“Shh. Don’t say that so loud.”
“Don’t worry. Nobody’s around. Mom’s in her office writing and Sam’s in there napping. Andy’s down at theSentinel, also writing. Marybeth’s off on some errand in town. It’s just you and me, kid. And those two jokers in Rowdy Roost.” He stood. “What are you hungry for?”
“Anything.”
“French toast?”
“Oh, God, that sounds wonderful but not exactly healthy. What did you have on that plate?”
“A cinnamon roll.”
“Mmm.”
“Last one. Sorry. C’mon. Have some French toast. I’ll help you make it.”
“Who’s having French toast?” Lucky walked into the kitchen, followed by Kieran. “I want in.” He glanced over his shoulder. “How about you, bro?”
Bro.Sara’s breath caught. The McLintocks used that term for each other, but this was the first time she’d heard Lucky address Kieran that way. Maybe it was her imagination, but she’d swear Kieran reacted like she had, with a quick intake of breath.
His gaze sought hers briefly. He gave her a quick smile before looking away. “I’d love some French toast. I’ll help make it. Granny and I have it all the time back home.”
Lucky and Rance set up an assembly line with her cracking eggs, Kieran mixing, Rance dipping and Lucky frying. She and Kieran were finished first.
“Sara,” Lucky called out. “You’re in charge of plates and silverware since you know where everything is. Kieran, toppings are in the fridge.”
He opened the door. “What qualifies as a topping?”
“Anything you want,” Rance said as he made a fresh pot of coffee. “No rules.”
Kieran chuckled. “I like it.”
Happiness flooded through her. Kieran had never experienced the joy of having siblings. His relaxed smile and the sparkle in his eyes said more than words that he was enjoying the hell out of it.
Nobody had brought up the phone call, not even after the four of them were seated at the small kitchen table, elbows almost touching as they dived into their feast. Sara vowed not to be the first one to ask about it. She was counting on Rance.
He did not disappoint. “Hey, show a little mercy, you two. Sara and I are dying to hear about the phone call. Must have been a long one.”
Lucky glanced at Kieran. “Not so long. We hung up about twenty minutes ago. We needed….”
“The truth is, we bawled like babies on that call.” Kieran’s cheeks turned pink. “We needed to pull ourselves together. Good thing nobody was there but Lucky and me.”
“A very good thing. And then, when I saidI’m Lucky, she thought I was being disrespectful. It wasn’tluck, it was the hand of God, and I shouldn’t imply otherwise.”
Sara couldn’t help smiling. “I’ll bet that’s not the only time your name’s caused you trouble.”
“No, but she’s my most stubborn case so far. I couldn’t convince her it was my name, not my opinion. She finally believed me when I told her I was born on March 17th.”
“By that time we were laughingandcrying.” Kieran shook his head. “It was a holy show.”
“But good.” Lucky grinned. “Very good. In the end, she was happy about my name and my birthday. She’s a riot. I can’t wait to meet her in person.”
Rance jumped on that. “She’s coming over?”
“No. I promised I’d go over there.”
“Did you ask her to come?”
Lucky exchanged another glance with Kieran. “You know, after talking with her, I think Kieran’s right. A trip to Rowdy Ranch could be hard on her. I was afraid even asking her to come would stress her out. So I didn’t.”
