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I snort, shaking my head at him. “Okay, well first off, he’s not that close to me, and second, I don’t think he’s gonna come regardless of how much I try,” I tease, reaching over and smacking his shoulder. “But I bet I could invite Eric Church, I know you like him.”
“Even better,” Hunter says, leaning back in his saddle. “He’s always seemed like he’d be a good time.” He urges his horse into a gallop, taking off across the open pasture.
“Hunter hasn’t changed one bit,” I say, laughing as I look over to Sawyer.
Sawyer shakes his head, rolling his eyes. “It’s true.” He laughs. “I’m pretty sure the two of you have to be cut from the same cloth. I just wish he would do more than train horses.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” I come to Hunter’s defense, though I think I get what Sawyer is saying. “He’s really good with training them, though I know that’s what Carson does most of the time.”
“Yeah, Hunter is a great hand; he’s just too busy being a daredevil—or obsessing over Layla—to take advantage of it. I think he should be hosting some sort of ranching clinics—maybe run a kids’ camp or something. Hunter has the ability to connect with people in a way that neither Carson nor I can.”
I nod, agreeing with my too-serious older brother. “Yeah, I guess I could see that. But ya know, life isn’t always about starting a business or making money. Maybe he just likes to enjoy it.”
Sawyer lets out a heavy sigh, one that tells me I might be in for a lecture. “Nah, you’re right. I can be way too hard on him—on everyone about that. Bailey has helped me a lot with loosening up when it comes to business. She runs a phenomenal business and she’s still a bucket full of fun. I’m trying to work on being less stiff—like you.”
“Well, don’t take too many lessons from me,” I say, guilt slamming into my chest as I think about the lie I’m living right under all of their noses. “I still have a long way to go—I’m just hoping that I’ll get it right one of these days.”
“You are getting it right,” Sawyer says, as we both pick up into a trot to catch up with Hunter. “You just have to see it through, that’s all.”
“Yeah.”
And not lose the girl of my dreams.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Callie
“I’ll admit I worry over my kids’ happiness more than I should. They might all be grown now, but it’s still there. I think it’s just my mom-guilt catching up to me. It’s funny how all my children are grown, and I’m still worried over the simple things when it comes to my boys,” Angie explains as she pulls the roast out of the oven. She wanted to host a family dinner before Wade and I head back to Arkansas in a couple days, so I’m helping her prepare.
“I think it’s admirable,” I admit, straightening the napkins. “Honestly, I wish I had a mom that worried about me like that...”
“Well, get ready for it, then, because even though the wedding date is set for next spring, I already consider you my daughter.”
The wedding date is set?
I smile and do my best to ignore that shocking revelation, busying myself with setting the table, so I don’t blow my cover.
“I do have a question for you—I hope you don’t mind.”
I pause, my heart sinking. “Sure, what is it?”
Angie pushes some of her silver hair behind her ear and purses her lips—like maybe she’s changing her mind. “I hope this isn’t too much, but have you and Wade talked about where you’re gonna move after you’re married? I was just wondering.”
I try to rack my brain on everything that I might know when it comes to Wade—where would he want to live? I let out a sigh, biding my time as I conjure up some sort of answer.
“I don’t know,” I finally say, thankful for the honest answer I’m able to give. “I don’t know where he wants to end up, but I’ll admit, I do think it would be good for him to end up right back here. He seems to be grounding himself better here in Texas around you all.”
She nods, her soft expression shifting in a way that draws out my curiosity. “I just know that he doesn’t like being here much, you know? He’s always been a bit different than his brothers, and I think sometimes that caused a lot of problems with him feeling like he didn’t fit in here—but I sure wish he could find that common ground with them. He’s a good man, and I’m so relieved that he finally met a down-to-earth, sweet woman like yourself. I don’t want all the pressures of the spotlight and the media to mess that up for him.”
She’s worried about him going back to his old lifestyle.
I bite my lip, completely understanding her worry. “I get that, and it’s a valid concern,” I admit, feeling a bit of worry for him, myself. “But I do think he has a good handle on what he’s been doing wrong in the last few years. Maybe he was just a bit lost, trying to find his way in the world—I don’t know.” I feel like I’m just rambling, and I busy myself with straightening the utensils on the table all over again. It’s the only way to avoid continuing.
“You’re right,” Angie says, placing a hand on my shoulder. “He’s a good man, and I think he’s finally figuring things out.”
“I agree,” I say, looking up at her right as the front door swings open and Emma and Bailey come walking in with bags of food.
“We brought food!” they sing in unison, both of them almost giddy with excitement. Emma has a couple bags of chips under her arm while Bailey is holding a stack of restaurant takeout boxes overflowing with what appears to be potato salad.
