“Where's Rafe?” I ask. He's always been agood buffer between me and my annoying brothers. The one person on this ranch who knows when to talk and when to just hand you a beer and leave you alone with it.
“One of the mares is colicking,” says Tanner. “Vet's still out there, and so is Rafe.”
That tracks. Even with the vet there, Rafe wouldn't leave until he knew she was out of the woods.
“Which mare?” I ask.
“Daisy Mae.”
Jonah wrings his hands, looking anxious. “Is she going to be okay?”
Tanner swings Jonah up onto his shoulders and keeps his tone light. “Rafe thinks so, pal. So that means she will be.”
Jonah gives a single nod, immediately reassured. If Rafe thinks so, that's good enough for him. It's good enough for all of us.
We all head inside.
Dad has Sadie by the wall of family photos, the ones that march all the way back to the 1800s, generations of Rhodes staring back out at them. He's in full docent mode, one hand gesturing at a stern-faced man in a cavalry hat, while Sadie listens attentively.
Jonah runs up and slots his hand into hers without preamble. He stands there listening to Grandpa's history lesson too, and every once in a while he tips his face up like he’s checking she’s really there, like he can’t quite believe his luck.
I know the feeling, kid.
Slade and Tanner come up on either side of me. The three of us stand there watching for a while.
“Kid adores her,” Tanner murmurs.
Slade takes a sip of the beer in his hand. “So does the old man.”
They’re talking about Dad, obviously. But when they bothlook at me with stupid smug looks on their faces, I know they’re implying I’m the old man in question.
I just glare.
“Don't bore Sadie to tears with your history lectures, Dad,” Tanner calls out. “She'll never come back.”
“You hush,” Dad says good-naturedly, waving him off without even turning around. He offers Sadie his arm with old-fashioned formality, and she takes it with a smile that looks truly charmed rather than politely tolerant. “Come on JoJo, let's give our guest of honor the grand tour.”
Guest of honor.
I watch my father lead Sadie and Jonah deeper into the house, already gesturing expansively at the vaulted ceiling, probably launching into the story of how my great-great-grandfather built this place with sixteen men and a mule team over one brutal winter. Sadie glances back once over her shoulder, catches my eye, and smiles.
And I realize abruptly that I might just be grinning back.
Tanner chuckles beside me. “I think Dad's trying to adopt another daughter.”
Slade gives me a cryptic look. “Or getting cozy with his future daughter-in-law.”
I turn to look at him. His expression is perfectly neutral, which on Slade is the same thing as a shit-eating grin.
I realize something else, then. This family dinner that Dad orchestrated is as much about roping Sadie into the Rhodes family circle as it is about seeing me and my brothers.
Maybe more.
“Come here,” I say to my brothers, jerking my head toward the kitchen. They follow me in, and I wait until I can hear Dad's voice echoing down the hallway, deep in some story about the east wing addition, by the sound of it, before I turn around.
“Listen up.” I keep my voice low. “You knuckleheads be on your best behavior tonight. No weird comments around Sadie. I don't want you making her uncomfortable.”
“We wouldn't dream of offending your nanny,” Tanner says. His eyes brim with barely contained laughter. “Your beautiful, sweet, precious… employee.”
