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“Observant, aren’t you?”
“Aren’t there worms and stuff in there?”
“Probably. But you know how Mom used to hang our homemade cards for weeks after the holiday we drew ’em for? Even the ugly crayon versions of her with her hair sticking straight up?”
“Yeah, so?”
“So, it means more if I do it instead of paying someone else to.”
“I guess. What spurred this, anyway? It’s not like you’ve got the time, either.”
Bennett shrugged and stretched his sore fingers. “I dunno. Wanted to do something nice for Mom.”
Jax’s grin was as close to gloating as it could be. “This have anything to do with her sending you off to hang with Maggie?”
“How would those two be connected?” Bennett asked.
Still, his own smile materialized like it did every time he even thought of his neighbor. Of the softness of her lips as they pressed against his.
“Uh, because you had a good time with her?”
He had, hadn’t he? A really good time.
“And you know this, how?”
“C’mon, bro. You only hum when you’re happy, and you’ve been Fred Astaire-ing through the house for three days.”
“Did you just use my favorite actor as a verb?”
“Maybe. Doesn’t mean it ain’t true.”
Seemed everyone but him had his number. Why couldn’t he see clearly when it came to Maggie, then?
“You never made it home last night,” Bennett said. Anything to shift the conversation to more benign territory.
“There was line dancin’ at Boot and Barrel. Met a grad student from A&M looking for a cowboy to show her a good time, and well, you know I do my best to be charitable when I can.”
Bennett shook with laughter. “You’re a class act, little brother.”
“That’s what she said this morning.”
“I’m ignoring that. What’re you here for, anyway? Mom’s out with Mae looking over the venue.”
“I know. Came to find you, actually. I thought you’d like to know Maggie’s new ranch hands arrived and are moving into the bunkhouse as we speak.”
“Well, Mitch said she was hiring a crew. It’s not a state secret.” He grabbed a bag of mulch and sprinkled it over the small patch of renovated garden. That Maggie’s hiring spree meant the end of his excuses to help her with chores rubbed him as raw as the end of his fingers. Not that he’d admit as much.
Jax stood up and rocked back on his heels, his hands dug into the pockets of his jeans. His smug smile reached his eyes.
“Jax?” Bennett asked. A flutter of nerves took flight in his chest. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“She hired Johnny Matthews.”
The nerves turned to droplets of rage, hot and acidic, and he dropped the feed bag.
“What? Why would he take the gig? He has his own property.”
“I can think of one reason.”
