Page 49 of Hit the Ground
I shook off the thought. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t going there.
Eventually, Silas let Jesse up off the ground, but only if Jesse carried him. My boy loved his cousin, so Silas didn’t have to twist his arm much. He scooped him up, and Silas roared in victory before snuggling into Jesse’s hold.
Remi and I exchanged a long look, and my heart gave a hard kick inside my chest. It was cool as hell to share this with him. After all the years we’d been friends, we were now brothers, and our kids were cousins. Never would have seen it coming, but I was happy it had.
My sister could do a better job not sucking the life out of his neck, but that was Hannah. No one could tell her what to do. If we tried, she’d go even harder. Thankfully, Remi rarely showed up with hickies anymore, but it still happened on occasion.
Hannah was in the kitchen with our mom and grandmother. Grandma was supervising while Mom and Hannah finished cooking dinner. Remi joined them, shadowing Hannah like he was wont to do. My father and grandad were at the long kitchen table, which never seemed to run out of space, no matter how many family members we added.
Once they’d greeted everyone, Jesse and Silas sat on the other side of the table where Silas had abandoned his plastic trains, which had once belonged to Jesse. My heart gave yet another kick at them together. Jesse would have been a great big brother. At least he now had a cousin to play with. Hopefully, Phoebe and Deke would give him another one soon. Maybe one day, we’d have a whole brood. The table could hold it.
“Caleb.” My grandad’s deep voice drew my attention. His hair was pure white now, but his shoulders were still broad, his back still straight. The man had been born a rancher, and he’d dieone. “Did you get the herd moved over to the south meadow this week?”
I pulled out a chair next to him and sat down. “Yeah, we moved them Tuesday. They’ll have good graze there for a couple weeks.”
Dad rubbed his scruffy chin. “Did you see how that lower slope’s filling in? Might be worth giving it another week before we put anything back on it.”
“That’s what I was thinking too.” I leaned back, threading my fingers together on my stomach. “If we push it too soon, we’ll end up with bare patches again. That’s not gonna do us any favors next year.”
Grandad grunted in approval. “It's always better to be patient. Cattle can’t eat what isn’t there.”
I didn’t mind them questioning me. Grandad had been technically retired for a couple decades, but he lived on this ranch. It was in his blood. He and my dad had taught me everything they knew. I still had Dad out there with me part time, and I’d take it as long as he wanted to give it.
“Enough of this shop talk at the dinner table,” Grandma cut in, her crisp voice softened only by the smile in her eyes. She might’ve been stern, but she loved all her boys. She wiped her hands on a linen towel and turned toward us, diamond earrings glinting beneath her silvery-blonde hair, swept back in a tortoiseshell clip. “You can discuss cows and grass during work hours. Right now, we’re going to sit down as a family and talk about absolutely anything else.”
“Yes, Lily, my love,” Grandad said with a wink.
Dad straightened, giving his mom a grin. “You heard her, Caleb. Ranch talk’s banned until dessert.”
“Fine by me,” I said, letting my shoulders relax as I looked around the kitchen. Hannah was plating up rolls, Mom was stirring gravy on the stove, and Grandma was directing Remias he folded napkins to her specifications. Jesse and Silas were crashing trains and cracking each other up.
Yeah. This was what it was all about. The long days, the hard work, the never-ending worry about grass and cattle and business—it all led back here. To family. To this table.
As I was about to ask where Cormac was, the front door opened, and my brother’s voice called out, “On your best behavior, everybody. We’ve got a guest.”
Guest? Huh. As far as I knew, Cormac wasn’t seeing anyone. He dated here and there, but his heart had taken a licking back in college, and he’d never quite moved on.
Curiosity had me shifting in my chair to look toward the entryway.
Cormac appeared a moment later, tall and broad in his work clothes, the collar of his button-down open, sleeves rolled to his elbows. But it wasn’t him who had snagged all the attention in the room.
It was the woman walking beside him.
Alice was here—in my parents’ home.
Her hair was pulled back in a loose braid over one shoulder, and she wore a pale-purple dress that skimmed her knees. She clutched the strap of her purse, and her eyes were wide, like she was shocked she’d ended up here.
“Look who I found out front,” Cormac said, his voice filled with amusement as he guided her into the kitchen, a hand on her back.
Mom turned from the stove, her face lighting up. “Alice darling, I was worried you might not come.”
Alice’s wide gaze swept over me before locking on my mother. “I didn’t realize the whole family would be here. If I’m intruding…”
Would she not have come if she’d known? Was it that unpleasant to spend time with me? I’d done her wrong, but I’dthought we’d moved past that. Maybe not. Maybe I hadn’t done enough to convince her I’d done an asshole thing, but wasn’t a jackass at heart.
“Nonsense,” Grandma said, striding over to take her purse and set it on the counter. “You’re not intruding. We always have room for one more. Or two. Or ten. Come sit down. Dinner’s almost ready.”
Alice gave her a tremulous smile and turned toward the table. There were a lot of empty seats. She had her pick.
