Adam said his house was little, and compared to the main house and even his and Sister’s place, it was, but it was nice. Solid. Clean as anything. Landon loved it, loved exploring the books in the bookshelves, the odds and ends in random drawers. Adam didn’t have a lot of knick-knacks, but he had some strange odds and ends. A broke horseshoe. A carved piece of soapshaped like Texas. A lanyard made out of plastic string, like it had been made by a school kid.
The best part was Adam’s buckle collection. He had one from mutton bustin’ way back, all the way up to Mr. Strait’s roping classic last year.
Damn, his cowboy was amazing. Way better at rodeoing than him.
Better at pretty much everything than him, really.
He jumped when his phone buzzed in his pocket and he answered it, heading out to the backyard, knowing it was Sister. “Hey, ma soeur.”
“You’re restless, chou.” Her voice soothed him. He missed her fierce. Had so many things to tell her.
“I am. I miss your face. I’m gon’ bring Adam and the others to meet you. I need you to know them.”
“Well, bring them on then, oui?”
“I will. Soon. Tell me how you is? Tell me ’bout the world?” He sat on the front step, lit a cigarette, and rubbed his forehead. “Tell me about home?”
She laughed, which sounded like a curious bird. “Old Man Lefew got the ague. Shena Baptiste lost her a toe to a ’gator.”
“Was she skinny dipping?” That girl was a disaster hunting for a place to land.
“No, sir. She was sunning in the boat. Dangling her feet, ’cause you know how big they is.”
“Lawd, lawd. I bet her momma done set up a wail. They come to you for doctoring?” Sister was a traiteur, one of the very best. Maw-Maw always said Laurel had a direct line to God.
“They did. Her brother about to come home from the Army.”
“That’s a blessing.” Anytime someone came home from war alive was a gift. Bayou people wasn’t afraid to serve.
“Right?” She laughed again, and his bones settled under his skin. “You happy there?”
“It’s a lovely place, Sister, with a big old main house and so many barns.”
“The horses talk happy talk?” Laurel said you could tell a lot about a man by how their horses felt. How well they were treated.
“Hell, yeah. Oh, Sister, these hommes are so good to them. These babies are happy.”
“Well, then, good. I wouldn’t want you to be where horses were bad.”
“I wouldn’t. Adam wouldn’t. Or the rest. Horses is in them, bone deep.” He believed that, he knew it. The Taggarts were good men, all of them.
“I miss you.”
“Oh, Sister. I’ll be home soon, I swear to God, and I’ll bring comp’ny.” Guilt flooded him. He needed to see Laurel, hug her, ask her to make etoufée. She made deep, rich sauce and cooked the crawdads up good.
“I’ll be here.” He heard her snort. “Where else ’m I gonna be?”
“One day I’ll bring you with me, Sister.” He made the promise all time, and she always scoffed, just like now. It’d take a force greater than him to move her from Louisiana. From their house.
Sometimes he worried that house would just fall down around her. ’Course he needed to go home soon, shore up the beams, maybe fix that one sink that just held water…
“I’ll see you soon, chou.” She always knew when his heart wandered her way. Always. That was the best thing about having a twin.
“I’ll call, Sister. Sleep well.”
“Bon nutty.” The little joke made him chuckle and he put his phone down, so he could finish his cigarette.
The soft sound of bare feet padding on wood came to him, and Adam was there, arms sliding around him. “You all right, honey?”
