It takes me a moment to process Rhett’s wise words because it sounds a little too close to home given my recent thoughts about the past and Charlie.
“He has his reasons,” I mutter.
Rhett stares at me, his brows pinched before he turns back to where Toby goes to drop a bale into the trailer and misses, almost crushing his foot in the process.
“Pleasetake him somewhere. Try to talk some sense into him before Red makes a mercy call to Montana and gets Dee to come home early.”
“He won’t like that,” I reply.
Rhett shoots me a questioning look. “Red or Toby? Cause Red’s ready to lock him in the bunkhouse to save him from himselfandus.”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. I’ll take him into town for lunch and give him a talkin' to. Maybe Mags’s food can get him out of thismoodor funk or whatever it is.”
Rhett claps me on the back. “You’re a good brother.”
I snort and shoot him a glare. “You’re just butterin’ me up because you don’t want to deal with him yourself.”
He grins. “Again, I’ll ask, Red or him?” He jerks his head toward Toby. "Either way, you’re right. Mornin’ chores are tiresome enough without havin’ a grumpy rancher to deal with.”
“Says the one whousedto be a grump,” I retort.
“Hey. I’m a box of fluffies compared tothatone right now and I have the mountain spiritandCora to thank for that.”
“What do you want me to say to him?” I ask.
“Tell him it’s time to let Dee in on the one thing we’ve all been keepin’ from her. Cora and Star think she’s close to figurin’ it all out anyway and both think it’s better to find out from him. We can all see they’re meant to be, but maybe Dee needs to know that too, so she knows she’s not alone in her feelin’s.”
Again, his words are hitting a bit too close to home. Not for the first time, I wonder why I’m suddenly thinking about theblonde-haired, blue-eyed girl that I let get away from me. It’s beenyears, why am I losing sleep over it again now?
It’s not about me though. This is about helping my brother get his head on straight and making the rest of our daily lives a hell of a lot more pleasant in the process. Since I’ll always do anything for my family and this ranch, it’s not a hardship.
Lifting my hand up, I put my fingers in my mouth and let out a high-pitched whistle to get Toby’s attention. Unfortunately, it causes him to drop another bale in the process.
“What?” he yells.
“Lunch.”
He frowns and looks down at his watch. “It’s only eleven.”
“Yeah. And we’ve just been given an arrange to run. Go clean up and meet me at my truck in twenty.” He shrugs and leaves the half-full trailer in his dust as he stomps toward the bunkhouse.
“Good luck with that one,” Rhett chuckles. “You’re goin’ to need it.”
Forty minuteslater we walk into the Loaded Hog diner and claim what has come to be known as the Bull Mountain Ranch booth at the far end.
After our burgers, fries, and shakes are delivered, I let Toby get at least one bite of his double cheese before I lay down some home truths.
“You’ve got to tell her,” I say, launching straight into it.
He frowns. "Tell who what?"
Leaning back in my seat, I fix my gaze on his. "You know what I'm talkin' about. Why are you still waitin’ to tell Dee about the Call? You two could be together already and we wouldn’t have to watch you mope around the ranch all day.”
“I’m not mopin’.”
I don’t even try to hold back my laugh. “Tobes, if you're not bitin' our heads off, you're in your own little world with that sad lost boy look on your face. And that's when you're not workin’ yourself to exhaustion or riskin’ injury by droppin’ hay bales on your boots.” I pause and stuff some fries into my mouth, quickly chewing them down. “Is this the Call at work? Makin’ you so miserable evenRedis worried about you?"
Toby’s head jerks. "He is?"
