When we finally pulled into the yard, the whole family was waiting on the porch.
Wren bounded down the steps before the truck was even in park. "You must be Mara! Sienna told me you were dying to get on a horse, so I'm officially claiming you tomorrow. I’ll teach you how to ride like a barrel racer."
Mara grinned. "Yes, please! I have zero experience, but I learn fast."
"Hey, hold on," Colt protested, stepping up to the wooden railing. He pushed his hat back, shooting Mara his best, most charming smile. "Don't listen to her. Barrel racers just teach you how to go fast and fall off. I’m the fun brother. I’ll teach you the real way to ride."
Wren scoffed, elbowing Colt out of the way. "You tried to get on a practice horse last Tuesday and got bucked."
"He sneezed unexpectedly!" Colt argued, throwing his hands up. "It was a tactical dismount!"
Mara laughed, her eyes bright as she watched the siblings bicker.
Maisie carefully came down the porch steps, holding the railing. Wyatt stayed close behind her. She reached out toward Mara’s voice. "Hi, can I touch your hair? Sienna let me when she got here."
Mara crouched down. "Sure."
Maisie ran her small hands lightly over her hair for a moment, then smiled. "It’s soft."
Silas chuckled low in his throat, tipped his hat to Mara, and held the heavy oak door open. "Alright, everyone, come on inside. Chili’s getting cold."
The house felt incredibly full that night. Silas had made a massive pot of venison chili and jalapeño cornbread, and the kitchen quickly turned into a loud, chaotic mess of overlapping voices and clattering plates. Mara jumped right in, bantering with the siblings like she’d known them for years.
As soon as the dishes were cleared, Wren grabbed Mara’s hand and dragged us both upstairs to her bedroom. We happily shed our denim and changed into pajamas.
"Okay, the itinerary is set," Wren announced, throwing three fluffy blankets onto the carpet. "Pajama party. Wine, face masks,and we are giving Mara the official cowgirl crash course so she’s fully prepared to deal with horsesandColt tomorrow."
A soft rap sounded on the wood. "You said my name? Can I come in?" Colt shouted, though his head popped around the open doorframe before anyone could even answer. "I heard a wine cork pop."
"Girls only, Colt," Wren said, pointing a stern finger at the door. "Out."
"That's not fair! I want in on the gossip. Let me stay, and I'll go into town for pizza!"
"You don't even like face masks."
"Not true. My pores are clogged, Wren. The dust out here is a nightmare for my T-zone."
At that, I laughed so hard my stomach ached. A second later, Brock appeared in the hallway. He grabbed Colt by the back of his shirt collar and hauled him backward into the hall.
"Leave them alone," Brock muttered, sounding extra grumpy. "And stop yelling about pizza, some of us are actually trying to eat clean."
I caught Brock’s eye just before the door shut. He gave me a quick wink, and the lock clicked into place.
I sat on the floor and passed a plastic cup of wine to Mara. Wren queued up a terrible romantic comedy, slathered a thick green clay mask over her cheeks, and dropped onto the pile of blankets with a dramatic sigh.
For the first half of the movie, we mostly roasted the main character’s terrible decisions. But once we opened the second bottle of wine, the conversation drifted away from the screen.
"So," Mara said, pulling her knees to her chest. "Is Colt always that… much?"
"Worse," Wren said, already a little tipsy. "You’re getting the polite, guest-friendly version. Usually, he doesn’t even knock."
"It must be wild growing up with so many brothers. Do you guys ever get any privacy?"
"Barely. Someone’s always around."
Mara grinned. "Still, at least the scenery’s gorgeous. And, with all these cowboys around, you must have some good dating stories, right?"
Wren snorted, nearly spilling her drink. "Please. Everyone in Redbow is either related to me, or I've watched them eat dirt in kindergarten. There is zero mystery left in this town."
