Cowboy Mine (3B Ranch Series) Book 1

12

**** "Drina... Hey, Drina! Get up! Get... Up! You gotta see this! Come on!" Kyle yelled as he and Eli rushed to get into their new winter clothes. The boys wanted to beat each other outside so they could be first to stomp through the icy grass and slide on the driveway. So intent were they to get out first, that for a few seconds they were stuck in the doorway, fighting to get through.

"Come on, Drina!" Eli called, "It really looks like they show in the movies! Cool, Huh, Drina? Can I call mom and Ben so they can see it too?"

The boys were stomping around the yard, listening to the icy grass crunch under their boots. They slipped and slid their way to the driveway which was a solid sheet of ice. The boys looked at each other and grinned as they ran and jumped on the slick surface, fully expecting to slide gracefully down the length of the driveway. They slid all right. Their feet slid right out from under them and they flew down the slight decline on their rears.

* * *

Kaylee and Ava were watching the boys from the large picture window of Beau's living room which over looked the main house and several of the guest cabins. At first, the girls were just staring at the boy's antics. They both squealed and burst into laughter when the boys slid, turning and twisting as they tried unsuccessfully to slow their progress until the driveway leveled out.

They laughed hysterically at the two boys. "Boys are sooo wierd." Kaylee said.

"Do boys always act and do wierd things like that?" Ava had brothers, but they were grown and she hadn't been around the ranch hand's sons much.

"Yeah, pretty much," Kaylee answered. "They go from being wierd to silly and just plain embarrassing."

Just then, the sun broke through the clouds bathing the ranch in a bright light that made the ice and snow sparkle and glow. Kaylee, being from the deep South had never seen an icy yard and was mesmerized.

"Oooh, it's so pretty. Everything looks like it's covered with diamonds and glitter." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and started taking pictures and sending them to Drina. She looked at her new best friend, "Does it do this every year here?"

Ava smiled and nodded. "It snows a lot in the winter. It looks like a winter wonderland sometimes. Dad thinks I might be able to get out in it a little this year, and maybe even help make a snowman." She grinned, "I can't wait."

"Cool, I hope it snows while we're still here. I've never seen snow, except on tv and Christmas cards. Wouldn't it be great if we could make a snowman together?" The thought excited them both.

"Daddy! Wake up! Come look at these boys, they..." giggle, giggle... "they slid all the way down the driveway!"

* * *

Beau looked at his bed side clock. six am. Crap! He'd over slept. Normally he was up and out by five o'clock sometimes four depending on the situation. He smiled when he heard Ava's call and thrilled to it. He'd hear it more now,, they had some major arangements to make and he couldn't wait.

"Yeah, okay babygirl. Give me a minute."

He looked bleary-eyed around the room. He was tired, almost felt like he had been on a bender, but had only had a couple beers last night. No, it wasn't beer that had kept him from sleeping, it was dreams of that little songbird, Drina.

More than that, it was the way she smiled, that little dimple in her left cheek. It was the sparkle in her eyes when she laughed with her brother and sister. It was the way she was with his little Ava. God! She was so good with Ava. But, even more, it was the way she had fit in his arms last night. She was so soft and warm and smelled like, what? A rose garden. And, he could have kissed her all night.