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“Hell, Mom and Dad seemed old then.” Parker shot him a sly look.
Dale wouldn’t be outdone. “They still do.” He laughed along with his brother, but then he sobered. “Maybe old is more a matter of attitude than it is a matter of years.”
“You’re a smart man, brother,” Parker said.
His brother’s praise pleased him. Dale clapped him on the shoulder and, with him, headed toward the porch and this supper with some of his Texan aunts and uncles—and, of course, Grandma Kate.
He didn’t recognize the blond woman, hair upswept, who answered the door. She apparently recognized him. “You’re Dale.” Her smile reached her eyes.
“Yes, ma’am.” Her smile was infectious, and he returned it.
She held the door wide, inviting them in. “That would make you Parker. I’m Abigail. Please, come in.”
When they stepped inside, she closed the door behind them. “I’m married to Carson and Michael, Kate’s two younger sons. I know I’m more than a week late, but welcome to Lusty. We’re all so glad you’re here. This way, please. We’re gathered in the great room for a before-supper drink.”
The house on the outside had been more than he expected, and he’d understood the moment he saw it why all the cousins called it the Big House. Inside was just as impressive.
The Benedicts of Montana weren’t slouches in the money-making department. They all seemed to have been born with that particular ability.
Standing inside the entrance hall of the Big House, Dale reckoned that skill truly had been in the genes, and it had begun right here in Lusty, Texas, with their great-great grandparents.
They’d taken their ball caps off when they’d entered and kept them that way as Abigail Benedict—Aunt Abigail he mentally corrected—introduced them around.
They shook hands with Carson and Michael and then Caleb, Jonathan, and Bernice. Jackson had told him that Uncle Jonathan had been a rancher and that Uncle Caleb had been a Texas Ranger—the cop kind, not the ball-playing kind.
Grandma Kate looked the same as she had when he’d been ten. She got to her feet, and because she was Grandma Kate, he gave her a gentle hug.
The one she gave him back was much stronger than he’d expected. He stepped back and let Parker have the same revelation.
Carson offered them a drink, and soon he was sitting comfortably, a Shiner in his hand, starting to get to know these aunts and uncles who were already different from the ones in Montana.
“That was a good thing that you boys did,” Kate said. “I understand it made things rough for you back home.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dale sat forward. “We were sorry for that. Parker was the one on the ball that day. He started recording on his cell phone as soon as we realized what Norah was saying.”
“We never had another thought except to give Jackson and Cord a heads-up.” Parker’s expression was serious. “When they all asked us to post that video, it didn’t occur to us to say no, even though we knew the family wouldn’t be happy about it.”
“We came down here because Jackson invited us. We thought it would be a good idea to let the family in Montana have time to cool down,” Dale said.
“Doing the right thing shouldn’t ever be penalized,” Caleb said.
“No, sir, it shouldn’t. But things often happen in life that shouldn’t,” Parker said.
“That’s a sad truth.” Michael nodded and took a sip of his beer.
“We’ve only been here just over a week.” Dale looked at his brother. Parker nodded. He turned back to the Texan Benedicts. “Only a week, and already we see the difference. We love our family. That will never change. But we don’t love the way they behave sometimes.”
“We’re glad you’re here,” Bernice said. Her smile made Dale feel good. “I understand you’re helping your cousins out?”
“They offered us jobs,” Parker said. “We’re workers and have always worked hard. In fact, we were looking for a new opportunity when all this happened. Even so, we can’t commit right away to long term. We promised Jackson and Cord three months,” Parker said.
