Page 7 of Beat around the Bush
Callan took a bite of the barbeque chicken on his plate and waved his fork at me. “I think she’s asking how it went, Len.”
Everyone else’s plates were cleared, indicating he had a riding lesson that went late. We all had dinner at my parents’ house a few times a month. Beckham, our other brother, was rarely here, being busy on the road with bronc riding in the rodeo. We all hoped he’d retire soon, being three years away from thirty now.
“It went fine,” I said.
“Mr. Talkative today, huh?” Bailey pressed.
“And you guys thought I was the closed-off grump.” Reed scoffed. He was the closest in age to me, but we weren’t as close as me and some of my other siblings. To be fair, though, Reed wasn’t close with many people besides Bailey. We all grew up together, but Reed and Bailey were always hanging out together before Bailey and Lettie finally got together.
I looked to my mom for help, but she just offered me a small smile.
“I hired her,” I announced.
Lettie let out a squeal. “That’s so great! She seemed really sweet. I’m sure she’ll do well at the store.” Lettie was the reason Oakley had an interview set up in the first place. They’d met at a fundraising event for the horse rescue, and Lettie had suggested she apply to the feed store when Oakley asked if they were hiring.
I grunted, crossing my arms. “I don’t know about sweet.”
My mom gasped. “Lennon Bronson, you be nice when you’re talking about her.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t think she was nice. She was. In fact, she was so damn pleasant and delightful that I had to kick myself in the shin for wanting to spend more time around her.
“She’s just an employee. I’m sure she’ll quit in a few months and I’ll be back on the hunt for another cashier.”
Callan raised his fork again. “Andthatis why I will never work retail. Too many unreliable workers.”
“Cal, you literally teach kids how to ride horses. You’ve had more no-shows this month than days I’ve had a sore back,” Reed said. Being a farrier came with daily back pain, the job always having him bent over beside horses as he nailed shoes into their hooves.
Callan scowled at him. “That’s definitely false. But I’m building a better clientele, in case you were wondering.”
“More hot moms?” Bailey asked, a shit-eating grin on his face.
Lettie whacked him on the arm and I couldn’t help the chuckle that passed my lips. Bailey feigned hurt, rubbing at his bicep.
“You kids are more entertaining than the evening news,” my dad grumbled.
Reed’s eyes narrowed. “We’re not kids.”
“With the way you lot act? I wouldn’t have guessed it.” It was my mom’s turn to bump my dad’s arm. “What? Do you hear them?”
“They’re having fun, Travis. Try it once in a while,” she said.
“I do have fun,” he retorted.
Reed gave one of his rare smiles. “When? Reading the newspaper?”
My dad’s signature frown deepened at the corners. “Crosswords are entertaining.”
My mom rolled her eyes, standing from her chair to stack the plates. “Let me get those, Mom. Sit down,” I insisted.
She did, stacking her utensils on her plate. “Thank you, Len.”
“Of course.”
Callan stood to help grab the dirty dishes, following me inside the house with them. I got to work loading them into the dishwasher as he wiped the counters.
“You talk to the rental guy?” he asked.
“I sent him an email last week, but no response yet.” I’d been thinking about purchasing the building that we leased for Tumbleweed Feed. Since I took over the business, I didn’t see the point in wasting money leasing the building any longer. I didn’t see myself doing anything other than owning that store and helping out on the ranch, so it was the last step before it was officially mine.
