by Liz Isaacson
“Oh, boy.” Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Do they know you’re thirty-five-years-old?”
“You know, age doesn’t come up as much as you might think it does.”
“You have gray hair.”
“I’m distinguished,” he said, laughing. After all, that was Skyler’s solution to everything: laugh. Make a joke. Stand out, but keep the spotlight on someone else. Then he didn’t have to share anything real with anyone, even his brothers. He didn’t have to talk about how deeply his complete failure as a mechanic and business owner had scarred him. He didn’t even have to think about it.
He danced, and laughed, and bought fresh fruit smoothies for everyone. If Skyler Walker was anything, it was the life of the party. Always.
But in his private, quiet moments…he barely recognized himself or his life anymore. He still wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.
And this moment was too quiet. “Are you going to come to the summer dance this weekend?” he asked.
“Absolutely not,” Wyatt said.
“Why not?” Skyler looked at him. “There are some older cowboys like us that go.”
“Y’all have fun then.”
Skyler smiled, because smiling over the top of pain had become second nature. “You don’t want to go because you’re hung up on Marcy.”
“I’m not ‘hung up’ on her.” Wyatt scoffed. “I like her, and as soon as she has space in her life, I’m going to be in it.”
“You sound awfully sure of that.”
“I am sure of that,” he said, looking at Skyler. “Don’t tell me you don’t have one woman in Amarillo you thought seriously about.”
“Maybe one or two,” Skyler said with a shrug. He didn’t want to get married, and he was fine without a steady girlfriend. He knew how to get invited to the parties and events, and he knew he had a certain charm and charisma that drew people to him. After a couple of weeks, his place was the place to be, and he didn’t even have to leave the apartment. He didn’t have to clean up afterward either, because he had plenty of money for a housekeeper, for food, for replacement dishes if his got broken.
Not that he was throwing keggers out of the apartment he’d rented in Amarillo. But he rolled out of bed thirty minutes before class, brushed his teeth, and left the mess to Geraldine. Done.
“One or two,” Wyatt said, shaking his head. “Did you date them at the same time?”
“I don’t date anyone,” Skyler said. “A date here and one there isn’t dating.”
“Well, at least we agree on that.”
“Hey, listening to you and Jeremiah pine after your women is enough for me.”
“I do not pine,” Wyatt said. “And Jeremiah says nothing.”
“Why do you think that is?” Skyler looked at Wyatt, moving into his serious mode. When it came to his brothers, he was fiercely protective, and he’d do anything for them. “How’s he really doing?”
“He’s dating Whitney Wilde, and he sure does like her.”
“He doesn’t bring her around the ranch.”
“Would you?” Wyatt chuckled. “I mean, I’m planning to keep Marcy away for as long as possible, especially when everyone is here. We’re loud, Sky.”
Skyler tipped his head back and laughed, and sure enough, the booming sound went right up into the atmosphere. “I guess we are.”
“Plus, he works a ton.”
“Less now, I think,” Skyler said. “He actually does seem like he’s making some good progress now that he’s seeing that counselor.”
“He sure does.”
Skyler let the conversation lull again, because he’d been toying with the idea of contacting the same doctor Jeremiah had been seeing. Maybe he could move past some of the emotional blocks he felt in his soul too. Or maybe they were fine.
His phone rang, and he pulled it from his back pocket. “It’s Bennett.”
“Oh, your boyfriend,” Wyatt teased, but Skyler just rolled his eyes as he swiped on the call.
“Hey, Ben. What’s up?”
“I just tried Wyatt, and he’s not answering. Can you tell him the puppies are ready to be picked up?”
Skyler swung toward Wyatt. “He’s right here.” He moved the phone away from his mouth. “The puppies are ready.”
“Oh, let’s go.”
“We’re on our way out.”
Bennett asked, “Are you going to the dance this weekend?”
“Thinking about it,” Skyler said, a familiar tactic for him. He never committed to something first. Maybe there would be something better he should be doing, and he didn’t want to be roped into one thing too soon.
Wyatt swung down from the fence, and Skyler followed him. He led his horse toward the stables while Bennett said, “I’m going just to see. Me and JD, if you want to hang out with us, watch from the sidelines for the first little bit.”
“I’ll probably be there,” he said.
“See you in a minute,” Bennett said, and Skyler hung up so he could brush down Fixed Ticket and put him back in his stall. He gave him a big bucket of oats, just like he promised if the horse would slip back into the rodeo champion he’d been, and he cupped his hands on both sides of the horse’s nose.
“Good boy, Ticket,” he said. “See you tomorrow.” He did love living here at Seven Sons. It was like God Himself had reached down from heaven and touched the land with the tip of his finger. There was just something special about it. Healing. Restorative.
He and Wyatt went next door, because Jeremiah could often be found catnapping in the loft, and sure enough, he poked his head over the railing after the door had slammed shut.
“Your dogs are ready to be picked up,” Wyatt said. “Wanna go?”
“Yes.” Jeremiah climbed down the ladder and dusted bits of straw from his shoulders. “We have everything, right?”
“We have bowls, collars, and leashes,” Wyatt said. “Bennett said you’d get a bag of food for him when you picked him up. Then you can get more when you know what kind he’s been eating.”
“I think I’m going to put him on a raw diet,” Jeremiah said.
“Of course you are,” Skyler said, a blip of true happiness stealing through him. “I could’ve called that.”
“What in the world is that?” Wyatt asked.
“You know, real food,” Jeremiah said as they made their way toward the homestead. “Those bagged dog foods have so much grain in them. They’re not good for your canine.”
“Ooh, canine,” Skyler joked, elbowing Jeremiah in the ribs. Sometimes he felt decades younger than his more stoic older brother, especially since Jeremiah’s wedding fiasco a few years ago. Skyler wanted to tell him if he just pushed it all away and surrounded himself with other people all the time, he’d be fine.
But Jeremiah had gone to the right while Skyler had taken a complete left after a devastating setback. And the one time Skyler had called being stood up at the altar a “setback” Jeremiah had clocked him right in the mouth. So all things considering, Jeremiah was definitely doing better.
“I don’t want to drive,” Jeremiah said.
“Me either,” Wyatt said quickly, before Skyler even knew what was happening. He looked back and forth between his two brothers.
“Fine,” he said. “You guys are such babies.”
“It’s a long way to Three Rivers Ranch,” Jeremiah said, yawning. “I’m tired.” He went up the steps to the back deck first, and Skyler waited to go last. His brothers would wash up and then they’d go.
Jeremiah was right, and over an hour later, Skyler finally made the turn from asphalt to dirt to get to the ranch. Bennett lived in one of the neat, little cabins behind the barns and stables and other outbuildings, but they didn’t need to go romping around the ranch to find him.
They weren’t the only ones there to pick up their puppy, and Bennett had the little rascals in a pen on the front lawn of the sprawling homestead of the ranch. Across the street from it sat a second homestead, and while Skyler had b
een out to Three Rivers once before, he had the strong thought that the brothers needed to do that at Seven Sons.
He was going to school for accounting, to be able to manage the ranch’s finances. He shouldn’t have to live with Jeremiah forever, especially if anything happened with Jeremiah and Whitney. He couldn’t really imagine Jeremiah risking his heart and agreeing to another wedding, but Skyler had thought he could fix cars. So anything was possible.
About ten kids laughed and squealed as they played with the puppies on the grass. Skyler smiled at their exuberance while Wyatt and Jeremiah started talking to Bennett about business. Money and paperwork were exchanged, and Jeremiah bent to clip on one collar, then another.
He was beaming like the moon when he straightened, and Skyler couldn’t help smiling too. Jeremiah had been through a lot, and Skyler knew the power of having a constant companion, a good friend, to greet him when he walked through the door. Not only that, but these dogs would go everywhere with Jeremiah. He’d train them to herd cattle, and they’d be his shadows for the rest of their lives. Skyler was actually a little jealous of Jeremiah, not for the first time in his life.
Jeremiah had been a god in high school. Rhett was the oldest, but Rhett was a bit quieter, a bit more academic. Jeremiah had been the athlete in the family, popular and kind despite it, and Skyler had looked up to him more than he’d ever admitted to anyone, ever.
“Ready?” Jeremiah asked, holding both leashes in one hand.
“That was a long drive for five minutes of pick-up,” Skyler complained. “You’re buying me dinner.”
“Pick the place,” Jeremiah said. “As long as we can order now and pick-up when we get there, or drive through somewhere.” He gazed down lovingly at his two new cattle pups. “They can’t wait in the car.”
Skyler nodded at Wyatt. “Call Spears. You know what I like.”
“Oh, boy,” Wyatt muttered under his breath, but he tapped before he lifted the phone to his ear. Skyler knew Spears wasn’t Jeremiah’s favorite—maybe that was why he’d picked the teriyaki bowl specialists?—but he’d survive.
“Brown rice for me,” he said as Wyatt started to order, and Skyler made a fake gagging noise.
“All right, guys,” Jeremiah said, lifting both puppies into his arms to put them in the back seat with him. He completely ignored Skyler’s teasing about his taste for brown rice. “You’ll have to learn how to jump into the truck real soon. But for now, you can ride right here with me.” He grinned at Skyler and added, “Close the door for me, would you?”
Skyler did, shaking his head though he was secretly glad his brother had so much joy streaming from him.
He’d forgotten what it felt to have that in his life, and a keen sense of mourning moved through him as he opened the driver’s door and got behind the wheel. Soon enough, he’d be at the dance, and he wouldn’t have to be reminded of how empty his life was.
Chapter Thirteen
“Oh, my goodness, look at them.” Whitney crouched down and let Jeremiah’s new puppies jump at her face and lick her.
“Guys,” he said sternly, tugging on their leashes. “Stop it. That’s impolite.”
But Whitney didn’t mind. Three weeks had passed since Jeremiah had talked to her about marrying him to prove a point to his brothers, but he hadn’t brought it up again. Not one time. Whitney almost had a couple of times—he’d said they could talk about it—but in the end, she’d chickened out.
“What are their names?” she asked.
“This one with the white patch around her eye is Willow. This fine fellow is Winston.” He pulled the puppy away from one of Whitney’s sneakers. “He’s a wily one, but really smart.”
“They’re so dang cute.” She scooped Willow into her arms and let the puppy lick her face again, despite Jeremiah’s protests. She laughed at the squirming puppy flesh, the way the tail kept whacking the back of the couch. “C’mon in. You want to put them in the backyard?”
“It’s fenced?”
“All the way,” she said, though she’d already confirmed this fact for him on the phone earlier.
Whitney wasn’t complaining about the last three weeks. She and Jeremiah had spent a lot of time together, especially on the weekends. He wasn’t afraid to take her out, and he held her hand as they went for early-morning walks, before the sun heated the day too much.
She stifled a yawn as he released the puppies from their leashes. Winston ran right outside, nearly tumbling down the steps, while Willow approached more cautiously. Jeremiah turned back to her, all smiles, but even Whitney wasn’t expecting him to sweep his arm around her and ask, “They’re great, right? I mean, just great.”
Whitney giggled and grabbed onto his impressive biceps as her balance tipped. “They really are. I give you a week before they can shake, roll over, speak, and herd a couple thousand head of cattle.” She liked the way the heat of his body melted into hers, and wow, he smelled like pine trees and spicy soap, with maybe a hint of mint.
Her eyes automatically dropped to his mouth, and she forced them upward again, only to find Jeremiah looking at her lips too.
And suddenly, she wanted to kiss him very, very badly. Well, maybe she’d been thinking about doing that for at least a couple of weeks now, but while they spent a lot of time together, not much of it was in complete privacy.
Jeremiah cleared his throat and stepped back, releasing her and turning to face the backyard. “Are we still going hiking?”
“Yes,” she said. “Yeah.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked around for her shoes, though they weren’t in the kitchen. “You wanna fill up the backpacks?”
“Yes,” he said. He got busy at the sink while she went into the living room and started lacing up her hiking boots. Jeremiah had picked up his puppies last night, and he’d called with a laugh in his voice while one of the pups yipped in the background.
They seemed to be able to get ready at the same time now, and he went into the backyard to get his dogs while she took the backpacks out to her grandfather’s truck. He brought the dogs right into the cab with them, something that surprised her. “You don’t make them ride in the back?”
“I’m scared one of them will fall out,” he admitted. “I’m going to wait until they’re a little older.”
She fired up the engine and backed out of the driveway. “So are we ever going to talk about, you know, the proposal thing?”
“Why don’t you talk about it?” he asked.
“Okay, so it’s almost June,” she said. “We’ve been dating for a month.”
“Have we?”
Whitney whipped her attention to him. “We haven’t? Are you seeing someone else?”
“No,” he said. “No, nothing like that.”
“Then why wouldn’t we be seeing each other?”
“I don’t know,” he muttered, focusing out his window. “I just hadn’t thought about it.”
“You’re a bad liar,” she said. “You think more than any person I know.” She made a turn to go east, into the hillier parts of the panhandle, if any of it could be considered hilly. She and Jeremiah had hiked out here for several mornings, but one of the trails didn’t allow dogs. She drove on to the second one, expecting Jeremiah to say something.
She’d parked before he said, “I’ve thought a lot about it.”
“And?”
“And honestly, I think it’s still a good idea.” He got out of the truck and focused on clipping the leashes to the dogs’ collars. “Down,” he said. “Come on, guys. Down.”
Both dogs did what he said, and Jeremiah closed the door and stepped to the back of the truck. Whitney got out and put her water pack on too, watching Jeremiah the whole time. He seemed perfectly relaxed, which was a bit different than she’d seen in the past. She could always tell how he really felt by the tenseness in his jaw, but now…no tension.
He glanced over at her, and Whitney quickly ducked her head. “You want me to take one of them?” she asked.
> “No, I want them to walk on the leash together.” He shouldered his pack too and went to the end of the tailgate. He extended his hand toward her, and she easily slipped her fingers into his.
“I’d do it,” Whitney said. “And not just because I booked a wedding that would be perfect at Seven Sons.”
Jeremiah chuckled, his hand tightening against hers. “That’s the deal, and I won’t even question you about it.”
“I might bring in fake corn stalks and stuff. It’s an October wedding.”
“Love, we’ll have plenty of corn stalks in October.”
“Pumpkins?”
“I’ve already planted them.”
Whitney thought about what kind of baby shoots she could do on the ranch, but that would require divulging her secret, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that. “Let’s talk about specifics. I’d live at the ranch…don’t you have two brothers who live there?”
“My bedroom is massive,” he said. “Like, huge. You could sleep in the closet and be fine.”
Alarm pulled through Whitney. “The closet?”
“It’s huge,” he said.
“I think huge is a subjective word,” she said. “I’ll need to see this room and this closet.”
“It’s a suite,” he said. “I mean, I could put a second bed in it and still have tons of space.”
“And then we’d have to tell Wyatt and Skyler why there are two beds in the master suite.” She enunciated the T heavily, but she didn’t dare look at Jeremiah.
His dogs trotted along at his side, though every few feet, one tried to slow down and stop or rush ahead. He kept a steady hand on them, bringing them along with him, right where he wanted them.
“First off, Skyler will be back at college by the time we get married. And Wyatt…well, Wyatt minds his own business.”
“Doesn’t mean he’s stupid.”
“No, he is not stupid,” Jeremiah mused, his head down. “Walk,” he said to the dogs, and they obeyed him, for a moment at least. He repeated it a few times as they continued up the trail.
