She would come right to the kitchen, bypassing the living room and both bedrooms in search of me. I knew this because it was early in the morning, and she never did anything without her caffeine fix. So, even on this cold day, she wouldn’t hang out by the fire first.
I grabbed a second mug for coffee and poured her some, sliding it across the counter as she walked into the kitchen. “Please, come right in.”
Smirking, she wrapped her hands around the mug and inhaled the delicious scent of coffee before taking a sip. “Mmm, that’s the good stuff.”
Her long brown hair was flattened by the hat she wore, but it curled over her shoulders, resting on the perfectly designed cowgirl outfit she’d picked out for the day. My sister was not afraid to get dirty, but she always dressed like she was about to meet the future Mr. Krista Parker.
“What? Why are you staring at me?”
“Nothing,” I shook my head, holding back my laughter. “Just good to be home.”
“You were laughing at me.”
“I was admiring the way that you can make ranching look like a beauty competition.”
“Well, not difficult to do now that we’re no longer a proper ranch.” Shesaid it with no heat in her words, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t upset about how everything went down.
“Are you mad?”
She shrugged, her eyes turning sad. “In some ways. I definitely don’t miss the long days of moving the herds. And Jeff and Liam pretty much handle the horses now.”
“You don’t ride anymore?”
“Oh, no,” she smirked. “I still ride. I just don’t handle the stalls.”
“And I’m sure they gladly allow you to do whatever you want.”
“Well, I handle the cabins, which is not my dream job. I never thought I would be cleaning up after someone else,” she grimaced. “But it’s not the worst thing in the world.”
“How’s it really going?”
She rolled her eyes at me, setting down her mug. “Wow, you come back after years of being gone, and just have to know everything.”
“So, sue me. I’m curious.”
“You mean, you want to know if there’s anything you need to fix.”
I shrugged, but said nothing else.
“Well, don’t worry. Liam’s got it under control.”
“He just got out of the hospital.”
“And yet, he’s still the same controlling ass?—”
“Ah!” I stopped her before she could say something she might regret.
She quirked an eyebrow at me, smiling coyly. “I was going to say, he’s still the same controlling associate he’s always been.”
I smirked at that, taking a sip of my coffee. “Sure, you were. And Jeff?”
“He does whatever Liam tells him to.”
“No, I mean…how is he? I mean, he’s his usual self, pretending everything’s fine, but…”
“Oh, he totally still blames himself for the shit with Austin and Clay. But you know Jeff.”
I did know him, and that’s what worried me. What was really going on with him, and why hadn’t he come to me if he needed help?
