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“We’ll just be a minute. There’s someone here I need to talk to,” he said. “Then we’re going to buy you some clothes. ”
Heat suffused her cheeks, but before she could argue, he got out and walked around to her side. He took her free hand and helped her from the truck and then took her inside the pub.
The floor was littered with stray peanut hulls and the smell of cedar, and the lingering scent of cooked food hovered in the air.
“Callie?” Seth called.
Silence greeted him. He led Lily over to the bar and helped her onto one of the stools.
“I’ll be right back. Just make yourself comfortable. Callie must be in the back. ”
Lily tucked her feet under the rung of the stool and rested her free arm on the scarred wood. Seth rubbed his hand over her shoulder.
“I won’t be a minute. ”
Lily made a shooing motion. “I’ll be fine. Go talk to your sister. ”
He leaned over and kissed her temple, his lips lingering for a minute before he backed away and walked around the counter to the door on the other side.
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Michael pulled up to his parents’ cabin and glanced over to see whose trucks were in the drive. The dads were either gone or out on the land because only his mom’s SUV was there.
He got out and walked to the door, not bothering to knock. It irritated his mom when her sons acted like guests.
“Mom?”
He closed the door behind him as he stepped into the living room.
“Michael?”
Holly Colter hurried around the corner, her smile warm and welcoming.
He met her halfway and let her lean up on tiptoe to hug the daylights out of him. He grinned when she squeezed extra hard and then patted his cheek as she pulled away.
“Where have you been? Adam dropped by to see you yesterday but couldn’t find you anywhere, and you weren’t answering your cell phone. ”
“I went down to see Seth. ”
At that, his mom’s eyes widened, and she latched on with both hands. “How is he? Is he doing okay?”
Michael smiled. “He came back with me. ”
“What? Where is he? Why isn’t he here now?” she demanded.
He held up his hands. His mom could be ferocious when her chicks were involved. “He’s in town checking on Callie. ”
“Oh. ” His mom’s face fell and worry creased her brow. “It’s good that he’s talking to her. Maybe she’ll tell him what’s wrong. ”
Michael didn’t tell her about Lily. He wasn’t sure what he’d say anyway. He needed to talk to the dads.
“Are the dads here?”
“Ethan and Adam are down in Callie’s Meadow, and Ryan is out in the barn with the horses. ”
Michael leaned forward to kiss his mom’s cheek. “Okay, thanks. I’ll head out. I need to talk to him. ”
“Michael?” she called, halting his progress as he made his way toward the kitchen.
He turned to look at her.
“Is everything okay? With you I mean?”
He smiled. “Yeah, Mom. Fine. I’ll come find you before I leave. ”
“And bring your brother out for dinner tonight,” she ordered.
“Yes, ma’am. ”
Michael went out the back door and took the familiar worn path to the barn. Ryan was inside talking in low tones to one of the horses who was nuzzling affectionately at his chest.
“Hey, Dad, you got a minute?”
Ryan looked up and dropped his hand from the horse’s neck. “Michael, where the hell have you been? You had your mother all worried, and Lord knows she’s worried enough about her other kids. ”
Michael chuckled. “Have I ever been any trouble?”
Ryan snorted. “You and Dillon. It’s a wonder I survived your childhood. You tortured poor Seth endlessly and made us all crazy in the process. ”
He walked toward Michael and put his arm over Michael’s shoulders. “What’s up, son?”
Michael allowed Ryan to walk him outside into the bright sunshine. As nasty as it had been the day before, spring had won the battle once again, and it was marginally warmer.
They walked to the far edge of the fenced section that overlooked the drop-off to Callie’s Meadow. Ryan leaned on the newly replaced wooden fence and glanced sideways at Michael.
He didn’t say anything, but then Ryan had never been particularly verbose. He simply waited for Michael to say what was on his mind.
“I’ve met a woman,” Michael said, surprised by how nervous he was having this conversation with his dad. Thirty years old and he still felt like a teenager crushing on his classmate.
Ryan lifted one eyebrow in Michael’s direction. “You say this like it’s a bad thing. ”
Michael ran a hand through his hair and blew out his breath. “It’s complicated. ”
Ryan chuckled. “Meeting a woman is always complicated. So, tell me about her. How in the world did you manage to meet a woman when you spend more time with your animals than you do people?”
Michael shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I met her when I went down to Seth’s yesterday. ”
At that Ryan frowned. “What were you doing down there? Is anything wrong?”
“No. I wanted to talk to him about Callie. Talk him into coming up so maybe he could find out what’s going on with her. ”
“And did he?”
“Yeah, he’s in town now. ”
“Your mom’s worried about her. ” Ryan’s eyes flickered, and he focused his gaze on the distant patch of land that was Callie’s namesake. “I’m worried about her. ”
Ryan turned back to Michael. “So where did you meet this woman? She must have made a hell of a first impression if you only just met her and she’s got you tied in knots. ”
“There’s no easy way to ask this,” Michael muttered. “I wanted to know about you and the dads. And Mom. ”
Ryan shot him an inquisitive look but didn’t interrupt.
“I met Lily at Seth’s. ”
He stared at Ryan, waiting for his dad to make the connection.
Ryan’s lips came together and understanding dawned. “Ah. Damn. I take it this woman is important to Seth. ”
