“She needs stability and security and love. We’ve got the first two covered, and love?” He shakes his head. “I don’t know how much I know about love, Caleb. But I know I want to make her happy. I never want to see another tear on her cheek. I never want her to feel the panic that was clinging to her when she pulled up at the ranch.”
“That sounds like the start of somethin’,” I say, staring out at the arid horizon. “That sounds like more than I’ve ever heard you want.”
“You know me, Caleb. When there’s work to be done, I don’t think about much else. There’s been no one worth more than a passing glance since I grew hair around my dick. Joelle’s a good girl. We can make her happy, and what elseis there in life?”
I snort at my brother’s simple yet surprisingly romantic notion.
“Not much,” I admit. “Not much at all.”
“So you’re in?”
“Of course,” I say. “But what if Joelle doesn’t want that. What if we scare her away?”
“She respected and cared about you enough to name her son after you, brother. It might not be your regular setup, but there’s plenty of families out there living an unconventional lifestyle. We can convince her to stay with both of us.”
“She thinks she’s your girl, right?”
“I reckon so.”
“So, it’s down to you to tell her what you want,” I say. “Give her space to consider it.”
“I can do that.”
“Before she brings her son, though. I don’t want her to feel like we ambushed her with plans for a life she might find repulsive.”
Truth is, I’d love to get my hands, and mouth, and everything else, all over Joelle. She’s beautiful, sweet, and kind—a real peach. We’d be lucky if a girl like that wanted the small life we can offer her. It won’t be elegant. There are few luxuries in a home like ours. It’s hard labor laced with risk. She lived it for a year, but she was barely involved in the ranch's operations back then. She didn’t see how tough it can be to eke out a living from the land. We can’t sugar coat what life will be like if she stays. She needs God's honest truth.
The town rises in the distance, dusty and flat as always. Feed store. Gas pumps. That old white church that hasn’tseen a real sermon in a decade.
Wade taps the steering wheel. “You remember the Schultzes? That trio from out by Crater Ridge?”
“Yeah. Husband, wife, and her high school sweetheart all shacked up together.”
“Same setup with the Ramos cousins, too.”
“They make it work?”
“They seem happy.”
I recall how Joelle clung to me with sadness. She’s fallen into Wade’s arms so easily. She might have it in her heart to fall into mine that way, too. But I want her sure about a step like that, before we all get tangled in something that could hurt.
“I’ll talk to her today,” he says, like it’s as simple as ticking off an item on his shopping list.
I hope it will be. I hope, when he tells her I want her too, that she’ll be happy rather than disturbed. The last thing I’d ever want her to be is upset.
Chapter 16
Wade
By the time Caleb and I roll back up the drive, the sun has climbed high enough to bake the dust into the boards of the porch. My stomach’s been grumbling since town, and the smell that drifts from the house when I push open the door nearly brings me to my knees.
Sandwiches stacked thick as my palm sit ready on the table. Hearty soup simmers on the stove. Fresh bread and something sweet and cinnamon-scented cool on the counter. This kitchen has transformed from a barren place where we threw together barely edible slop to a real home filled with delicious comfort.
And Joelle stands barefoot at the sink with her hair tied up in a messy knot, humming softly; the heart of it all.
Caleb catches my eye as we step inside.Yeah. We’re done for.
Joelle turns at the sound of our boots, smiling when she sees our wide eyes and mouths hanging open like hungrydogs. “Lunch is ready. Hope you’re starving.”
