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“Yeah,” she muttered. “Kind of like you falling for the girl you loved as a teenager. Who does that?”
“Plenty of people,” he said, keeping his voice low too. “And hush up. Gerty and I are going really slow right now, and she doesn’t need to hear you saying things like I love her.”
He didn’t love her. Yet. He sure did like her though, and when he reached the bottom of the few steps leading from the porch, he dropped his arm from his sister’s shoulders and took Gerty’s hand in his.
“Ready?” he asked.
Her fingers tightened in the spaces between his. “Yeah,” she said. “You?” She searched his face too, and Mike wondered what she saw. Did she know he hated this? Could she tell he felt like throwing up?
She tipped up onto her toes and whispered in his ear, “They’re just people, right?” As she settled back to her feet, her eyes found his, and Mike could only stare into those gorgeous blue pools.
He’d told her that once when she’d been nervous about working with her very first group of kids taking horseback riding lessons from her, when she’d been sixteen years old.
“Yeah.” His voice came out hoarse.
“And your people,” Gerty said as Opal went ahead of them toward the backyard. “I was just there, Mike, and they all love you so much.”
He managed to pull his gaze from Gerty’s and watch Opal go around the trees separating them from the party. Laughter rang in the air, and Mike’s urge to flee kicked up a notch. He said, “Yeah,” again anyway, and then he took the first step toward the party.
“Don’t get too far from me tonight, okay?” he asked.
“I won’t,” she assured him. “It’s really going to be okay.”
They went around the trees hand-in-hand, and he took in the three long tables that had been set up on the lawn. People had brought blankets and camp chairs too, and Cord worked by the fire pit, getting the flames nice and high and hot.
Mike swallowed as his mother’s eyes found his, and she smiled. She’d always loved him for exactly who he was, his lack of medical and pharmaceutical knowledge notwithstanding. He couldn’t disappoint her, and he’d do everything in his power to make her happy.
Daddy turned when she touched his arm, and though Mike’s father was up there in age, he’d not missed a moment of his children’s lives, Mike’s included.
He left the table with all the desserts piled at one end, and that was saying something as Daddy loved sweets. Not as much as Uncle Colton, who’d made the trip from Coral Canyon to be at this party. Mike’s other two uncles hadn’t made the trip, and he didn’t mind a bit. He loved Uncle Cy and Uncle Ames, and he knew they loved him, whether they were here at the party or not.
He released Gerty’s hand to give his momma a hug, and she said, “You okay?” in his ear.
“Yes,” he whispered back.
“All right,” Daddy boomed into the crowd. “We’re ready to start. Gray?”
Uncle Gray stood on the deck with his wife and a couple of other people, including Travis and Poppy Thatcher from next door. He smiled at Mike and his father, who put his arm around Mike’s shoulders and looked at his brother.
“We have a couple of announcements,” Uncle Gray said. “Then where’s Cord?”
“Out here, sir,” he called, and almost everyone turned toward the fire pit.
Gray waved at him to come in. “Cord’s gonna pray for us.”
Mike had twisted to look at Cord too, and he noticed Jane hovering close by the fire pit too. He turned to get his uncle’s reaction to that, but Uncle Gray had no emotion on his face that Mike could discern.
He stood sandwiched between his parents, with Gerty next to his mother, as Uncle Gray said, “Boone has something to say.”
Mike looked over to Gerty, who wore an expression of surprise. He raised his eyebrows, but she shook her head. “No idea,” she murmured.
Boone climbed the wide steps to the deck and faced the crowd. “It’s my daughter’s birthday in a couple of weeks.”
“He is not doing this,” Gerty hissed.
But her daddy so was doing this, and he grinned straight at her. “She’s turnin’ thirty, which is a pretty big year, and we’re gonna have a party for her at Pony Power. Well, a lunch. Gerty’s not much into parties, but she loves having a hot lunch every day.”
Mike reached past his momma and brushed his hand along Gerty’s. Momma shifted back and slid Gerty over so she stood next to Mike. He took her hand in his again, and she glanced at him.
