The kettle whistled and Aunt Eileen pulled two mugs out of the cupboard. “Why don’t you two go out on the porch? Show Nicole what country stars look like.”
When Ryan pushed at the screen door, the hinges squeaked. He really should just grab a can of WD40 from the barn and fix that. Holding it open for her, she walked past him and moved to the porch railing.
“Wow.”
His gaze followed hers, looking up at the night sky and the splattering of stars.
“I thought we had a good amount of stars back home, but this…”
He vaguely remembered someone else pointing that out to him when they first arrived, but he’d never been one for stargazing, until now. “Makes a pretty neat tableau.”
“You can definitely say that again.” Her gaze remained fixed on the sky a few moments longer before she turned to face him. “Your family’s wonderful.”
Ryan leaned against the opposite post. “They have their flaws.”
“But they care.”
“Yeah.” He studied her profile in the glow from the kitchen windows. Impossibly, she managed to look even more beautiful now than earlier in the day. Reminding himself this is Mike’s kid sister who he promised to protect from the men on the crew, including himself, he shook his head and dragged his mind back to the conversation. “They do.”
Smiling, she moved to one of the green rockers. “That Irish DNA banter was hilarious.”
“Wait till you hear the great brisket versus pulled pork debate of last summer. Nearly came to blows.”
Her laugh was soft. “I can’t see it.”
“Okay, maybe not blows exactly.” He chuckled softly. “How about you? Any big family dinners in Oklahoma?”
She shook her head. “Both our parents were only children. They retired to Florida last year. One of those senior communities. Now it’s just Mike and me.”
“That must be tough. I mean, I bet you miss them.”
“We do, but they love it there. But,” Nicole smiled, “Mom’s over the moon that Mike decided to have his surgery in Florida. I’m not sure who’s going to enjoy all that pampering more, her or my brother.”
“Aunt Eileen can be like that.”
Nicole’s brow lifted. “Like what?”
“If one of us is near death, she’ll bring soup, fluff pillows, sing us songs, the whole nine yards.” Ryan grinned. “But anything less than death’s doorstep and she’ll most likely tell you to walk it off.”
That had her chuckling softly. He liked the sound.
“My mom would call that tough love.”
He shrugged. “We’ve always called it Irish love. Though now we might have to call it Portuguese love.”
Nicole laughed a little harder. A horse whinnied in the distance and she leaned forward in her seat. “You have horses?”
He nodded. “Do you like horses?”
“Don’t know. Never spent a lot of time around them.” Her phone chirped in her pocket. She pulled it out, and a small smile touching her lips as she mouthedNed.
Ryan noted the way she tucked a stray lock of chestnut hair behind her ear. An odd urge to do the same came over him. Again, he reminded himself of his promise to Mike. From where he stood, he could only hear her side of the conversation, but it didn’t take a mind reader to figure out that Ned was updating her on her truck.
She stared at her phone a moment before slipping it back in her pocket.
“Good news?”
“Yes and no.”
