AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What you don’t know won’t hurt you.” Mama took the boiling pan of potatoes to the sink to drain. “Anyway, it’s neither here nor there what those trolls say or do. You know who you are. Annie Armstrong. Talented, beautiful, and good.”
I stole a quick glance at Annie. From the pained look on her face, I suspected she didn’t think any of those things about herself. At the moment, anyway. Give it a month here, and she’d remember the truth about herself and everything else too. It had taken me at least a month to detox from my addiction to adrenaline and stress. For years, I’d either been at work or been thinking about work. After I’d walked away and gotten perspective, it was quite obvious to me that the life I’d been leading was not sustainable.
I put those thoughts aside to focus on my rolls. I’d set them near the stove for their second rising. Were they fat enough to stick in the oven?
Annie sidled up next to me. “Are they ready?”
“Mama?” I asked. “Do these look like they’re supposed to?”
Mama lifted her head and gave me a quick nod before returning to mashing potatoes.
Meanwhile, Pop lifted the turkey from its pan and poured the juices into a gravy separator.
“Where are your brothers?” Mama asked. “Obviously not near, or we’d hear them.”
Pop pointed outside to the covered patio. “Watching football.”
Caspian, Rafferty, and Soren were all bundled up around the gas firepit, smoking cigars and drinking my good whiskey and watching football on the outdoor television.
“And drinking my expensive booze,” I said.
“Avoiding getting pulled in to help,” Pop said, chuckling.
“I’m surprised Caspian isn’t in here bossing us all around,” I said.
“He’s glad to have a night off,” Mama said. “He works too much.”
Pop had the gravy separator over the sink, squinting into the glass container. “Lots of good drippings.”
“You sound like a kid at a candy store,” Mama said to him.
“Your gravy is way better than candy.” Pop pulled Mama into his arms and danced her around the kitchen. I left them to it.
10
ATTICUS
Ineeded a bathroom break, and I figured I’d pop outside and check the score and maybe have a taste of whiskey with my brothers while the rolls baked.
As I headed to my bedroom, I saw Sammie, Finley, and Elliot chatting while working on a puzzle I’d opened earlier. In the den, a kids’ movie played. Thad and little Chloe sat together on the sofa giggling.
My youngest brother had never quite grown up, even now that he was almost twenty-five. He had an infectious love of life that made him impossible to resist no matter what age. His lighthearted, fun disposition, a trait that had escaped the rest of us, made him the perfect host for our guests.
Rafferty and I had always been so ambitious and goal-oriented. Caspian had known he wanted to be a chef when we were just boys and had been singularly focused on making his dream a reality. Above all else, Soren was loyal to the ranch and this piece of land, not to mention his family. He’d never seen any reason to leave. One time, I’d suggested he should consider traveling to see different parts of the world. “Why would I leave the best place there is?”
After the restroom break, I put on a jacket and went out to say hello to my brothers.
I’d had the outdoor space designed to use even in the snowy, cold months by putting the gas firepit in the middle of the covered stone patio. A television hung on one wall. Plush sofas and chairs surrounded the fire.
Potted evergreen conifers bordered the patio and cut down on the wind that sometimes plagued our valley. Strings of lights added a sparkle during dark evenings.
I’d imagined days just like today for its use. If I wanted my brothers to hang around for long, they needed a way to watch sports. Otherwise, they got too antsy.
I’d envisioned nieces and nephews watching movies out here on warm summer evenings. So far, none of them seemed even close to marriage or having kids, but a guy could hope.
Growing up with four brothers had acclimated me to a busy, boisterous family life. Although I enjoyed the quiet, there were times when a longing for the chaos of our childhood home niggled at me.
I’d hoped to be married by now. The urge to find a partner to make a life with had been pushed aside while I built my business. Moving here might have ruined the possibilities of meeting a woman, but I’d wanted to be back with my family. If only Annie could stay forever. I knew she couldn’t or wouldn’t, yet a small part of me still hoped for a miracle.
