Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

L ink never wanted to see another cow as long as he lived. He'd spent the last four days working with Uncle Cactus and his veterinary crew to get all the cattle checked and ready to go out into the hills for their summer grazing.

He'd go out on the cattle drive this year, the way he had been for the past fifteen. His momma hadn't let him go with Daddy until he was twelve, and that was still the rule for kids at Shiloh Ridge Ranch.

But they didn't leave for four more days, and that meant a metric ton of preparation was going on around the ranch. Horses who needed shoeing, and saddlebags that needed packing. Food and water for twenty men, and this year, Uncle Bishop was bringing his son Robbie to help run the chuckwagon. They'd make sure they all ate well, and Uncle Cactus was also sending up two new dogs to stay with the cattle.

Uncle Cactus himself wasn't going. In fact, none of the older uncles were going.

Uncle Ranger, nope. Uncle Cactus, nada.

And Daddy…Daddy was staying home from the cattle drive for the first time since he was twelve years old.

Link knew it would be astronomically hard for his father to stay home. Everyone knew it was time, but that didn't make change any easier.

Daddy had been just as involved in the preparations to go on the drive this year, and Link hoped that helped him adjust to the fact that he wouldn't be saddling up and riding out with them in a few days.

And tonight, Link had to get showered up, changed, and ready for his birthday party. Momma did one every year, but this one he got to share with the love of his life.

Misty would be here in a half-hour, and despite her being his fiancée and their wedding coming up in only three more months, Link kept thinking she'd pull up to True Blue, see the number of trucks there, and rush right back to her house in town.

He kept thinking she'd do that with every new family thing Link introduced her to, and Link hadn't been able to curb in his mother. Even Daddy hadn't been able to stop Momma from throwing the "biggest, bestest party this family has ever seen. "

Momma's words. Link's nightmare.

She wanted Misty to have the best birthday ever, as she'd grown up without much in the way of parties, family traditions, or even food in the fridge. That did not sit well with Momma, and Link had decided to let her have her party for the two of them.

Misty's birthday wasn't until the end of the month, but Link had already bought her present, and he'd give it to her tonight. He had something for her for later in the month too, something a little more personal and private.

Tonight, he'd barely buttoned up his shirt when someone knocked on his door, and Misty's beautiful voice called, "It's me, Link."

"Come on back," he said as he moved through his master bathroom to the doorway of his bedroom. Misty would not come back, as she didn't ever come back into his bedroom.

He found her in the living room, loving on the dogs who liked to follow Link around the ranch.

"You ready for this?" he asked.

"I'm ready." Misty straightened and looked at him. She wore pure nerves in her face, and Link reached for her.

"Hey, if it's too much, we just go out the back door for a few minutes," he said. "There are so many people there, they won't even notice."

"It's a birthday party for us ," she said. "They're going to notice if we're not there. "

"Maybe," Link said, to which Misty simply cocked her head. "If it's awful, I'll give my momma a look, and she'll rein it in."

"It was your momma we couldn't stop before."

Link leaned down and touched his lips to hers. "I know, baby. It's going to be amazing, okay? Low key. Good food. Birthday cake. The end. It's not like we can stay out late. We're cowboys, and we'll all be dead by seven-thirty." He grinned at her, so warm inside when she grinned back.

"I love you," he whispered, his lips catching on hers.

"I love you too," she said.

"Happy birthday month."

"To you too."

Link could stay in his cabin and kiss Misty for a long time, but he didn't want to incur Momma's wrath, and she had spent considerable time and effort to plan this party. "Let's go party."

The road from the Top Cottage, where Link lived, to True Blue, the family's recreational barn where they had all their big celebrations—and where Link and Misty would be married in another three months—only took five minutes.

Yes, plenty of trucks had already parked along the road in front of the barn. The front doors stood open, and Link wouldn't be surprised to hear a pumping beat coming from the barn once he parked and got out of the truck .

He grinned at the stall that had been saved with bright blue streamers. A banner strung from the top corners that said "Birthday Couple," and he enjoyed the way Misty giggled at it too.

"Your mother is an amazing person," she said.

"That she is," Link murmured as he pulled into the marked spot only a few feet from the door. He couldn't hear or feel a bass beat, but the strumming of guitars met his ears as he got out to go get Misty's door.

As she slipped from the truck, he took her hand in his, and they faced the entrance together. He hoped he could face every single thing in his life moving forward with her at his side. With her hand in his, he could do anything. Conquer anything. Face any fear or any unknown, or endure any difficult time.

"It feels like we're late," Misty said as they entered the small foyer off the front doors. Link turned to his left, the big room of True Blue opening up before him. Tables and chairs stood dressed and ready to feed a lot of people dinner, but Link didn't see a single person.

That alone got him to come to a stop, confusion furrowing his brow. "Maybe we're early."

The kitchen window had been lifted, and Link definitely detected the scent of hot food in the building. The evidence of people was everywhere, and Link took another couple of steps into the room before someone exited the hallway that led back to the kitchen.

Link's heartbeat came to a complete standstill, which also froze his feet to the ground. His eyes were surely betraying him.

Because Mitch currently strode toward him, wearing a fantastically large grin and waving his hello.

"Mitch." Link automatically moved into using his hands to accompany his voice as he spoke. "What in the world is happening? What are you doing here?"

Mitch had gotten a lot faster and better at sign language since he'd been at his deaf school, and that alone testified to Link that his cousin and best friend was in the right place for him.

It's your birthday , Mitch said. And I never miss your birthday . He arrived in front of Link and drew him into a brilliant, brotherly hug. Link wrapped him up in his arms too, laughing right out loud as the surprise continued to stream through him.

Link stepped back and let Misty say hello. She knew a little bit of sign language, and that made Link's heart happy. Then he asked, "Where's everyone else?"

Mitch turned and looked toward that hallway as aunts, uncles, and cousins started to pour out of it. They came from the back hallway too, which branched to the left and led outside and to the right back to a couple of bathrooms and other rooms they used for staging before weddings, parties, and other events.

Cheering started, with the clapping of hands, congratulations, and shouts of "Happy birthday!" and yeehaws .

Link's smile popped onto his face, and he reached for Misty so she wouldn't get swept away in the tide of Glovers. He hugged his family members, as did Misty, and things got loud for the next several minutes.

He finally made it to one of the back tables, where he found Finn and Edith, Alex and Nicki, Caroline, Dawson, and Brandon. Ollie stood nearby, talking to Uncle Mister, but Aurora sat at the table, her little boy on her lap as she talked to Nicki about something. Janie sat with Ralf, and they brightened when they saw Link and Misty.

"Hey, you guys." Link grinned at his friends, glad his mother had included them too. They were important to Link, as Finn, Alex, and Dawson were all in his same stage of life. Starting or running their own ranches, or moving into more leadership roles as their daddies aged and retired.

He went around and hugged all of them, a keen sense of satisfaction moving through him that Misty fit with this table of people. She didn't just stick with Janey and Ralf, though they were definitely her comfortable place.

She laughed with Edith, put her hand on her bulging pregnant belly, and then took Rory's little boy from her. She cooed at Mason, and Link swore God had just given him a vision of his future.

True Blue. Another Glover family party. Misty holding a little boy that she passed to someone else, because they wanted to see her son and give her a mini-break from being a full-time caregiver.

She looked over to him, and Link already had his smile in place. He wasn't sure what she saw, but she ducked her head, so many unspoken things between them that he understood. She wanted kids too, though she'd told him she wanted some time with just the two of them.

In truth, she'd confessed that she wanted to take some parenting classes before she became a mother. She wanted to study up on what she claimed she didn't know, and Link would support her any way he could.

"Oh, hey, the party's arrived," Ollie said, and all eyes moved to Mitch. He carried a huge platter of buffalo wings, which he put on the table.

He laughed and went around hugging everyone too. And with the food out, that meant the party had started. Link was a little surprised that Momma hadn't made him and Misty sit up on a raised stage in the front, but he hadn't even seen her yet.

So he took a seat at the table with his friends and faced Mitch. "So tell me about your cochlear implant appointment. You've been intentionally vague."

Mitch's smile slipped a little, but because not very many people could speak his language, he started signing. Link had a hard time with technical words, and he had to ask Mitch to slow down almost immediately.

I don't think it's going to be for me, unfortunately , Mitch said. As much as I want it to be, I wasn't brought up in a language-rich environment.

"I'm not sure I know what that means."

It means I haven't had the opportunity to use my voice . He actually touched his throat, as if indicating his vocal cords. Some deaf people learn to speak from childhood. They learn the sounds the vowels make, and they're vocal even though they can't hear. That wasn't my life.

"So that means you can't have implants?" Link wasn't sure why it mattered. Speaking and hearing were definitely linked, but he wasn't sure how intimately.

They say it could take ten years before I could actually speak. Ten years after I get the implants, and that's with me doing constant input of hearing and practicing with my voice.

Mitch glanced around, and Link sensed he was done explaining. Or close to it.

It takes a long time to learn to talk , Mitch said. Even when you can hear, and I'm almost thirty years old. Maybe if I were younger…. He stopped signing there and shook his head. I don't feel good about it, so I don't think I'm going to explore the implants anymore.

Link put his hand over Mitch's, feeling his cousin's sadness through his skin. "I'm so sorry," he said, looking right into his cousin's eyes. "I know how badly you want to talk on the phone."

That had been the thing Mitch talked about the most. He was tired of texting and video calls. He wanted to hear the phone ring, and he wanted to pick it up and answer it with his voice. Hear another voice on the other end of the line.

He wanted to communicate with his ears and mouth, not his eyes.

Mitch looked away, his eyes filling with tears. He sniffed and wiped the back of his hand across his face. The tears were instantly gone, and his smile came back for a brief moment. It's okay , he signed. I mean, it's not okay, but God is helping me shift my focus.

That made Link's heart skip a beat. "God is, huh?"

Mitch rolled his eyes. Slowly. I get God is this eternal being, but I think He forgets we're not, and that some of us would like things to move a little faster.

Link laughed, because that was so Mitch. He had patience in some things, but not with religion. Not with God. He wanted to change quickly and get it over with, and God was more of a master sculptor, pinching out a detail here and smoothing out something rough on that side, slowly, over time.

"Lincoln."

He turned toward the sound of his mother's voice, and Link jumped to his feet. "Momma." He stepped into her arms, as there was nothing as good as a hug from his mom.

"Oh, you're my favorite boy," she said as she hugged him tightly. He grinned, because Momma had lots of boys and girls to love, but when she told him he was her favorite, he believed her. "I love you."

"Love you too, Momma." He stepped back and swept a kiss along her cheek. "Thank you for doing this."

"Hey, Misty-girl." Momma took Misty into her arms, and Link's whole world slowed as he watched his fiancée sink into that warm embrace, her eyes drifting closed in bliss. "Happy birthday, sweetie."

"Thank you, Sammy," Misty murmured, and when she stepped back, Link was right there at her side.

"Well, there's tons of food," Momma said as she cleared her throat. "Daddy's got the uncles singing some songs in a little bit, and Smiles organized all the younger cousins for a dance number." She grinned widely, and Link started laughing again.

"A dance number, wow," he said, sliding his arm around Misty and keeping her close. "Never had one of those before."

"It's Smiles, and a bunch of children under the age of fourteen," Momma said. "I expect the applause to raise the roof."

"Yes, ma'am," Link said with a chuckle. "I'm sure it will."

"Okay, well, make sure you find Daddy before you and Misty sneak out." She smiled between them and then turned to go find her place for dinner.

Link hadn't even turned back to his table of friends before Uncle Preacher's miked voice filled the barn. "I need the birthday couple up here, please."

"Here we go," Link said as music filled the barn. Everyone turned to look at him and Misty, and Link had gotten used to it over the years. He moved through the crowd to where Preacher stood—thankfully, not on a platform, but just in front of a microphone.

Uncle Ward, Uncle Mister, Uncle Judge, and Daddy played guitars, and Preacher beamed at Link and Misty as he said, "It's time to sing Happy Birthday to Link and Misty, and then we have a short program before we're going to pray. Then there's a bunch of birthday cake and food, and the night is yours."

So maybe ten minutes , Link thought. He could endure this spotlight for ten more minutes, and then he'd be able to retreat to the back table to enjoy the delicious food surely Uncle Bishop and Aunt Etta had been in charge of making.

The song started, and Link did his best to smile through the whole thing. He'd always thought Happy Birthday was a long song when it was being sung to him, and with Misty beside him, it seemed to drag on and on until Aunt Dot's high-pitched voice sang that last note completely off-tune on purpose, the way she always did.

The last word cut off into applause, whistling, and laughter, and Link added his own to it. Then Smiles appeared in front of him and said, "All right, you gotta go stand in the crowd. "

Link grinned at his younger brother and did what he said, taking Misty with him. They stood at the front of the crowd as Smiles called all the littles up front for their "performance."

Besides Ollie and Rory, Uncle Mister and Aunt Libby had the youngest child—a little boy named Brantley, who was five years old and would start kindergarten this fall.

When Smiles had them all gathered around him, he held up a bright blue ball that filled his palm and could easily be seen. "All right, you guys. This is for cousin Link and cousin Misty, okay? Remember what we did?"

Link doubted very much that this would go off without a hitch, but he couldn't stop grinning. Smiles looked up and called, "Hit it!" in the direction of the kitchen. Link didn't dare look away from the kids, and when the first popping beat hit the sound system, he was glad he didn't.

For Smiles had gathered the kids around him strategically, and the outer circle of them jumped up and faced the crowd upon that first beat. "Everybody clap your hands," Smiles yelled, bringing his hands up over his head to start the beat.

The kids around him did the same thing, and it only took one more clap to get the crowd involved. Link laughed as he brought his hands together, glad to see Misty doing the same thing.

The kids in the second circle in jumped up and turned around to face the crowd, and then the final circle of them did too. Smiles was the tallest of them all, but Shiloh, Gunn, Rock, Wilder, and Robbie were all fourteen or fifteen years old too. They took up the back row, spaced out to help the younger kids.

They grapevined to the left, which made Link whoop to watch little Dallas—Zona and Duke's youngest son—nearly trip over his feet. Whoever had choreographed the dance had kept it simple, having everyone move left or right to the beat, and as the dance number came to a close, all the kids reached behind them and pulled something from their pockets.

Popsicle sticks with colorful, curly ribbons on them, which they shook as the music ended. Before Link could take in the rattling of the streamers and the amazingness of the people in front of him, they all shouted, "Happy birthday Link and Misty!" in a perfect chant.

And that was when the barn positively erupted, just the way Momma wanted it to. Link added his voice and applause to the deafening noise, and then all the kids ran at him and Misty and surrounded them as they cheered for them.

He and Misty got separated, but she didn't seem to mind. This was pure chaos, but pure chaos built from pure love. And in the midst of all that, Link knew he'd just experienced the best birthday of his life.

And one look at Misty told him she had too.