Page 56 of Conveniently Wed
Tuck’s Station couldn’t arrive fast enough.
“He tell you why?” Edgar asked finally, curiosity getting the better of him.
“No. He’s keeping to himself, real suspicious.”
Edgar nodded. “You think he’ll finish the job?”
Matty squinted beneath the brim of his Stetson. He chewed on a piece of grass, the thin green line bobbling between his lips when he spoke. “He knows someone’s following us. He ain’t gonna leave you in danger. Possible danger.”
Edgar wasn’t so sure his brother’s loyalty was to him, not after the last aborted conversation they’d had. “He owes it to Pa to do right by the cattle. We all do.”
Matty’s eyes shifted over to him. His brow was furrowed. “Pa didn’t take us in to count some kind of debt.”
“I know.”
“You sure?”
Matty’s pointed question made Edgar look away, watching the last of the cowboys swing up into the saddle.
Jonas had never asked Edgar to work on the homestead, now the growing ranch. He hadn’t had to. Edgar had wanted to pay back his adoptive pa for taking him in and giving him a home when no one else would. Jonas had given him a place to lay his head, love, support, everything.
It mattered. And that’s why Edgar had to do this job right.
What would he do if Ricky left the herd and the job behind? They had just enough cowboys to wrangle the animals where they needed to go. Would his brother be selfish enough to leave the job unfinished?
Should Edgar try to talk to him again, smooth things over?
“Someone’s glad to see you.”
Edgar followed Matty’s nod to Fran as she picked her way across the couple of bedrolls that hadn’t been secured on their owners’ horses. She moved toward where he and his brother sat, downing the remains of their pan-fried biscuits.
She was smiling, beaming at him.
He looked down, examining himself. Had he smeared some dirt or grease across his body, or otherwise forgotten to button something up?
Nope. Everything seemed in order, from his boots to his chin. He leaned back into the saddle he was propped against and pushed back his Stetson to see her better as she approached.
“Good morning,” she greeted.
He narrowed his eyes at her, trying to understand what had happened between last night when he’d left her near tears and this morning.
“Mornin’,” he mumbled around a bite of biscuit.
She didn’t reprimand him for his poor manners, but leaned down and bussed his cheek.
He choked on his biscuit.
“Let me refill your coffee before I start cleaning up.” She took the mug from his suddenly nerveless fingers and turned away.
He registered his brother practically rolling on the ground at the stunned expression he must have been wearing.
“Knock it off,” he growled, thumping Matty’s leg with his boot.
“You just—hee hee hee—you look so thunderstruck!”
He felt thunderstruck.
He was a cad, and she should be angry with him.
