Chapter 24
B randon released Lenore’s hand to make the turn from the highway to the dirt lane that led up the hill and onto the ranch where he’d grown up. Sudden anxiety flooded him, making his stomach swoop and tighten.
“So this is it,” he said as he crested the gentle slope. He came to a slow stop and let Lenore drink in the property in front of them. It didn’t look as chewed up and bruised as her homestead, because there hadn’t been any new construction or changes at Hidden Hills in a while now.
Her homestead would absorb the changes too. Right now, there was just a lot of new earth that had been overturned, and new structures that needed the grass to grow up around them, and recent developments that made everything seem a bit…harsher.
“Duke and Zona live in that house there on the right. My momma and daddy’s homestead is up ahead on the left.”
Dawson and Caroline lived down a side road, near the border of the ranch with Shiloh Ridge, and Brandon’s cabin sat down the road where they’d parked, past the silos and barn.
“It’s incredible.” Lenny smiled over to him. “I like the big trees in your parents’ yard.”
Brandon nodded and released the brake pedal. The truck eased forward again, and Brandon went right on by Duke’s house. When he reached the road that led north, he nodded to it. “Dawson and Caroline live down there.”
He continued on, taking the quick jog around the barn and ranch buildings. “And this here is my cabin. Me and Dawson shared for a long time. Now, my nephew lives with me, but I confirmed that Dwayne is going to be staying with his parents this weekend.”
He pulled into the gravel area in front of the cabin that acted as the parking lot. “Do you want to take your bag in? Then we can head over to Zona’s.” Brandon was sure his sister-in-law had tracked him driving past her house already, but she hadn’t texted yet.
“Yep, and we’ve got the animals.”
Brandon twisted to look at the orange tabby on the floor behind Lenny. He didn’t particularly like the carrier, but if Dumpling could see him, he didn’t yowl the whole drive. Sure enough, Dumpling looked at him with an expression that said, Help me. Get me out. We’re not even moving.
Brandon grinned at his cat and got out of the truck. “I’ll get your bag and my cat.”
“I’ll release the hounds.”
He rounded the truck to do that, while Lenny got out and lowered the tailgate to let Admiral and Susie-Q out. They jumped down and started sniffing around, the way good dogs did.
Lenny moved to stand near the hood, where she took in the log cabin that Brandon knew so well. “What will you do after your job at my place is done?”
Brandon carried her bag in one hand and his carrier in the other, moving past her with, “I don’t know. I’ll start looking for something when it’s closer.”
He didn’t like thinking about having to get another job come February first. He didn’t want to spend any time thinking about when he’d see Lenore if he got a job a couple of hours away. The fact was, he wouldn’t.
When he’d first driven onto the homestead, he couldn’t imagine living there.
But now that he’d been there for a month, he’d found he didn’t mind it.
The land held a gentle spirit, and Brandon sure liked working alongside Lenore.
It helped that such drastic changes could be seen, and Brandon could admit the massive improvements reminded him of his own worth.
And when she’d asked to go to church with him?
Brandon could still feel the swelling of his spirit.
It had been a while since he’d felt anything like that, and he knew his own faith had become dormant.
Yes, he did the outward things, like attend church and pray, but they didn’t take root in his soul.
They didn’t mean anything, and he had lost some of his belief that his life held meaning, or that God truly cared about him and what he did with the life he’d been given.
Working with Lenny had started to rekindle some of that, and with every new thing she allowed him to do—like bring in his friends to help her—helped him to want to take new steps in his own life.
In short, her bravery inspired him, and Brandon’s emotions lodged in his throat as he set down Dumpling to open the front door.
“Go on in,” he managed to say as Lenore’s footsteps came up behind him. “I’m going to let Dumpling out here. He likes to sun himself on the bench there.”
Lenore sighed as she framed herself in the doorway. “Oh, the AC is nice.”
Brandon smiled at her, passed over her bag, and bent to release the latch on the cat carrier.
Dumpling stalked out with a dignified “Yow,” and after a few kingly steps, broke into a trot.
He lightly leapt up onto the bench, circled in the patch of sunlight the eaves didn’t block, and curled into himself.
Brandon smiled at him, said, “We’re going to Zona’s in a few minutes, so don’t get too comfortable,” and went inside.
He wouldn’t take Dumpling to Zona’s, and the cat was used to going in and out of the cabin here. He wasn’t much of an outdoor cat, and if Dawson’s chickens or ravens came around, Dumpling would hiss, cry, and retreat to Brandon’s bed.
Inside, he didn’t see Lenore standing in the living room, dining alcove, or kitchen. “Len?”
“In the bedroom,” she called, and Brandon went down the hall to Dwayne’s room. He’d asked his nephew to change the bedding and make sure the room could be used by Lenore for a night, and he found Dwayne had done just that.
In fact, the comforter boasted a soft lavender plaid, and a vase of fresh flowers had been brought in. Those touches screamed Zona more than anything, but Brandon simply smiled.
“It’ll do, right?”
Lenore turned from the window, a pretty smile on her face. “It’s great. I can’t believe you don’t like it here.”
“I like it here,” Brandon said, his defenses up immediately. “I’ve never said I don’t like it here.”
Lenny tilted her head and walked over to him. “You hire yourself out.”
“I said there wasn’t anything for me here.” He took her into his arms. “What would you say if I….” Brandon needed a moment to find the right order of words. He exhaled and took another breath, hoping the oxygen would go straight to his brain. “What if I wanted to stay on at the homestead?”
Lenny blinked and pulled back. “I can’t pay you.”
“What if I don’t need to be paid?”
She opened her mouth and then closed it. “What are you saying?”
“I don’t know,” Brandon said. “Let’s go to lunch. Zona is going to call me any second, I’m sure.”
“B.”
“It’s fine. I don’t know what I’m saying.” And he couldn’t look at her for much longer, either. He turned and headed down the hallway.
By the time he reached the front door, he knew exactly what he was saying—he was falling in love with Lenore and wanted to stay on the homestead and work it with her as if it was his own land.
Outside, he opened the passenger door and waited for Lenny to catch up to him. She eyed him with something serious and something confused in her gaze. But she said nothing as she got into the truck, and Brandon half-groaned, half-sighed as he went around the tailgate to get behind the wheel.
“Listen, just forget I said anything.” He backed out and drove toward Duke and Arizona’s house. “I know the job ends February first, and you don’t have to worry about me squatting on the homestead or anything.” He glanced over to her and found her staring straight ahead.
“Okay,” she said, and a barb pierced Brandon’s heart.
He’d never been one to fall in love in less than a month, and he knew he didn’t love- love Lenny yet. But he sure did like her, and he wanted to keep dating her, and once he left the homestead, that felt impossible.
His heart sank into his stomach, but he put a smile on his face the moment he arrived at Zona’s. The last thing he needed was her noticing anything amiss between him and Lenny. And even if she didn’t, Dawson would. So Brandon stepped into Lenore’s open door and took both of her hands in his.
“Really, Lenny. I just…I really like you is all. And when a man of my age likes a woman as much as I like you, he doesn’t want to leave. That’s all.”
She twined her fingers through his on one hand and lifted the other to cradle his face. “I really like you too, B.”
He searched her face, entering a completely new phase of romantic relationships—a place he’d never been before.
Somewhere permanent. Long-term.
He didn’t know how to navigate this, or flirt through it, or the types of conversations couples had at this stage of their relationships.
So he simply ducked his head and nodded. “Okay, let’s go in before Dawson sends his kids out to get me.”
Lenny smiled and dropped to the ground beside him. They approached the house, and sure enough, the front door opened before Brandon even put his foot on the bottom step.
“Uncle Brannon,” Colt yelled as if Brandon stood on the other side of the globe. “Auntie Zona has olives!”
“Does she?” Brandon asked, his grin wide and genuine now. “Did you put them on your fingers?” He held up his hand, as if he could imagine an olive on the top of each one.
“I can put ‘em on my fingers?” Colt asked, and he turned immediately to go back inside. He rushed that way, already calling to his mother and Zona.
Unfortunately, Joy had started to come out, and the two of them collided. The little girl got knocked to the ground, and she started to wail. Brandon hurried up the last of the steps while Colt kept on going, no amount of little sister about to stop him.
He scooped Joy into his arms with the words, “Hey, baby girl. You’re okay.”
She sniffled again, and Brandon smiled at her and wiped the single tear that had formed and clung to her eyelashes. She babbled something he couldn’t understand, but he grinned at her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Look at your turkey shirt. Show it to my friend, Lenny.”
Joy looked down at her shirt, which was a light pink and had a cartoon turkey stitched onto the front of it. “Tuh-key,” she said. She pointed to it and looked at Brandon.