Page 14 of Comforted By The Mountain Man
"Thank you for having us," Sierra replies, and I can hear the effort it takes for her to sound normal. "This is my son, Ryder."
"Hi Ryder!" Grace crouches down to his level. "I've heard you like superheroes. Did you know we have a whole collection of superhero movies?"
Ryder's eyes go wide. "Really? Do you have Hulk?"
"We absolutely do. Maybe after dinner we can watch some together."
The kid practically vibrates with excitement, and even Sierra's shoulders relax a fraction.
"Come in, come in," Grace says, ushering us inside. "Everyone's in the living room pretending to be civilized."
The house smells like roast chicken and something else that makes my mouth water. Grace has turned into quite the cook since marrying Beckett, though she insists it's just practice for when they start having kids of their own.
We enter the living room, where my brothers are scattered around like they own the place. Which, technically, they do. Family dinners have been rotating between houses since Beckett and Grace got married, and tonight was Grace's turn to host.
"About time," West calls from his spot on the couch. "We were starting to think you chickened out."
"Had to fix a plumbing emergency," I explain, then turn to make introductions. "Everyone, this is Sierra Martinez and her son Ryder. They're staying in the old Fletcher cabin."
Beckett rises from his chair, offering Sierra a polite nod. "Ma'am. Welcome to Eden Ridge."
"Thank you," Sierra says, and I notice how she keeps Ryder close to her side, one hand resting protectively on his shoulder.
Grayson offers a brief military style greeting, filled with politeness and proper manners. Nash gives a casual wave from where he's leaning against the mantle, studying Sierra with those sharp eyes that miss nothing. West, predictably, is the most welcoming.
"Hey there, Ryder," West says, crouching down like Grace did. "That's a pretty cool Hulk you've got there."
Ryder beams and launches into an explanation of all of Hulk's powers while West listens with exaggerated amazement. Sierra watches this interaction with something like wonder, as if she can't quite believe strange men are being kind to her son.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Grace asks. "Wine? Beer? Sweet tea?"
"Sweet tea sounds perfect," Sierra says, and Grace leads her toward the kitchen with Ryder trailing behind, still chattering about superheroes.
As soon as they're out of earshot, my brothers close ranks.
"She's running from something," Grayson says without preamble. "The way she scanned the room, checked the exits. That's survival behavior."
"Could be an abusive ex," Nash adds. "Seen it before. Single mom with a kid who jumps at shadows."
"Maybe we should mind our own business," Beckett suggests, though his tone says he's noticed the same things.
"Asher offered her a job," West says, grinning. "At the distillery. Doing books."
Three pairs of eyes turn to me. "Did you now?" Grayson raises an eyebrow.
"She's got experience. We need help. It seemed logical."
"Since when do you make hiring decisions without consulting the rest of us?" Nash asks.
"Since Ezra started drowning in paperwork and complaining about it every family dinner for the past month," I shoot back.
"Point taken," Beckett concedes. "But we should probably discuss terms, pay scale, that kind of thing."
From the kitchen comes the sound of Grace's laughter mixed with Ryder's excited chatter. Sierra's voice is quieter, more reserved, but I can hear her responding to Grace's questions with careful politeness.
"She seems nice enough," West observes. "Kid's definitely a charmer."
"Kid's also been through something," Grayson says. "Watch how he positions himself between his mother and any potential threats. That's learned behavior."
