Redneck Romeo (Rough Riders #15)(50)

Rather than demand to know what else Mr. Thrilled had said, Rory nodded.


They stared at each other. Awkward.


Then Joan smiled. “Landon, come and say hi to your Uncle Dalton and his girlfriend.”


A lanky, dark-haired boy of about eight stood beside Joan.


“Wow, kid. You’re like twice the size you were last time I saw you,” Dalton said.


He smiled shyly.


“Do you remember me?”


“Uh-huh. I used to go to your house when I was little. We’d build stuff with Legos. We’d dig outside in the dirt and you let me play in the mud. You had a cool dog.”


“Milo. He liked you too, except for the time you smacked him with a Tonka truck. Took quite a few dog treats for him to trust you again.”


“I have a dog now. His name is Dixon.”


“I’m currently without a dog, but Rory, here, has an awesome dog named Jingle.”


Landon stared at her. Then his eyes—the same beautiful McKay blue as Dalton’s—lit up. “Hey! I remember you.”


“You do?”


“You were at Uncle Dalton’s wedding.”


“Good memory, kid.”


“I was scared to walk down the aisle. You told me to pretend people were staring because they were trying to figure out my secret super power and to be very serious so as to not give it away.”


Rory grinned. “It worked. You made it down the aisle without a hitch.”


“Which is exactly what happened to Dalton. Ironic, huh?” Tell said.


“Hilarious.” Dalton put his hand on Tell’s chest and shoved him.


Tell shoved him back.


“Boys,” Joan said. “No fighting in the house.”


For the next hour as they chatted in the living room, Rory tried to discreetly watch the interactions between Dalton and his brothers. It looked seamless. Like he’d just slipped back into the family dynamic, but the set of Dalton’s shoulders gave away his tension. Besides that, there seemed to be affection between them, although as grown men they showed it by ragging on each other endlessly.


The kids ran in and out, which drove Rory crazy, but everyone took it in stride. She realized her life growing up an only child and her life now as a single woman with unmarried, childless friends didn’t allow for much experience with kids, let alone rambunctious boys.



Jessie and Joan headed to the kitchen to get supper ready and Rory followed them.


“Rory, dear, you don’t have to help.”


“I know my way around the kitchen better than I can sort through talk about cows, ranching and other McKay family members.”


“I appreciate the help.” Jessie handed her a stack of plates and a basket of silverware from the dishwasher. “Here you go. The placemats are on the sideboard.”


Rory had just put the last fork in place when a little person wearing a helmet smacked into the back of her legs. “Ouch.”


“Jackson McKay,” a female voice said sharply. “You apologize to Rory right now.”


A muffled, “Sorry,” came from inside the helmet. Then he ran off.


“Sorry about that,” Georgia said. “Terrible twos are not a myth.”


“Are you feeling better?” Rory asked.


“Some. I get woozy at night for some reason instead of in the morning.”


Rory’s gaze briefly dropped to Georgia’s belly. “When are you due?”


“About four months, so I’ve got a ways to go. How are you? I was surprised to hear you were back here, working for…?”


“The Wyoming Natural Resources Coalition.”


“How’s that going?”


Sucks ass most days wasn’t a proper dinner party response. “It’s okay.”


“Your mom’s gotta be happy you’re back.”


“She is. Although she’s not around as much as she used to be. She’s traveling with Gavin, which I’m happy to see.”


“I imagine you hear from Sierra a lot more than we do.”


“Not as much as I did before she turned twenty-one,” Rory said dryly. “But we keep in touch.”


“She was such a great cheerleader. I wish she would’ve cheered on the college level.”


“Yeah, well, Sierra is out to make her mark in the business world. Like father like daughter.”


“No doubt. Do you remember her BFF Marin?”


Rory nodded. “I always liked Marin. What’s she up to?”


“After high school Marin got her CNA and kept working at the nursing home in Hulett. She saw the residents having problems with sore spots from their wheelchair armrests so she started making covers for them. Her demand got so high, from other nursing homes that she couldn’t keep up with the orders. Sierra told Marin to quit her job and turn her sideline into a business.” Georgia looked over her shoulder then back at Rory. “This isn’t common knowledge, but Sierra became Marin’s business partner. She fronted the money for more sewing machines, material, supplies and another fulltime employee. Within a year Marin had four employees and office space in Hulett. Now’s she’s got a catalog and gets orders from all over the world.”