite of his toast, savoring the buttery flavor before swallowing. “They’re staying here.”
It was like he’d just told everyone that the sky had turned neon pink overnight and that it was raining chickens for the way they were staring at him. If they’d had food in their mouth, he was certain he would have been required to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
“What?” Zeke questioned as he placed another piece of toast into his mouth.
“You’re letting them stay here? Where? I didn’t see anyone. Are they in one of the girls’ rooms?”
He gave his daughter a disappointed look. Did she know nothing about him? “Tom is taking up with the men in the bunkhouse. Ms. Birch will be using the hunting cabin until further notice.”
“The hunting cabin?” Adeline asked.
“There’s a hunting cabin?” Sean said.
Adeline gave her husband a flat look before shifting her focus to her father. “I thought that place was all locked up. She can’t possibly stay there until it gets aired out and cleaned.”
“Well, according to her, it’s better than sleeping in a partially burned-down home.” Zeke settled deeper into his seat as he contemplated telling his daughter that the cleanliness of the cabin wasn’t an issue. But the fact that she hadn’t caught on to his sleeping there kept him quiet.
It wasn’t her fault that she hadn’t noticed. She’d been busy running a lot of the daily duties for the ranch and taking care of an energetic toddler. It was his other daughters—Brielle and Eloise—who would have been the ones to catch on first.
Zeke could have been miffed that his daughters didn’t notice his absence, but he was more grateful that he’d been able to retreat from the craziness, the change, and the volume of noise that was now part of their everyday life around here. Though all but one of his daughters were married, they had a tendency to hover. They’d come for meals or spend the night. Their sense of family was such that they didn’t seem quite ready to lose the kinship they’d developed with one another—something he ought to have been proud of.
There was just too much change happening far too fast. And his wife was supposed to be here for all of it.
His gaze landed on his grandson. Colt was a perfect blend of his mother and his father. Already Zeke could tell he would grow up to be stubborn, just like his parents, but he’d also have a good heart. Colt glanced toward him and froze. His toothy grin stretched across his face, and he slapped his hands down on the highchair tray three times.
Zeke smiled back, then turned to his food. “I’m going to be away from the ranch today. I’ve got a few things to do around the cabin.” Namely, make sure there weren’t any concerning animal tracks.
Adeline nodded. “I can come help clean it.”
“No need. Based on what I noticed with Ms. Birch last night, she’s going to have that whole place dusted and cleaned before I get out there.” He wasn’t quite certain that was something this woman would have done, but the last thing he needed was for his daughter to realize just how lived-in the place had been as of late. Not to mention the tent that was set up several meters away.
His daughter didn’t argue, nor did she make any comments about him being absent more lately. That suited him just fine. He’d just come around for mealtime and save himself the discomfort the recent changes to his life had created.
4
Agatha
