I shut my mouth at that and followed behind Brian as he stepped up to shake hands with the guys. “It’s good to see you all,” I said even though I wasn’t feeling it. The place was too noisy and crowded for my mood just now.
“From the look on your face, I’d say that wasn’t true,” Rafe said with a chuckle. “I’d apologize for crashing the party, but we were already here when Cal came in and I suggested you join us.”
I couldn’t find an argument for that, so I gave a curt nod and slid onto the closest stool. Instantly, a server appeared and set frosted glasses in front of each of us along with bottles of 4 Noses porter. I watched, thoroughly impressed, as the young woman poured the draft out in two stages to create the right size head. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all. At the very least, they understood beer.
“Your appetizers will be out in a few minutes. If you need anything else, just hit the help button.” The server pointed to a red button with the word “help” on it and left.
“We were all hungry,” Cal said. “So we put in an order for one of each of the appetizers. With a group this large, we should find plenty that we like.”
That actually sounded pretty good. And if the smells coming from the other tables were any indicator, I was going to enjoy sampling the different food items. Looking around at the restaurant while the others talked, I had to admit, it didn’t look too bad. Maybe I needed to give this place more of a chance.
I wondered if Julia had eaten here yet. The place hadn’t been open that long, and I was sure she was pinching her pennies while she focused on her practice. If she gave it a chance, though, would she like it? Or was this place not her style? I pushed the thought aside. We weren’t in a relationship other than professionally, so it was none of my business what kind of place she might like on a date.
“I know why Amy couldn’t come—she’s busy with work. Why are most of the rest of you without your partners tonight?” Cal said. Turned out Caitlin was busy with her business partner, Melody, and the Cafferty sisters were having a movie night that involved pajamas, mud masks, and a whole stack of rom-coms. Since Rafe and I were the only ones not in a relationship, it’d turned into a guys’ night.
The smell of fried zucchini and an assortment of other fried items suddenly appeared. Two servers set everything down along with empty plates and flatware. For several minutes, we dug into the different dishes, and I realized I had to reevaluate my opinion on this place. The portions might be smaller than I liked, but all the food was delicious.
“How goes the rodeo school?” Josh asked.
“Slow, but I’m getting there,” Cal answered. “That old farmstead hasn’t been updated in what looked like sixty years or more. One of the first things I had to do was get a plumber out to dig out the old pipes and replace them all the way to the city line. Cost a pretty penny, but it needed to be done. County inspector is due out the end of the month to sign off on everything and I’m hoping that’s the last of the problems.”
“Dude, your parents own a construction company and you grew up around it. Why aren’t you doing the work yourself?” Rafe said.
Cal took a sip of beer to wash down whatever he was eating. “Because I have the good sense to know when a project is beyond my capabilities. I have no problems swinging a hammer and if pressed, I am capable of swapping out a toilet, butthat? Oh, hell no. Better to pay someone else to handle the headache.”
“Well, I guess there’s no harm in recognizing our limitations,” Rafe said with a grin and Cal smacked him on the arm.
“You mean like acertainhistory teacher not leaving the textbook publisher alone after finding out thatcertainstate historical events weren’t included in the latest release?” Cal asked.
Rafe stopped him immediately. “Hey now, that is a hill I’m willing to die on. Pick something else to poke at me about.”
That made everyone laugh. All of us were passionate about different things. In most cases, that “thing” was horses. But every so often, something new would pop up and with Rafe, it was his love of Colorado history.
“What’ve you been up to?” Josh asked me but before I could answer, Brian had to go and tick me off.
“He’s trying to get Doc Lett to sell him Twister.”
Everyone turned to look at me in surprise while I glared at my brother.
“Whoa, that’s a damn fine stallion. I had the opportunity to ride him when I herded those wayward cows out of town,” Cal said. “I bet he wins all the buckles and ribbons in every event he participates in.”
Talk immediately shifted over to that early morning breakout when about fifty heads of cattle went for a wander. While I’d known about it, I didn’t know that it was Cal who’d rounded up the last of them. On Twister.
I told myself I wasn’t jealous of that.
“So, are you really going to buy him?” Cal asked, and I shook my head.
“I’d like to and I put in a generous offer, but she turned me down.” I knew I sounded bitter. “She said it made more economical sense to offer him up for stud fees.”
“That’s true,” Declan chimed in for the first time. “Especially if you’re using artificial insemination versus live cover.” Declan continued talking about the pros and cons of AI while I sat there stewing in my beer. The whole point of going out tonight was to unwind, but with the latest turn the conversation had taken, I was wound tighter than a two dollar watch. I needed to step away and clear my head.
I pushed back my stool. “I’ll be right back.” I didn’t wait for any of them to respond and headed for the toilets. I stuck my hands under the cold running water before splashing my face and slowly drying off. The cool waterdidhelp me feel calmer, but it didn’t do much to get Julia or Twister out of my mind.
Leaving the bathroom, I stepped up to the bar and ordered a top shelf whiskey. The bartender served it to me on a napkin and I tossed it back in two swallows. Before I set the glass back down, another appeared in front of me.
“I didn’t order that.”
The bartender pointed down the bar. “It’s from her.”
