“And someone set the table!”
“Got it!” Eric replied, no doubt to give himself something easy to do instead of whatever else Kellie might need help with.
The rest of them rolled their eyes and removed their hats as they entered, as Kellie usually requested.
“What else needs doing?” Ryan asked his sister, patting down his slightly messy hair.
Kellie paused whatever she was stirring and pointed. “Bread on the table, butter, honey, jam, all the accessories. Potatoes and carrots, salad, get the dressings. Whichever one of you can do it best, come over here and shred the pot roast. Sessions went on too long, so I don’t have my guests in here helping right now. A handful are joining us, so Eric, make sure you set all the plates I put out!”
Eric saluted, though she wouldn’t see it.
“Hey, Kells,” Ryan said, coming over to the pot roast and putting a hand on her back. “Breathe. Just us. Not an emergency.”
“I know,” she grunted. “Just rushed.”
Ford shared a look with West and Lars, and the three of them moved into the kitchen to silently pick up the other things and take them to the table, arranging them neatly among the settings Eric was laying out.
“Drinks,” West said, looking around at stuff. “Water? Soda?”
“There’s raspberry lemonade, too!” Kellie announced without looking up. “Paige whipped it up today.”
“I’ll have that,” Ford ordered, raising a finger at West.
“Make it two,” Eric chimed.
“Water here,” Lars said as he carried the butter, jam, and honey to the table.
“We’ll all have lemonade,” a woman announced as she and two others entered the room, one of whom had purple in her hair that caught Ford by surprise. Then he saw the woman with honey-colored hair who’d given him a hard time the other day with the bags.
Brynn, he reminded himself.
She didn’t look much happier today, which made him wonder if she ever was.
Kellie grinned at the guests, seeming relieved to see them. “Hi, ladies. We’re almost ready. Take whatever seats you want.” She frowned a little. “I knew Josie wanted to stay back, but what about Trish?”
“She’s staying with Josie for support,” the purple-haired lady said. “And Meredith and Sadie are hitting up Lost Creek tonight, so Paige, Brynn, and I are it.”
“I thought they might.” Kellie grinned and gestured to the room. “These are the guys. Some of them should look familiar, but I’m not sure you guys will know Ford. He’s not been back long. And Brynn’s new, so you won’t know any of them except maybe my brother Ryan.” She jabbed his shoulder pointedly, which Ryan reacted dramatically to.
“I know West and Lars,” Purple Hair said, pointing to each. “We met when I was making a fool of myself with the cows last week.”
Lars chuckled. “It wasn’t that bad, Julia. Nice to see you again.” He indicated Eric and Ford for them all. “Eric is the scrawny one, and Ford is the less scrawny one.”
“Hey,” Purple Hair and a blonde woman said, both waving easily. Brynn said nothing, though her eyes did widen as she saw Ford.
It was all he could do not to say something, but he only smiled and nodded to them as a collective.
Brynn looked over at Kellie. “Is there anything we can help with, Kellie? Or Ryan, was it?”
The siblings exchanged looks, then looked at each other’s food item, nodding in almost eerie synchrony. “I think we’re ready, actually. Just have a seat. Thanks, Brynn.”
They all moved to the table and sat, before Kellie smiled down the table. “Eric, would you say grace for us?”
Brynn looked surprised and glanced at her fellow guests, both of whom were clearly used to this and had already bowed their heads.
“Lord, we thank you for the day that we’ve had and the work our hands and hearts have been able to do,” Eric began. “We thank you for this ranch and for Kellie’s vision for it. We’re grateful for the food on this table and the hands that prepared it, and ask that it nourish and strengthen us. Help us to improve ourselves each day and help the guests here to heal in whatever ways they need. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”
“Amen,” the table answered.
“Thanks, Eric,” Kellie said with a smile. “All right, dig in!”
There was some shuffling as bowls of food and utensils moved around the table, but it wasn’t long before they were all chatting easily and eating.
“Need a lifeguard for your pot roast there, West?” Ford asked around a bite of potatoes. “It’s drowning.”
West