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“So make Sawyer pay for it. You’re rich, aren’t you?” she asked Sawyer shamelessly, and he grinned like he’d just won a battle.
“Yes, I am, Josie. Thank you for the suggestion,” he said with a victorious lilt to his voice and looked at his brother, who rolled his eyes and slumped his shoulders.
“Fine,” Luke said. “You can pay for the repairs.”
Luke seemed to be the only one discouraged by the thought, while Sawyer grinned and Sandy patted him on the arm as a thank-you.
Then Josie caught Sawyer’s eye and she had to remember that Luke and Sandy were there, that she couldn’t just grin like an idiot and fall out of the saddle into Sawyer’s arms. He was staring at her so intently that she had to address it.
“What are you staring at?”
“How are you even balancing up there?” Sawyer asked as if she were some sort of exotic acrobat and not just riding a horse.
“I don’t know,” Josie said. “Because I’m not an idiot?”
Sandy snorted a laugh, but Sawyer frowned like a disapproving dad.
“What?” Josie prodded.
“Nothing.”
“No, not nothing, spit it out.”
“Shouldn’t you… I don’t know, shouldn’t you be wearing a helmet or something?”
Both Sandy and Luke turned to look at him like he’d just said that the sky had turned green, and it took every fiber of control not to lean down and kiss his stupid face after such an adorable comment.
“What are you talking about?” Luke said, thankfully giving Josie something else to focus on than Sawyer’s downturned mouth. “Have you seen her ride? She’s not four.”
“I’m not saying anything about Josie’s riding ability,” Sawyer said, folding his arms across his broad chest, and Josie was back to being well and truly distracted. “All I’m saying is that accidents happen, even to the best of the best, and wouldn’t it be safer to wear a helmet?”
Sandy just started laughing from that point, her hand over her mouth, while Luke shook his head, dumbfounded. Josie once again had the urge to kiss Sawyer right there and then for being so concerned about her safety, even if it did sound stupid.
“This is Texas, hun,” Josie said. “What rancher in their right mind would wear a helmet while they’re riding?”
“One who wants to avoid getting concussed or, I don’t know, having their skull fractured.”
“Sometimes I wonder,” Luke said, “if you really did grow up here as well or if that’s just one big mass hallucination we all had.”
“The football league takes safety very seriously,” Sawyer said primly.
“Well, good for them,” Josie retorted, guiding Indy past him and patting him on his buzzed head. “But you ain’t in the football league right now, Sawyer.”
“This is what I mean,” he said. “Bronc riders, rodeos,you… You’re all insane.”
“Maybe, but we’re having way more fun,” she said with a wicked grin and Sawyer rolled his eyes, officially giving up on the conversation.
“Let me know what the mechanic says, all right, Luke?” he said, turning his back on Josie and stalking back towards the house. He sure was cute when his feelings were hurt like that.
“I’ll be sure to send you the bill, Sawyer,” Luke said, shutting the hood of the truck and wiping his hands clean of oil. “Just remember that you’re the one who asked for it.”
They wandered off bickering as usual. But it was the normal, brotherly sort of bickering that happened in families all over the world. It was a thousand times better than the awkward, stilted silences Josie had seen them fall into when Sawyer first arrived. They weren’t best friends, they might never be, but there had been a significant improvement. Sandy watched them go as well, arms folded, looking like she was thinking the same thing as Josie.
“It’s good,” Josie said, swinging herself out of the saddle and onto the ground, standing beside Sandy. “They really seem to be getting along so much better.”
“And you?” Sandy said, looking at Josie and giving her a little smile.
“Me?”
