Another shadow moved along the ridge line above the north pasture, a dark shape against the paling sky.
I trusted they had everything covered, but I walked the perimeter anyway. Near the fence corner, my brother Owen stepped out from behind a mesquite tree, a thermal cup in one hand.
“Did you sleep at all?” he asked.
“Some.”
He snorted. “That’s your idea of a vacation.”
“It’s my idea of not getting somebody killed.”
Owen lifted his chin toward the cabin. “They good?”
“They’re breathing.”
“Then that’s a yes.”
I accepted the coffee he offered, took a sip, and let the heat wash away the lingering sleepiness. “How do things stand this morning?”
“Gate’s covered. Ridge line’s covered. Brody is doing a slow loop with the dog. We’ve got eyes on the road and eyes on the property line.”
“Keep it that way.”
Owen studied me for a second, then smiled like he’d seen something funny. “Mae’s been waiting for you to come home for years.”
“Where is she?” I asked.
“In the kitchen. Running everyone’s lives, same as always.”
I handed him the coffee and headed toward the main house.
The house was already awake. The porch light was off, but the windows glowed. Inside, the kitchen clattered with the sound of pans and voices and the kind of warmth that made a place feel like home.
I stepped in, and Mama Mae turned from the stove like she’d sensed me coming.
“You look like you’ve been wrestling a bull,” she said, flipping an egg with sharp, practiced ease.
“Good morning to you too.”
She slid a plate onto the counter, then another, then another, moving like a general feeding an army. “Did Lucas eat last night?”
“Barely.”
“He’ll eat today,” she said. “Boy’s been running on fear and pride. Give him a horse and a full belly, he’ll come back down to earth.”
I set my hands on the counter. “We’re not staying long.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you planning to leave my property before the sun’s even up?”
“I’m planning to make sure no one can find them.”
“They won’t,” she said.
I met her gaze. “They tried to intercept a convoy in Valor Springs.”
“That wasn’t here.”
“It could be,” I said.
