Once I have some food in my stomach, I ring Lawson’s brother Jackson. Although younger than Lawson by a couple years, Jackson is the head of the family ranch, ever since the responsibility passed from his parents to him. Lawson never wanted it.
“I wondered when I’d hear from you,” Jackson says in greeting, his voice piping into the cab.
“I take it you already talked to Law?”
“He called this morning at an ungodly hour. Everybody was pretty worried about him these past few days. He didn’t tell anyone but Wendy where he was going.”
I cringe. That’s not like Lawson at all. “Sorry for the trouble.”
“Not your fault. You coming back?”
“Still have room for me?”
“Always,” he says, voice a little gruff. Heaven forbid the man show any tenderness to the outside world. He and Lawson are polar opposites in that regard.
“Well, I appreciate it,” I tell him truthfully. “I really am sorry for the trouble. When do you want me back?”
“Next week? Take a few days to get settled in again at least. There’s no rush.”
“All right. Don’t suppose you have room on the first shift?”
He chuckles. “There’s room. See ya four o’clock on Monday.”
With that, Jackson clicks off the call, and I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s not that I doubted Lawson’s conviction that a spot at the ranch would be waiting for me, but the reassurance after quitting my job without any notice whatsoever has my chest loosening ever so slightly.
I didn’t think it would be this easy, returning to my old life. But it’s almost like it was waiting for me.
I sit in silence for a few minutes before calling Lawson.
He picks up, the rumble of his vehicle mixing in with mine. “Needa pee already?”
“No,” I huff. “Entertain me. I’m bored.”
He snorts. “It’s gonna be a long trip then.”
“Not if you entertain me. Talked to Jackson, by the way.”
“Uh-huh. Told you I handled it.”
“I know. He said you didn’t tell your family where you were going?”
There’s a brief pause. “Didn’t need to.”
“You know they’re the worrying type.”
“I’m a grown man. They don’t need to worry.”
I don’t think that’s how it works when it comes to family, but I keep my mouth shut on the topic, sure Lawson knows as much. Hell, he’s a dad himself. He gets it.
“Law… Why haven’t you found a place yet?”
There’s another beat of silence. “I like the ranch fine.”
“You don’t. You like your quiet.”
Lawson’s always been different than his brothers in that regard. Jackson runs the ranch now. Colton is a farrier, just as much a part of the bustle as everyone else. And Remi, the youngest, looks after the horses and petting farm animals.
Lawson, though, ever since he was a child, has been drawn more to stories and literature than the grueling work of the ranch life he was raised in. Him becoming an English teacher was a surprise to no one.
