Page 18 of When The Dust Settles

“You can do it faster. You ain’t gonna hurt me.”

“Just shuddup.”

I finally closed my eyes and put my head down, and I must have dozed off until I heard Zach mutter, “Oh shit.” I hadn’t realized he was even there. It would have jolted me, but I was really very sleepy, and I had to wonder what exactly was in that first shot Rand gave me. I was a little more drugged up than I should have been.

Maybe.

Possibly.

The fact that I didn’t care should have been a concern. But I could not force myself to bark at either one of them.

“That’s worse than I thought it was,” Zach said from what sounded like a distance but couldn’t have been.

“Yeah, he did a good fuckin’ job,” Rand griped.

“He’s gonna be all right, yeah?” Zach asked Rand, and I was surprised at the fear I heard in his voice.

“He’ll be fine once I get this cleaned and closed.”

I felt a warm hand on my bicep, holding gently but firmly, not letting go, and then another between my shoulder blades, rubbing circles like my mother used to do. “God, I don’t worry about no one like I worry about Glenn.”

“Don’t I know it,” Rand admitted, his voice thick. “I wish he’d just move onto the ranch so I could keep an eye on him.”

He did?

After a minute Zach sighed deeply. “I’d love that.”

He would?

“So would Stef.”

Stef too?

“But he won’t.”

“No. He’s a stubborn piece of crap.”

I was most definitely that.

“I wish he’d stop mixin’ up what he thinks we want him to do—or be—with what we actually give a damn about.”

“He’s always had that problem,” Zach explained. “And while it was true with Daddy, it weren’t with nobody else.”

Rand grunted.

“There’s no pleasing Rayland Holloway exceptin’ if we was you.”

“Rayland Holloway is not my father.”

“Your blood says different.”

“You know what I mean,” Rand muttered irritably. “James raised me. He’s my father. You and Glenn can keep Rayland.”

“Awful gracious of you, thank you,” Zach replied snidely.

After a moment Rand exhaled sharply. “If I could, I’d move my mother back into the house and have her bring Tate. I’d build Charlotte and Ben a house on the ranch, as well as one for Glenn, and we could all be there together.”

“What about Tyler, since you’re dreamin’ and all?”