Page 110 of Boston
“Sure am.”
“Sit down. I want to show you something.”
“Can we do it over dinner?” Beth asked. “It’s ready.” She tossed a pair of oven mitts onto the counter and indicated the sheet tray, which held three perfectly browned breaded chicken breasts and a whole slew of roasted potatoes.
“Yeah, let’s eat,” Cash said.
“How was your meeting?” Boston asked. “What were you doing?”
“I was just talking to Harvey at the NRA,” he said. “I’m good if I don’t ride this year. In fact, I don’t have to ride for years, and I can still maintain my membership, and I can come back any time.”
“That’s great news, Cash,” Beth said.
Boston followed his cousin and put a little bit of everything on his plate. Beth came to the table last and looked at them.
“I’ll say grace,” she said, and both Boston and Cash bowed their heads.
“Dear Heavenly Father,” she said, and Boston started to relax even more. “We are so grateful for Thy bounty on Earth and that Thou hast seen us as worthy to receive it. We’re grateful for the opportunities that we have in our young lives to go to school and work and figure out who we are and who You would like us to become. Bless each of us here that we can continue to work on that and that we will make not only our parents proud and carry the Young family name right, but that You will be well pleased with us too.
“Bless Boston with whatever is making him grumpy that it will get better, and bless Cash on whatever next adventure he has in store for him.”
She cleared her throat, something Boston had not heard Beth do very often. He’d known her since they were both children and their parents had gotten married. They’d grown up together, only a year apart, and she was practical, down to earth, and intelligent. No, he didn’t like the way she hesitated, as if she too struggled with something.
“Bless me, too, Lord,” she finally said, her voice only a tiny bit pinched. “As I prepare to return to Maryland, far away from my family and support system. Bless me that I can have a better living situation this year than I did last year, because I think weboth know that I can’t go through that again, and I really would like to finish my master’s degree.”
Boston did open his eyes then, and he looked at Beth, her face scrunched in concentration. He’d had no idea that she hadn’t enjoyed her housing situation last year, and he determined that he needed to get outside his own problems, and focus on other people. He’d never really been very good at that, but as he sat there at the table with his half-sister and his cousin, it felt like God had joined them and was leaning over and whispering in Boston’s ear a few things that he needed to do better.
“Bless this food,” Beth said. “I personally am grateful that I get to be here with Boston and Cash and live like a real adult away from my parents. Amen.”
“Amen, sister,” Cash said. He immediately picked up his fork and knife, but Boston watched Beth as she quickly swiped her bangs off her forehead and used that motion to also wipe one of her eyes. She too picked up her fork and wouldn’t look at him, which meant she didn’t want to answer any questions. When their gazes finally locked, she offered him a small smile. He gave it back and nodded just once, simply so she’d know he’d heard her, and he believed that God had too.
“All right,” Cash said, his voice still bright and vibrant. The dark soul and rodeo cowboy he’d been for so long seemed to have disappeared here in Coral Canyon. “I found a property that I think we should buy together.”
He nudged his phone closer to Boston, who still hadn’t picked up a utensil. He blinked at Cash, sure he hadn’t heard him correctly.
“A property?” he asked. “Thatweshould buytogether?”
“Yeah.” Cash grinned at him. “It’s perfect, Boston. I mean, it’s a little rough around the edges.” He looked down at his phone again, his message clear.Pick that thing up and look atit.“It’s already got two full houses on it, so we could buy it and live on the property together, even if we get married and have families.”
Boston’s gaze flicked over to Beth, who had her eyebrows sky high.
“I don’t even know if I can afford anything right now,” Boston said.
“It’s definitely bigger than I’d want,” Cash said. “Because I just want to do a cutting horse operation, but I know you want to farm, and this is big enough for that, and you could still work at Silver Sage and do guided tours…if you wanted.”
Boston reached for the phone and picked it up. “How big is it?”
“Seventy-seven acres,” Cash said. “It’s a corner property with a house on each side. You could come and go, and I’d never know.” He chuckled, “Because, you know, when you and Cora get married?—”
Boston looked up sharply. “I don’t know about that,” he mumbled. “We barely talk anymore.”
“It’s just because you’re busy,” Beth said.
Boston nodded because he didn’t want to argue or talk about Cora. He really liked her, but he’d never been in love with anyone before. So how could he possibly say that there was more to their relationship than fast attraction and a fun summer together?
A fun couple of weeks, Boston amended in his mind as he looked down at the phone.
The farm had been called The Seventy-Seven and Boston hated it upon sight. If he really bought this place with Cash, they would have to rename it. It had seventy-seven photos and sevens everywhere—on the sides of barns, the mailbox, and hanging from the back deck of one of the houses.
