The Edge of Misery: The Mitchel Brothers Series Book Two

7

Over the next three weeks, life began to settle into a new routine that Wren decided she could more than become accustomed to.

Days were still long and filled with the same amount of back-breaking work as before, beginning as dawn's first rays peeked across the mountains and ending long after the sun had set, and she could barely drag her weary bones up the stairs to her bedroom.

The only difference now was the Mitchells, four people-one in particular-who somehow managed to make her miserable existence more bearable. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were no longer meals she dreaded being responsible for cooking when it was her turn-even if she was still struggling to make edible fare with every effort at the stove, regardless of Emmaline's best attempts to help.

Her discouragement and frustration were kept at bay by Declan's willingness to eat-and sometimes his comical attempt to shovel her culinary atrocities down, despite her protests-and Emmaline's gentle assurances she would continue to improve with practice.

It made the morning of August 18th easier to believe her papa wasn't pulling her leg when he finished his second helping of Wren's solo attempt at making Emmaline's breakfast casserole, sat back in his chair with a pleased sigh, slapped his belly, and said, "That there was the finest mornin' meal you've made that ever crossed these lips, sprout."

A delighted heat stained Wren's cheeks as she smiled at Duke, "Thank you, Papa."

He winked and opened his mouth to say more, but Dorsey flung the kitchen door open before Duke could utter a word and panted, "Pa, you better get out here. Me and the boys found a few heifers mutil-" he paused, caught his breath as he glanced at Eldon and cleared his throat before giving Duke a pointed look and continuing, "acting strange."

"I wanna see," Eldon chirped, fork in hand, his breakfast forgotten.

Nessie shook her head and motioned to his plate, "You need to finish eatin'."

Eldon shoveled the last four healthy forkfuls of his breakfast in his mouth, chewed vigorously, took a gulp of milk, and rose from his chair, "All done. Now can I go?"

Duke rose from the table and kissed Eldon on his forehead, "Let me see what these heifers are up to first, baby goose, then I'll come back, and you and I'll go for a ride. All right?"

Eldon sighed, his shoulders slumping as he stared at his papa with wide, dejected eyes and sank into his chair, "A long ride?"

"The longest," Duke promised with a smile, then grabbed his hat off its hook near the door before looking at Declan. "You gonna join us today?"

Declan finished chewing and nodded, "Uncle Em and I promised to help Wooly and Mae get resituated at the cabin real quick this morning, but I'll head out just as soon as we finish."

"I'll leave Sweetface for you then and see you out there," Duke said, pulling the door closed only to open it again, poke his head inside, and say to Wren, "It sure was a fine meal, sprout. Yaboo."

Wren beamed with pleasure, "Yaboo, Papa."

"Yaboo, Eldon. Be ready for our ride."

"Yaboo, Papa," Eldon sighed, resting his forehead on the tabletop with a soft thunk.

Duke chuckled and winked at Nessie, "Love ya, honey. See you in a bit."

Nessie blushed and blew him a kiss.

"I have to ask since I've heard it repeated among your family more than once now-what's yaboo?" Emmaline asked with a puzzled smile a few moments after Duke left. "Is it a native word you picked up while living out here?"