Page 27 of Five for Silver

“Technically, you did. If you’d been a bitmore careful when running around the field … well, you wouldn’thave fallen.”

Romeo’s cheeks reddened. The skin of hisdroopy eye twitched. “Is that you trying to be funny?”

“It’s me being honest.”

Merc poked his head out the kitchen door. Hedropped the tea towel and barked.

“Little shit bag,” Romeo mumbled.

Chad patted his shoulder. “That makes youbigshit bag.”

Merc barked again.

“I swear if he barks at us again, I’m goingstring him up with the chain in the outhouse.”

Merc growled, then barked.

Romeo ran at him but not before Chad tackledhim around the middle and tried to pull him to a stop.

“Run, Merc!” Chad called.

Merc snatched the tea towel back into hismouth and disappeared into the house.

Chad slipped, and landed with a wet slap,half his face pressed into squelchy mud, but he couldn’t help hissmile.

Romeo’s firm hands gripped onto his arms androlled him onto his back. He straddled Chad’s chest, knees sinkinginto the mud, weight rendering Chad helpless. Romeo’s fingerscurled around Chad’s wrists like shackles and drew them above hishead.

“You got me,” Chad said.

He gazed up at Romeo, smiling, but theexpression he got in return was blank, unmoved. Merc yapped fortheir attention somewhere behind him, but he didn’t look, too drawnto Romeo and the expression he couldn’t read.

Chad’s smile began to fade, before it couldgo out altogether, Romeo’s grew. Their smiles met somewhere in themiddle, small, tentative until Romeo laughed.

A deep rumbly laugh that made Chad laugh,too, with giddiness and relief.

“You’re annoying, you know that?”

Chad tilted his chin up. “Yeah, but you loveme anyway.”

“I do, God help me I do.”

“You got on God’s bad side a long time ago,don’t expect any favors.”

“You’ve turned your back on him, too.”

“For you. I’d turn my back on anyone foryou.”

Romeo nodded. His expression turned serious.“I know…” Merc broke the moment by skidding into them, tossing thetea towel up in the air.

“I guess it’s just a tea towel.” Romeosighed.

Chad nodded and tried to struggle up, butRomeo didn’t relent. “Precisely,justa teatowel.”

“It was my favorite, though.”

Chad tilted his head to Merc beside them,tea towel pinned by his paws, and teeth tearing off strips ofmaterial. Romeo didn’t look, nor did he flinch at the tears.

His sole focus stayed on Chad.

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