Title: Thankful Author: hisgoodgirl

Disclaimer: All belong to Joss. I got nada. Rating/Warning: G for holiday feel-good fluff Characters: Jayne/Kaylee, ofc, omc Timeline: Long post BDM Sequel To: Four years after “Takin’ Up Arms” (Click on my name to see this and other stories by me.) Words: 860

Author's Note:If you read and enjoy this, please take a minute to let me know. Cross-posted from my LiveJournal.

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Thankful

He looked out, across the dry, dusty hardpan of the yard, looked beyond to where the meadow began, knee-high grass undulating in the prairie wind. There was a bent old tree, its form twisted by that wind, and from one of the stout lower branches hung a swing. He’d shaped that board himself, planing the hard oak until it was flat and even, sanding carefully to be sure there would be no splinters to injure tender hands. He’d salvaged the rope that suspended the swing, slung it up, over and over, until it fell across the rough limb in just the right places, and then he’d knotted it fast.

The wind carried sounds to him. There was the shrill cry of a hawk hunting mice in the tall, waving grass; his children’s laughter as they ran and played beneath the old tree; and behind him, in the little kitchen of the rustic farmhouse he’d built with the help of a few good friends, the sounds of preparations for the evening meal.

Jayne Cobb, once a notorious outlaw and now a simple farrier and blacksmith, leaned a wide shoulder into the porch post and crossed his arms over his big chest in a gesture of satisfaction. Ezra had proved a good home. Hard as it had been to leave Serenity all those years ago, he and Kaylee’d made the right choice.

He inhaled the aromas wafting through the screen door behind him and sighed with pleasure. It smelled like Kaylee was cooking one helluva feast. His stomach growled loudly in anticipation and he licked his lips. Who’d have ever figured a little slip of a gal mechanic would turn out to be such a good cook? He smiled and shook his head in wonder. For that matter, who’d have ever figured she’d fall in love with a man like him?

The sound of a child’s voice, raw with outrage, attracted his attention. His son Jacob, still a pudgy toddler, sat in the grass next to the swing, mouth open and face reddened in anger. Ten-year-old Maddy bent close, doing her best to calm her furious brother.

Jayne closed the distance in a dozen long strides. “What happened, honey?” he asked, bending down.

“Weren’t my fault, Pa,” Maddy assured him, looking up at her father. “He’s just mad ’cause I wanted a turn on the swing, too.” The wind caught at her thick wheaten hair. “You know how he is when he don’t get his way.”

Jayne nodded at his daughter. Maddy was right – her brother had quite a temper. The boy was too much like him. He knelt down and scooped Jacob up, seating him on his knee so that he could blot his ruddy, tear-streaked cheeks. “Hey, I got an idea.” He studied the sober little face before him. “How’s about we give Sissy a turn an’ you help me push her?”

Jacob nodded solemnly.

Warfare averted for the moment, Jayne winked at his daughter. He stood his son up and together they began to push Maddy in the swing. In just a few minutes, Kaylee leaned out the back door, rosy cheeks dusted with flour and an old red and white apron tied around her rounded middle. “Best git the kids washed up, sweetheart. Dinner’s almost ready.”

“Hear that?” Jayne hoisted a giddily shrieking Jacob over his shoulder. “Ma’s got the food done. I bet there’s pie!” He steered Maddy toward the house with his free hand. “Let’s get cleaned up so your ma won’t fuss.” He looked down at his daughter conspiratorially. “You know how she is.”

“Yeah, Pa – I know.” Her impish blue-green eyes looked up at him.

They stopped at the old lever pump long enough to rinse the dust off hands and faces, then filed up onto the back porch and through the screen door into the kitchen. The old round oak table had been draped with a clean tablecloth and set with the blue dishes he’d given her their first Christmas on Ezra. A pheasant that he’d shot that very morning lay steaming on a platter, and the savory smells of roasted vegetables and fresh-baked rolls filled the room.

As he settled the children into their chairs, Kaylee emerged from their bedroom, face freshly washed and her chestnut hair pulled back with a ribbon. He was so used to seeing her in overalls that the bright flowered dress she wore almost seemed strange. He noticed how taut the fabric was across her belly. How far along was she, now? He did a quick count in his head. Maybe another three months to go.

As if she could read his mind, she chuckled. “Figured I’d best wear it while I still can. Another month and I’d a never got it buttoned.”

He stepped close and kissed her. “Ya look beautiful, darlin’. Always do.”

It never ceased to amaze him how their life had worked out. The many times they’d come so close to dying made what they now shared all the sweeter, and as he sat down at the table with the people he loved most in the world, Jayne Cobb was a thankful man.

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End