"Must be nice having some excitement in Dallas, though," Tyler continued, leaning closer to her than necessary. "Restaurants, nightlife, culture. Bet you had men lining up to take you out."
"I kept busy with work mostly," she said diplomatically.
"All work and no play?" Tyler grinned. "That's a crime for someone like you."
She laughed—light and easy, the kind of laugh she used to give me when I'd say something particularly ridiculous. "Someone like me?"
"Beautiful. Smart. Sophisticated." Tyler was laying it on thick, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Clay hiding a smirk behind his cornbread.
"That's kind of you to say," Ivy replied, but I caught the slight discomfort in her tone. Good. At least she wasn't falling for his bullshit.
"I could show you around," Tyler continued, apparently missing her signals. "I bet the town's changed since you were here last. New restaurant opened up on Main Street. Nothing fancy like Dallas, but they make a decent steak."
"Not that much has changed," Clay interjected, grinning. "Murphy's still serves warm beer, Dottie still burns the coffee, and everybody still knows everybody's business before they know it themselves."
"Some things never change," Ivy agreed, and her eyes found mine again. This time, they held for a beat longer than necessary.
"The good things don't need to," Dad said, raising his glass slightly. "To tradition."
"To tradition," everyone echoed, but I noticed Ivy's voice was soft, almost sad.
Tyler monopolized her attention through most of dinner, regaling her with stories about his bull riding days—all two of them before he'd busted his shoulder. He had nothing on Clay, ranked number six in the world. She was polite, engaged even, laughing at the right moments. But I knew her tells. The way her fingers drummed against her thigh when she was impatient. The slight tilt of her head that meant she was only half-listening. The way her eyes kept drifting to other conversations, other people.
To me.
"You could always go over there," Liam suggested quietly. "Join the conversation. Stake your claim."
"I don't have a claim.” Even though my hickey was on her neck, barely hidden under her hair, and what looked like a lot of makeup.
"No? Then why do you look ready to throw Tyler into the stock tank?"
"He's annoying."
Liam chuckled. “He's twenty-five and shooting his shot. Can't blame a man for trying." He took a pull of his beer. "Though he's about as subtle as a freight train."
"Ivy," Hunter called from down the table, inadvertently saving her from Tyler's next story. "That new equipment you ordered for the breeding barn—I've been looking at the specs. The hydraulic system's impressive."
She turned to Hunter immediately, her whole demeanor changing. "It should integrate with your current setup without too many modifications. Though I might need your help with the installation."
"No problem. I've been wanting to upgrade that old chute system anyway. This gives me the excuse." Hunter's quiet voice carried his typical understated enthusiasm for anything mechanical. "The automatic gate system alone will save us hours."
They talked shop for a few minutes—hydraulics and load capacities and electrical requirements. Tyler tried to follow along, but he was out of his depth when Hunter started explaining torque ratios and pressure systems.
"Remember when Ivy helped deliver that breech calf?" Maggie said suddenly, and the table quieted. "During that ice storm? She was, what, sixteen?"
"Fifteen," Mom corrected, smiling at the memory. "Stayed in the barn all night, even though she had school the next day."
"Nearly got frostbite," I added before I could stop myself. Everyone looked at me. "She wouldn't leave the calf. Had to literally carry her to the house when it was over."
Ivy's cheeks pinked. "The calf needed help."
"You saved her life," Dad said. "That calf grew up to be one of our best producers. Still have her descendants in the herd."
"Really?" Ivy's face lit up. "Which ones?"
"The ones with the white star markings," I said. "We called the first one Lucky, after you named her."
Her expression softened, head tilting a little, as if she were surprised. “You kept the name?"
