Walt rode back into the yard, the stallion's hooves thundering. He dismounted the same way Adam had seen Breanna do yesterday, sliding from the horse's back before it had come to a stop. Walt's feet hit the dirt, and the boy kept going, running up to Adam.
"What a horse, mister! He's faster'n any of ours, except maybe Breanna's Buster." The boy's eyes were alight with excitement, and Adam couldn't help tapping the brim of his hat.
"Do you think I can corral him for the afternoon?" Adam asked.
"Sure enough. I'll get some grain."
Adam walked the stallion to the corral off the barn while Walt raced ahead. He'd unsaddled his horse and put the tack carefully on the corral railing. He was letting the horse loose when two men approached.
One was Seb. He'd remembered the only adult unmarried brother. The other was... Matty? That seemed right. He'd seen the man with his infant son in church.
They weren't smiling.
And Matty had donned a silver star on his chest, which marked him a deputy. Was Adam meant to be intimidated?
"Seems like we need to get to know ya better, stranger,” Seb said. “You ever play horseshoes?"
He'd been through the introductions, but perhaps this was what Breanna had really meant when she'd cautioned him about her family. He wasn't scared nor intimidated. Mostly curious as he followed the two men to the shady side of the house, catty-corner to the picnic tables, where two spikes had been driven into the ground several yards apart.
He was making his first toss when Seb asked, "You ever been married?"
His horseshoe sailed past the spike, landing in the dirt well past its intended mark.
"Got any kids?" Matty echoed.
He shot them a look over his shoulder. Both men feigned innocent curiosity, all smiles.
"No." He had to laugh.
But the other men shared a look as they walked across the space to retrieve the horseshoes. "You think this is funny?" Matty asked.
Then Seb, "You appear outta nowhere and want to call on our sister? We don't know you. We're only asking fair questions."
He supposed he couldn't blame them. But he put more concentration into his next throw and didn't let himself be surprised when Seb asked, "You spend a lot of time in saloons? Like to gamble?"
This time, his horseshoe hit the spike and bounced off. "No." He made his answer calm when his ire was kicking up. Trust or no trust, he'd pass their test.
Matty's next throw was well short of the spike.
"Too bad," Adam said. "Better luck next throw."
The other men took it for the challenge it was, and the next three turns were fierce.
Adam rung one horseshoe around the spike and rewarded himself with a look at the tables, where Breanna had just lugged a covered basket to the furthest one. She saw him looking, but when he thought she might raise her hand and wave, she only turned back to return to the house.
When his attention returned to the brothers, they were standing with near-identical stances, arms crossed over their chests and chins stretched out almost belligerently.
"How'd you really meet my sister?" Matty asked.
Adam had nothing to hide. "Just like she said. We crossed paths while she was walking with her... cousin?"
"Niece," Seb said.
Right. Because the family relationships here were complicated.
"In a park," Matty finished skeptically.
"And you came all this way after one little meeting?" Seb again. It was as if they’d rehearsed this little interrogation in advance.
