“Asshole.” Webb elbowed him again for good measure, then turned to Drew. “Aiden okay?”
“Oh, yeah. Perfect,” Drew assured him. “Not sure what his stomachache was about this morning, but he ate a huge dinner tonight.”
“And some plum tart,” Marco added. “I told him Sunday Sundaes would be too hard on his digestion. All those pretzels, you know?” He winked.
Webb smiled, gratitude in his eyes. “Was Wendy concerned about anything with Stella? Should I give her a call?”
“Nope,” Knox said. “Stella came through it like a champ. The doc got another callout, but she said to keep an eye on Stella for a couple hours, call her if you need her, and she’ll bill you.”
“And what about?—”
“Murray’s fine,” Knox said. “His pride was injured more than anything.”
“Oh. Good.Great.” Webb nodded like he was trying to get his bearings. “Right. Well, I’ll go check on Aiden, I guess, and then I’ll come out and watch over Stella for a bit?—”
“Nonsense.” Drew pushed himself off the fence and got his crutches under him. “I’m going up to the house, soI’llcheck on Aiden. Marco would’ve fireman-carried me back to the house ten minutes ago if I wouldn’t flatten him like a pancake.Everything’s going just fine, Webb, even though you weren’t there to oversee it. You have help now that Knox is home, remember?” He patted Knox on the arm, and Knox smiled back, but it seemed forced to me.
I mean, not that I’d know. Not that I’d made a whole mental catalog of his smiles.
Damn it.Had I?
“I, ah… I can stay out here and keep you company, if you want,” Knox offered. “I’m not tired.”
“Neither of you guys have to. I’ll watch over Stella,” Em said.
Both of her brothers looked at her dubiously, and she rolled her eyes. “I promise, I’m a fully functional human capable of exercising good judgment, despite my ovaries and lack of beard. And there’s no school tomorrow, remember? And how old were you the first time you were expected to help with chores around here, Knox? Webb?”
Knox and Webb exchanged a look. Knox shrugged, and Webb sighed, “Alright, then.”
“So what are you naming it… uh. I mean,her,” I wondered, gesturing at the calf.
Em straightened and gave me that brilliant smile of hers—the one I’d started to fear. “I thinkyoushould name her, Gage.”
“Me?” I shook my head. “Heck no. I’d give her a ridiculous name. Like Stanky. Or Monster. Or Kow-tnee Kardashian.”
“All of those are cute,” Em shot back, calling my bluff. “So which will it be?”
“I…” I blinked down at the calf, whose legs were like matchsticks and whose body was shaking like a leaf. Her eyes were the same brown as mine. Like maybe we shared some ancestors way, way back.
I cleared my throat. “Not Monster,” I said grudgingly.
“Right,” she said brightly. “Well, you think about it and tell us in the morning, then. I’m gonna go grab a sweatshirt. Back in a second.”
“I… feel like I’m being managed by a teenager?” I said to no one in particular after Em ran toward the house. “Why is she so diabolical?”
“After nearly eighteen years of living with this many stubborn, grumpy, know-it-all Sunday men?” Marco pursed his lips and shook his head sadly. “A person’s got to adapt to fit their environment, son. You know, once upon a time, folks called me charming. Then I moved next door.”
Knox’s lips twitched.
“Folks said that? What folks?” Drew demanded, managing to sound stubborn, grumpy, and know-it-all all at once.
“See?” Marco demanded.
I snort-laughed, but he wasn’t wrong. Notat all. After two weeks, I’d found myself in the same boat. And clearly, I didn’t want to be saved very badly since Istillhadn’t gotten on Grindr.
“And on that note, I think I’m going to bed.” I swung around so I could jump down on the safe, cow-free side of the railing. “See you in the morning, folks. Oh, Webb, I might need to borrow your truck sometime this week to fetch the equipment I need for the irrigation system.”
“Sure,” Webb agreed. “Let’s talk tomorrow.”
