“I can take your place while you work with the folks from the sheriff’s department,” Reese told him. “I’m experienced with horses. If you want me to take over your chores with them, I’ll be happy to do it.”
Noah glowed. “That would be great, Reese. I don’t expect you to do any training with them, but feeding, watering, and handling them would be great.”
Reese nodded. “Consider it done.”
Shay felt her heart expand with good feelings as she looked at Reese. He was a team player. He was pitching in where he could to help others. “That would be great, Reese. Thank you.”
“Yeah,” Garret said, his mouth stuffed, “I ain’t gonna clean horse poop out of the box stalls for you, Mabry.” He held up his large, wide hands. “I do cooking only.”
Harper, who was the medic among them, snickered. “Wouldn’t want those soft, lily white hands of yours to get dirty now, would we, Garret?”
The whole table chuckled darkly.
Shay saw Reese following the conversations, lifting his head, studying the men from time to time. He had finished his first plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Only after everyone else had helped themselves, did Reese take a second helping from the steel pot sitting on a trivet in the middle of the table. Garret always made a lot of food for them. There were a lot more baked rolls tonight, and Shay figured Garret had taken one look at how thin Reese was, and made extra. Reese was stuffing those rolls down him, no question. Each vet, as he came to the Bar C, was at least thirty pounds lighter than he should be. Right now, only Reese looked like a scarecrow among the men. In time, he’d regain that lost weight and fill out once more.
“Hey,” Garret said, glancing over at Reese, “be sure to take your vitamins.” He jabbed his index finger at a small white paper cup sitting in front of his plate. “Shay wants us strong and healthy.”
“I see ’em,” Reese muttered, eyeing the cup filled to the brim with colorful vitamins and minerals.
“Shay will skin you alive,” Garret warned him, giving him an evil grin, “if you don’t suck ’em down like a good boy. You’ll be getting that little white paper cup in front of your plate three times a day for the next two months. So make friends with ’em. It’s part of her plan to get us healthy.”
“Yeah,” Noah muttered, “highlight of my meals when I first arrived. God, there’s so many of them I felt like a horse choking all of them down.”
Harper chuckled. “You bunch of wimps. She’s right to slug you with nutrition. We all were malnourished by the time we arrived here.” He looked at Reese, who was at his elbow. “Take ’em and don’t bitch.”
Reese gave him a sour grin. “I think I can manage a few pills.”
“Shay doesn’t let you leave the table until they’re all gone,” Harper promised him smugly. “Just do the duty. She won’t give you dessert, either, until that cup is empty.”
“Oh, come on, guys,” Shay pleaded, “you make me sound like a witch.”
Garret snorted. “There are days when I swear I see you with a broom in your hand, Shay.”
The whole table burst into chuckles and traded teasing looks with Shay, whose cheeks turned bright red.
“In truth,” Harper told Reese in a confidential tone, “we’re just teasing Shay. You’re going to find that this place isn’t a ranch. It’s a home. And she’s the mothering type who thinks all of us are her grown-up children huddled beneath those invisible angel wings of hers.” He lifted his chin, smiling over at Shay. “And you aren’t a witch. You’re an angel to all of us, so relax. For being in the Corps, you sure don’t take ribbing very well, Shay.”
Her hands fluttered. “Oh, don’t worry, Harper, I took a lot of ribbing in the Corps. It’s just that here, I’m out of practice.”
“Except from us,” Garret noted, giving her a gentle glance. “And you know we don’t mean it. Right?”
Shay finished her plate of food. She placed her silverware on the empty plate. “Most of the time, but I have my moments when you guys catch me off guard.” She felt Reese’s gaze upon her and felt too vulnerable at the moment to meet his eyes. That same powerful sense of protection blanketed her once more, like a lover caressing her, holding her close. Holding her safe. The sensation flowed hotly through her and she didn’t dare look at him. She might burst into tears, ruining the evening meal. Shay had learned a long time ago not to cry in front of any of the vets. A woman’s tears upset them to no end. They were always trying to fix whatever made her cry. Sometimes, Shay just needed to cry and release, it was that simple. But men didn’t seem to understand that and it stressed them.
“I’ve made good progress on the roof of the indoor arena,” Harper told her, breaking the thick silence at the table. “Got one more ten-foot section up on the roof.”