“I think she’s doing better with every day,” Dawson said. He now filled the doorway, and he got jostled as Smiles joined him.
“We’re stopping in doorways now?” He grinned at Dawson, and Trap found the two of them a comedy of errors. One totally full of sunshine, and one made of nothing but grumpy cat genes.
Dawson rolled his eyes at Smiles and entered the room fully. “I need coffee.”
“What’s going on up at your place?” Alex asked. “That you need Smiles?”
“I think the man is just bored at Shiloh Ridge,” Dawson grumbled.
Trap joined him at the coffee cart. “Really? Shiloh Ridge is enormous. Surely he has enough work to keep himself busy.”
“He does,” Dawson said. “My chickens are going through a minor thing, and he diagnosed it in five seconds and put them on antibiotics.”
“Well, that’s good news then,” Trap said.
Dawson lifted his cup to his lips and took a sip. The caffeine seemed to calm him upon contact, and he nodded. “It is. What’s new with you?” He took another drink.
Trap stirred sugar into his coffee, his smile spreading across his face unbidden. “I signed a contract to renovate a school bus into a tiny house.”
Dawson’s eyes widened. “And you’re smiling about it, so this is…good news?”
Trap laughed and nodded. He took a sip of coffee and moaned. “This is so good. Where do they get this?” He looked at the urns set up on the counter and found the logo for Cowboy Coffee Roasters, and he nodded. “Yes, I love this stuff.”
He focused on Dawson as more voices joined them—Libby and Brandon and Link. “Yeah, anything that’s new and exciting is a win for me. I could build houses and make cabinets in my sleep. Pulling apart an old school bus and turning it into a mobile home with all the high-end finishes?” He grinned and shook his head. “Now that’s fun.”
Dawson chuckled with him, and they turned to face the group when Finn said, “Everyone come get lunch and find a seat.”
The people in the room mobilized, and Trap quickly reached out and picked up two containers, passing one to Dawson, as they stood on that end of the table already.
“It’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and brown gravy,” Tate called above the hustle and bustle. “Trap, what did you bring?”
“There’s Diet Mountain Dew, Doctor Pepper, water, and Peach Fresca,” Trap called to the group. “JJ has ice and cups at the very end.” He said the last part just as his cousin put the cups on the table and hefted up a bag of ice beside them.
“Wow, this smells amazing,” Colt said, and Trap moved so he could sit beside him. He and Sariah were going to double with Trap and Lila this weekend, and Trap needed to get their plans straight.
Finn always gave them a few minutes to eat at the beginning of the meeting. Then no one was talking with their mouth full, and Trap could admit he felt more like participating—and like he had something worthwhile to contribute—after he’d filled his belly with something delicious.
He sat beside Colt, and Tate took the chair on his other side. “I was thinking we could do a progressive dinner on Saturday.” He popped the lid on his container, the scent of salty gravy and creamy potatoes hitting him square in the nose. “Dude, Tate, this looks amazing.”
“I’ll tell Lauri,” he said with a smile. “She does all of our catering cooking.”
“I think I’m going to have to cancel,” Colt said.
Trap whipped his attention to his best friend. “What? Why?”
“Go out with Easton and Marta or something,” Colt said. He scooped up a bite of mashed potatoes and swiped it through the gravy. “Or Austin and Joelle.” He put his food in his mouth and pointed his fork across the table. “Or Smiles. I heard he has a new girl.”
Trap looked over to the tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed cowboy. “Of course. He’s back in town for a month, and he has a girlfriend.”
Smiles met his eyes, already smiling, of course. “I’ve been back in town for almostthreemonths, I’ll have you know.”
“Oh, excuse me.” Trap grinned at him. “So who is she, and how did you meet her?”
“Her name is Deirdre Charles, and she’s a vet tech at the southern clinic. She’s come out to the ranch a few times, and I don’t know.” He shrugged one shoulder and took another bite of chicken.
“He asked her out the moment he could,” Rock said, giving his older brother a dry look. “I was there, and trust me, it wasn’t pretty.”
Smiles simply tipped his head back and laughed. “He’s not wrong, but hey, she said yes. We’ve been out a couple of times now.”
