I mouthedthank youand darted out of the kitchen, but too late. Jed had the door thrown open wide for Ty, welcoming him inside.
“Good to see you, Ty,” Jed said as he offered his hand.
Ty shook it. “Thanks for inviting me.”
His gaze darted to me, and a thrill bubbled through my chest. Had eye contact always been so sexy? Or was that just now? He gave me a nod and turned his attention back to Jed. “Your father knows I haven’t been up for much by way of cooking lately.”
Jed scratched his stubbly chin. “Really? I thought some pious lady over at the church was bringing you meals.”
Holy hell, I would have to murder my brother when this was over.
Ty held Jed’s gaze. I could have kissed him for not giving me away. Also, I could have just kissed him.
“I haven’t been contacted, no,” he said.
“Well, we’ve got plenty to go around.” A slow smile played across Jed’s face, and I dreaded whatever he was about to say. Maybe he would be generous and get this all out of his system in one go, but no telling with him. “I have to ask—is June really mucking out horse stalls for you?”
“She is.”
I could almost believe a glimmer of pride had shone in Ty’s eyes, but it might have been a trick of the light. I hadn’t expected a fountain of praise, but a two-word answer knocked my ego down a peg. I’d worked my ass off out there, and all he had to say was,She is?
“Any chance I could stop by and take a few pictures of her mid-shovel? For posterity’s sake?”
“You take pictures, and you won’t have any posterity to worry about,” I warned.
Jed grinned at me. “I’m just saying it would be a sight to see. I’d pay good money for a picture of my baby sister knee-deep in manure.”
“Probably best if you don’t,” Ty said.
Thank the Lord.At least I had Ty on my side.
“It might startle the horses.” He cut a look to me. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we, June?”
I narrowed my gaze at him. Great. I had three of them to deal with tonight.
Dylan and Beau ran through the front door, granting me a brief reprieve from this first round of embarrassments. The two boys barely paid attention to the adults as they tore into the front bathroom and turned the sink on full blast. Wade trailed inside after them, having apparently fallen behind in their game of chase.
“Ty,” he said, straightening up. “I hear you’re desperate for ranch hands these days.”
Lord, this night was shaping up to be the worst.
Thankfully, the second round of “Let’s Embarrass June” was cut short by our pop’s arrival. He had one hand on Marilyn’s waist as he ushered her through the door, protecting her from his children while propelling her toward us.
Anxiety burst to life again in my stomach, quenching whatever appetite I’d had. I’d known Marilyn my whole life, had had dozens of perfectly normal conversations with her at Fine & Dandy, but this evening was something just shy of perfectly normal.
Ty gave me the tiniest smile, and warmth threaded through me. Strange how the barest twitching of his mouth could bolster my mood as I faced a fear I had never thought to imagine before.
Wade, Jed, and I lined up in front of Marilyn Wells like the Von Trapp children ready for inspection. Her eyes shone with friendly enthusiasm as she went through her round of hellos, accompanied by my pop’s eager introductions. She had only a shimmer of grays in her long, dark hair compared to Pop, who had more salt in his pepper these days. They both looked happy enough, and I tried to remind myself that was the main thing.
“June,” Marilyn said when she turned to me. “It’s so good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” I heard the stiffness in my voice but couldn’t manage to sound more casual when meeting her as my pop’s lady friend for the first time. Easy conversation about home decor trends in central Texas was nothing compared to this.
After saying hello to Annie, Marilyn looked to Ty. She didn’t seem surprised he’d been included in the big family dinner. I guessed Pop had filled her in on everything before they turned up. At least somebody got a little advance warning around here.
Ty stepped forward with an outstretched hand. “Nice to see you, Mrs. Wells.”
“I’m glad you could join us tonight,” she said. “Clint told me about your injury. Such a shame, what with your record and all.”
