Charli leans against the truck bed, arms crossed. “Maybe she and Caison are fighting.”
Cabe snorts. “About what? They practically live up each other’s ass.”
Charli shrugs. “Doesn’t mean they don’t fight.”
I don’t say anything, but my stomach tightens. Grandma has been hovering all day too—poking her head out of the house more than usual, asking if anyone’s heard from Matty, offering food like that might fix whatever’s wrong.
Concern hums through the ranch like a low wire.
A familiar sound of tires crunching over gravel causes me to look up just as Waylon’s truck pulls into the yard.
He climbs out and comes around to the passenger side, opening the door and unbuckling Ruby from her car seat.
“Hey, Ruby,” I say with a smile.
Her face lights up instantly. “Hi, Shelby!”
She practically launches herself into my arms before her feet hit the ground. I laugh, steady her, and set her down just as her eyes catch sight of the porch.
“Grandma Evelyn!” she squeals.
Sure enough, Grandma is standing there with a glass pitcher of lemonade in one hand, plate of cookies in the other.
Ruby takes off at a dead run.
Waylon watches her go, shaking his head with a fond little smile. “Do all your students get that kind of treatment?”
I snort. “No. Only the ones who wrap Grandma around their finger.”
He chuckles, but he doesn’t look in my direction, keeping his eyes on Ruby as she climbs the porch steps.
Before I can say anything else, another truck pulls into the yard.
Dixon.
“Be right back,” I tell Waylon.
He gives me a curt nod and heads toward the porch, joining Ruby and Grandma.
Great.
Everyone’s acting strange today.
I turn toward Dixon as he climbs out of his truck, hat tipped back, that easy grin already in place.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey yourself. What brings you out today?”
“Matty rescheduled me for this evening,” he says.
My brow furrows. “She did?”
“Yeah,” he says easily. “Said something came up next week.”
I sigh. “I’m sorry. She’s not here.”
“Oh,” he says, clearly confused. “Maybe I got the day wrong.” He pulls his phone out to check their text thread.
