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“I can’t believe this; I told you weeks ago!”
I slow down my jog when I hear an irritated female voice coming from the office at the front of the barn.
“What do you want me to do, Cheryl?” Aaron asks, clearly exasperated.
“I want you to stay with your son.”
“I just explained to you that I have to go out in the fields with Dad. The fence is broken, and if we don’t fix it, we risk losing some animals.”
“It’s always something with you. I had this trip planned withthe girls for weeks, and you want me to cancel it at the very last minute? Can’t your mother watch him?”
“She’s not home. I think she mentioned a hairdresser appointment. I don’t know.”
“See! Even your mother has a life outside this ranch. You can’t expect me to be stuck here all day.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, weighing my options. I should probably leave. Nothing good will come from Aaron knowing I’d overheard his discussion with his wife.
Aaron lets out a long sigh. “I’m not asking you to stay here all day. You could take Gage with you.”
“It’s a girl’s day, Aaron. Excuse me for wanting to go and have a few hours with my friends, and at the same time, get a dress for the wedding that’s happeningnextweek. You should just take Gage with you. He loves to ride.”
The door creaks and I turn around to see a young boy, five or six maybe, slipping into the barn. He looks up, his light eyes widening in surprise when he sees me. The last time I saw my nephew, he was just a baby, but now he was an actual tiny human being. His dark hair is a mess of locks sitting on top of his head that reminds me so much of Aaron and I when we were kids. He’s dressed in a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt, a little Stetson sitting on top of his head. He is like a mini version of my brother. The only thing he got from his mother was his green eyes.
“It’s too far for him. He’s too young,” Aaron mutters, reminding me of the conversation going on.
“Of course he’d be too young to go with you, but you expect me to bring him with me everywhere.”
Gage’s gaze darts toward the shouting coming from the office, and I see his smile slip from his face.
Shit, he doesn’t need to hear this.
“Cheryl—”
I step into the doorway. “He can come with me.”
Both heads turn in my direction, matching surprised faces glancing at me. “What?”
“Gage.” I give him a pointed look. “If you both are busy, he can come with me. I was planning to go to town anyway.”
“See?” Cheryl lets her arms fall by her side. “Miguel will take him, and we can both do our thing.”
“Gage doesn’t even know him!” Aaron protests at the same time the little voice joins our conversation.
“Miguel? As in Uncle Miguel?”
I turn around to find Gage standing behind me, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Hey, buddy. Remember me?” I ask, crouching down so we’re at the same level.
I might not have seen my nephew these past few years, but I had some experience dealing with kids. Lonestars wanted their players to do some PR and volunteer with kids, which, in all honesty, was the best part of the job, and I never minded doing it.
Gage’s brows pull together. “Not really, but Dad sometimes talks about you. You play football?”
Aaron talks about me?
I wasn’t sure what surprised me more. The fact that my brother mentioned me to his kid or that he told him about football.
“Yes, I do. You like football?”
