“That too.” Judd picked up Miles and threw him over his shoulder. “Time for bed, cowpokes.” He bent and allowed Laney to kiss his cheek. “’Night, princess.”
“Night-night.” She scooted around and allowed Anders to tuck her in.
Judd deposited Miles on his messy bed. The kid couldn’t spread out a blanket to save his life. Wynn said that she had to pick her battles with this kid, and that wasn’t one she wanted to start. “Sleep good, little man.”
“Uncle Judd?” asked a sleepy voice as he turned off the light.
“Yeah?”
“Love you.”
Judd clamped his jaw shut, trying to hold back the force of emotions those little words in that little voice brought to the surface. “Love you too,” he managed to get out.
Geez. He was such a softy.
He made his way into the living room and started folding blankets and cleaning up dinner. They’d left for the ranch right after they’d eaten, and the dishes were still on the table.
“So, what’s the latest?” asked Anders. He opened the dishwasher and began stacking dishes on the counter. He’d organize them there and then put them in the cupboards. It was the weirdest way to work, but it was his way.
“Not much. You? How’s Grace?” Anders had a longtime girlfriend. The two did everything together.
“Same.”
“Same? Shouldn’t they be heating up? Your shop is done. You have a lot down the street. You two could be married and settled by summer.”
Anders rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s not like that.”
“Not like what?”
“Not … I don’t know. It’s just not. We’re good the way we are.”
“That is the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.” If Judd had a girlfriend, he’d be pushing to settle down, live the good life.
Anders opened the shipping trunk and stowed the blankets. “Not as strange as you living here,” Anders fired back, a slice of defensiveness in his voice.
“I don’t live here.”
“Come on. You’ve got the bedtime routine down. I bet they listen to you more than they do their mother.”
Judd paused. They kind of did listen to him better. “That’s only because I’m not really their dad.”
Anders was quiet for a minute while he sorted silverware. “To be honest, I’m a little worried about what will happen to you when they get a new dad.”
Judd fumbled with the books he’d gathered into his arms. “What do you mean?”
“Well, Wynn’s going to get remarried someday …”
Judd’s mouth tasted like garbage, and he couldn’t work up any spit. “Why would she do that?” He stuck his head under the faucet and gulped some water down. “We all help her out to make up for Thatcher being gone. She doesn’t need a husband.”
“Uh, she might want a guy to hold her now and again—unless you’re taking care of that too.”
Judd grabbed the faucet, pulled the hose out, and squirted Anders.
Anders jumped away. “Hey!”
Judd tried to squirt him again. “Take it back.”
“What? There’s nothing wrong with—gah!” He got a face full of water, cutting off the rest of his words. It didn’t happen fast enough. Judd couldn’t get the idea of holding Wynn out of his head.
