Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Ifollow behind my sister and Poppy, and glance around. I’m not sure what the fuck I expect to find out here, but it’s a habit to check for anyone wanting to make a jump on me. I’m even more cautious when my sister is close.
This house is huge. Clearly not a struggling farming family.
I’m eager to meet the rest of Poppy’s cousins.
Something happened to her, and I want to know what it is.
The file my mother collated is mocking me from my safe.
I should have just fucking read it. If I had, I wouldn’t be left wondering what the fuck went down.
Or why she doesn’t talk about her parents…
I’ve gathered they’re no longer with us. But what happened to them? And why the fuck is she so casual with what she saw back in that kitchen? Most people would be distraught, maybe even sick at the sight. Poppy looked and shrugged it off as if it were an everyday occurrence for her.
“They’ll be out back. Jaggar likes to think he’s a grill master,” Poppy says while guiding us through the house.
“What are your cousins’ names?” Imogen asks.
“Jaxson, he’s the oldest and most grumpy. Then there’s Joel, the typical middle child, and Jaggar is the youngest.”
“Are they hot?” My sister smirks.
“No, they’re gross.” Poppy laughs.
“Imogen!” I call out to my sister, getting her to turn around. I crook a finger and coax her forward.
She lets go of Poppy with an eye roll and walks over to where I stopped. “What?”
“I need you to not fuck with Poppy’s family,” I tell her.
“I have no intention of fucking anyone, Sammie. Don’t worry. I’ll be on my best behavior. I know how much you like her,” Imogen says, loud enough that Poppy hears her.
“Thank you.” Wrapping my arm around my sister’s shoulders, I start leading her down the hall, towards Poppy. “Also, try not to kill anyone else today.”
“I’ll do my best.” Imogen shrugs.
I let go of my sister and take Poppy’s hand in mine. She smiles up at me. “It’s not too late to turn around,” she says.
“Actually it is. I’ve seen you.” A male voice has me turning towards the end of the hall.
“Joel, Jaxson said you have to be nice,” Poppy growls.
So this is the middle Kestral brother?
“Hi. Sammie. Nice to meet you.” Dropping Poppy’s hand, I hold mine out to her cousin.
“Joel.” He clasps my palm, squeezing hard, but I squeeze harder. It’s a pissing contest but then his gaze goes to something over my shoulder and he lets go. Not something, someone. “Hi, I’m Joel, and you are?”
“My sister, Imogen,” I answer for her.
“Hi. I hope it’s okay I tagged along,” Imogen says.
“More the merrier. You want a drink? Poppy, Jaxson and Jaggar are out back.” Joel steps past me towards my sister. And I watch Imogen smile at him. She looks the guy up and down, and before she even opens her mouth, I cringe at what I can only imagine she is going to say.
“I would love a drink. Do you have water? Or juice?” Imogen asks, surprising the fuck out of me. One, she didn’t tell him where to go for eyeing her like she’s a meal. And two, she didn’t ask for whiskey or wine. Even though she’s underage, she doesn’t exactly comply with the laws.
“Sure. Follow me.” Joel turns back around and Imogen tags along behind him.
“You want to go with her?” Poppy whispers from beside me.
“Nah, she’s fine,” I tell her.
“You don’t seem so convinced of that.”
I lean down close to her ear. “I would much rather drag you into an empty room and give you one of those orgasms I’m getting hooked on.”
“Mmm, that would be the quickest way to get yourself shot in this house. Come on. The sooner we get out there, the sooner we can go.” Poppy takes my hand and pulls me out the back of the house.
“Jaxson, I brought another mouth to feed so there better be plenty of food!” Poppy shouts as we step onto the back porch.
There’s a firepit and a grill in the yard, where Jaxson and another younger version of the guy are standing around. They both turn at the sound of Poppy’s voice.
“There’s always plenty of food, Popps. Who’d you bring?” Jaxson makes his way over to us as we walk down the four porch steps.
“Imogen, Sammie’s little sister. She came to town with him,” Poppy says.
“Where is she?” Jaxson looks behind us.
“Joel took her into the kitchen to get her a drink,” Poppy tells him.
Jaxson holds out a hand to me. “Glad you could make it, but you probably shouldn’t leave your little sister anywhere near my brothers,” he says. “How little we talking?”
“She’s nineteen and more than capable of handling a cowboy,” I tell him. “Imogen isn’t a damsel by any means.”
“I don’t know, Sammie. You might be underestimating the pull a cowboy can have on a girl.” Poppy smirks. “I know I’ve been under a cowboy’s spell once or twice.”
My head snaps in her direction. “You what now?”
“Who?” Jaxson growls from beside me, his arms folded over his chest. “I’ll kill them.”
“Not if I get them first,” I mutter.
“Popps, grab me a beer,” the other Kestral brother calls out from the grill.
“Get your own damn beer, Jaggar. I’m not your whore!” Poppy yells back at him.
I smile. I love her feisty, take-no-shit attitude. She might say she wants to live in ignorant bliss of what the world is really like, but she doesn’t realize just how suited for it she is.
“Seriously? When did I say you were a whore?” Jaggar grumbles.
“You want a beer, Sammie?” Poppy asks, walking over to a glass-door fridge. She opens it, takes one out, and then turns to me. I’m not huge on beer. She knows this, but I’ll drink it if she brings it to me. “Wait… I know what you like better than beer…”
I then watch as she walks over to a bar, bends over, and picks up a bottle of Jack. She grabs a glass and scoops some ice inside before filling it with the amber liquid. Coming back over, she hands me the crystal tumbler and then passes the beer to Jaxson.
“Why does he get a beer?” Jaggar calls out.
“Because he’s not an ass,” Poppy retorts.
“Thanks.” I take a sip of the whiskey. It’s not my favorite brand, but it’s whiskey all the same. “Whatever you’re grilling smells fucking great,” I tell Jaxson.
“Our own Texas Wagyu, raised right here on this ranch. You ain’t gonna find a better cut of beef than that right there.” Jaxson points to the grill.
Now’s probably not the time to mention I’ve had Japanese Wagyu in Japan. Instead, I nod and take another sip of my whiskey.
Imogen walks outside with Joel right behind her. She’s holding a bottle of water. I look at her but she seems okay.
“Come sit down. Grub’s nearly done.” Jaxson leads everyone over to a dining table that has a spread of salads and vegetables laid out in the middle.
I wait for Poppy to sit down and choose the seat next to her. Jaggar comes over with a tray of meat and places it in front of us.
“Hi, I’m Jaggar.” He looks right at Imogen.
“Imogen, and whatever you’re thinking isn’t going to happen,” my sister tells him.
“Told you she can handle herself,” I whisper to Poppy.
“I’ve seen how she handles herself,” Poppy reminds me. “Jaggar, sit your ass down before she guts you.”
“Pfft, you think I’m scared of a little thing like that?” Jaggar drops into a chair and looks over at Imogen. “Also, you have no idea what I was thinking.”
“I’m pretty sure I do,” Imogen tells him.
“Okay, neither of you is touching his little sister. Now that that’s settled, let’s eat. I’m fucking starving,” Jaxson grunts, and the other two Kestral brothers seem to let the idea of Imogen warming their beds go.
The rest of dinner runs smoothly, filled with small talk, questions about Vegas, and what we do there.
Then Imogen asks some stuff about ranching as if she’s suddenly interested in the farming life.
Afterwards, Poppy takes Imogen to look at the horses.
I stay back to have a drink with her cousin, but my mind is stuck on the fact my sister is more than likely about to get on a fucking horse.
“How tame are those animals?” I ask.
“The horses?” Jaxson lifts a brow.
I nod.
“They’re fine. Why?”
“Imogen has her mind set on riding one, and I don’t like it.”
“So you’re not worried about her being left alone with a bunch of horny cowboys, but you’re worried about her near a horse?”
“The cowboys aren’t a threat to her safety. The horse, I don’t know what it will do,” I explain.
“You’re right. My brothers are not a threat to her, but you wouldn’t know that because you don’t know them. The horses are safe. Poppy knows what she’s doing.”
I fucking hope so, because the last thing I want to have to do is call my parents and explain why my sister is laid up in some hospital bed because I let her get on a horse. I don’t like the unpredictable, and animals are unpredictable.