Emery chose that moment to clomp down the stairs. He entered the room with a smile on his face, but the instant he caught sight of Demi, he froze. He narrowed his gaze, taking her in, and she stared right back, eyes wide. Ever since they shared a womb, they’d had the ability to justknowthings about each other. Judson and Keegan did it too, but they were identical, so it somehow made more sense. When Emery’s eyes went wide, Demi made a “zip it” motion. Emery instantly fixed his face.
“How’s working with Doc Hastings?” I asked, to get the conversation moving in a new direction. Emery had only been back home a few months, having finished his residency in internal medicine. His goal had always been to come back to Russell Crossing, join the general practice, and serve the community. Hastings was getting up there in years and Emery wanted to provide the medical care this town needed.
Emery launched into a story, but I wasn’t actually listening. Dad, Demi, and Luke were actively involved in the conversation and I was hungry. I loaded up a plate and it was a good thing I did, because just as I finished, Fern and Gemma breezed through the door. Neither of them took off their sunglasses, and I snorted a laugh. If they could stomach food, they’dbe ravenous. Gemma pinched me on her way past to the refrigerator, and Fern got down two glasses. Gemma poured them both water from the pitcher and Fern found the electrolyte packets in the drawer.
“Rough night?” I snarked.
“Leave them alone, Crew.” Mom didn’t even have to turn around to chastise me. “They clearly need hydration.”
The last was said with a touch of sarcasm that I loved. Not that I cared that two of my sisters had been out drinking the night before. They were both well above the age limit and fortunately didn’t indulge too much. It was good that they’d been able to go out and have fun. Fern was always stressing about the events barn, doing everything she could to make every event perfect. Gemma was much more laid back.
Mom turned then, surveying her family, and just like it always did, a smile crossed her face. There was nothing she liked more than having all of us together. But a second later, she gazed around again, her mouth moving as she silently counted.
“Where’s your brother?”
“Well, Bodhi is at Parris Island, shaping the next generation of Marines,” Fern said without hesitation. She pushed her glasses up onto her head and pursed her lips. “And Isley is, I imagine, in his bed in his apartment in Ithaca because Cornell is no joke and he wants to be the best vet he can be. That’s exhausting.”
“Fern—”
“Judson and Keegan are in Denver, Mommy,” Gemma interjected, all false sweetness and big eyes. “Because that’s where they go to school.”
My mother snorted a laugh. “Okay, smart asses. Where’s Hawk?”
Gemma got serious. “He was planning on spending some time with the new rescue mare this morning. She’s in rough shape. Underweight, scared of everything, head shy, won’t lay down.Whoever had her before they put her in the kill pen really did a number on her. He’s going to help her though.”
The last was said with conviction, and we all nodded in agreement. If anyone could fix this horse, it was Hawk. Our brother had a way with horses like no one I’d ever seen. Not even my dad, and when I was a kid, I thought my dad was a real horse whisperer. People joked about the term, but Hawk really understood horses like no one else.
Mom’s eyes filled and she shot my dad a look. She didn’t even say anything and Dad rose from his seat, ready to go down to the barn and check on Hawk. But we all froze when Juanpablo let out an almighty bray, and Dad sat back down. Mom was Juanpablo’s favorite person on the planet, and he would protect her with his life, but he had a certain call for Hawk that we’d all learned. Probably because Hawk had been the one to rescue him too.
“Your brother will be in in a minute then. Everybody dig in,” Mom announced. She stirred the sauce one more time then crossed to make her own plate. “Crew, you start us off.”
It was a command. One I would never ignore. And it was one of the reasons I enjoyed Sunday brunch so much. It was a chance for us all to reconnect, especially as our lives got busy. There were so many of us that no matter how much we were in each other’s business day to day, things fell through the cracks. Getting together like this meant everyone was on the same page. For a family like ours, very large and in business together, it was essential.
I took my usual seat near Dad, drank some coffee, and launched into my update. I just hoped my weird fascination with the new hand didn’t come through in my words.
Chapter 5
Malachi
Somehow, the ranch was even more of a whirlwind than I thought it would be. I could safely say that as Jenn, Mike, Crew, and Russ left us to unpack.
Yes, I recognized that this was nothing, but Tony and I had led a solitary life of two for months now, and those four had already been more peopleing than we’d done in a while. The fact that there was a bunch of staff and an infinite amount of Harrington siblings was… it was a lot.
Tony, however, collected himself and peered up at me. “So, where do we start, Daddy?”
I smiled and tousled his hair. “How about we go see your room again and figure out if you need my help there, and if not, you continue there, and I’ll come back here?”
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Okay. But you have to tell me if you need my help, too, okay?”
“Okay.” It was an easy promise to make. I refused to lie to my kid about anything and he was serious and smart enough that he’d know if I’d been telling half-truths. I hoped to deity that nobody would lie to him here, because my son had a long memory.
I was still a bit blown away about the fact that they’d gone through the trouble to make the one room into two smaller ones. Mine had enough space for the double bed that was already there, a dresser, and a nightstand. His had room for all his essentials we’d brought in. His bed fit in one corner, his beanbag chair in the other, and his beloved bookshelf next to it.
There had already been a dresser in the room, and Crew had helped me move it under the window for a makeshift high window seat for Tony. The window gave into the wide open space of the pastures, and I was already thinking about putting some bird feeders nearby to give him something to watch.
Once he didn’t need my help anymore, I wandered into the front room and looked at the pile of boxes. There wasn’t much. It was almost tragic how little we had. But then both Tony and I were simple men and didn’t need many clothes. Our most prized possessions were Mr. Raven, his books, and my framed picture of my horse Jaina that I carefully uncovered from its bubble wrap and cardboard.
Sighing, I stroked the familiar features of the mare’s neck with my fingertips. Somehow losing her hurt more than having lost the farm. Still, I liked that I now had a wall where I could put the large frame.
