They smelled heavenly. His mouth watered, reminding him that he and Landon had skipped breakfast in favor of what Coke would call canoodling.
“Help yourselves, y’all. There’s all sorts of chips and salads and things. Beers are in the coolers.”
“Thanks, honey.” Adam reached out and gave her another hug, kind of impulsively. He wasn’t a hugger, really.
She kissed his cheek. “Any time.”
Was Chris growling? Adam gave his brother a sideways glance. Huh. Chrissy was…damned puffy. Look at that. He patted Laurel’s back, right above her butt, and Chrissy’s hands clenched into fists. This? Was going to be fun.
Landon came back in, hands filled with beers to hand over, then he grabbed a lighter and wandered back out. Adam followed him, leaving Chrissy to moon over Landon’s sister. He could tease later.
There had to be fifty people, maybe more—old folks, kids, cowboys. There was music and laughter and the scent of woodsmoke. The only time the Taggart crew had that many people around was during a funeral.
They should take a page from the Cajun book and get together more for joy.
“Cher, you want the tour or you jus’ want to party?”
He reached for Landon’s hand, pleased with how natural it felt. “Tour, definitely.”
“Well, if you look out there and see that old red house? The land all the way to there is ours. And we go to that line of trees there and then to the road.”
“That’s a good packet.” Adam couldn’t help but think of what he could do with it. Put a new house on it. A tackle room for fishing in the new barn.
“It is. I mean, it ain’t like y’all’s, but there’s good hunting, fishing.”
“It’s beautiful.” It was. Mossy trees and green swamp grass. Lovely.
Landon grinned. “It’s been in my family for five generations, had been pirate land.”
“Yeah?” He didn’t even look around before he pulled Landon close, leaning a little. “I like it, honey. I really do.” It felt good in his bones. He’d been worried that the land itself might reject him.
“I got me a place of my own in the green barn. A whole space for me.” Landon snuggled right into him, easy as pie.
“Yeah? Can I see it, too?”
“Surely. Now, ’fore it gets busy?”
Before it got busy? Lord, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what it would be like when Landon thought it was bustling.
He let Landon lead him through the pasture, over to a huge, ancient barn. The dogs were following them, panting and wagging like a pack of fools. They went around the back and there was a huge garage door that Landon pushed open.
Adam had to laugh as soon as he could see inside. There was a bed, a pool table held together with duct tape, and a TV, along with the ugliest sectional on earth.
“I like it, honey. Very manly.”
Landon snorted. “It’s quiet and waterproof. I like it.”
“Is it ’gator proof?”
Landon had to think about it—think about it, for fuck’s sake. “Mostly. If I keep the door shut.”
“You’re serious?”
“Well, yeah.” Landon stared at him like he was the nut job. “Sister had to run one off the porch last week.”
They were going back to Texas. Tomorrow. He might even let Chris bring Laurel.
That made him smile and Landon chuckled. “Iff’n you want, we can sleep here tonight. The door locks.”
