Sue Ellen McAllen stepped out of the Jeep, her purse and a cup of coffee in her hands, and nodded to the back. “Son, there’s groceries.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Zach understood family dynamics were a thing, but he didn’t like the way she treated her son. And Colton, being who he was, avoided drama and did as she asked.
She gave Zach a smile. “I wasn’t expecting company, so you’ll have to forgive the mess. Please come in.”
Zach followed her inside, and if there was so much as a speck of dust, he didn’t see it. The front room seemed vaguely like someone had murdered a thousand animals and made them into throw pillows—zebra and leopard, tiger and cow—and tossed them onto the leather sofa. Speaking of cows, there was a dead one on the floor as a rug. Wow. Cowgirl chic.
Zach blinked and found himself alone. While he took in the decor, Sue Ellen had disappeared. It didn’t feel right walking through their house but standing in the entrance like a fool wasn’t any better.
“She left you here, did she?” Colton nudged him to the right. “Kitchen’s that way. Let me drop these off and figure where she wants you to sleep.”
Zach knewexactlywhere he wanted to sleep but moved where he’d been told. Being in Colton’s home didn’t help.
What did it feel like to have a place you knew like the back of your hand to come back to when you needed to reset? Grandpa had sold his home long before Zach could remember. He’d lived in a trailer or a tent his whole life.
Colton put a hand on Zach’s shoulder. “You okay?”
Forcing a smile, Zach nodded. “You don’t need to ask me that all the time. This is different for me. Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Zach?” Sue Ellen swept into the room and Colton dropped his hand. “There you are. I thought you were following me.”
He saw the way her eyes shifted between Colton and him. It wasn’t a happy expression. “Sorry, ma’am. I didn’t hear you tell me to come with you.”
“Why would I tell you that?” Her expression changed, and he wondered if he’d insulted her. “You were following me.”
“Momma, Zach’s not used to our ways. He was being polite.”
“Isn’t that lovely. Manners.” She smiled sweetly. “Having this one and his cousin always in and about, manners seemed a forgotten custom.”
Colton cut in front of him and put the bags on the counter. The way Sue Ellen stared at him, something passed between them out of Zach’s sight. She frowned and shook her head.
“Since I have you both here, time to set some ground rules. You two aren’t married or even close to it, so stay in your own rooms.”
“Momma!” Colton rumbled.
“Don’t ‘Momma’ me. I ain’t that old I don’t know how young men are. And the way you two make cow’s eyes at each other, it’s not hard for me to guess how you feel.”
Zach's face burned, and from how red Colton’s neck turned, his mother embarrassed him even more. “That’s reasonable, ma’am. I won’t do anything to disrespect you or your home.”
“You want him in the blue room? Yeah? Good. Come on, I’ll set you up.” Colton gave his mother a hard glare. “And you and me, we’ll have a wee chat about not having folks that aren’t married in your bedroom when I get back.”
Zach’s eyes were wide as Colton led him back to a very functional guest room with a bed, a dresser, and a desk and chair. “I-I didn’t mean…”
“Hey. No stress. Momma’s pissed that things happened that weren’t about her. She’s no virgin, and there was no call to embarrass me.” Colton winked, and the expression wassurprisingly wicked. “Now we’re even, and she’ll mind her manners for a few days. No worries.”
Zach wasn’t so sure.
