Rustic Hearts

Braxton

 

“Who is that?”

I follow Myer’s line of sight to where Dallas and Sophie are tossing a baseball around with Dallas’s son, Beau.

“That’s Sophia Lancaster,” I inform him as I twist off the top to the cold beer in my hand.

Walker thought a wake was a good occasion to bring by a tub of iced-down beers and set up lawn chairs out by the barn. Which is where he, Silas, our buddy Myer, Payne—Dallas’s brother—and I are currently hiding out from the crowd.

“No way. That is not the Sophia Lancaster I remember at all.”

“Me neither,” Payne adds.

“It’s her,” I confirm.

“Damn, she grew up just right. Is she single?” Myer asks.

I shrug. “She’s not wearing a ring, and I haven’t heard her mention a man. Not that I’ve been paying too much attention to anything she has to say.”

“Why?” Myer turns his attention to me.

“Not interested, I guess.”

He turns back to watch just as Sophie misses an easy catch and starts ru

“She could probably read me my rights, and I’d hang on every word,” he declares as he tracks her every move.

“Stop ogling her like some creep,” I order as I chuck the bottle top at his head.

“Ouch.” He reaches up and rubs his forehead but doesn’t take his eyes off Sophie’s ass as she retrieves the ball and jogs back to Beau. “There’s nothing wrong with looking.” He brushes off my reprimand.

“Why do you care anyway? You got it for your sister?”

I look up, and Payne is wagging his eyebrows at me.

“First of all, she is not my sister, and secondly, Jefferson would rip my and either one of your dumbasses’ balls off if we so much as laid a finger on her.”

“She’s what, thirty-one, thirty-two? It’s not like she’s a sixteen-year-old whose virginity he needs to protect.”

I cut my eyes back to Payne. “You want to be the one to tell him that?”

He grins. “Hell no.”

“That’s what I thought. Besides, it might come in a pretty package, but that chick is one hundred percent high-maintenance headache. No, thank you.”

Myer looks back at me.

“Pretty? Son, that woman”—Walker points in her direction just as she reaches down again to snatch up the ball, her firm breasts peeking from the top of the plunging neckline of her dress—“is sexy as hell and would be worth every bit of trouble.”

“I said, stop ogling her,” I demand with a little more force this time.

He throws his hands in the air. “Yes, sir. Eyes off your girl. Got it.”

“She’s not my girl,” I growl.

Walker and Payne burst into laughter just as Dallas gallops up to our group.

“What’s so fu

“Oh, we’re just ribbing Braxton here over his fascination with—”

“Nothing,” I cut Payne off with a hard look, which starts the laughter back up.

Dallas turns to me with a suspicious look.

“We’re just making fun of Sophie trying to play ball in a dress and heels, is all.”

She glances back toward her son and her friend and smiles. “Yeah, I guess it does look ridiculous, but isn’t she sweet to play with him and get him out of that house full of somber adults?”

“I guess.”

She looks up at me. “You don’t like her very much, do you?”

“I don’t really have an opinion of her either way, to tell you the truth.”

Walker coughs.

She cuts her eyes to him and then quickly back to me. “You know, I never considered you a snob before, Braxton Young.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You had your mind made up about her before she ever got off that plane. She walked onto this ranch with her head held high, and yes, maybe her defenses were up, but damn, she was an army of one, facing down a whole troop of people she barely remembered or didn’t know at all. I’d think you would be a little more compassionate.”

Her comment hits its mark, and she knows it because she gives me a victorious purse of her lips.

Then, she pulls up one of the chairs and parks herself next to Myer.

“Hey,” he says as he smiles at her and offers her a frosty bottle from the tub.

She nods, and he pops the top off before handing it to her. She accepts, oblivious to his attention.

We all sit in the sun and watch as Sophie completely wears Beau out—or he wears her out.

He comes and hops up on Payne’s lap before falling sound asleep.

Sophie timidly walks over and joins us.

“Hey, guys,” she says, and Walker opens another lawn chair for her.

Myer stands, leans in, and offers her his hand. “Hey, Sophie. Remember me?”

She wrinkles her forehead in concentration and tries to place him.

“Myer Wilson.” He quickly lets her off the hook.

Her eyes widen in surprise and then light up. “Myer? Oh my goodness. How are you?”

She lets go of his hand and wraps her arms around his neck. He hesitates for just a second as his eyes come to me, and then he hugs her right back.

“I’m good. How about you?” he asks as she lets him go and looks up at him.

“I’m shocked; that’s how I am. You’re a man now.”

He flushes slightly at her a

“I mean, of course you’re a man now. I just … it’s strange. I have all these memories, and in them, everyone is stuck at twelve years old. It’s startling to see how much everyone has changed.”

He smiles at her. “I bet it is. We all grew up and changed together, so we didn’t really notice. However, we’ve all definitely noticed how well you grew up.”

She blushes at his statement.

“I mean, that you’ve grown up,” he sputters.

Her red deepens.

“You know what I mean, right?” He looks around to us for help.

“I do,” she murmurs.

I find that I’m not enjoying this little exchange in the least. So, I clear my throat.

“You want a beer?” I ask her.

“I’m not a fan of beer,” she replies.

Walker fake gasps.

She grins at him. “Got any more moonshine?”

He hops up to his feet. “Now, there’s a girl after my own heart,” he says as he heads over to the cooler on his tailgate and grabs a jar.

A few hours later, the driveway is empty as everyone packs up and starts making their way back home.

“Thank you, Soph,” Dallas says as she wraps her in a hug. “I think you’re officially his new favorite person.”

“He’s pretty high up on my list too. Hopefully, he’ll sleep well for you tonight,” she replies.

“Speaking of which, I’d better get him home and in his pajamas.”

“I’ll load him in the truck.” Payne stands and starts walking with his nephew in his arms.

“You want me to drive you guys home?” Myer offers.

“Why?” Dallas asks him.

“I haven’t had anything to drink.” He shrugs.

“Um, I only had one beer, but I guess so,” she replies, puzzled.

“You can never be too careful. Payne can follow us in my truck,” he says as he gets to his feet and rushes to open the passenger door for her.

Dallas waves as she hops in. Myer scurries over to the driver’s side, and they drive away.

“Looks like I have to go too,” Payne says as he grabs Myer’s keys and follows.

Sophie looks over at me with her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “I thought Payne lived beside Dallas and his parents?” she asks.

“He does.”

“Then, why didn’t he drive them home?”