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Blake looked up at Jesse. “Sorry,” he said. “I’m restarting now.” He took a step toward the lodge and away from the cornhole arena. Six stations stayed set up year-round, and someone on their grounds crew raked the gravel every day. “What’s with Azure?”
“He hurt his paw or something,” Jesse said, stepping with Blake. He stayed right at his side and added in a murmur, “Starla and me? Really? Do you think that would work?”
Blake took in the worry and doubt on his brother’s face. “You don’t have to date her to play cornhole for the summer,” Blake said. “Stop worrying so much, Jess.”
“I’m not worried about falling in love with her,” Jesse said with a scoff.
“Whatareyou worried about then?” Gina asked, and she wasn’t embarrassed she’d been eavesdropping. She was right there in the conversation, and she moved to Blake’s other side and caught his hand in hers. He loved that she touched him as freely as he did her, and that she seemed to want to hold his hand as much as he wanted to hold hers.
He seated his fingers in hers and squeezed while Jesse walked without speaking. Just when he reached the bottom of the steps that led up to the wide, wrap-around porch on the lodge, he paused. He put one hand on the railing and looked up. “I don’t know what I’m worried about. That I’ll do something stupid and hurt her feelings.” He looked at Blake and Gina, who’d paused with him. “I do that sometimes, and Starla is great and doesn’t deserve that.”
“It’scornhole,” Blake said. “It’s not serious. Just be nice.”
“I agree with part of that,” Gina said. “Be nice, but the cornhole?That’sserious.” She went up the steps and into the lodge while the brothers stood at the bottom of the steps and watched her.
Jesse finally chuckled and clapped his hand on Blake’s shoulder. “She’s somethin’ else, Blake.” He started up the steps too.
“What does that mean?” Blake asked, hurrying after him. “She fits with us, don’t you think?”
“You know what?” Jesse paused again. “Yeah, I think she does. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“It means something, or you wouldn’t have said it.” Jesse didn’t just talk to hear his own voice.
“It means I think she’s perfect for you,” Jesse said. “She’s passionate about some things, and so are you, and you guys are like, perfectly balanced.” He actually grinned and opened the door to go inside the lodge. “Now, come on. Todd’s probably hyperventilating right now.”
As Blake followed Jesse inside, his phone started chiming and wouldn’t stop. Notification after notification shrilled out at him, and he hurried to silence his phone as text after text, missed calls, and voicemail messages streamed in. “My word,” he muttered to himself. At the same time, he thought he could benefit from turning off his phone for an hour every morning, because the last one with silence and Gina and cornhole had been spectacular.
He stood near the door and read through the messages, only looking up when he heard Starla asked, “Can I really partner with you for cornhole, Jesse?”
Jesse nodded, most of his storminess subsiding. “Sure, Starla,” he said. “Maybe we can practice together sometime tomorrow before the tournament.”
Blake smiled to himself and went back to the messages about Azure and his hurt paw. He tapped to call Todd and lifted his phone to his ear. Gina had gotten an apple and stood with Jesse and Starla, and Blake turned away from them when Todd said, “There you are.”
“Sorry,” he said. “My phone went dark, and I had to restart it. Where are you?”
“Out in the barn,” he said. “I’m having Laura look at him.”
“She’s still here?”
“Yes,” Todd said, something odd in his voice in that single word. “Come out when you get a chance.”
“I’m on my way,” Blake said, moving through the lodge. He nodded to Gina, indicating the back of the lodge, and she nodded that she got what he was saying. “Is it bad?”
“Laura thinks he might have to go into an office,” Todd said. “He’s got some ticks under his skin we can’t get out.”
Worry needled Blake, and he increased his pace. He arrived in the barn where Todd’s office was housed, finding him and Laura and Sierra all in the lobby of sorts, Azure on a blanket in the middle of their trio.
“Hey, bud,” Blake said, crouching down next to his dog too. He did love the canine, even if Todd took care of him most of the time. “What did you get into?”
“He’s got three lone star ticks,” Laura said, looking from Azure to Blake. “And two American dog ticks.” She indicated a small medical bin next to her. “I got those two out already, and I’m sure I can get out one of them, but the other two are deep and moving fast.”
Concern exploded through Blake. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s move faster.”
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Gina stroked Azure’s back while Blake did the same to his head. The dog lay across both of their laps, clearly exhausted. Blake looked the same, and Gina wasn’t even sure she’d be able to drive herself home.
Darkness had fallen a while ago, but Blake had needed her. She wanted to be his support, the way he was to her. After another couple of minutes, though, she said, “I should go, Blake,” in a whisper.
