Page 105 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
“I doubt it,” Silas said. “They’ve got supplies for nearly a month. He’ll probably stay up there and make sure she’s set before he comes back.”
“I feel so bad for inconveniencing him but I’m unbelievably grateful at the same time. If he hadn’t offered to do that, I don’t know what we would have done.”
“Don’t feel bad,” he said. “We’ll all do what we can to keep your friend alive.”
It meant so much that everyone had rallied around Sabrina, that they’d do something so risky just for me. “Thank you.” I just hoped that Sabrina wasn’t being too tough on Beau and that when he left her up there alone, she didn’t go crazy. I had sent her with my Kindle but there was only so much she could read before getting restless.
Silas took my hand. “I still can’t believe her story. She’s got talent, that’s for sure.”
“There’s a true statement.”
Sabrina’s story had come out, as promised, the day after she’d left for the outpost. Her writing had been impeccable. Her story crafted to perfection. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought it was a creative-writing piece, not an investigative report.
Setting those worries aside, I changed the subject. “What do you want for dinner?” As we pulled up to the barn, we were still debating options. I was just reaching for my door handle when Silas’s parents emerged from inside with Dolly happily trailing behind.
“Oh, no.” I tucked the blanket around my bare legs and tried to cover up my breasts. My pink satin bra was shining brightly through my see-through white tank.
“Sit tight,” Silas said, rolling down his window as his parents approached the truck.
“Hi, kids,” Olivia said with a smile. Elliot
didn’t say hello, he just stared at Silas.
“Hi,” Silas said. “What are you guys up to?”
“We took the four-wheelers out for a quick drive. It smells so good, I couldn’t stay in the house,” his mom said. “What are you two doing?”
“Just got back from fixing fence down in the lower meadow.”
Elliot’s eyes raked over me and his mouth turned down in distaste. “Right.”
“Dad,” Silas grumbled. “Watch it.”
“Ignore him,” Olivia said. “He’s just mad because I beat him in cribbage twice today. What are you two doing for dinner? I was hoping you’d be free and could come over. I’m making Silas’s favorite, shepherd’s pie.”
Silas looked to me for an answer. “That sounds great,” I told Olivia. “Can we bring anything?”
She shook her head. “Just come on over around six.” The smile on her face was pure, unexpected joy. “Come on, you old grump.” She pulled Elliot away from Silas’s window.
When they were out of sight, Silas hopped out and came to my door, carrying me inside. “Thanks for agreeing to dinner. I know it will make Mom happy.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Considering they live a hundred feet away, we rarely see them.”
I was looking forward to spending more time with Olivia, though I could do without seeing Elliot. Clearly his attitude toward me hadn’t changed and I had a feeling I’d be under scrutiny all through dinner.
Unfortunately, I was right. By the time Olivia served her chocolate sheet cake, I was ready to crawl under the table and stab Elliot in the foot with my fork.
Elliot hadn’t stopped glaring at me since the second I’d crossed the threshold. Olivia had been overly nice and friendly, going above and beyond to make up for her husband’s attitude, but Silas was about five seconds from exploding.
My hand had been attached to his knee beneath the table since we’d taken our seats. If not for his mother and my frequent knee squeezes to reassure him that I was fine, I think he would have dragged me out of there before Olivia had the chance to serve her meal.
“We need to talk about the branding,” Elliot said to Silas. “It’s a month away. Time to start lining up a crew.”
I sighed, glad that we’d finally landed on a topic that didn’t involve me. In two hours, Elliot and Olivia had interrogated me about my life these last sixteen years. Olivia’s questions had been sweet and curious. Elliot’s had been direct and critical.
“I think we’ll have plenty of help,” Silas said. “The Lee brothers confirmed they could come and rope calves with me. Between Paxon and some of the other guys, we’ll have enough wrestlers. You can take the irons, and Gus can vaccinate.”
Rope. Wrestle. Irons. Vaccinate. I made a mental note to ask Silas what all of that meant.
