“Such a prude,” Lula taunted him before walking toward the fence where Pax met her.
Dan set down Lyric, who ran after Lula. My brother’s dark brown eyes studied me. When we were growing up, he always seemed tense and closed off. Only when we were alone together could he lower his guard and reveal his softer side.
Right now, he looked tense and closed off again.
“I’m in love with Boone Chester,” I blurted out before he could speak.
“You barely know him.”
“How long did it take for you to know you loved Lula?”
“Many weeks, maybe months.”
Narrowing my gaze, I muttered, “Fibber.”
Dan followed me into the house, where I wiped the counter. He sighed deeply and shook his head.
“It’s happened too fast.”
“I said the same thing about you and Lula.”
“True, but things were wild then. I couldn’t take my time.”
My natural inclination was to go along with Dan’s decisions. I usually trusted his instincts, but he was lying right now.
“You didn’t ride to Little Memphis because you were worried about her. You wanted to see her for romantic reasons. You might have rewritten those memories in your head, but I remember everything like it happened yesterday. You couldn’t shake your need to see her, and I encouraged you to woo her. Then, you didn’t come back.”
“Is that why you’re rushing things with this guy? Do you not trust me?”
“Why do you keep talking about Boone like he’s a stranger? You’ve spent more time with him than I have.”
“Exactly.”
“So you should know he’s a good man.”
“A good man doesn’t mean he’ll make a good husband.”
“I’m not worried about marriage,” I said and shrugged. “I might go ahead and live in sin. Be a rebel, you know? Those old rules don’t apply to me anymore.”
Seeming suspicious, Dan nodded. “Don’t get me wrong. Boone seems like a solid guy, but I’ve never dealt with you dating before. It feels weird, even if I know you’re a grown woman.”
Hearing my brother’s tone soften shattered my attempt at playing tough.
“I’m glad you found Lula,” I said and hugged him. “You made big moves and took chances to win her heart. I see how happy you two are, and I want to create the same thing with Boone.”
“I’ll be patient, but it’s difficult. We just settled in here at the house, and with the new place in Baton Rouge. I kinda wanted things to stay the same for a while.”
“I don’t know what will happen next, but the real Boone has been better than my fantasies.”
Dan held onto me and stroked my head. “How is he with the girls?”
“Great,” I said before giving in to his brotherly powers and adding, “But he hasn’t seen them at their worst.”
“They’re good girls,” Dan said in a quiet, tense tone. “When are you seeing him again?”
“Tonight,” I said casually despite the constant panic brewing in my chest. “We’re taking the girls to a pumpkin patch. We’ll pick up dinner somewhere before coming home.”
As Dan let me go, he wore the same expression as when he visited me at the hospital after the shooting. Guilt, rage, and grief fought against each other, leaving him silent. I felt my brother working on reasons why Boone and I were a mistake. He didn’t share his feelings, but those objections were dancing on his tongue.
