Rustic Hearts

Braxton

I toss another bag of grain down to Emmett from the storage loft off the side of the barn. He grabs it and throws it up on the truck bed.

“That’s the last of it, old man. Time to wash up and eat,” I say as I make my way down the ladder.

It’s been a long day. We finally got the fence patch reinforced in the back pasture, and I’m exhausted and starving.

We bring the ladder down and toss it on the truck bed with the feed. Just as I shut the tailgate, a shiny new Range Rover comes rolling to a stop in front of the house. A man I slightly recognize but can’t place steps out and speaks to Elle, who is on the front porch. She walks inside, and he waits by his truck.

“Emmett, who’s that?” I gesture toward the visitor with my chin.

He looks up and scans the driveway. “It must be that Eastman boy come to pick Sophie up for di

Eastman—that’s it. We went to high school together. The guy was a real tool, always flaunting his family’s wealth.

“Di

“Yep. He and his brother were out at the show in Denver, and they met the girls. I reckon he’s taken a fancy to Sophie.”

I don’t like the thought of her being alone with that guy—not one bit.

“He’s an idiot. Why would she have anything to do with him?” I ask the rhetorical question.

He answers me anyway, “I guess because none of the idiots around here have offered to take her to di

He slaps me on the back and walks toward the backyard.

I stand there and wait until she comes out the door. She looks beautiful in jeans and a fuzzy pink top that is feminine and still looks substantial enough to keep her warm. She greets him with a big smile and a hug, and then he opens the passenger door for her. She shrugs an overnight bag off her shoulder and hands it to him. He shuts her in, and then he opens the back door and tosses in her bag.

Surely, she doesn’t plan on staying the night with him. They just met.

I stomp my way across the yard and enter the back door. Everyone is seated for di

“Something wrong, Brax?” Jefferson gets my attention.

“No. Why?” I ask with my mouth full.

“Well, son, you poured gravy all over your baked apples and started shoveling it in like we were going to steal your plate. And your aunt Madeline has asked you the same question four times.”

I stop and look down at my plate. I did indeed pour gravy on my apples instead of the sliced turkey breast.

I look back up, and everyone’s amused faces are staring back at me.

“What?” I bite out.

“No need to shout,” Doreen gently scolds me, “and no need to worry about Sophie. She’s a big girl who can take care of herself.”

“Who said I was worried about Sophie?”

She keeps talking as she salts and peppers her plate, “Aren’t you?”

“Why aren’t you? Do you know that guy? Does she? She took an overnight bag with her, for fuck’s sake.”

“Language,” she reprimands.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t like it.”

“She took a bag with supplies for the drive-in tonight. It’s loaded up with blankets and snacks, not pajamas and toiletries. She’ll be home tonight,” Ria reassures me.

Relief washes over me for a second, and then I notice they’re all still staring at me.

“Okay. I overreacted. I still don’t like it. Just because she met him once doesn’t mean she knows the guy.”

“Just how do you expect her to get to know him if she doesn’t go out with him?” Jefferson asks.

I shrug. I don’t exactly have an answer for that.

“Can we all just eat now?” I ask, hoping to end the conversation.

“Sure,” he answers, and we all finish our meal in silence.

Afterward, I head up to my room and let Hawkeye out. I check the showtimes at the drive-in and see that the show starts at eight thirty-five p.m., and it’s a double feature. Damn it, they won’t even be done until after midnight.

I build a fire in the fireplace and settle in with a beer. It’s going to be a long night. Hawkeye jumps up on the bed beside me. He has been sleeping with me since last week when Sophie let him. Now, he thinks he’s always allowed to sleep with us.

Us? Did I just think of Sophie and me as an us?

What the hell is wrong with me? The girl has gotten under my skin.

Hawk starts barking, and I look down at him.

“Yeah, I wish she were here too.”