Finn smiled, because he knew Henry hadn’t eaten breakfast and was likely starving. Dawson nodded, and they all bowed their head while Henry squished his eyes closed.
“Lord,” he said, his voice not as polished at prayer as others Finn had heard. He knew his cousin hadn’t always walked on the straight and narrow path, and that he’d wanted to strike out into the world in a big way. In his own way.
He’d left his family and the ranch where they’d grown up together the week after his high school graduation, and he’d only ever come back to stay for short visits.
“We’re really grateful to have friends we can rely on. Friends we can talk to openly about things that matter to us, to our families, and to our farms andranches. We’re all young here, Lord, and we need Thy help.”
Henry paused, and Finn let his words really sink into his soul. He did need God’s help—they all did—and he felt the overwhelming warmth and power and zing of pure love. Pure brotherhood. Pure belonging.
“Help direct our feet to the paths we should be on. Help those of us without a significant other to keep improving ourselves to be ready for when we’ll finally meet our better half. Guide those of us in relationships to say and do the right things, even if it’s not the thing someone else wants to hear.”
He cleared his throat, and Finn had the distinct thought that he needed to spend more time with his cousin. Henry was finishing up his farrier training, and he had his apprenticeship left, and Finn could hire him to come check his horses. Alex could too, and Finn could make sure he happened to be at Coyote Pass when Henry did the job.
“Help us with our daddies, to know how to talk to them, to make our mommas proud, and to be there for anyone who needs us. Oh.” He took a breath. “We’re real glad Dawson and Brandon overbuy on sandwich meat and cheese, and we’re real grateful they’re hosting us for lunch today. Bless them and their ranch and then bless the food, and anyone else here who needs something specific. Amen.”
He cleared his throat again and immediatelystarted making a sandwich, even while the other “Amens” that had been uttered lifted up to the ceiling. Henry wouldn’t look up, but Paul watched him, his gaze switching to Finn a few moments later while Alex and Libby took paper plates and got in line behind Henry.
Finn lifted his eyebrows, and Paul nodded, which meant they’d both noticed something in Henry. Finn might be able to bring it up easier, and he’d text Paul about it later.
Right now, his stomach growled, and he wanted a turkey sandwich with cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. They started to chat and chuckle as they got their food, and Finn happened to end up between Dawson and Henry, one of the last to make it to the table with his food.
“All right,” Dawson drawled into a lull in the conversation. “Anything anyone wants to tell us all?” He looked at Finn, as if he might announce something like Edith was going to have twins in April.
Even Alex looked at him, and Finn’s face grew hot. “Uh, sure, I guess I have something.”
“You do,” Alex said.
“Well, you could too,” Finn shot back.
“But I don’t.” Alex lifted his sandwich to his mouth but didn’t take a bite. “Nicki ain’t pregnant.”
Finn couldn’t tell if Alex was upset about that or not, and he added it to the list of things he’d talk about with one of his best friends in a more private setting. Edithwaspregnant, and they had learned the gender of the baby since the last time the group of them had met for lunch.
“Wedding plans are going well for us,” Link said as he reached for a bottle of lemonade. “Misty’s, uh, she’s going to Dallas in a month or so to talk to her mom about coming.” He nodded, and while Finn didn’t know the whole story there, Link had told them all a little bit of his fiancée’s past.
“And I appreciate you guys inviting Danny to this.” He nodded around, his expression somber and serious and full of gratitude. “I think I can get him to come to one of these if you keep at it.”
Finn did love a good sandwich, and he took a big bite just to get something in his stomach besides a few potato chips before he said his news. His friends were incredibly patient, and they all knew his stalling tactics as they didn’t say anything or start another line of conversation.
Finally, Finn couldn’t put it off any longer, and he said, “Edith’s gonna have a boy in April.” A smile coated his face and filled his soul, because he still couldn’t believe he was going to be a father. That a tiny baby would be entrusted to him to keep alive, to love, to teach, to care for. “We’re making lists of names now, but she doesn’t want anyone to know.”
He shot a look at Alex, who wore that smile he so rarely gave the world.
“That’s amazing,” Dawson said. “Congrats to both ofyou.” Other rounds of congratulations went around, and Finn took them all without too much embarrassment. He met Dawson’s gaze again and switched his to Smiles’.
Dawson got the hint, and he said, “All right. Let’s hear what the young bucks have to say about what I should do with Caroline.”
Chapter Eleven
Lincoln Glover had silenced his phone, but it still nagged at him. Misty wasn’t at work today, but she’d come up to the ranch to make jam with his momma and aunt Etta. They’d been nothing but kind to her in the past five or six weeks since he’d asked her to marry him—not that they hadn’t been kind and accepting before that.
They had been, as Link had known they would.
But Misty hadn’t spent much time with his family without him, and the pool of anxiety inside Link seemed to get pricked and poked over and over with every moment he spent in Dawson Rhinehart’s cabin.
Smiles had no such cares. He grinned from ear to ear as he said, “Whenever I want to talk to a girl, but I don’t have anything to talk about, or anything to say, or we’renot in the same classes or whatever, I text her jokes about her favorite thing.”
“Jokes?” Henry asked.
