Free Played by Natasha Stories

my daughter from
Janet's arms for a huge hug. Grace giggled and patted my face with her chubby
little hands as I darted in for kisses all over her precious face.
    "I missed you, love," I said.
    "Mithed you, too, mommy."
    I noticed the difference even a month made
in her sentence structure. If I weren't careful, I'd graduate college with a
full-grown daughter I didn't know. Not for the first time, I wondered if it
wouldn't be better to have her with me, but it always came back to what was
best for Grace. I knew that being cared for by a loving aunt and extended
family was better than day-care, no matter how good it was. Not to mention,
that a child this age would make it difficult to study. No, this was best for
her, even if it broke my heart.
    Thanksgiving morning dawned cold and sunny,
the new layer of snow sparkling like diamonds. I bundled Gracie up in warm
clothes and went for a ride on one of the older mares that could be trusted to carry
us gently and not bolt. Tyler was in the barn that morning, greeting us with
good cheer and offering to saddle Bessie Smith for me.
    "Thanks, Ty. That would be great! How
have things been since last time I was here?"
    "Cody took half of the young hands
over to his place to learn to train rodeo horses, and a couple of new guys came
in. Otherwise, not much."
    "Didn't you want to go to
Cody's?" I asked.
    "Naw, figured I'd stick around here
and see if you turned up again," he grinned.
    I grinned back. "Well, here I am, what
are you going to do about it?"
    "I reckon I'll invite you out here to
the barn where it's warm and we can set a spell and talk, after you put your
little'un to bed."
    "I'd like that Ty. Consider it a
date."
    His grin was as wide as the barn door as he
helped me into the saddle and handed Gracie up to me. "Y'all be careful,
now."
    My talents didn't lie in the culinary arts,
so I stayed well out of the way as Janet, Charity and Amber labored to put a
sumptuous Thanksgiving meal on the table. My turn would come afterward;
cleaning up the kitchen after the men had devoured the feast.
    Russ had declared his intention of using
the theater room for football viewing, and that any hand who wished to join him
was welcome, so there would also be snacks to serve later in the day. Janet
wouldn't cook a separate meal, just the mid-day feast that would be served a
little later than usual. These were the Thanksgiving traditions that I'd come
to love in the three years since Russ brought us to the ranch.
    Much later that evening, with Gracie safely
stowed in her bed and asleep, I wrapped a heavy shawl around my sweater and ran
out to the barn, which was warmer even than the house. Tyler was waiting for me
in his holiday finery, a new pair of jeans and a red plaid shirt made of
flannel. He was even wearing his dress boots, as evidenced by the lack of dung
on the soles. He sprang to his feet from the bale of hay where he'd been
sitting when I opened the door, came to my side, and escorted me back to the
sitting area he'd fashioned from more stacked bales and a few horse blankets.
    We were awkward with each other, neither
knowing what to say to the other at first. Then Tyler asked about college, and
I began to tell him all about campus. His eyes were shining when I wound down.
    "Tyler, have you ever thought about
going to college?" I asked.
    "Shoot, I don't have the cash for
that," he answered.
    "But, if you did…would you want to
go?"
    "I guess so. I mean, I cain't work for
Russ all my life," he said. "I want a family, and a home of my
own."
    "What would you study?" I
pressed.
    "I'm not sure. Something agricultural.
Animal husbandry, maybe," he answered.
    "Why don't you ask Russ to help you
go?"
    "Aw, Janey, I couldn't do that."
    "Why not?"
    "I just couldn't."
    We talked for a little while longer, until
he felt comfortable enough to put his arm around me. I leaned into him, which
emboldened him to kiss me, and for a while longer, we kissed. They were
innocent kisses, sweet and warm, the