“She just left. We didn’t know how long you’d be on the phone.”
“Oh, okay. What happened to your shirt?”
I glanced down. There were some dirt smears from the poles.
“A little incident. Comes with the territory when the entire property looks like a minefield.”
A button was missing too, probably dislodged when Maddie slammed into me. Seeing her tumble out of that truck nearly gave me a heart attack. She tried to put up a brave face in front of Johnny, but I knew she was still shaken. She’d been trembling against me just moments before, when every delicious inch of her upper body had been pressed against me.
“Oh, okay. Pity Maddie couldn’t stay for dinner.”
“I asked her too, but she looked like she had plans.”
Val cocked a brow. “What does someone who has plans look like?”
“You know, dressed up. She looked nice.”
She was a knockout in that red dress, with those red lips.
“Hallelujah, hallelujah,” Val exclaimed, joining her hands as if praying, holding them up to her chin, looking mockingly at the ceiling.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re noticing women.”
I groaned. “Can I at least have dinner before we start this conversation?”
Val narrowed her eyes as if considering my suggestion. “No, no. We’ll have it right now. Hard truths are easier to swallow on an empty stomach.”
I smiled. My sister had inherited our dad’s habit of dishing out nonsensical sayings. This actually had been one of his sayings.
“You should date again,” she informed me.
“Munchkin, we’ve been through this.”
“Don’t call me that.” Val hesitated, then added, “It’s been four years since Rachel died.”
“I’m aware of that,” I said coolly. “If you were in my place, I wouldn’t push the point.”
“Yeah you would. You know you would. And I’d push back, just like you’re doing, but you wouldn’t give up. So I’m not giving up either. That’s what family does.” She sniffed the air, narrowed her eyes. “Do you want to take a shower before dinner?”
“Yes. Wasn’t expecting you to drop this so quickly.”
“I think our food is burning. I’ll circle back to it. Don’t worry, preferably after you’ve had some bourbon. I bought your favorite, by the way. Make yourself at home. I’m going to check on the food.”
I jogged up the stairs and headed to the room Val usually put me in when I was visiting; the bedroom overlooked the back of the property. Through the window, I saw the terrain was intact there, which meant the terracing project was only encompassing the front. My thoughts returned to Maddie. Of course I’d noticed her. I’d noticed her even before she changed. Those gorgeous blue eyes and smooth skin were impossible to miss. Plus, I liked her sense of humor.
Contrary to what Val thought, I wasn’t blind to the opposite sex. But when Rachel died, a part of me died too, and it would be unfair to any woman to offer ju
st what was left of me. What woman would be happy with that? And the risk of loving and losing someone—I couldn’t expose myself to that again. I chose not to.
I showered quickly, and by the time I returned downstairs, the entire family had arrived.
Val, sitting cross-legged on the couch, was chatting with our other sisters, Lori and Hailey. My brothers, Will and Jace, were standing near the dining table, each holding a drink.
“Uncle Landon!” Milo exclaimed when I entered the living room, running to me and wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Look at you. You’ve gotten taller since the last time I saw you.”