Page 79 of Dusty Spur Ranch Cowboys

“You’re old.”

The betrayal on Emmett’s face hits.

I laugh so hard I have to put my coffee down.

Across the table, Emmett shakes his head while Sadie beams at herself like she’s won the argument.

Maybe she has.

The heaviness eases enough for conversation to start moving again, but it doesn’t disappear completely.

It stays tucked away in the back of my mind while Sadie launches into another story and Emmett pretends he isn’t listening to every word she says.

Whatever history exists between this family and Tori, it hurts more than either of them wants to admit.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Willy

I clap my hands before anybody can stab another potato, and both Red and Emmett look up with the same expression I’ve seen every time I announce one of my brilliant ideas.

“Right,” I say. “I’ve made an executive decision.”

Red keeps cutting into his steak without missing a beat. “I’m voting against it.”

“You don’t even know what it is.”

“I know who’s making it.”

Emmett chuckles into his drink while I lean back in my chair and sigh like I’ve suffered a terrible injustice.

“I’d love a little trust around here.”

Red finally looks up. “You spent half an hour trying to convince me a pair of goats would improve ranch security.”

“They would’ve.”

“They would’ve eaten my truck.”

I wave him off. “You always focus on the negatives.”

“What do you want, Kane?”

“A bonfire.”

Red pauses with his fork halfway to his mouth before giving me a look that says I interrupted dinner for that. “That’s your big announcement?”

“It is.”

Emmett wipes his hands on a napkin. “We’ve got work before sunrise.”

“We’ve got work every day. Tonight belongs to us.” Neither of them says anything, so I keep going. “This ranch has turned into one long safety meeting. Everybody eats while talking about broken gates, busted tack and who’s checking fences after dark. I’d rather spend one evening arguing over burnt marshmallows.”

Red carries his plate to the sink. “I’d rather finish dinner.”

“You can do both.”

He rinses his plate and shakes his head. “You’re exhausting.”