Page 35 of Brim Over Boot
“Come on,” he says, tugging me in the direction of Jackson’s house.
I sigh but follow along.
Jackson and Ash are already home when we arrive. The bonfire out back flickers to life, a tiny orange flame working through the wood in the pit as Jackson stokes it. It’s not dark yet, but it doesn’t matter.
I slump into an Adirondack chair, and a minute later, Ash passes me a whiskey tin.
“Thanks,” I mutter, taking a sip. The liquor burns, and I welcome it.
“Doing all right?” Jackson asks, settling into his chair across the fire. Ash follows him, all but sitting on my brother’s lap. Lawson is seated and silent to my right, his feet crossed at his ankles. Remi is a pretzel in the chair to my left.
“Fine,” I mumble.
“You did real good,” Remi says, to which the others nod or murmur their agreement.
“I lost.”
“Barely,” Lawson puts in.
“I feel like an idiot,” I admit, sucking in a breath. “I wasso sureI was gonna win. So sure.”
“It doesn’t make you any less of a farrier,” Jackson says. “No one’s gonna think that.”
I shake my head. “It’s not even…”
It’s not even about that, is it? Not really. IknowI’m a good farrier. I’m damn fucking good at my job.
It was just about—fuck. Getting one over on Noah King for once? Proving to him I’m worth more than whatever it is he sees when he looks at me?
“Folks had fun today, Colt,” Lawson says, pulling me out of my thoughts. “They loved watching you and Noah compete. You should be proud of what you accomplished.”
My chest burns, and I can’t even chalk it up to the whiskey. “I don’t feel proud.”
There’s a long silence that follows my words, the fire crackling.
When Ash slaps the tops of his thigh, I nearly jump. “All right,” he says, all chipper. “How about that Noah fucking King?”
Jackson snorts, and I huff my own laugh, unable to help it.
“The worst,” Remi says, his lips twitching.
“Seems pretty surly,” Jackson puts in.
“Really?” Ash asks, looking back at him. “This coming from you?”
Jackson scowls, and Ash laughs, reaching up to pull my brother down into a quick kiss. It’s so cute I want to fling myself into the fire.
“You know I like you that way,” Ash replies, patting Jackson’s cheek.
“Oh God,” I groan. “It’s end days, isn’t it? Jackson is smiling, and Noah fucking King is beating me at my own game. What’s next? Fire raining from the sky? Lawson getting laid again?”
“Wait, what?” my oldest brother says, a frown on his face.
“You probably would’ve won if it weren’t for that polish,” Remi says, my most favorite person ever.
“See? Yes,” I cry, sitting forward in my seat. “I would’ve. Because I’m a damn expert at my craft. And Noah King is…issneaky. And I don’t like him. And what the fuck is up with that last name? King? As if. The man doesn’t deserve a crown, and there ain’t no way I’ll ever kneel before him.”
I sit back with a huff, my skin feeling hot, adrenaline coursing through me. I prefer it to the numbness I felt before at hearing Noah declared the winner of the Shoein’. I’d rather be pissed at the guy than sad for myself.
