Later that evening, Mack and Seth sat on the double swing on the ranch house porch. Wanda had excused herself and had gone to bed. She had shown them where they were to sleep. Seth had smiled and winked at Mack when two separate rooms were pointed out to them.
Now, in the calm of the Idaho night, with the sound of crickets and night birds serenading them, they sat with Caesar and Cleopatra on their laps, Samantha lying at their feet.
Seth put his arm on Mack’s shoulder and gave his neck a squeeze. “Here we are just like two old married folk,” he said softly as he stroked Caesar’s velvet ears.
“Yep,” Mack said wistfully.
As if reading the man’s thoughts, Seth said, “Ya could stay on here permanent, ya know.”
Mack looked at him and smiled. “There’s nothing I’d like more. But I gotta
