Page 118 of Dust Storm

“You’re avoiding the question,” Bree said with a smirk that was way too grown up for her.

“I’d have to have a wife for that,” I said. “Which means you’d have a step-mom. And if we’ve learned anything from those princess movies you force me to watch, step-moms are evil. I’m doing you a favor.”

“That’s a non-answer,” Bree pressed. “You don’t have to have a wife to have a baby.”

I stared at my daughter across the table. “Excuse me, MissThirteen going on Thirty. Who taught you to debate?”

“Miss Cass,” she said with a grin.

Cassandra laughed. “I told you, I’m a bad influence on children. You should have known better than to leave them unsupervised around me.”

And just like that, I was back to caveman mode.

I looked up and found my dad and brothers wearing ear-to-ear grins.

“Someone needs to check the fence out by Nate’s house,” Momma said as she walked back in. “Looks like there’s a break in it.”

That was my cue.

I wiped my mouth and stood. “I want clean plates,” I said to Bree and Gracie. “Help Grandma with the dishes.” I tapped Cassandra on her shoulder. “Get up, trouble. You’re coming with me.”

“Why?” she said with her fork halfway to her mouth.

“You just told me I can’t leave you unsupervised. You wanna change my ranch, you gotta fix it first.”

“Fence-mending is not my forte. I’m more of a bridge burner.”

“I’ll go with you,” CJ said, finishing off his beer.

“Nah.” I hit Cassandra with a fiery look. “We’ll handle it. Let’s go.”

Luckily, I was able to march her out of the house without a single argument.

That was, until we got off the porch.

“I’m in heels. I don’t know what crawled up your ass in there, but I’m not walking all the way to their house in heels to watch you fix a fucking fence?—”

Her words turned to a screech as I threw her over my shoulder and marched across the grass.

My boots sunk into the dirt with each step.

Cassandra kicked, nearly stabbing me in the cheek with her shoe. “Put me down, Colossus! What is with this family and kidnapping people?”

I wrapped an arm around her legs to keep her still. “Do you need to be tied up, or will you stop trying to puncture me with a stiletto?”

“I’ll stop when you stop kidnapping me.”

“I asked nicely, and you didn’t come. So, let me be frank. You’re going to come, and I’m not going to ask.”

“Why do I have the feeling you’re not talking about fixing the fence?” she wheezed.

I cut through the grove of trees that shrouded Nate’s house from the rest of the property. The backside of their house edged the fence line on the front side of the ranch.

Sure enough, two of the posts were leaning.

I’d fix it later.

Cassandra was still yammering when I dropped her back on her feet. “What is the fucking matter with you, you giant, impossible, motherfuc?—”

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