Page 106 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
“Good,” Elliot said. “I figured you’d be on top of it. I don’t know what you think, but I’d rather not let Gus rope. No matter what he says, being on a horse is no place for him.”
“Agreed,” Silas said. “If he begs either of us to rope for a while, let’s tell him no. I don’t want him doing something else to stress his back. Vaccinating should be plenty.”
Silas’s leg relaxed. It was nice to see him and his dad agree on something about the ranch. They still had their disagreements, but maybe this was a sign of more cooperative times ahead.
“Have you ever been to a branding before, Felicity?” Olivia asked.
“I haven’t.” I smiled, relaxing too. “I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
“It’s quite a production.”
“What’s she going to do there?” Elliot asked Silas.
And just like that, we were all tense again.
“Whatever she wants,” Silas growled. I pressed down harder on his leg when he started to rise.
“Elliot,” Olivia warned.
“Just wondering if I need to plan on her being in the way,” he grumbled. “You know how it is with people who don’t know what they’re doing. We’ll spend all day making sure she doesn’t hurt herself.”
“I’ll be sure to follow instructions and not get in the way.” My smile was fake. I bit the inside of my cheek so I wouldn’t open my mouth and tell him to kiss my ass. My patience was wearing thin, but the last thing we needed was an argument during my first dinner in the Grants’ home.
Don’t let him get to you. I pushed my fork farther away.
Silas glared at his dad and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Felicity will get to do whatever she wants. This is her first branding and I want her to enjoy it. If she wants to stand around and watch, that’s what she’ll do. If she wants to help, we’re all going to teach her what to do. Understand?”
Elliot’s face turned red but before he could respond to Silas’s decree, Olivia jumped in. “Felicity, I could really use your help that morning with all the cooking. We host a big dinner that evening for the crew and their families.”
“I’d love to help. Whatever you need.”
“Great! And would you mind inviting your family? It’s been ages since I’ve seen your mother.”
“I’m sure she’d love to come.”
“Jess usually comes to help every year,” Silas said. “We should have Gigi and the kids come along too. I’ll take Roe for a ride on Lulu.”
My anxiety about the branding instantly settled. Having my family here would give me a safe group to be with while he was working. I wasn’t surprised that Silas had already thought ahead. If he couldn’t be with me all day, buffering my interactions with Elliot, he’d make sure my family was by my side.
I smiled and gratefully leaned into his side. “I’m sure they’d have a great time.”
Turning back to the table, my eyes locked with Elliot’s. His thoughts were transparent.
Sorry, Elliot, but I’m not going anywhere.
No matter what challenge he put in my path.
The next month flew by and the morning of the branding came fast.
“All right, sweetie,” Olivia said. “Looks like the troops are arriving. Let’s get the breakfast pastries and coffee outside.”
“Okay.” I smiled nervously, grabbing a platter of cinnamon rolls.
I was so worked up that my hands were shaking. Over the last month, Silas had explained the process, and though I was excited to see it all firsthand, I still didn’t know what to expect.
Silas and I had been up before five this morning to start preparations. I’d showered and joined Olivia in her kitchen while Silas and Elliot had worked to prepare everything in the corral beside the barn where the branding would take place.
As I was heading outside, a truck and horse trailer pulled through the lot and drove down to the corral. I smiled as they passed me carrying my platter of rolls to the barn, where Olivia and I had set up a nice, long table right outside its doors so the crew could grab pastries and refill coffee cups as they went back and forth to the corral.
