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“I just didn’t want to assume it was okay.”
“Of course it’s okay.” His tone made it obvious he thought I was being ridiculous, and I swear I could feel his eyes rolling all the way in River Gorge.
“We can still go to the club. On second thought, that might be awkward if you pick someone up. Maybe we should get a room.”
“I don’t know why that would be awkward. I have a big old house with plenty of space. Besides, I haven’t found any boys I’ve wanted to bring home in a while now. The whole scene is getting a little bit old, to be honest. I wasn’t even planning to go until I found out you’d be in town.”
“Is everything okay?” It wasn’t like Keith to skip out on Daddy night at the club.
“It’s fine, really. It just seems like I’m getting older and older, and the boys keep getting younger and younger, but you wouldn’t know anything about that since you’re basically their age.” He chuckled.
Keith was the oldest of my siblings, and I was the baby. Something he loved to remind me of every chance he got.
“True. I’m still in my prime, and there you are, a sad old man. Maybe we should go ahead and start looking at convalescent homes or assisted living facilities for you.”
“Smart ass,” he grumbled.
“Uh-huh, and I wonder where I get that from.”
“Becca, for sure.”
I laughed out loud at that ‘cause he wasn’t wrong. Our sister Becca was indeed a smartass. Everyone said Keith and I were the most alike and that we reminded everyone of our grandfather on my dad’s side. I never met him because he’d passed away before I was born, but Keith had adored him. Danny was a lot like our mom. He was rock solid and dependable. And then there was Becca. She was the most like our dad. She was an adrenaline junky with a smart mouth and dark sense of humor. All of which made her choice of career as a paramedic a perfect fit.
“So you’ve met his family, and now you’re going to introduce him to yours. Sounds like things are getting serious. I’m happy for you, kid, and I can’t wait to get to know him better.”
We said our goodbyes just as I reached the ranch. I pulled up behind the barn so we could unload the truck bed and hopped out. Levi must have been watching for me because he came out back to meet me.
“You got everything?”
“I did.”
“And did you get a chance to see Spencer?” he asked.
“Yeah, I did that, too.”
The ranch had just taken a food delivery last Friday, but that was before we added nine horses in one day over the weekend, so we were going to run short. Cruz ordered enough stuff from the feed store that I’m sure they would’ve made another delivery if he asked, but I’d volunteered. Not that I was fooling anyone. They all knew I’d offered because that gave me an excuse to go to town and see Spence.
With the two of us working together, it didn’t take us long to unload the supplies. We were just finishing up when Murphy came around the corner of the barn.
“Don’t throw away those boxes, boys. We can use them to pack stuff up in.”
“When are y’all moving?”
“Next weekend.” She smiled and let out a happy sigh. “This house is everything I ever wanted for V. It has pens for goats and pigs, a chicken house, and it even has a small greenhouse.”
“That seems really fast. You just went and looked at it last week.” I thought it took a month or so to buy a house, but what did I know? I’d never done it myself.
“Faster than V and I expected, but apparently, things move at a different speed when your boss is a billionaire philanthropist who’s happy to smooth the way for you.”
“I’m sure that didn’t hurt.”
Chapter 22
Spencer
I’d known talking to Ripley about the kids in the area not having a good place to hang out was a good idea, but I hadn’t expected him to take immediate action, so it was a surprise when I heard back from him that Thursday.
The text I got from him gave me the feeling we were moving in the right direction.
