Justin didn’t want to be at the fair barn that Wednesday morning, but he had no choice. The Maguires had always been involved with the board of directors, and it was his duty to be on hand the days before the livestock show. He and other ranchers always volunteered to set up the pens, make sure each one had a layer of straw in the bottom, and check on the sound system and the electricity. It was amazing how much juice hair dryers, heat lamps, and clippers could pull in a week.
He’d sent Emily a text that morning, reminding her that he’d be coming by on Friday morning to get Otis and Larry. She’d fired one back saying that she’d already cleared it with the administration and they would be ready.
Buddy clamped a hand on his shoulder and startled him.
“I hear that you and Emma are gettin’ to be quite the item,” Buddy said.
“It’s Emily, and I don’t know about that,” Justin answered. “What’s your job today?”
“Some of these panels for the pens look awful. I brought my portable sprayer and lots of paint. Got me a section roped off out in the pasture behind this place where I’m going to give every one of them a face-lift,” Buddy said. “What about you?”
“When you get enough panels painted, I’ll set up the show pen first and then work from there,” Justin said. “The FFA boys will be here this evening to help out. And Emily’s brothers are here to help. There they are now.” He waved them over and introduced them to Buddy.
Buddy sat down on the bottom step of the bleachers by the area where the show pen would be. “I can see that y’all are Emily’s brothers. You all have the same eyes.”
“When we were about four and she was five, folks thought we were triplets,” Tag said. “I could live in this area. I like the trees.”
“What I like best is that Mama ain’t fussin’ at us all the time.” Hudson chuckled.
The mention of a meddling mother made Justin think of his mama. He hadn’t seen Gloria since the night before. He hadn’t even gone by the house that morning on his way to the fair barns. He felt a little guilty about the way things were left—both with her and with Emily. It hadn’t mattered in the beginning where she came from and it didn’t now. She could have been raised in a tent on the banks of the Red River for all he cared. What she wanted to do with the rest of her life was the issue. And Emily was right—she hadn’t lied to him, any more than he’d lied to the Baker family about knowing her.
“Well, there’s that. We’re the babies, so there ain’t never goin’ to be a girl good enough for us, at least not according to Mama.” Tag removed his cowboy hat and resettled it on his head. “Why didn’t you tell us you knew our sister, Justin?”
“You only asked once and the conversation went another way,” he said. “What’d she tell you?”
“You don’t even want to know because we don’t believe her,” Hudson said. “I guess y’all had a fight about her not tellin’ you that she’s from Big Sky?”
“You mean Big Sky Ranch?” Buddy’s eyes bugged out. “Y’all are those Bakers?”
“Yep, but we’d sure like to get away from all that,” Tag said. “Maybe get us a little spread of our own and just be two old cowboys.”
“I know where there’s one for sale.” Buddy grinned. “Right next door to the Longhorn Canyon. It went on the market this past week. You should look at it.”
Tag turned toward Justin. “How big is it?”
“About a thousand acres. Lots of good pasture. Needs some clearing in a few places where the mesquite got a hold. Fences are in bad repair.”
Talk about awkward, Justin thought. If he and Emily didn’t make up, if her brothers lived right next door, if he had to know she was that close—not one scene wouldn’t be awkward.
“Wouldn’t hurt to just look at it, since you’re here already. Well, them panels ain’t goin’ to paint themselves. Soon as they get dry, I’ll get the boys to bring them in for the show ring.” Buddy got to his feet.
“I can help you.” Hudson followed him outside.
“I guess it’s me and you. I see a bunch of straw that needs to be scattered in the show pen,” Tag said. “You and Emily goin’ to make up? I called Mama, and, man, is she one happy woman about y’all dating.”
“I hope so.” Justin wished he had the same blessing from his mother.
Emily gave Nikki a ride to work that morning and bitched nonstop about Justin and her brothers the whole way. Nikki had been nodding and adding a sympathetic word here and there, but her expression changed instantly when Emily pulled into a space right beside an unfamiliar truck.
“There’s that no-good sleazy cheatin’ sumbitch. Parked right beside us, and he’s getting out,” Nikki whispered.
“Got to confront the bastard sometime. Want me to come with you?” Emily asked.
“I’ll take care of it,” Nikki said.
“Get your mad on and go get him,” Emily encouraged. “Want Cora for backup?”
“I’d be too tempted to shoot him before he even said a word,” Nikki answered as she got out of the car and marched right up to her tall, dark, and jerksome former boyfriend.
To be sure Nikki wasn’t in over her head, Emily stood in the corner of the dining room and peered out the miniblinds. Nikki must’ve been counting off all his sins because she held up one finger, talked a while and then another one popped up. By the time she finished she was shaking her fist at him.
His expression said that he didn’t like what she was saying but couldn’t deny it. Finally, he turned around and got into his truck, and Nikki stormed into the center.
“Well?” Emily asked.
“I feel twenty pounds lighter. I owe you one.” Nikki crossed the room and wrapped Emily up in a hug.
“You’ve already paid that debt in full by listening to me moan and groan about Justin and my brothers the whole way to work this morning. Men! Why do they have to frustrate us so much?” Emily asked.
“You think there’s hope you’ll make up?” Nikki asked. “This won’t be your first fight if things get really serious. You’ll have lots more, but the first one—it’s like your first kiss. You always remember it.”
“I don’t know how to make up. In every other relationship I’ve been in, the fight ended it.” She sighed.
“Oh, honey, the makeup sex is wonderful. Give it a try this time.” Nikki headed toward the nurses’ station for the morning briefing.
When Emily reached the activities room she found several residents already gathered around the tables.
“Good mornin’, Emily.” They all waved.
She went straight to the cabinets and got out several boxes of dominoes. She remembered playing the game called Shoot the Moon with her granny and her parents, and was suddenly homesick. Tag had said he’d called her mother and that Anne was over the moon that she knew Justin. She wondered if he’d told her that she’d shocked both of her younger brothers by telling them that she’d already slept with the cowboy.
She was carrying the last box to an empty table when her phone pinged. She set it down and fished the phone from her purse. The text was from her mama: Thinkin’ of you. She sent one back: Great minds and all that. A smiley face wearing round glasses came back. Before she could return the phone to her purse, another text came through. When she saw that it was from Justin, the world got a whole lot brighter. It said: We need to talk. She wrote back: Inventory at work. Working till midnight. One came back that said: We can talk while you work.
“Bad news?” Bess asked.
“Good and bad. I was thinking of my mama earlier, and she sent a text. The bad is that I have to work on inventory, so I’ll be here late,” she answered.
“Need some help?” Sarah asked.
“Thanks, but it’s something I have to do,” Emily answered.
“You got to count every single card in the decks and all the bits of glitter?” Larry asked.
“Not quite that bad, but it’ll take a while. While you’re playing, be thinking about the decorations we’ll start making next week to put up for Easter.” She changed the subject. “After inventory I’ll order all the supplies. It’ll take a few weeks to get them here.”
That set off a whole buzz of conversation. When a new group came in to play dominoes, they were quickly let in on the Easter idea, and several residents started making lists of possibilities.
A picture of the red heart-shaped lollipop flashed through Emily’s mind. Would Justin bring her a gold egg? That was the absolute best one to find in an Easter egg hunt when she was a little girl. Or would everything be finished after they talked tonight?
Justin couldn’t wait to get away from the fair barn that evening. Tag and Hudson invited him to go to the Rusty Spur with them, but he had no desire to join them. He and Emily needed to get this thing resolved—one way or the other. He hit the cabin in a run, kicked off his boots, and was headed for the shower when Cade burst inside without knocking.
“I need help.” His brother was breathless.
“Is Retta all right? Is it the baby?” Justin shoved his feet back into his boots. Cade shook his head. “Claire’s in the emergency room over in Bowie. Don’t know until the test results come back if she’s got appendicitis or if it’s the flu, but Levi is with her. We’ve got two heifers in the barn about to calve. They’re first-time mamas and need to be watched tonight.”
“Little early for calving. That shouldn’t get under way for another month,” Justin said.
“These are a couple in among the dozen we bought from the neighbor last week. He didn’t have records on them,” Cade said. “And I forgot to tell you, Retta is running a fever. If it goes up another degree her doctor said to take her to the hospital for a test to be sure it’s not affecting the baby and get her tested for the flu.”
“Good lord! Why didn’t you lead with that? Retta is more important than a bunch of cows. Where’s Dad?”
“He and Mama went to dinner with some friends,” Cade said. “She’s been an old bear all day. I’ve got to get back if you can take care of this.”
“Why didn’t you call rather than leave her?”
“Your phone must need chargin’. It kept goin’ to voice mail.”
“Get out of here.” Justin clamped a hand on his shoulder. “Call me if you have to take her to the hospital and keep me updated.”
The minute he got to the barn, he checked on the two heifers and plugged his phone into an electrical outlet to charge it. Then he took a deep breath and called Emily.
“I’m so sorry but we’ve got a problem out here at the ranch.” He went on to tell her what was going on with everyone.
“Does Retta need my help, or should I go to the hospital and sit with Claire?” she asked.
“Probably not on either issue in case it’s the flu. You don’t want to get sick, especially when you work with all those old folks every day,” he answered. “You could come out here and keep me company.”
“I’ll bring burgers and malts—no onions, right?” she said. “We’ve got to talk or I won’t be able to sleep. I’ve got another hour here and then I’ll be there. Besides I don’t want to go home to my brothers,” she told him.
“They’re at the Rusty Spur,” he said.
“Then I might not go home at all. The only thing worse than them sober is them tipsy.” She sighed.
The call ended without her saying good-bye. He checked the heifers once more. It was better to let them deliver with no help, if possible, but he was on hand if they needed him. Both were contracting, but they were still standing, so it could be a few more hours. He grabbed a blanket from the tack room and took it to an empty stall. When it was smoothed out, he went back and got two throw pillows from the futon and tossed them in the stall, too. It wouldn’t be the first night he’d spent in the barn.
For the next hour he rehearsed what he’d say to Emily a dozen times, but nothing seemed right. He’d have to wing it, based on what she said, and that scared him.
“Don’t look very comfortable.” Gloria stepped out of the shadows.
“That’s the life of a rancher. I thought you and Dad were out.”
She came up to the stall gate. “Your dad isn’t feelin’ well, so we came home early. He’s probably got this stomach flu that’s goin’ around. He’s sleepin’ right now in the trailer,” Gloria said. “I want to apologize for the way I’ve been behaving and the things I’ve said.”
“Why were you acting like that?” Justin stood up and propped a boot on one of the railings.
“Your father asked me the same thing. I’ve thought about it, and although it’s not an excuse, it’s a reason. Cade’s married. Levi, although he’s not my biological son, he feels like it, and he’s married, all within a few months. It wasn’t hard on me because I still had you. There’s an old saying that goes like this: A daughter is a daughter all of her life, but a son is only a son until he takes a wife. Retta and Claire don’t have mamas to go home to, so I get to step in. Emily does, so I’ll be left out, and dammit, Justin, you’re my baby.”
“I’m a grown man,” Justin said.
“I wanted another child, a girl, but it didn’t happen for us, so you’ll always be my baby no matter how old you are. But I realize I’ve been a complete bitch. If things get serious between you and Emily, then I’ll never even be friends with her if I don’t take a step back and change.”
“Apology accepted,” Justin said. “I guess you were right after all that she wasn’t telling me everything. Who would’ve guessed she grew up on Big Sky?”
Gloria shook her head. “She probably knows more than I ever will about the outside business. I understand y’all’ve had an argument. Is it your fault or hers?”
“Both,” Emily said as she stepped into the light, carrying a brown paper bag. “I didn’t trust Justin enough to tell him about Big Sky. He got angry when he was thrown right in the middle of my family. And, Gloria, I’m sure there’s a helluva lot you could teach me about ranchin’.”
“Thank you, Emily. I owe you an apology too. I was way out of line several times.”
“Accepted,” Emily said.
“On that note, I’m going to the trailer. I’m glad we’ve cleared the air,” Gloria said.
“Me too,” Justin and Emily said at the same time.
“I’m still mad at you. If you were going to invite my brothers to come here, you could have at least offered to let them stay in one of the bunkhouses. Do you know what it’s like to get up to a living room floor filled with snoring cowboys?”
“Yep, I do.” He grinned. “But your brothers had the idea of surprising you already. They wanted to see more of their big sis.”
“The cabin is bigger than my apartment.” She marched into the stall and sat down. Then she removed everything from the brown bag and laid it out on separate sides of the blanket. “Dinner is served.”
“I see we’re sitting at different tables,” he quipped as he eased down.
“Until we settle this thing, we are.” She unwrapped her burger and took a bite and waited, but he didn’t say anything. “Okay, then, I’ll talk first. This is about a stupid thing to argue about. I just learned a long time ago to keep my affiliation with Big Sky a secret.”
“But there were dozens of times you could have told me, especially after you left the ranch. Hadn’t you figured out by then that you could trust me?” he asked.
“Yes, but I was waiting for the right time. Why didn’t you tell me you were going to Big Sky for the bull? I would have told you then for sure,” she said.
“It was quite a shock when your grandmother introduced me to your brothers, and when I saw that family picture on the mantel.” He picked up his burger and removed the wrapper.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Me too.”
“I missed you these past couple of days.” She squeezed a packet of ketchup over her fries.
Before he could answer, his phone rang. He hopped up and ran over to the place where it was being recharged.
“Hello, Levi. What’s the news?”
He listened for a minute and then said, “Great. See you in the morning.”
“Good news?” she asked when he returned.
“Claire has food poisoning, and the doctor said that’s probably what Retta has too. I’m glad I didn’t eat breakfast with all of them this morning because that’s what must have made them sick.” Justin sat back down in his spot. “And I promise next time your brothers are in town, I’ll talk them into staying at the ranch while they’re here. They probably don’t love sleeping on your floor all that much either. But they’re talking of buying the ranch right next door to us, so hopefully they’ll have their own place soon enough.”
“Holy hell! That’s not a solution. It’s making things worse. They’ll be all up in my business for sure.” She sighed.
“So tomorrow night, can I take you somewhere for supper?”
“How about the cabin?”
He bit into the burger. “I’ll grill steaks.”
“I’ll bring dessert and wine.”
“Sounds like a plan. What kind of dessert?” he asked.
She wiggled her eyebrows. “Are we really okay, Justin, and are we really going to get into a relationship?”
“Yes, Emily. I’m ready for that. Now can I ask for a special dessert?”
“Okay,” she said cautiously.
“I’d like to order those red high heels you wore to the Valentine’s party, a white towel around your body—at the waist would be fine—and a smile. Think you could get that ready?”
“Only if you promise to have two helpings of dessert.”
“I was thinking of three helpings.” He winked as he moved across the blanket to sit close to her.
Emily pushed her food away and cupped Justin’s cheeks in her hands. “I’m miserable when we argue.”
“Me too.” He covered her hands with his and moved in for a hard kiss.