Read Online How to Marry a Cowboy (Cowboys & Brides) by Carolyn Brown - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Carolyn Brown
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chairs.
Annie Rose went to the sink and filled two small plastic buckets with soapy water.
“I’ll have muffins and milk,” Gabby said.
Annie Rose set a bucket in front of each of them. “Not until the pens are cleaned. If your goats are coming in every night, then you’ll have this chore to do every morning before breakfast. If they’re staying outside from now on, once the pens are cleaned, your dad can take them back to the attic. And then you will have eggs, toast, and biscuits. Muffins are for breakfast dessert. The easy way is to clean the poop out with paper towels, put them in the bathroom trash, and then wipe down the playpens with the soapy water. Then you can pour the nasty old dirty water in your bathroom sink, wash it out and dry it with paper towels, and empty your trash in the big can beside the back door. I don’t want that smelly goat poop in the house all day.”
“You clean the pens. We had to put up with them bawlin’ babies all night long,” Lily said. “I’ll have bacon and scrambled eggs with picante sauce on top.”
“Pens first. Breakfast afterwards,” Annie Rose said as matter-of-factly as if she’d told them there were clouds in the sky.
“We don’t like you. We aren’t doin’ it,” Gabby said.
“You’re fired,” Lily said.
“Sorry, darlin’. You voted me in as a mama, not a nanny, remember. You can fire a nanny, but you don’t get to fire a mama. The rule, and you agreed to it, was that you would clean those pens before breakfast, so get out of here and don’t come back until they are cleaned spotless. Then your dad can put them away if you are leaving the goats outside,” she said.
“Well, shit!” Lily said.
“Lily Harper.” Mason drew his eyebrows down in a frown.
Lily threw her hands over her face and groaned. “Damian said that mamas were worse than nannies. Guess he was right. Come on, Gabby. I bet she makes us start scoopin’ the litter pan for O’Malley next.”
“You mean you don’t already? Well, we’ll add that to the chore list. You can do it today, and from now on, you take turns,” Annie Rose said.
“Chores! Good God! Daddy, fire her. She’s the devil,” Lily gasped.
“Sorry, girls. You decided you wanted a mama. Now you got one. And I don’t know if you realized it before now, but the daddy and the mama do not disagree with each other when it comes to raisin’ the kids.”
“Oh, no!” Gabby said.
“Oh, yes,” Mason said. “Now your job is to pick up those buckets and go take care of the pens. And one other thing, girls. You are only as good as your word, so be careful what you say you’ll do or won’t do from now on.”
“She tricked us,” Lily said.
“The pens aren’t going to clean themselves,” Annie Rose said.
They trudged out of the kitchen with their buckets, their heads hung down, and each one with a roll of paper towels under their arm.
It started as a chuckle down deep in his chest but soon erupted into laughter. Neither of the twins thought it was funny and they threw dirty looks over their shoulders to prove it. Annie Rose loved the sound of it. Any man with a genuine laugh like that had to be honest and decent. Nicky had a tight little laugh with a mean edge that matched his temper. And Nicky never did fill out a knit shirt like Mason did, or wear tight jeans or cowboy boots.
“Thank you for backing me up. It can’t be easy to make those little angels do something they don’t want to do.”
“Not until now, but it helps to have someone around that they like even a little bit. Great breakfast, by the way.” He wiped his eyes with a napkin.
“Kids and ranchers need a good solid breakfast so they can do a morning’s worth of chores,” she said. “Do you have a problem with anything I’ve done so far?”
“Not a single one.” Mason finished his breakfast and washed his hands in the kitchen sink, reached over and stole the tea towel from Annie Rose’s shoulder, and dried them. He tossed
Annie Rose went to the sink and filled two small plastic buckets with soapy water.
“I’ll have muffins and milk,” Gabby said.
Annie Rose set a bucket in front of each of them. “Not until the pens are cleaned. If your goats are coming in every night, then you’ll have this chore to do every morning before breakfast. If they’re staying outside from now on, once the pens are cleaned, your dad can take them back to the attic. And then you will have eggs, toast, and biscuits. Muffins are for breakfast dessert. The easy way is to clean the poop out with paper towels, put them in the bathroom trash, and then wipe down the playpens with the soapy water. Then you can pour the nasty old dirty water in your bathroom sink, wash it out and dry it with paper towels, and empty your trash in the big can beside the back door. I don’t want that smelly goat poop in the house all day.”
“You clean the pens. We had to put up with them bawlin’ babies all night long,” Lily said. “I’ll have bacon and scrambled eggs with picante sauce on top.”
“Pens first. Breakfast afterwards,” Annie Rose said as matter-of-factly as if she’d told them there were clouds in the sky.
“We don’t like you. We aren’t doin’ it,” Gabby said.
“You’re fired,” Lily said.
“Sorry, darlin’. You voted me in as a mama, not a nanny, remember. You can fire a nanny, but you don’t get to fire a mama. The rule, and you agreed to it, was that you would clean those pens before breakfast, so get out of here and don’t come back until they are cleaned spotless. Then your dad can put them away if you are leaving the goats outside,” she said.
“Well, shit!” Lily said.
“Lily Harper.” Mason drew his eyebrows down in a frown.
Lily threw her hands over her face and groaned. “Damian said that mamas were worse than nannies. Guess he was right. Come on, Gabby. I bet she makes us start scoopin’ the litter pan for O’Malley next.”
“You mean you don’t already? Well, we’ll add that to the chore list. You can do it today, and from now on, you take turns,” Annie Rose said.
“Chores! Good God! Daddy, fire her. She’s the devil,” Lily gasped.
“Sorry, girls. You decided you wanted a mama. Now you got one. And I don’t know if you realized it before now, but the daddy and the mama do not disagree with each other when it comes to raisin’ the kids.”
“Oh, no!” Gabby said.
“Oh, yes,” Mason said. “Now your job is to pick up those buckets and go take care of the pens. And one other thing, girls. You are only as good as your word, so be careful what you say you’ll do or won’t do from now on.”
“She tricked us,” Lily said.
“The pens aren’t going to clean themselves,” Annie Rose said.
They trudged out of the kitchen with their buckets, their heads hung down, and each one with a roll of paper towels under their arm.
It started as a chuckle down deep in his chest but soon erupted into laughter. Neither of the twins thought it was funny and they threw dirty looks over their shoulders to prove it. Annie Rose loved the sound of it. Any man with a genuine laugh like that had to be honest and decent. Nicky had a tight little laugh with a mean edge that matched his temper. And Nicky never did fill out a knit shirt like Mason did, or wear tight jeans or cowboy boots.
“Thank you for backing me up. It can’t be easy to make those little angels do something they don’t want to do.”
“Not until now, but it helps to have someone around that they like even a little bit. Great breakfast, by the way.” He wiped his eyes with a napkin.
“Kids and ranchers need a good solid breakfast so they can do a morning’s worth of chores,” she said. “Do you have a problem with anything I’ve done so far?”
“Not a single one.” Mason finished his breakfast and washed his hands in the kitchen sink, reached over and stole the tea towel from Annie Rose’s shoulder, and dried them. He tossed
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