But Trap had taken over his father’s construction business full time now, and he didn’t have to deal with spring planting, livestock issues, water rights, or anything else the bulk of his friends did.
Voices came down the hall, and it sounded very much like the Glover clan. Sure enough, Link, Rock, and Gun walked in only a moment later, with Wilder laughing about something with Mitch and Jacob a few steps behind them. Trap shook hands and put his smile on his face as the room started to bubble and vibrate with chatter and friendship.
Ty had not arrived yet, and Colt had been in charge of making sure Winnie knew where to have him and when, though it wasn’t exactly a surprise party. Jake walked in with Jason Walker—JJ’s younger brother—and then the birthday boy himself made an appearance.
“Okay,” Colt yelled. “Ty’s here, everyone!”
The man had turned thirty-two years old yesterday, and now the former bull-riding champion in him came out as he raised both hands above his head and waved, the way Trap’s uncle often had when he’d won national titles.
“There’s no food on this table,” Ty said, his smile fading as his arms dropped back to his sides.
Colt stepped past Trap and drew Ty right into a tight hug. “Howdy, brother. Pizza will be here in ten minutes.”
He turned toward everyone, his arm still around Ty’s shoulder. “Hey, guys, can I get your attention for a second?”
Trap stepped out of the way, taking his place next to his cousin Jason and Jake Ahlstrom, who he’d grown up with. After all, Trap had never needed to be in the spotlight, though he enjoyed praise as much as the next cowboy.
“We’re so glad everyone could come for Ty’s birthday, and we know it’s a busy time of year, and lots of y’all have wives and kids, so feel free to leave anytime you need to. Pizza will be here in about ten minutes, and I got ten of them. I don’t want to hear any complaining about fruit on pizza or too many olives. If there’s something you don’t like, you just pick it off. All right?”
He wore a stern look, but chuckles moved throughout the crowd, as they’d talked about food preferences in their ranch owners’ meetings in the past.
“JJ has a bunch of games down on the end, and Conrad brought darts, and I thought it would be fun just to hang out.” He indicated the tables. “Some of us play cards every couple of weeks, and I brought those too, but don’t feel like you have to have something to do.”
He clapped his big hands together. “Let’s singHappy Birthdayto Ty right now. And if you brought a gift, you can give him that, because when the pizza gets here, I think it’s going to be a free-for-all.”
He laughed, and then he led them in a rousing version ofHappy Birthday. Ty stood there, his face turning a deeper shade of red with every moment. After the last purposefully off-key note ended, he said, “Thank you guys so much,” and then he stepped out of the doorway and further into the room.
Trap recognized another person wanting to blend in when he saw one, and he welcomed Ty to his little huddle with Jake and Jason.
“Who got the cake?” Ty asked.
“I did,” Trap said. It had a couple horses on it and the wordsHappy Birthday, Ty,and Trap didn’t think it looked too bad.
“Thanks, brother,” Ty said, and he grabbed onto Trap’s forearmfor a moment, gripped it tightly, and then pulled his hand back. “How are things going with you?”
Trap blew out his breath, letting his lips flap a little bit the way horses did. “Good enough, I guess. I’ve got your big project and four or five others on the docket, so I can’t complain.”
“He complains plenty, though,” Jason said. “You should hear him talk about the Hensen place.”
Trap’s gaze shot to his cousin, who had asked to help him on several projects in the last few weeks. “That place needs to be condemned,” he said. “And she wants to move here in a month.”
“Is there a house she can live in?” Ty asked.
“No,” Trap said. “And she seems to think I can build her one just by snapping my fingers.” He wasn’t salty about the Hensen place, he was salty about the owner’s expectations of him regarding the Hensen place.
“Wearegoing to build her one,” Jason said.
Trap rolled his eyes. “I just don’t see how someone like her is going to survive in a tiny house.”
“She requested it,” Jason said. “And you’ve wanted to build a tiny house for at least the last five years.”
“Yeah,” Trap said. “I have.”
“We’re starting on it on Monday.”
He’d actually poured the foundation already, and he’d gotten final approval from Lila Mae on the blueprints just yesterday.
“It’s fifteen-by-fifteen-feet,” he said. “Kitchen, bathroom, and living on one floor and a loft bedroom. Itisgoing to be twenty feet tall, so she should be able to stand up upstairs.” He shot a look over to Jason. “I just don’t think people understand that simply because a house is tiny doesn’t mean there aren’t the fifteen thousand checks that need to be gone through—plumbing, electricity, inspections, all of it. It’s the same as building a regular house. It’s just smaller.”
