Embracing Today, a firefighter romance: (The Trading Yesterday Series, #3) - Kahlen Aymes (old books to read .TXT) 📗

what could be for us, I wanted it. I couldn’t wait to talk to him about the dude ranch idea to see what he thought about it. Maybe he could be my business partner and then he could stop putting his life in danger fighting fires.

Once the children had their plates and Dylan was pouring an obscene amount of warm maple syrup on his and Remi’s French toast, Ben finally took his seat. “Do you think you made enough food?” he teased, pulling out the chair next to him and patting the seat suggestively. I nodded, silently communicating I’d sit next to him.

“Well, I got my marching orders in the yard.”

“I’ll eat it!” Dylan exclaimed. “I’m starving!”

Teagan was already helping Jace with his breakfast and he was chewing happily.

“Yes, thank you for making it, Auntie Marin,” Remi said politely. “It looks so yummy! French toast is our favorite, right Dylan?”

“Hey! I helped!” Missy put in playfully.

“Thank you, Auntie Missy,” Remi added.

Ben squeezed my hand underneath the table as the children regaled us of their adventure feeding the horses and playing with Dark. I was so excited for the day ahead I could hardly eat.

“Hey, eat up! Big day ahead,” Ben reminded.

“Is French toast your favorite or just the kids?” I asked softly, already knowing the answer.

“Can’t it be both?” He winked again.

BEN

The morning was amazing.

If it were possible, I only fell in love with Marin more and more. Her fear about losing me was unfounded but endearing and seeing her interact with my niece and nephews and my family, my heart swelled to bursting. Like Dylan, I found myself wishing that we all lived closer to each other.

Most of the horses were let out to graze in the pasture, but Marin and I saddled up three of them and they were tied to the fence waiting for us.

Marin was sitting inside the pasture with Dylan and Remi on either side as she called out to Siri and Dark. When they approached, Siri nudged Marin’s shoulder and in an amazing show of trust, Dark, walked up close and threw his body into her lap. He was a newborn, but he was still huge, but laid down full body. She was giggling, but Dark knocked her over. Her arms wrapped around him as I moved forward. “Do you need help?”

She shook her head, and struggled to sit up, without trying to push the colt off of her. “I think this is incredible! I adore him!” Her arms tightened around his neck and she kissed his head. “He’s perfect!”

Siri snorted at her baby yet seemed unperturbed.

“Look, Mommy!” Remi exclaimed. “Dark is like a dog! Can we get one?”

Teagan laughed. “I don’t think your dad will be up for a dog that grows to two thousand pounds, Remi, but he is amazing.”

“Awwww!” she lamented sadly.

“Come sit by me, Remi,” Marin instructed, showing her to sit on my right on the side where Dark’s head was and soon, she was close and it was as if she was also holding Dark in her lap, too. “How about I share Dark with you and Dylan? You can come visit anytime you want!” She put a hand up to stroke her dark hair. The silken strands slid through her fingers and Marin’s arm went around her. Remi rested her head on Marin’s shoulder.

“Really?” Dylan exclaimed. “That is awesome! Mom, can we move here?”

Missy was taken aback. “What? Uh, no honey, but we’ll visit more often.”

“Uncle Ben invited me back next summer and said I can invite some of the guys from Billings!”

“We’ll talk about it with your dad.”

“Can I come, too?” Remi asked, almost sadly.

“You don’t think I’d have Dylan without you, did ya?” I bent and ruffled her little head. “You two are a pair!” Her frown quickly turned into a bright, but toothless smile.

Teagan and Missy were standing off to one side watching, Jace struggling to get down from his mother’s arms, but she held tight so he wouldn’t run behind the horses.

“Are you sure you’re alright, sweetheart?” I asked Marin. “Isn’t he crushing you?”

The little horse looked happy as hell, getting pets, pats and kisses from all sides. His tail was swishing happily.

Marin’s mouth pressed together, and she shook her head. “He’s only a couple of hundred pounds. I can handle it. I’m loving this. In a week he’ll probably be too big, but I just love him so much. Isn’t he the sweetest?”

“The best,” Dylan agreed.

“I love him, too, Auntie Marin,” Remi added.

“I know you do, honey.”

Marin was radiant and completely in her element. I went to Teagan and reached for Jace. “Come on, Buddy. Let’s get you closer.” I walked the few steps back to the little group then went down on my haunches holding the two-year-old who reached out to touch Dark’s main. “Be gentle. Don’t pull his hair, just pet up and down, like this.” I moved his little hand to show the proper way so neither would be hurt. The little boy laughed in delight.

I glanced in Teagan and Missy’s direction. Their heads were huddled together, and they were giggling, and looking back at the picture we made. I knew what they were talking about and I couldn’t have agreed more.

After a few minutes, Dark was ready to join his mother when Siri moved further away, and we decided to go on a trail ride. It wasn’t easy when Teagan wanted to take little Jace in the house. He started crying. “Horsey! I want horsey!” he wailed.

“Jace,” Teagan kissed his head and tried hard to hold on to him, but he was squirming hard. “We’ll go read a book, baby,”

“Horsey! Horsey!” he cried harder.

“Listen, let’s go on a short ride around the yard,” Marin suggested, looking at me and sticking her lip out in an exaggerated pout. “Ben, you mount up and take Jace for a little bit, and we’ll come back for the other two. That’s cool with you guys, right?” she asked the kids. “We don’t want