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I shook my head. “He doesn’t talk to his dad, and Ansen’s like a big shot horse trainer and gets hired by rich people all over the country. They aren’t close.” But I thought Archer would like to be. He couldn’t hide the hint of longing in his expression whenever he mentioned them.
“Not talking to family seems to be a Barron thing.” He shoved the steak into his mouth.
“Right? Archer was so shocked I didn’t tell anyone we were married, like he didn’t realize that neither had he.” But then he considered the Truitts as close as family when they were nothing but users.
The sympathy in Kennedy’s gaze didn’t set me on edge like it would from other people. “Relationships can be messy.”
“Who knows how long we’ll be able to say we’re in a relationship? Our relationship’s messy across two states.”
Liam lifted his hazel gaze off his plate. “From the way he’s bonding with all your haying equipment, it doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere soon.”
I shrugged as if I didn’t experience a jolt every time I saw him on one of our tractors. “He seems to enjoy the work.”
Kennedy settled a gaze on me that was wiser than I cared to admit. “The work isn’t what’s keeping him here.”
“No, but his boss isn’t going to give him any more time off.” After the phone call the other day, I was confident his boss was likely to be even more of a dick. If Mr. Truitt pressed Archer to cut his time in Coal Haven short, would he do it? What would I do? I’d have to think about it eventually. “Enough about my mess of a marriage. Tell me how the boys are doing in T-ball and who they’re getting for a teacher next year.”
My distraction technique worked. I heard all about summer sports, Eli’s speech improvements, and the new shoes the boys were forbidden to wear until the first day of school. This was nice territory. I would never quit being Aunt Laney, but I wasn’t sure how long I could call myself a wife.
