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The bonfire was not just for aesthetics tonight, it was also holding its own again the chilly wind, though the children mingling didn’t seem to mind. Avery had Jayne on her lap, and from time to time, let her down to stand up by her chair. She would be walking any day now with how mobile she was becoming. Phoebe was with Stormi, and next to her, Grayson had a hold on Emma. He loved this family atmosphere with close to thirty people around the warm fire, just chilling out after a long week.
“I brought everything for smores,” Belle said, pulling out marshmallows from her bag.
“I want one,” Emma turned to him with a grin.
“I will roast you a marshmallow,” he said, trying to figure out the organization needed to roast a marshmallow with one hand and hold her with the other.
“Let me do it,” Noah said, from next to him, “I think your hands are pretty full.”
“Thanks,” he said gratefully that so many were there to help him. It was these trivial things, allowing him to focus on Emma and Phoebe while just making his life a bit easier, that he would never take for granted.
“I have one for Avery and Jayne,” Belle said.
“I have one for me and, of course, one for the beautiful Ms. Phoebe,” Jake joined in.
“And will you be taking her for a tub later after the sticky goodness,” Grayson teased Jake.
“Oh no man, I’m like the cool uncle that sugars the kids up and then sends them all home.”
“Thanks for that,” Grayson groused good-naturedly.
“We do need to discuss the Thanksgiving dinner next week,” Margaret broke into the crowd. “We have been doing the orphan Thanksgiving for thirty years on the ranch, and it has turned into quite a popular destination. I was wondering; she turned her eyes to Scout, who was seated a couple of Adirondack chairs down from her, how the space for the wedding was coming?”
“Actually, the shell is done. We have a few finishing touches,” he paused, realizing the question was not the one he was asked. “Thanksgiving is what two-and-a-half weeks away?”
“Yes, even if not a hundred percent, will it have heat and the kitchen ready so we might put tables down the middle for a huge dinner?”
“I can make that work. Most of what we have left is cosmetic, and I can get a crew on that. I can even order in the tables this week, so we have them.” How many are we thinking?
“I’ve done some preliminary counts, and it could be seventy-five to a hundred. We do have about a dozen of the long rectangle six-foot tables at the B&B.”
“Yeah, when Emily and I were organizing, we put them in the basement, first room on the right after you go down the stairs,” Avery volunteered.
“Okay, I will get them rounded up and see what else we need this week. We got this,” Scout emphatically responded.
“Now for the baking. I know Marissa can do the hams and turkeys, but what about making it potluck this year,” Margaret asked the group.
“I love that idea. Everyone contributing one dish would be pretty simple and yet give a lot of options, minimizing any one person’s job,” Stormi responded.
“I could put together an email flyer if you like,” Emily volunteered.
Grayson knew that they had allowed her as a job perk to start some night classes. He had more than once caught her on the computers in the main office, doing homework and the like. She was an intellectual lady, and after hearing her backstory was impressed by how resilient she was.
“That would be great,” Margaret replied.
“Thanksgiving here on the ranch is one of my favorite times of the year,” Matthew said. “I love turkey.”
“I think you almost ate half of one by yourself last year,” Jake teased him.
“It was so good,” Matthew said with a sheepish grin.
“Ready,” Belle cut in as Jake moved a roasted marshmallow her direction. She put the sweet treat between graham crackers with a wedge of chocolate.
“Phoebe, you have the great honor of the first smore,” Jake said, handing the treat to her.
“I made sure the marshmallow was cooled a bit,” he whispered to Grayson to ease any worry in that direction.
“Thanks, man,” Grayson replied.
Emma was ready a moment later, and the girls went to town on the sweet treats with a vengeance. This was the good stuff that Grayson had never had in his lifetime. Lots of family and friends gathered for simple day-to-day events, sharing it with others. Blood did not define a family was a saying he had never fully understood until this moment. His girls would be okay, with a merry band of helpers loving on them and seeing to all their needs. While they would miss some minor tasks, only their mother could do for them, healing here on the ranch was exactly what they needed to have. As they continued to weep over their parents, hopefully, they had a lot more opportunities to laugh in the rain and build fresh memories to help balance out their losses.
As he glanced around, Grayson did something he had not done in over a decade; he offered a little prayer of gratitude. There were definitely forces in his life bigger than him, and Living River Ranch was exactly where he was meant to be.
