Of course she did.
“Are we ready to get some food?” I ask, stopping in front of the three of them, “Roman’s doing family dinner at the main house.”
Once Juni finishes up with the horses with our help, we make our way up to the house, the temperature a few degrees cooler now that the sun has set, making way for a cloudless, starry sky. Crickets chirp in the long grass, the only sound that disrupts the silence of the ranch.
Dinner is already being served once we arrive, a ginger cat lunging for the toe of my boot the moment I enter the ranch house, but Rosie reaches down and pries Niamh’s cat off my foot before she cradles her like an actual baby. Niamh comes and steals Juni away, and Caleb disappears out onto the back porch where Roman has set up the telescope for him. A hand squeezes my shoulder, and I look toward my older brother.
“Two down,” he muses, “one to go.”
“The hell are you talking about?”
“I have Niamh. You have Juni. Now we need to fix Remy up.”
I snort a laugh, “Good luck with that, we both know he’s married to the rodeo.”
“We’ll see.” Roman grins, but I know my brother; he won’t ever seek what we have.
Hell, I never thoughtI’dhave what I have now.
But here we are.
Chapter Thirty-six
“Can we stay here tonight?” Caleb asks Silas just as we’re about to leave to head home for the night.
“Here?” Silas frowns.
“Me and Rosie were using the telescope. Uncle Rome said it was okay that we stayed a bit longer.”
“I can bring them to you in the morning,” Roman leans on the doorframe, “Before you need to take them to Beth’s.”
“I mean, sure,” Silas shrugs, “if you want. You still got spare clothesfor them?”
“All away upstairs,” Roman confirms. “Go home. Have an evening off. I’ve got them.”
Silas reaches for my hand, “Alright. I need them by eight, though.”
“I’ve got it, now go.”
I laugh at the way Roman rolls his eyes at his brother.
“Niamh knows about this?” Silas hovers.
“I do!” She yells from the kitchen, “And I’m making us ice cream floats. There’s not enough for you, so you'd best go.”
“Rude,” Silas grumbles.
“Night, brother. Juni,” Roman dips his chin, gathers up the kids and guides them to the kitchen, leaving us to show ourselves out.
The walk back to the house is slow but peaceful, the gravel crunching under my feet, a gentle breeze making the branches dance.
“Did you hear from Darcy about those injured horses?” I ask.
“She texted earlier, confirmed they’re all responding to the medicine, but she’ll know more come morning. It’s a waiting game.”
I nod, hoping they all pull through.
Back at the house, Silas unlocks the front door and guides me inside and I head straight for my bedroom so I can grab some clean clothes and shower. My skin feels tight from how much I was sweating today. The sun had been ruthless, and we spent so much time under it unloading those horses that I’m desperate to wash it away and get some aloe on the pinkened skin on my shoulders.
