Matty, Charli, Shelby, Harleigh, and I organize a cleanup operation as we firmly evict Evelyn, Imma Jean, Irene, and Marcia from the kitchen.
“You guys cooked. Go sit down and relax,” Matty insists.
They start to argue, but Matty points to the door. “Out.”
The older women finally surrender and relocate to the front porch with coffee and dessert.
The rest of us tackle dishes, and the work goes surprisingly fast.
By the time the final dish is finished, dusk has settled outside, and we join the others.
A massive bonfire now dances in the middle of the yard.
Apparently, Boone’s truck was filled with fencing debris that needed to be disposed of, and now the wood crackles and pops beneath a sky streaked with orange and purple.
The smell of smoke wafts through the warm evening air.
Someone has already pulled lawn chairs into a giant circle.
Ruby runs barefoot across the yard, blowing a stream of bubbles from a wand toward a toddling AJ.
Laughter peals through the air as Royce begins to chase them both.
My gaze drifts across the fire and finds Axle, who is standing beside Micah, holding a beer.
His eyes meet mine for a brief second. Then they lift to the porch behind me.
Cabe’s arms wrap around me. “Come on, Jojo.”
Axle
The evening settles over Wildhaven Storm Ranch like a favorite old blanket.
The sun has dropped behind the mountains, and the air is cooling fast, carrying the scent of sagebrush, horses, and smoke from the bonfire crackling in the center of the yard.
This right here is my favorite kind of night.
Family.
Fire.
Good liquor.
And nowhere else I need to be.
I lean back in my chair and take another sip from the mason jar in my hand.
Dad outdid himself on this batch.
It goes down smooth enough to make a man forget how dangerous it is.
Around the fire, everybody is spread out in mismatched camp chairs.
Royce sits across from me, boots stretched toward the flames.
Micah is perched on a cooler.
Shelby is tucked against Waylon’s side while he has an arm around her shoulders.
