“It was and it wasn’t.Things weren’t great at home, and while it would have been nice to have someone to lean on, I wouldn’t want anyone else to have to go through that.”
“I’m sorry.That had to have been hard.I used to dream about being an only child.In my mind it was so peaceful.In reality, I know I’d have been bored.I guess we always want what we don’t have, right?”
“Kind of.I think we want to at least try some of it, not necessarily all of it.Personally, I could have gone my entire life without an accident like this one, but I think you’re right, to an extent.”Spider made his play, then looked up at her, noticing how her lashes framed her clear blue eyes in a way that made him wonder how he hadn’t noticed them before now.“It took me a while, but I found my brothers.I’m happy with where I am.What about you?You still wanting to get away from yours?”
“Not really,” she said with a shrug.“I’ve gotten them mostly tamed by now.When one of them gets a wild hair to do something stupid, I make sure to teach them the error of their ways ...usually in a way they’re not likely to forget any time soon.”
That intrigued him.
“Oh?Give me an example.I can always use ideas on how to deal with my brothers.They think they’re way funnier than they are.”He glanced over at her father.He sat in one of the chairs, watching them.He seemed content to sit and watch them.Spider had to wonder why he’d made the trip if he didn’t have anything to say or contribute.
Jordon made a play and he turned his attention back to the cards and the woman in front of him.
Chapter Ten
Jordon noticed Spiderwatching her father but ignored it as she made her play.If he wanted a distraction for a little while, she could do that.She was sleepy but for the first time since she’d met him, she was doing more than standing back and watching as Daddy interacted with him.
Spider seemed like he was in far better spirits than her previous visits.She didn’t know if it was because he was feeling better or if it was something else.Either way, she was enjoying seeing him like this.
“Oh, let’s see.Kade pissed me off one day, I don’t even remember what he did, but I shortened all of his reins by two inches.Took him days to figure out why things felt wrong.Wyatt was being a little stuck-up shit one day so I stole one of every pair of gloves he had, and only the right glove.In the middle of repairing fences.So he couldn’t even take different pairs and wear mismatched.Lane wouldn’t stop blasting that crap he calls music, so I changed all the presets in all the trucks to the rock and talk stations.Of course, anytime I do any of this, I pretend I have no clue what they’re talking about when they try to blame me.”She couldn’t hold it in and let out a giggle at how funny she thought screwing with her brothers was.She could let them see it here, even if she had to play it straight in front of them.
“I gotta know, what’s the crap he calls music?”
Jordon wrinkled her nose in distaste.“Classical.I don’t get it.I need some words to my music and a good beat is just as important.”She shook her head and continued playing.She needed one more card, then she could go out.She just hoped he didn’t get what he needed before she did.
“How did you act like you didn’t know what he was talking about with that one?”
She glanced at him then back to her cards.
“I acted like that’s what they’d always been set on.”She shrugged as she drew a card.Just what she’d been waiting for.“Gin.”She flipped her discard upside down and laid down her cards.“Are we going to keep score or do you just want to play a while?”
Spider laid his cards down, then scrubbed one hand over his face.
“Let’s keep score.I have a notebook in here.”he leaned to one side.
“Let me.”Jordon slid off the bed and went around to where he was reaching for a backpack.She lifted it up and set it on the bed beside him.While she waited for him to dig through it, she counted up her score.When he zipped the bag up, she put it back where she’d gotten it and told him her score as she went to sit down.As he wrote down their scores, she gathered the cards and shuffled.“Are you from around here?”
