Jared was kind of scary, because he made Bryan think about how it would be to have him around all the time. Like a father. A guy to play ball with. A man who came home after work every day and listened to what you wanted to say. A man who kissed your mother in the kitchen like it was no big deal.
He wanted Jared most of all, and because he did, Bryan wished for him hard, every night. Somehow, whatever he wished for hard almost always came true.
On the farm, the sun was bright, warming ground that was damp from the night's rain. The early-morning fog had burned off and left the air clear and moist. He was happy sitting on the dirt with the dogs and Connor, with the sound of adult voices never far off. They were going to have Sunday dinner at the MacKades'.
The men were cooking, which Bryan thought was a little weird, but interesting.
"Do you think Fred and Ethel'll have babies?"
Connor continued to stroke the golden fur of the dog nearest him as he considered the question. "They probably will. That's what happens when people are married. It's the same for dogs, I guess."
Bryan gave a snort and delivered a punch to Connor's shoulder. "People don't have to be married to have a kid. They just have to be stuck on each other."
If anyone else had made the comment, Connor would have flushed. But because it was Bryan, he only nodded wisely. "Then Fred and Ethel can have pups, because they're stuck on each other."
Bryan looked toward the farmhouse. Through the kitchen window came the sound of mixed laughter. "I think Jared's stuck on my mom."
Connor's pale gray eyes went wide. "Are they having a baby?"
"No." Bryan hooked an arm around Ethel's neck. It was a possibility he'd given some thought to. "It'd be cool if they did. I mean, you like having Emma around, don't you?" "Sure."
"A brother would be neater, but even a sister would be okay. I think if there was one—you know, a baby— Jared would hang around. Like live with us."
"Sometimes it's bad," Connor said quietly. "Sometimes when a man lives with you, it's bad. They argue and fight, and they get drunk and... things."
The idea of that had Bryan's brow furrowing. "But not all of them."
"I guess not." But Connor was far from sure. "I don't want a man to live with us ever again." Connor's voice was low and fierce. "Not ever again."
Understanding, Bryan shifted his arm from Ethel's neck to Connor's. "If your father tries to come back after he gets out of jail, you'll be ready. We'll be ready," he added with a dazzling smile. "You and me, Con."
"Yeah." Connor almost wished he had a chance to prove it. "You and me."
* * *
"Looks like they're talking big talk," Savannah commented from the kitchen window.
"Connor's never really had a close friend before." Hadn't been able to, Cassie thought, with the way Joe hassled everyone who came to the house.
"Neither has Bry. They're good for each other." She grinned when the boys started wrestling each other, and the dogs. All four would be filthy, she was sure, by the time dinner was ready.
"That looks familiar." Devin stepped up behind the women, tucked his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. Savannah did her best not to stiffen. "We spent a lot of Sunday afternoons kicking up dirt."
"We spent a lot of every afternoon kicking up dirt," Rafe said.
"Remember that Sunday Mom turned the hose on us?" With a sigh, Shane popped a radish into his mouth. "Those were the days. She was so ticked because Gran and Pop were coming to dinner, and we'd gotten into a fight wearing our best clothes."
"You started it," Jared remembered. "Swiped my baseball and lost it in the cornfield."
"I borrowed your baseball," Shane told him. "And Devin lost it in the field."
"Rafe lost it," Devin said mildly. "He was supposed to catch it."
"You hit it wide. Pulled it," Rafe explained in disgust. "He could never pick his spot."
"Hell I couldn't."
Before Devin could take the argument any further, Regan held up her hands. "Time-out. I believe, with this obvious example of family solidarity, it's an excellent time to make an announcement." She smiled at Rafe. "Don't you think?"