The Country Duet(38)
There is information about needing to be fed every hour on the hour and which button controlled what. I lay on her bed, and Abby sits cross-legged in front of me as she restarts the game.
We name a new animal and then she explains to me that it takes hours for the eggs to hatch and get fertilized. I’m half tempted to ask her if she knows what fertilized means, but there are some things a big brother just shouldn’t know.
When we make it back down to the dining room, Dad’s at the table and Quinn is next to him. She’s still giving him the guilt trip about her car and how everything is unfair. Abby’s back to her chipper mood, joining Mom and Teale. She doesn’t pull up a chair but plops down right in the middle of the table. She’s always been a damn monkey since she figured out how to make her arms and legs work. I still remember it like it was yesterday when I caught her on the very top of the dresser bureau in my mom’s room.
I take a seat next to Quinn. The little shit is more than in love with her new car. She was beyond thrilled the day she got it and texts me all the time about upgrades. Call it a sibling game and milking your parents’ dry to one up your older brother. What the girls don’t know is that yes, Mom and Dad helped me out with the down payment, but I paid for everything. I’ve worked every single day next to my father where the girls are more inside type of kids, filling their days with dance and gymnastic lessons. They followed my footsteps in the 4-H program and take animals to the fair, so they will each have a nice bank account in time for college.
“Hey there, ugly,” I chirp out when Quinn decides to take a breather.
Dad grins wide and holds his hand out for a shake. He’s a man of few words, but he’s never gone a day without showing me how much he loves me. He wastes no time letting me know all the work he has planned for me on our two-day visit. My blood courses for this ranch. There’s not one other place I would rather be than on the back of my horse on Sweetwater Ranch, with the exception of Teale that is.
I glance over at her and stare as she excitedly interacts with my mom. I have no clue what they’re talking about.
“You hear me, Hunter?”
“What’s that?” I turn back to my dad.
“Have some corrals that need your welding done on them.”
Teale’s silky, soft laughter fills the room, and I glance back, not being able to get enough of her being here with me.
“K-i-s-s-i-n-g,” Quinn begins to sing out. “First comes love then comes marriage.”
I’m up on my feet before Quinn has any idea what’s going on, taking her down in a headlock then sandwiching her to the floor. It’s our thing. We’ve wrestled like this for years, and it usually ends up with her crying and Mom swatting at me.
“Hunter.” On cue, Mom yells out my name. “You are going to hurt her.”
“Let ‘em be, Blair, Quinn was asking for it,” Dad follows up.
I was right. Quinn ended up crying, and Mom chased me around the kitchen for a couple of minutes trying to get to me. The girls all ended up in there where Teale helped prepare dinner. And wouldn’t you know, she learned more magic of the Instapot.
I went outside with Dad to help with chores and check out everything that’s been happening on the ranch. Looking out across the vast green pasture, it’s hard to comprehend that one day this place is going to be mine. It will be my boots taking care of the land and the worry of making it another year firmly planted on my shoulders.
Some days I regret going to college because it’s time spent away from this place. I’m still young with lots of learning in my future, where most of it will take place out of a classroom. But from the scheme of life, I’m quickly learning everything happens for a reason.
Walking back up to the house after chores, I pull my cell phone from my pocket and call Dave to check in on him. He answers the phone and is in his normal grumpy mood, so at least I know he’s feeling alright.
After dinner, Teale and I manage to escape from Quinn and Abby. They’ve been attached to her hip—taking a serious liking to her. I have other plans for us this evening before Dad has me working like a hired man around this place the rest of the weekend.
Teale and Mom have made plans to go shopping the next day; I knew it was only a matter of time. And I plan to transfer some money from savings to my checking account to make sure she has a damn fine time shopping. Every single penny will be worth it to see her shine. Teale has not stopped rattling off how much she loves my family and thanking me for bringing her.
The longing deep down inside me is powerful to ask her more questions about her upbringing. Her dad, Frank, is a good guy; he’s proven that much to me. He’s protective of her and a damn hard worker. I spend countless hours, pondering what the hell could have happened to make her life so broken. But in times like these, I don’t want any of that ruining our night.
“Hunter," she squeals in delight. “I can’t believe your mom let me wear these boots; they are so kick ass.”
I glance down to her cowboy boots. She’s kicking up dust like she’s in an old Western movie going to a gunfight. The smile on her face is addicting. She freezes when we enter the barn, and she sees my horse, Remi, tied up and saddled. I had this planned and made sure he was ready when I did chores with Dad.
“I’d like you to meet my second best friend.”
My city slicker girlfriend starts twirling her hair around a finger and biting down on her bottom lip.