Chapter 8 #3
“Sweet?” Noah’s grin turned wicked. “Did my brother just get called sweet?”
Her cheeks blazed hot enough to fry an egg. “I meant the calf. The situation. The whole thing.” She waved her hands in the air, which did not help the situation and made her feel more foolish by the minute.
“Mm-hmm.” Graham wiggled his eyebrows. “Sure, you did.”
“Boys. Leave her alone.” Ruth’s warning cut through the teasing, but the damage was done.
Luke’s ears turned red at the tips, and he looked straight down at his plate, hacking a piece of meatloaf into tiny bits with his fork.
“So how do you like Covenant Creek so far?” Wade redirected with the smoothness of long practice. “Big change from Billings.”
She all but lunged for the conversational lifeline. “It’s different. Quieter in a good way. I’d forgotten what it’s like to know your neighbors.”
“Small towns have their challenges.” Ruth passed the rolls to Granny Mama. “Everyone knows your business. Privacy is a luxury. But the trade-off is worth it. When times get hard, you know exactly who to call.”
Luke’s fork clattered against his plate. He shifted and his knee bumped hers under the table. Accident or intentional?
Silence sat hard between them. Claire looked up and realized someone must have asked her a question. “Sorry. What was that?”
“Nothing.” Caleb bit into his roll, filling his cheeks until they bulged fatter than a squirrel hoarding up for winter.
Noah nudged Caleb with his elbow. “Tell them about the bull that got loose Thursday.”
“Oh no.” Caleb groaned. “Do I have to?”
“Absolutely.” Graham leaned forward, grinning. “This is peak entertainment.”
Caleb shot his brothers a mock glare before turning to Claire. “We’ve got this new bull. Two thousand pounds of attitude and zero sense. Thursday morning, he decided the fence was more of a suggestion than a boundary.”
“He crashed straight through.” Noah jumped in. “Took out thirty feet of fence line like it was tissue paper.”
“And then?” Ruth prompted, her eyes twinkling.
“Then he made a beeline for the main house.” Caleb’s mouth twitched. “Specifically, for Mom’s flower garden.”
Claire’s hand flew to her mouth. “No.”
Graham’s laughter spilled out. “Two thousand pounds of bull versus prize-winning petunias. The petunias lost.”
Noah clapped his brother on the shoulder and shook him. “So did Caleb’s dignity. He had to chase that bull around the garden for twenty minutes in his pajamas because it happened before daylight.”
“I was not in pajamas.” Caleb’s face flushed. “I was in sweats.”
“Bright yellow sweats.” Graham clarified. “With a hole in the back.”
The table erupted in laughter. Even Luke’s mouth curved into a genuine smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that transformed his whole face.
“The best part,” Noah wiped his eyes, “was when the bull stopped to eat what was left of Mom’s roses and Caleb tried to sneak up behind him. His sweats were so bright the bull spotted him and took off again.”
“Through the barn.” Graham snorted.
“Into the chicken coop.” Wade shook his head.
Caleb didn’t bother hiding his grin. Even embarrassed at the story, he let it roll off without making a fuss. “And into the pond. Where I had to wade in after him. In my bright yellow sweats. In front of three ranch hands who’d come to help and couldn’t stop laughing.”
“I got pictures.” Noah pulled out his phone. “Want to see?”
“Absolutely not.” Caleb reached for Noah’s phone but was laughing too hard to take it away. His entire body shook as he guffawed.
Luke joined in. He leaned back in his chair, relaxed in a way she’d never seen him. His laugh was rich and real, transforming him from the controlled ranch manager into someone younger, lighter, more alive.
This was the man underneath the armor. The person he might be if he stopped carrying the weight of perfect management. If he let himself just be instead of always doing.
“Did you ever catch him?” Granny Mama asked between giggles.
“Eventually.” Caleb’s smile lingered. “After bribing him with grain and calling for backup.”
“The backup being me and Graham.” Noah clarified. “Also in our pajamas. Well, Graham was. I’d at least gotten dressed.”
“My pajamas are respectable.” Graham protested.
“You were wearing a T-shirt that said, ‘I’m not arguing, I’m just explaining why I’m right.’” Luke’s dry observation set off another round of laughter.
The Calloway brothers ribbed each other with the ease of people who knew exactly how far to push without causing real hurt. Ruth beamed at her boys with undisguised pride and love.
And Luke. He smiled more freely as dinner progressed. He jumped in to defend Caleb from Noah’s ribbing and stood without being asked when Ruth needed more tea from the kitchen, returning with the pitcher and quietly refilling everyone’s glasses.
And he watched her. Little stolen glances she felt all the way to her toes. Always between conversations, like he was checking to make sure she was okay, that she wasn’t overwhelmed by his loud, loving family.
She couldn’t help falling a little bit in love with him right then and there.