“I do.” Beau stood right there, face serious. “And y’all all have seen it.”
Adam snorted. “I see it all the time. I’m beginning to believe in magic, Chris.”
“Oh, good Lord. Bubba, did you hit your head?” Chris looked at Beau, pulled a face. “I swear to God, you Cajuns. Did you feed him something off?”
Beau’s face set in lines Adam recognized all too well. A hurricane was fixin’ to blow. “Just because you can’t explain it, Christopher Taggart, don’t mean it ain’t so. Your granny would be ashamed of you.”
Chrissy blinked, then barked a laugh. “Well, well. I’m guessing the Cajun approves of the other Cajun.”
“I do. Me and Sammy both, and Coke, all.”
“Fair enough.” Maybe Chrissy was becoming the easy-going one, after all. He just grinned and whistled a tune as he walked out his gelding.
Beau stood there next to him. “Good job, Tag.”
“Thanks. Though I have to say it’s a little embarrassing for you to congratulate me on being a decent human being.” Had he been that much of an ass lately?
“Well, you know, I know you.” Beau poked him. “Like biblically.”
“Ow.” In love with Landon or not, he could spend a fond moment remembering the kind of knowledge they had between them. Him and Beau, they had gone at it hammer and tongs back in the day. “But, yeah, you know me too well.”
“I do. He loves you, better than I did.” Beau glanced over the pasture toward Sam, which would have made Adam angry once. Then sad. Now it made him grin.
“And you got yours. It’s all good, Bo-Bo.”
“I did.” Beau’s face cracked a huge smile. “And if I talk to you much longer, he’s going to ride my ass into the ground.”
“Hey, you might like that.” Adam nudged Beau with his elbow. “I’m gonna go check on Maisey.”
“Good idea. Remind Nutbutter that Grandmère wants to see his hand again.”
“Will do.” He headed off to check on both Landon and the horse. He wanted to make sure Landon knew he’d talked to both brothers.
Landon had Maisey over by the barn, sitting on a stool, wrapping a wet rag around her leg.
He put a hand on Landon’s shoulder. “How’s she doing?”
“Good. Good, she got herself a little bruise, is all.”
“I wondered. We had that one close call. Thank you for looking at her.”
“Anytime.” Look at those dark, pretty eyes. So serious. Landon was a good man, one who really cared about the mare’s welfare.
He found himself oddly tongue-tied, standing there staring like a newborn foal. Wobbly legs and all. There was just something bizarre about admitting to his family that he loved someone.
“You good, cher?” Landon glanced up, one hand landing on his thigh.
“I am. I just got sidetracked.” He moved near, patting Maisey, smiling down at Landon.
“She’s gon’ be fine. I swear.”
“I believe you.” He stroked Landon’s hair, tickled just to be close, to have a second chance when he wasn’t sure he deserved it.
Landon’s eyes crossed, head tilting. “Mmm.”
“Hey. Jason is leaving day after tomorrow. We should go see your sister.”
“I’d like that. Sister would too. Everybody can come, if they want, but nobody has to. It ain’t a la-dee-da type of place.”
