Page 12 of Burning Skies
“Not it!” all three of those assholes shout at me.
Coop chuckles and slaps me on the back. “Guess you have some kittens to add to your collection.”
Glancing in the box at the three dark tabbies and the orange furball, I shake my head. “I don’t need more barn cats.”
He laughs again. “Keep telling yourself that.”
A few hours later, I get the kittens back to my cabin. It’s a simple three bedroom, two bath house I’ve busted my ass restoring for the last year and a half.
I set down the box of kittens and fold my arms. “I know it doesn’t look like much, but if y’all had only seen this place whenthe old tenants left. It was a mess, but it beat living in the camper parked behind Rhett’s place.” I shouldn’t complain about the Airstream. That was better than bunking with my younger brother Jace. “Personally, I’m proud of my refurbished hardwood floors and renovated kitchen. What do you think?”
I stare at their confused faces.
Why am I talking to cats?
I get them situated with food, water, and a litter box. “Be good,” I tell them as I grab my keys. “I’ll be back soon.”
I head over to my brother’s place, which is where we all grew up.
My oldest brother, Rhett, and his wife, Paige, live in the main house, about a mile away, whereas my cabin is on the southernmost edge of the ranch. When Jace is around, he bunks down in their spare bedroom. Our youngest brother Maverick recently bought the farm across the street and lives there with his fiancée Baylee and her toddler Leo. And Isaiah’s off being a daredevil in some shithole in South America.
The moment I enter Rhett’s house, my stomach growls. “Something smells good. Please tell me there’s food involved.”
Paige waves me in from the kitchen as she bounces her baby Ella on her hip. “Dinner’s in ten. Beau, can you wrangle the boys for me and make sure they wash their hands?”
“Sure thing.”
Rhett nods at me and wraps his wife in a hug. “Heard you saved the high school from a rattler.”
News travels fast in a small town. “Not sure how that fella snuck in, but he was mighty pissed off.” My mind wanders back to Honey. Did she tell Paige what happened? They’re friends. Not sure how that works since Paige is now a Walker, but I don’t ask. Paige coaches cheer after school, so it’s possible the news made it to her without any word from Honey.
Unfortunately, my mind is all wrapped up in that woman today. I need a good distraction.
I track down the boys. After I get them cleaned up, they climb me like a tree, and I do the zombie walk back to the kitchen. Gabe is eight and Austin is five and a half. I love them like they’re my own kids. I plunk Austin in his seat before I lift Gabe off my leg and drop him in his chair and scruff his head.
Leaning over Paige, I squeeze Ella’s pudgy hand. “Hey, baby girl. How you doing today?”
She gives me a toothless grin. “Hi, hi, hi, Buh.”
Ella can’t quite manage Beau, but I’ll take what I can get.
Paige smooths down her baby’s auburn hair. “Oh, so you say hi for your uncle Beau but not for Mommy when I came home? You little squirt.” She tickles her daughter, whose peal of laughter makes me grin.
As we sit down for dinner, I motion to my brother. “Think I could steal the boys for half an hour after dinner? I have some kittens who need cuddling.”
“Kittens?” Austin’s eyes widen with delight. “We love kittens!”
Rhett nods. “As long as they head straight for the tub when they return. They were rolling around in the barn this afternoon.”
I take the casserole from Paige and dump some on my plate and then the boys’ plates, since she has her hands full with the baby. Rhett will do it when the dish reaches him, but why bother when I can do it now? My phone rings in my back pocket, and I pull it out. Melissa. I turn off the ringer and put it face down.
“I can re-shoe a few horses this weekend if you need. Don’t have another shift till next week.” We have a farrier who comes out, but I’d rather save the money.
Rhett pushes food around his plate for a minute before helifts his head. “We’re doing better financially, Beau. You don’t gotta work so much now if you want to take a break. You’ve been busting your ass for the last few years. Between what you do for me, your cabin rehab, and all the time you spend at the firehouse, I’m not sure when you sleep.”
“I’m good.” Doesn’t Rhett remember going hungry when our father was too drunk to go to the grocery store? When we were so broke we begged for odd jobs at nearby farms so we could get some baloney to make sandwiches? I don’t think I’ll ever get to the point where I feel like I’ve saved enough. Besides, my cabin is a damn money pit, and I’ll need every penny I make for the next few years to make it a place where I’d actually bring a woman.
As I consider how far we’ve come from those starving boys, I realize I still have a ways to go if I ever hope to have what Rhett has. If I ever hope to have a family.
