“Ridiculously heroic, you mean.” My eyebrows bounced.
“More like ridiculously full of yourself,” she called over her shoulder, Winnie tugging her toward the maze entrance.
My laugh cracked into the autumn air and I turned toward Brody.
The sound of boots crunching on gravel preceded me as I crossed the open space.
Brody glanced up, his mouth twitching into a wry half smile. “Well, look who wandered in from the pumpkin patch.”
“Don’t knock it till you try it,” I said, clapping him lightly on the shoulder. “Pumpkin picking is serious business.”
His smile widened a fraction. “So I’ve heard.”
I gave him a jab of my elbow. “You mean to tell me the local cops have nothing better to do than protect the local family farm?”
Brody took my ribbing in stride as he ran a hand across his vest. “Last week I went on a call because Phyllis Clayborne was convinced the Lady had possessed her cat. I’llhappilytake a drama-free afternoon at the farm.”
Our mutual chuckle was easy enough, but under the surface there was still that faint hum of something unspoken. Years of being brothers without ever quite feeling like it.
“How’s the build going?” Brody asked, nodding toward the barn.
My gaze followed his. “It’s good. Busy and makes for a long day sometimes, but it feels ... important, you know?”
He nodded. “They’re lucky to have you on it. You’re good with your hands—always have been.”
Something in my chest tightened at the words. A compliment, casual and light, but from Brody it felt heavier.
“Thanks,” I said, rubbing a hand over the back of my neck.
Brody’s gaze drifted toward the fields before he spoke again.
“Listen, I’ve been going through some of Dad’s old stuff. There’s a lot. More than I can handle alone. You’d really be helping me out if you came by.”
I blinked, caught off guard by the ask but surprised by how quickly I wanted to say yes.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah. Absolutely. Whatever you need.”
His mouth tugged into that faint smile again, and I felt the tiniest crack of something shift—some small barrier loosening between us.
“Appreciate it,” he said simply.
“Of course.” I shrugged, trying to play it cool even as a quiet warmth spread through my chest.
For once this didn’t feel like chasing something unattainable. It all felt possible.
I leaned against the fence post, the wood cool and rough beneath my palm, and watched Selene and Winnie disappear into the maze.
Selene’s brown hair caught in the wind as she followed Winnie through the archway of bundled cornstalks, her shoulders shaking with laughter at something Winnie had said. A second later, they were swallowed up by the rows, the rustle of dry husks the only sign they’d been there at all.
I just stood there, the late-afternoon light stretching long and golden over the fields.
It felt good. Surreal, even. Like I’d stumbled into a life I wasn’t supposed to have but wanted more than I could admit.
Selene. Winnie. This town. All of it.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this steady, like I had roots sinking in deep and fast before I even realized it.
A grin tugged at my mouth as a new thought took hold—mischievous and stupid in the best way.
