Page 59 of Inheriting Miss Fortune

“You tell a story almost as good as my grandpa, and he’s been dead for thirty years.” I made a fake snoring noise.

Dev’s grin was adorable. I could tell he was passionate about the game. “Polo started two thousand years ago. It actually has a fascinating history. It’s one of the oldest recorded sports and has even been used for military training.”

“Know what the actual oldest sport is?” I asked. “Besides running, which was more of a survival thing than an actual sport.”

“Don’t say it,” he said, rolling his eyes as he headed to the kitchen.

“Two men wrestling. And thank god for that. Cave paintings showing this glorious invention date back fifteen thousand years in France, and I, for one, am an avid fan.”

We continued teasing each other while Dev moved to the kitchen and pulled out ingredients for smoothies. He dumped a mountain of frozen fruit, fresh spinach leaves, protein powder, and greek yogurt into a massive blender before turning it on.

He quickly poured the concoction into two travel mugs before handing one to me. “Coffee’s downstairs. Let’s go.”

We made our way downstairs, where Indigo was already pouring coffee from the large carafe in the tack room into a travel mug with rainbow and cartoon stickers plastered all over it. Dev moved over to a desk against the wall and swiped the laptop’s trackpad to wake it up. “Tully, while we’re riding out to feed the stock in the pastures, you can go through this tutorialvideo on the stock management software we use. Basically, today, we’re going to do a final check on who’s going where and whether everything’s up-to-date in their record. If they need vaccines, shoes, et cetera. Everything should be in order, but we want to make sure. Then tomorrow, you can help us manage the orders and double-check everyone’s going where they’re supposed to before updating locations and status for the stock being moved.”

I was relieved he was allowing me an important role without any further encouragement. For a moment, I was disappointed he hadn’t wanted me to mount up and join them on horseback, but then I realized he trusted me more than Indigo on a stock management software program. “No problem.”

He met my eyes. “And if you get done before we return, you can go up to the big house and check on Lellie.”

My heart went soft. “Want me to do that first?” I asked in a low enough voice Indigo wouldn’t hear.

He shook his head. “Hopefully, they’re already up, and I don’t want to look desperate.” He winked at me, which made my heart speed way back up.

After grabbing coffee and swallowing down half the smoothie, I followed the two of them out to the main aisle of the barn and watched as they fed and checked on the high-needs stock housed inside. Once they were done, Dev scribbled some notes on a scratch piece of paper and handed it to me. “Once you learn how to update stock records, you can add these notes from this morning, okay?”

I agreed and headed back to the tack room while they left to feed the horses in the farther pastures.

The computer work went by quickly. The system was easy enough to learn, and I finished everything Dev needed before taking off to the ranch house to find Lellie.

“Tuh-wee!” she said when Way led me into the kitchen from the front door. She was sitting in Jo’s lap at the kitchen table, waving her milk cup at me. I wanted to run to her and pull her into my arms, inhale the baby scent of her, and… take her back into my keeping.

It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. But for some reason, she felt a little bitmine, and it was going to be nearly impossible to say goodbye when the time came.

“Hi, babygirl,” I said, shoving the strange swell of emotion down. “How’d you do on your sleepover?”

She chattered at me without her usual intelligible language. I understood about a quarter of her words at best, but I was overjoyed to see she was plenty comfortable and happy with Silas, Way, and Jo.

I declined Silas’s offer of coffee but accepted the offer of bacon from the leftover slices resting on a paper towel.

Way glanced my way from where he was finishing his breakfast at the table. “Dev giving Indigo a hard time?”

I swallowed the salty bacon and reached for another piece. “Don’t think so. He calmed down last night after we got home.” Suddenly, I realized what I’d said. “Back! After we gotback.”

Way tilted his head at me, Silas made a funny noise in his throat, and Jo looked up from where she’d been helping Lellie with her cup.

I played it cool by choking on the bacon and gasping for breath.

They all continued to stare at me until I calmed down. I made sure to keep my eyes averted. From everyone.

“The two of you slept together!”

Shockingly, the exclamation came from Jo. Silas, Way, and I swiveled our heads in her direction as I tried not to choke again.

“Aunt Blake!” Way cried with a laugh.

“Jesus,” Silas muttered before turning to me. “She’s right, though, isn’t she?”

“Don’t answer that.” Dev’s voice was cool and collected, coming into the room like a serene tide. “And I apologize for my friends.” He said the last word with a hiss as he shot each of them a glare.

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