“Mhm,” Nik mumbled, lifting his arms. Rafe leaned closer, and the little boy planted a fat kiss on his cheek before lying back, his eyelids already closing.
Rafe watched his little brother for a few seconds, his heart full. He picked up the dirty clothes, put them in the hamper, and headed toward the kitchen to check on something for dinner. Passing Lessa’s bedroom, he heard her chattering to Ahri.
He checked the fridge first to see if his mother had done the cooking in advance and found a casserole marked as Saturday’s dinner. On the counter was a recipe for pork chops with Cheberry Jelly labeled “Sunday dinner.” Ahri had mentioned once that she hadn’t done much cooking from scratch and had beenlearning a lot from Ma. The recipe was pretty straightforward, but he’d love to help her with it. Would Ahri be offended if he offered?
“Oh,” Ahri said, putting her hair up as she entered the kitchen, “you’ve already got it out.”
“Looks like Ma set up everything for you.” Rafe pointed at the recipe card. “Would you like any company tomorrow while you make that?”
“Are you offering to help?” She looked relieved. “I’ll admit I’m nervous to try something on my own especially since you all . . .y’allare spoiled by her cooking. I might ruin it.”
“Don’t worry. Together, we’ll make Ma proud.” He glanced at the door to the living room as he opened the oven. “Where’s Lessa? I thought she’d last a little longer than Nik.”
“So did I, until I put her in her nightgown. Once she had it on she climbed into her bed and covered up.” Ahri looked a little tired herself, watching him with those delicious eyes. She gave him a soft smile. “You know how to wear out little kids.”
Rafe put the casserole dish inside the oven and straightened. “It’s not like I have any experience with children. They’re a fun pair, and I like living close enough to get to know them. I missed a lot when they were babies, and I was at Harvard.”
“Now that you have dinner in the oven, you can help me water the garden.” Ahri opened the back door, so Rafe followed her.
“What happened to all that drip system we put in?” he asked.
“That was only for part of it.” Ahri pointed to the rear section and the rows of corn. “For some sections, she’s still using the irrigation method.”
While she fiddled with the controls, Rafe watched Ahri from the corner of his eye. He remembered her saying she was a fast learner, and she was right. Not that he was surprised. She’d picked up her new responsibilities in his office faster than any employee he’d had, even Cass.
He knelt and started pulling weeds. The familiar motionbrought back fond memories of his youth and time spent with his mother. The garden had always been a good place to get away from his father.
“We used to have a cow,” he said.
“Did you milk it?”
Her teasing eyes and the way the corners of her mouth quirked up made Rafe wonder what it would be like to kiss her.Down boy.
“I did, and I know how to make cheese.” Rafe puffed out his chest for a second, like it was a huge accomplishment. “We had to make our own cheese because we couldn’t afford to buy the store-bought stuff.”
Ahri finished with the water. She knelt nearby and started in on the weeds there. “Was it strange for you to go from being a scholarship boy to a billionaire? It was for Kayn.”
“Sometimes I still can’t get my head around it. My college roommate, Ethan—he’s the one who’s my brother-in-law now—has an extended family with money, but he was raised on a ranch. I worked there the summer before I started graduate school.”
“So, you’ve been a farmeranda rancher?” She shot him an admiring glance.
“Yeah, I have actually. I’ve been a ranch hand anyway. Funny but I’m prouder of both of those than I am of having a bunch of money. One thing I learned from Jack—that’s Ethan’s stepfather—was that money doesn’t have to change who you are.”
“It sounds like that Jack is a wise man.”
They worked in silence for a while, until Rafe’s muscles started to cramp. He sat back on his heels and arched his back.
“Is that a chicken coop?” She sat back too and pointed to the old hutch.
“Yes. They were too noisy for Alex once they were married. He told Ma that they could afford to buy eggs from the grocery store.”
“I’ll bet she fought him on it.” Ahri stood.
“You’re getting to know her. Yes, she did.” Rafe rose and brushed off his jeans. “I think she’s had trouble adjusting to prosperity too.”
“Since you were so poor, when you suddenly had all this money, why didn’t you go on a spending spree or take a vacation or something?”
“Partly because we’d already been talking about REKD. To do what we wanted would take capital.”
