Page 74 of The Cowboy Who Came Home

Edith didn’t like that statement, but she didn’t know what to say or do. She nudged him with her knee, and he backed up. She dropped to the ground and took his hand in hers. “You know, this can be fun too.”

“If you have fun tonight, I’ll be shocked.” Finn led her toward the homestead, the lawn, and the tents.

The music continued to pipe above them, and a group of cowboys in the tent somewhere yelled, “Born in the U-S-A! I was born! In the U-S-A!”

The energy here sizzled in the air, and Edith sure did like it. The sun still shone brightly over Texas, but the moment they stepped into the tent, the temperature went down. Finn’s dad and uncle stood over by a trio of grills, all of which steamed and smoked as meat cooked on them.

“Howdy, Finn,” a cowboy said, and he paused.

“Oh, hey, Cal,” he said. “This is Edith Baxter. Did you ever meet her?”

The tall cowboy looked at Edith, his smile filling his face. “No, ma’am, but it’s great to meet you.”

“You too.” Edith shook his hand, and he went on his way. “Am I going to meet everyone by name?” She turned and took in the enormity of the space. Tables and chairs had been set up in the shade, with three of them holding all the food Finn had talked about.

“Finny,” a girl said, and he stepped into his sister’s half-hug. She kissed his cheek and said, “Introduce me to your girlfriend.” Libby grinned at her from her brother’s side, and Edith smiled right on back.

“Libs,” he said. “Edith. Edith, I’m sure you remember my irritating younger sister, Libby.”

“She’s not irritating,” Edith said. “Howdy, Libby. Finn says you’re managing a ranch in Oklahoma.”

“I am.” Libby stepped into her and gave her the half-hug and cheek-kiss, and Edith did the same to her. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable thing Edith had ever done, because she was still getting used to having more than Alex in her life.

Speaking of….

“Have you seen my brother?” she asked, glancing back toward the parking lot. He’d left only a few minutes behind them, and sure enough, she saw him crossing the lawn toward them. Alone. How he did that, Edith wasn’t sure.

“There he is.” She went to meet him, and when she and Alex turned back to Finn and Libby, they’d been joined by a few more people. Henry had apparently put in his shift with the parking, and he stood laughing with Libby. His cowboy hat was black while most of the Marshalls wore white, and he cut Edith a look that seemed darker than it should for an Independence Day party.

His older brother, Paul, had joined them, and he looked exactly the way Edith figured a young man on this ranch would. Blue jeans, cowboy boots, red, white, and blue plaid shirt.

She migrated to Finn’s side, and the group made room for her and Alex easily. The laughter quieted, and awkwardness descended on them. Edith took a step toward Paul, deciding she didn’t want this tension. “Paul,” she said. “It’s great to see you.”

“You too, Edee,” he said, because he was the same age as Alex, and Alex always used her nickname.

“What are you up to these days?”

He threw a look at Finn, who finally seemed to be relaxing, and then looked at her again. “I work here with my daddy and Uncle Squire. Agriculture.”

“Oh, sure,” Edith said. “I knew that.” She looked over to Henry. “What about you, Henry?”

He shifted his feet, and he certainly didn’t seem comfortable here. “Finishing up farrier school, actually. Then I’m gonna come back here and work for my daddy.”

“You are?” Finn, Libby, and Paul all asked at the same time.

Henry rolled his eyes. “I’m starving. You wanna eat, Alex?”

“Absolutely.” They turned to leave the huddle.

“Me too,” Edith said, and she took Finn’s hand and followed the boys toward the grills. She let Alex and Henry get a bit ahead of them, and then she glanced over to Finn. “No one knew he was coming home?”

“It’s not exactly like Henry loved living out here,” Finn said quietly. And with the music and the chatter, Edith didn’t think anyone else had overhead.

“No?”

“Henry had too many girlfriends,” Finn said with a smile. “So he’s amazing with horses, but he feels a lot like I do.”

“And how’s that?” Edith asked as they joined the line to get something meaty from the grills.

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