No Good Mitchell - Riley Hart Page 0,34

first night at the Barn, but she was a riot. I had to admit she could make me laugh.

Isaac crossed his arms. “Brody would take me shopping.”

“Maybe you should ask him, then.” Plus, it wasn’t like he couldn’t take my car.

“You wish I would ask him so you could see him and go all googly-eyed over him. I was nervous you’d start humping his leg like a dog last time.”

I flipped him off. “Fuck you. Methinks someone’s jealous because Walker hasn’t made a move.”

“Pfft.” Isaac waved his hand at me. “If I wanted him, I’d have him. I don’t want, so I haven’t had. We’re…friendly. Now let’s go to the store, Cozies.”

I sighed. “Fine. Whatever.”

While I’d come around and tried to fit in more with the locals, Isaac was wearing a salmon-colored button-up shirt I knew cost a pretty penny and a pair of beige shorts. He was who he was, and I loved that about him, even though I liked to give him shit.

We made the quick drive to the store, and the second we stepped inside, I felt like everyone was looking at me.

“We should make me a shirt that says something like, Yes, I’m the long-lost Mitchell.”

“Oh, sweetie. It’s cute you think it matters. They already know, and they’ll be looking and gossiping regardless. That’s just how it works.”

He was right, of course.

We made it halfway through the produce aisle before I was stopped for the first time. It was an older man who looked to be in his eighties. “You’re that Mitchell boy.”

I smiled. “Guilty.” I immediately regretted my word choice. I still couldn’t wrap my brain around the stuff my grandfather had done.

“How do we know you’re really a Mitchell? And that your daddy wanted you to take over?”

“Um…because the lawyer, from here, who also happens to be my dad’s best friend, tracked me down? And I knew nothing about this place?”

“He’s opening back up, Dick,” a woman stepped up to say. “You leave this poor boy be. He’s been through enough. I heard his mama abandoned him and he lived on the streets most of his childhood.”

“So? Wass that gotta do with anything?” said Dick, who was, in fact, a dick.

“He’s one of those tragic stories, ya know?” the woman replied.

The two of them continued arguing back and forth about me as if I wasn’t there.

“My mother didn’t abandon me,” I snapped. “She died.”

The woman, at least, looked like she felt guilty, but Dick the dick just grumbled and walked away.

“You don’t pay them any mind, boy. We’re happy to have you here. It’s your birthright. Just takes folks a while, is all.” She patted my arm and walked away.

Turning toward Isaac, I cocked a brow at him.

“Okay, so maybe I understand why you didn’t want to go to the grocery store.” Then his eyes widened, and he got this giddy smile on his face. “We should invite our cowboys over for dinner!”

“Um, where did that come from?”

“Duh. My busy brain. I’m texting now.”

I sure as shit wasn’t going to argue with him. I wanted more of Brody’s sweet mouth. That man did it for me in a way I wasn’t sure anyone had.

We finished our shopping trip and were back home, putting groceries away, when Isaac said, “Walker said they’ll be here.”

Heat I had no business feeling pooled low in my gut. I was more excited about this development than I had any right being.

The rest of the day flew by. I helped Isaac put together a lasagna for dinner, then showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, right as there was a knock. “I got it,” I called out.

I opened the front door to see Brody standing there, Walker beside him. Brody had a rosiness to his cheeks I was pretty sure had more to do with being in the sun all day than anything else. His eyes were tired, though, bloodshot, and his body a little tense.

“No breaking the door down this time?” I teased.

“I wanted to, but Walker said it wasn’t polite.” Brody smiled, and I felt myself relax, as if everything was okay simply because he grinned. Damn sexy Southern boy was going to kill me.

“Well, he’s no fun.”

“I’m fun,” Walker countered.

“I’ll be the judge of that, sugar.” Isaac came in and winked. “If you’re lucky. And that’s right, correct? The sugar. Y’all say that?”

“Stop saying y’all.” I thumped his ear.

“Ouch. Be nice.”

We all chuckled, and they came in.

Isaac grabbed Walker’s hand and tugged him