you he was a square shooter,” one of the other boys said.
“Never hurts to ask,” Jake sighed loudly. “Guess we’ll all go to the pond after work and see who wants to go skinny-dippin’ with us.”
Pax didn’t have a bit of trouble remembering back when he was seventeen and wanting to go to the Wild Cowboy on Friday nights. He’d gotten Maverick to help him with a fake ID so he could go with his older brother and the Baker boys. He shuddered at the idea of his own son doing the same thing.
“It’s a wonder Mam didn’t lock us up on weekends,” he mumbled as he got into the truck. He started the engine, and his phone rang at the same time. He turned the air-conditioning up as high as it would go and picked up the phone from the passenger seat.
“Hello, darlin’,” he said, “is this my girlfriend or my fiancée? I was thinkin’ we might go to the Wild Cowboy tonight if it’s my girlfriend.”
“Sorry, honey,” she said. “Daddy and I are on the way to Odessa to look at a bull. We won’t be back until late tomorrow evening.”
“You go spend as much time with him as you can,” Pax said. “The Wild Cowboy ain’t goin’ nowhere, so we’ll have lots of Friday nights to go there. Can I pick you up for church on Sunday morning?”
“Of course,” she said. “I’ll be ready at ten thirty. Daddy wanted me to invite y’all to Mama Jo’s for dinner afterward. He’s got a hankerin’ for some of her chicken and dressin’.”
“I’m accepting for all of us,” Pax said. “Have a safe trip and call or text me when you can.”
“Sure thing. Love you,” she said.
“Me too,” he answered, knowing that the words were for Matt’s benefit.
Maverick’s truck was parked in the backyard when Pax got to the house, but he was still sitting in it. He slung open the door, and the two of them got out at the same.
“It’s going to rain. I can smell it,” Maverick said as the first big drops hit the ground.
They jogged the rest of the way to the house with Pax taking the lead. “What’s the weatherman saying?”
“One hundred percent chance all night,” Maverick told him. “I sent my boys on home. You might as well give Jake a call and tell him to haul your crew back to town. Didn’t they ride out with him?”
Pax darted into the house, made the call, and groaned. “I really wanted to get the last of the fencing done today. Once that’s set, we’ll have all the old wooden posts replaced with metal T-posts, and we won’t have to mess with it for a couple of years.”
“I guess this gives you all afternoon to get presentable and go out with Alana tonight.” Maverick hung his hat on the hook by the back door. “Hey, where’s my pretty girls. Y’all ready for Daddy to be in the house the rest of the day?”
Iris looked up from the stove, where she was stirring a pot of fresh green beans cooked with new potatoes. “Y’all are right on time,” she said. “The chicken is all fried and ready to go on the table.”
Bridget crossed the room and tiptoed to give Maverick a kiss. “We’ll have dinner on the table by the time y’all get washed up.”
Laela toddled over to Maverick and held up her arms for him to pick her up. The idea of starting a family a few weeks ago would have had Pax running like a jackrabbit toward the nearest mesquite thicket but seeing the happiness in his brother’s eyes made him wish that he was already settled down and maybe even a father.
“Do I see a little jealousy?” Iris poked him on the arm with a wooden spoon.
“Yes, you do,” Pax admitted.
“Well, maybe this time next year, I’ll have another great-grandchild, and Laela will have a little cousin,” Iris said.
“A very wise lady told me once not to count my chickens before they’re hatched.” Pax adjusted the water at the kitchen sink and lathered up his hands.
Bridget finished setting the table, took the baby from Maverick, and kissed him on the cheek. “Since it’s raining, do you think we might go shopping this afternoon, darlin’? It’s only two weeks until the wedding, and I still haven’t bought a pair of boots.”
“I’ll keep Laela for you,” Iris said. “Y’all make a day of it. Go shopping, have dinner somewhere nice, and then either go dancin’