wouldn’t last a day in that mess.” He poured a cup of coffee and smiled when he sniffed of it.
“You know how to make coffee. That’s great. Nothing worse to
me than a weak cup of coffee.
“I like it sort of strong. I’m glad you like it that way.” Darla
crossed to the kitchen to start breakfast. “Is Randall up yet?”
“Yeah, he’ll be down in a minute.” He strode over to the bar and
sat down on one of the stools. “You got the waffle iron out. Does that mean what I think it means?”
“Yep, waffles for breakfast. Would you mind getting out the syrup
so it can start to warm up?”
Marcus jumped up and got the syrup from the fridge. About that
time, Randall walked in. He walked over to Darla and, hugging her
from behind, nuzzled her neck.
Wild Montana Nights
85
“Morning, baby.”
“Good morning.”
“Next time you get up, wake one of us up with you,” he said.
“Why? You need your sleep.”
“’Cause we don’t like to wake up hugging each other,” Marcus
said with a smirk on his face.
Darla burst out laughing. The thought of the two men embracing
each other and waking up to find themselves like that sent her into
another peal of laughter.
Randall and Marcus exchanged grins. Darla realized it was the
first time she’d actually laughed in a very long time. It wasn’t a
chuckle but a full-out belly laugh, and the men seemed to like it.
“Okay, I’ll wake one of you up, although I don’t know what’s
wrong with hugging each other. You are brothers.”
“He-men don’t hug other men,” Marcus groused.
Darla busied herself making batter and frying the sausage. In no
time at all she had it on the table. The men dug in as she fixed her
own plate and ate with them. As soon as they were through, she
cleaned up the kitchen. The men piled on the clothes and headed out
to the barn to check on the horses and break the water in the troughs.
She couldn’t conceive of a place where you had to string rope to find your way back and forth. It amazed her.
She emptied the boys’ rooms of dirty clothes and washed and
dried them. She needed to keep up with the laundry in case they lost
power. The morning flew by, and she realized when it neared the
lunch hour that they hadn’t come back inside. She instantly got
worried. A bit uneasy, Darla made sandwiches, placing them in
zippered bags to keep them fresh. Then she opened a couple of cans
of vegetable soup to warm them up on the inside when they got back.
At a quarter of one, she heard them stomping their feet on the
back porch. They piled inside the warm kitchen, bringing in the cold
with them. Randall closed the door and began peeling off a couple of
layers of clothes with Marcus doing the same thing.
86
Marla Monroe
“Ah, man. She fixed soup with our sandwiches, Randall.” Marcus
hurried over to the stove where she was dipping soup into the bowls.
“Take yours and Randall’s for me,” she said.
Marcus leaned in and kissed her neck.
She jerked back nearly knocking the soup pan off the stove.
“Don’t do that! Your nose is like ice.”
Marcus laughed, taking the bowls and heading for the table. She
heard a defiant snort from Randall, who was already sitting at the
table waiting on them. He had unwrapped his sandwiches and poured
a glass of tea.
“I’ll make some coffee real quick,” Darla said.
“Come eat first,” Randall insisted.
“It will only take a second. You can unwrap my sandwich for
me.” She hurried over to the coffee pot and poured the already
measured water into the reservoir and turned it on.
“See, only a second.” She slid into her chair and smiled as the
men started eating.
They had waited on her. It was sweet of them. How would she
ever manage to leave when the time came?
“What are you thinking so hard about? You have frown lines on
your face,” Marcus said.
He dipped his sandwich into the hot soup and took a large bite out
of it.
“Nothing really.”
“You know how to make coffee. That’s great. Nothing worse to
me than a weak cup of coffee.
“I like it sort of strong. I’m glad you like it that way.” Darla
crossed to the kitchen to start breakfast. “Is Randall up yet?”
“Yeah, he’ll be down in a minute.” He strode over to the bar and
sat down on one of the stools. “You got the waffle iron out. Does that mean what I think it means?”
“Yep, waffles for breakfast. Would you mind getting out the syrup
so it can start to warm up?”
Marcus jumped up and got the syrup from the fridge. About that
time, Randall walked in. He walked over to Darla and, hugging her
from behind, nuzzled her neck.
Wild Montana Nights
85
“Morning, baby.”
“Good morning.”
“Next time you get up, wake one of us up with you,” he said.
“Why? You need your sleep.”
“’Cause we don’t like to wake up hugging each other,” Marcus
said with a smirk on his face.
Darla burst out laughing. The thought of the two men embracing
each other and waking up to find themselves like that sent her into
another peal of laughter.
Randall and Marcus exchanged grins. Darla realized it was the
first time she’d actually laughed in a very long time. It wasn’t a
chuckle but a full-out belly laugh, and the men seemed to like it.
“Okay, I’ll wake one of you up, although I don’t know what’s
wrong with hugging each other. You are brothers.”
“He-men don’t hug other men,” Marcus groused.
Darla busied herself making batter and frying the sausage. In no
time at all she had it on the table. The men dug in as she fixed her
own plate and ate with them. As soon as they were through, she
cleaned up the kitchen. The men piled on the clothes and headed out
to the barn to check on the horses and break the water in the troughs.
She couldn’t conceive of a place where you had to string rope to find your way back and forth. It amazed her.
She emptied the boys’ rooms of dirty clothes and washed and
dried them. She needed to keep up with the laundry in case they lost
power. The morning flew by, and she realized when it neared the
lunch hour that they hadn’t come back inside. She instantly got
worried. A bit uneasy, Darla made sandwiches, placing them in
zippered bags to keep them fresh. Then she opened a couple of cans
of vegetable soup to warm them up on the inside when they got back.
At a quarter of one, she heard them stomping their feet on the
back porch. They piled inside the warm kitchen, bringing in the cold
with them. Randall closed the door and began peeling off a couple of
layers of clothes with Marcus doing the same thing.
86
Marla Monroe
“Ah, man. She fixed soup with our sandwiches, Randall.” Marcus
hurried over to the stove where she was dipping soup into the bowls.
“Take yours and Randall’s for me,” she said.
Marcus leaned in and kissed her neck.
She jerked back nearly knocking the soup pan off the stove.
“Don’t do that! Your nose is like ice.”
Marcus laughed, taking the bowls and heading for the table. She
heard a defiant snort from Randall, who was already sitting at the
table waiting on them. He had unwrapped his sandwiches and poured
a glass of tea.
“I’ll make some coffee real quick,” Darla said.
“Come eat first,” Randall insisted.
“It will only take a second. You can unwrap my sandwich for
me.” She hurried over to the coffee pot and poured the already
measured water into the reservoir and turned it on.
“See, only a second.” She slid into her chair and smiled as the
men started eating.
They had waited on her. It was sweet of them. How would she
ever manage to leave when the time came?
“What are you thinking so hard about? You have frown lines on
your face,” Marcus said.
He dipped his sandwich into the hot soup and took a large bite out
of it.
“Nothing really.”
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