Page 17 of Lost and Lassoed

After the slider door shut, Emmy nudged again. “Gus, are you okay?” She was looking at me with worry.

“Yes, Emmy,” I said, annoyed that she’d asked me again.

“Son,” my dad began, “I know things have been a little tricky since Cam left, and I think it might be a good idea to look into getting some help.”

What the fuck?“Cam’s been gone for two weeks, Dad,” I said, annoyance clear in my tone. “Riley and I are just getting used to our new routine.”

“I know,” he said. “But I’m worried you’re stretching yourself too thin, August. You can’t be everything for everyone—father, son, rancher, brother—all at once.”

I gritted my teeth. Was my dad calling me a failure?

“You and Cam had such a good system,” Emmy jumped in. “And we think getting some help on the days that Riley would normally be with Cam might help you a bit.”

We?Had my family been talking about me behind my fucking back?

“I’m fine,” I said again, trying to keep my temper under control. Normally, it only flared this quickly around Teddy.

“You’re wearing two different boots, and your shirt is on inside out, man.” That was Brooks. I looked down.Shit—he was right. I hadn’t noticed.

“And Teddy said you don’t even have any food in the house.” Fucking Teddy. “And that it’s not as…clean as usual.”

“I don’t see how that’s any of Teddy’s fucking business,” I snapped. “I didn’t know she was an expert at owning a home or having a kid. Oh wait, she’s not.”

“August.” My dad’s voice held a warning. I ignored it.

“Dude,” Wes said. Great, all of them were piling on now. “What’s the harm in getting a little help? I’m sure Cam would be thrilled to hear that you weren’t having to do everything alone.”

“I’m not bringing a stranger into my home because my family thinks I can’t take care of my kid,” I said.

“No one said that you can’t take care of your kid,” Emmy replied gently. “We’re worried that you don’t have time to take care ofyou.”

“You’re one to talk, Clementine,” I said. “Remember when you had that riding accident that could’vekilledyou? And instead of telling us and letting us help you, you came home and shut us all out? And started sneaking around with my best friend at the same time?”

Emmy shrank back a little, and Brooks shifted protectively.Too far, Gus. Too fucking far.“Talk to her like that again, I dare you,” Brooks said. He hadn’t hit me back a few years ago, butthat didn’t mean he wouldn’t throw the first punch if he thought I was being shitty to Emmy—which I was. My family had hit a nerve. “She’s worried about you, asshole.”

“I. Am. Fine,” I growled.

“And no one said anything about a stranger.” Emmy spoke up again as Brooks’s hand was rubbing her shoulder. “I was thinking Teddy could help you out.”

I was stunned silent for a minute. Was she insane? “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, right?”

“Riley loves her, and she’s the closest thing to one of us watching her. She’s been around since Riley was born,” Emmy said, “and she needs a job, Gus.”

“Last time I checked, Teddy had a job,” I said.

“The boutique is closing. And I think she’d be really good at it.” That almost made me laugh.

“Fuck no. She is careless and loud and…” I grunted in frustration. “I don’t want my kid around her.” I had my reasons for not liking Teddy, and most of them had to do with the fact that every time Emmy had gotten herself into a bad situation, Teddy had been nearby—drinking, smoking, sneaking out—basically everything you didn’t want your little sister doing, Emmy did. With Teddy. I didn’t need that happening to my kid too.

My dad’s fist hit the table, scaring the shit out of all four of us. “That isenough,August.” I couldn’t remember the last time he’d raised his voice like this with me. It was cold and hard and communicated that Amos Ryder meant business. “You won’t talk like that at my table. I won’t allow it, August.”

I leaned back in my chair, embarrassed that I’d just been yelled at by my father like I was a teenager and not a thirty-six-year-old man. Emmy, Wes, Brooks, and I were all quiet.

“Now,” my dad said after some uncomfortable beats of silence, “I think Teddy helping out is a great idea. It sounds like it would benefit both of you.”

“You don’t get to make that decision, Dad,” I said quietly. He was right to call me on my temper, but Riley was my kid, and I got to decide who was good enough to be in her life.

Not him. Not Emmy. Not anyone else but Cam.

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