“I think tomorrow at noon for twirling class and a sign-up for the school team. I’ll have to double-check the schedule. Why do you ask?”
He stepped a little closer, big hand still working my left trap. Nothing scandalous. We were outside the church after all butclose enough that I could feel his body heat as his cologne filled my senses.
“You’re being coy. I can see it in your eyes.” I didn’t deny it. “I’d like to have another stew date with you. Are you willing?”
“I like stew,” I replied and got a smile that nearly knocked me onto my ass. That flash of pearly whites—and they were beautiful teeth, I should know—made me quiver.
“Good. Then text me what time and we’ll see what kind of meat we can sink our teeth into.” He gave my trap one final pinch and left me standing there with my dick half hard, staring at his ass as he meandered over to his uncle. I turned and took out my handkerchief to wipe the window of my car in order to give my cock time to deflate before joining my grandmother under the elm. Nothing made your dick go soft like trying to scrub off a splattered grasshopper from your windshield with nothing but spit.
***
I was checking my eyelids for holes when the porch swing creaked.
Startling awake, I glanced to the left to see Lincoln wedged in beside me.
“I’m so full I may pass out,” he moaned, leaning back to stretch out his long legs. He was a big man, taller than any of us other Bastians. Cash had been a man of normal stature, so Linc’s height must come from his mother’s side. “Did you enjoy the meatballs?”
“I did,” I confessed. There was no point in lying. I’d eaten about a dozen of them. “What makes them Chicago meatballs?”
He gave the swing a push. Dahn and Bella, both in home clothes of cotton shirts and cut-off jeans, were practicing withthat lone baton. I would have to buy the lad one of his own for his classes and the team if he made the cut.
“I add a good amount of giardiniera to the beef, pork, and veal mixture.” He looked quite pleased with himself as he should be. “I made them that way for the pub for years. The chopped pickled vegetables marinated in olive oil really give the balls a tangy and spicy flavor.” I nodded and patted my belly. “Speaking of balls, what’s up with you and the sheriff?”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? Why is everyone in this house so damn nosy about each other’s personal affairs?”
Baker and Hanley exited the house, cups of coffee in hand, to sit a spell on this beautiful summer afternoon.
“There’s nothing else to do around here but snoop and be pains in the asses,” Baker said into his mug. Hanley leaned on the railing beside his man, smiling softly.
Linc chuckled. “That’s kind of right, but also we like to see our siblings happy. And that lawman makes you grin like a loon,” the second eldest Bastian said.
“No, he does not. We’re just friends,” I argued, although I wasn’t sure as to why. What harm could come from admitting that Ollie and I had a flirtation going on? “Hanley, what did you discover on your scouting trip this morning?”
“Nice deflection,” the wildlife photographer teased. I touched my brow in thanks. “Actually, I think I’ll get some really nice rain shots along the Ganaskki Creek out by that third line cabin. It might be a long shot, since eagles are generally found at the larger lakes and refuges, but the Ganaskki Creek does have some nice native trout, so it’s worth a try.”
Baker seemed less than enthused. “You’ll need to keep a close eye on the weather. That hurricane down in the Gulf of Mexico is a massive bitch. They’re calling for it to spin its ugly way toward us by the end of next week if not sooner. Ganaskki Creek runs through the rez and then forks about a mile or two above thenursing home. If we get a lot of rain, as predicted, the cattle on those ranges are likely to be cut off or caught in a flash flood. I’m seriously considering bringing them back to the ranch until the storm blows over.”
“We just turned them out,” I said and got a dark look from Baker.
“Yep, and if need be, we’ll herd them back. I’m not going to chance losing all those newly bred heifers to a flood,” Baker informed me curtly.
“I understand, but shit, that’s a lot of riding and chasing cows.” I sighed as the baton bounced off the porch roof.
“You wanted to be a rancher,” Baker replied with a shrug.
“Sorry!” Dahn yelled and ran over to the porch. “Can someone give me a boost?”
Linc rose from the swing, being the tallest of us, and hoisted the lad up to fetch Bella’s old baton.
“Thanks, Uncle Linc!” Dahn crowed and jogged back to Bella, who curtsied in thanks to Lincoln. Linc turned a shade of red normally only seen on fire engines.
Linc turned from the lovely lady in the cutoff jeans to see us all grinning stupidly at him.
“Do not say a word,” Linc growled and stamped off just as Ford exited the house with a lemonade.
“Was it me?” the baby of the brothers asked.
“Probably,” Baker tossed out. Ford gaped. We all roared at his hangdog face.
