Page 44 of Dallas
“That’s going to take a while, baby. You can’t open the library until there is running water for the bathrooms. The plumber says the pipe damage is extensive. He needs time to get the parts and assess the situation further.”
The sound of a deep male voice I know well suddenly comes from the front of the house. I chuckle as I stand.
“Is that your brother?” Ryder asks.
“Yep.” I turn to look for him, but he finds us first.
“I thought I smelled food,” Brody says as he saunters into the dining room.
I take a few steps to hug him in our brotherly, manly fashion.
Ryder joins me and extends a hand. “Good to see you, man. It’s been a few years.”
“Yeah, well, leave it to our eccentric old grandfather to bring a family together.” He smirks.
“Oh, Lord, not another smirking Wilde cousin,” Claire says, smiling. “I don’t think we can take another one in the house. The mansion is big, but all the smirking is way over the top.”
Brody rounds to Claire. “You must be Claire.” He bends over to kiss her cheek before returning his attention to Ryder. “You dog. I heard you arrived and got hitched five seconds later. And then your brother Tiago, too? Where is he?” Brody glances around.
“Honeymoon in Florida,” Ryder informs him.
Brody turns back to me and then glances at Arianna. “Don’t tell me you’ve caught the bug, too.”
I grin. “Brody, this is Arianna. Arianna, my older brother Brody. He’s Amos Wilde’s oldest grandchild.”
Arianna stands, but she still clenches her thighs together. I’m sure she wants to slap me about now for making her wear that plug to dinner. “Nice to meet you,” she says as she holds out her hand.
Brody isn’t having it, though. He pulls her in for a hug before grabbing her shoulders and holding her at arm’s length. He searches her face. “Damn, you have stars in your eyes.” He glances at me. “Fuck me. So do you. Is there something in the water in Wilde?”
I chuckle. “It would seem so.”
“Well, I’m not drinking it then. I’ve got bottled water in my truck. I can only stay a month. I left my foreman in charge in San Antonio. I’ll help y’all get a handle on your construction issues, and then I gotta get back to Texas.”
“I thought you were bringing another guy with you. Haden, was it?”
Brody nods. “Yep. He’ll be here soon. He’s wrapping some things up for me. He’ll take over the renovations at the house while I deal with whatever you’ve got going on in town.” Brody wanders slowly around the dining room, looking at every corner and the ceiling. “This is quite the place.”
“Have a seat,” I tell him. “We were just eating.”
Gretchen scurries into the room with another plate and place setting. She’s grinning from ear to ear. I swear, the more of us arrive, the happier this woman is. She thrives on filling this monstrosity with life. “What can I get you to drink, Brody?”
He turns toward her. “Oh, uh, a beer would be great if you have it. Thank you, ma’am.”
Gretchen sets her hands on her hips and gives him a narrow-eyed glare. “I’ll get you a beer if you promise not to call me ma’am. Gretchen is fine.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Brody chuckles.
Gretchen rolls her eyes and spins around to head back toward the kitchen.
Brody takes a seat. “Damn, that smells good.”
“Gretchen is an amazing cook,” Ryder tells him.
We all return to our seats, and I point toward Arianna’s plate. “Eat, baby.”
Ryder does the same. “You, too, Claire. Unless you want me to take that pump out of the box later…”
She turns toward him and swats him with both hands.
