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“Whew. Think I’m gonna have a heart attack.” Bulldog playfully breathes heavily while holding his heart. “I’m old and don’t have as much energy as you.” He winks at Pixie.
“You’re not old. Wade is old,” she replies, which makes us all lose ourselves in laughter.
“Patricia!” Randy’s gruff, angry voice comes from the direction of the barn. I look over to see him standing with his arms crossed, watching us.
“Daddy! Mr. Porter rode Storm! Did you see?” she calls back excitedly, not feeling the tension that has a knot forming in my gut.
“Of course he did.” The sarcasm in his voice is hard to miss. “You come on now. You got ranch chores to do.”
“I did ’em already.” She looks toward the ground, shoulders slumping. I feel Sully stiffen beside me.
“Come on, now. Do as you’re told. I need you to do something for me.”
“Yes, sir.” Her liveliness is gone as she heads to him. Randy points something out in the barn, talking softly to her before she goes inside. I’m sure he gave her something extra to do just to get her away from us.
He walks over leisurely, but I know what he’s going to say is anything but. “She shouldn’t be allowed to play until she’s done with her chores.” His gaze lands on Sully. I have to bite my tongue not to say that there’s no doubt in my mind she had done what she was supposed to. “I marked the last of the chores from the board. Is there anything else you need from me, boss?”
Sully shakes his head. “We’re good. I appreciate your checking.”
Randy crosses his arms. “Just doin’ my job,” he says, a slight jab at me, as if I don’t work harder than anyone else here.
Again, I have to force myself to keep quiet, feel Sully move slightly closer to me like he knows my muscles are twitching and my anger is firing inside me.
The tightness in my chest doesn’t leave when Randy heads for the barn.
“He’s a grump. Ignore him.” Bulldog drops a hand to my shoulder, then glances at Sully. “I mean…nothing to see here, boss. There’s no problem at all.”
Wade slaps the back of his head. “You idiot.”
“Do you see the abuse I take?” Bulldog asks Sully, earning a chuckle.
“Why is it I think you give just as much as you get?” Sully cocks a brow.
“Because you’re a smart man,” Big Jimmy replies, but the tension in my chest from Randy still hasn’t eased.
“I think we should all go out tonight to celebrate you breaking Storm.” Bulldog practically bounces on his feet. “You too, boss. It’ll be fun. We can bond, and ya know…hell, I don’t know.”
Wade smacks him again, only it’s Big Jimmy who calls him an idiot.
“I wouldn’t want to intrude.” Sully shoves his hands into his pockets.
“Go out with us, boss. It’ll be good for us all,” Wade pleads, and when he asks for something, it’s hard not to agree.
Sully shoots a glance at me that says he’s unsure, and damn, why the fuck shouldn’t we all go out and enjoy ourselves? We deserve it. Sully and I have never had that and likely never will, not like a couple, but maybe we can have it like this. “Yeah, boss. You should go,” I add.
He grins. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe we all need this.”
“It’s settled, then. We’ll head out about eight,” Big Jimmy says.
“We should invite Randy. It’s only fair,” Sully chimes in, the voice of reason.
“Let’s give him a little while to cool down, and then I’ll do it,” Bulldog says.
Everyone disperses, me and Sully lingering behind.
“You think this is a good idea?” he asks softly.
“Hell, I don’t know, but I want it, Sully. Don’t know why I do.”
