Page 35 of Conveniently Wed
She looked at him from the side. “You take care of your papa’s ranch, but being so isolated…it keeps people away. Keeps you from having to interact, I’d wager.”
He didn’t have an answer, not that she was really asking for one.
“Problems?” a familiar voice asked.
He whipped around to see Ricky already dismounted and another hand not far behind. Had they ridden up and he hadn’t noticed? He’d been wrapped up in Fran’s discussion.
His brother looked like a thundercloud, but as of late that seemed to be a common expression for him.
Fran moved off to see to Emma.
“Needs a good shove from the lower side,” Edgar suggested.
“I can see that.” Ricky rounded the wagon, eyes on the ground.
“Not there,” Edgar said as his brother knelt to examine one of the wheels that were still above the wash.
His brother sent him a scathing look over his shoulder. “I can see what needs doing. I don’t always need you bossing me like I’m a young pup.”
Edgar’s footsteps faltered, but then he joined up with the other hand at the back of the wagon while Ricky went into the wash.
He could at least help steady the thing, even if he didn’t have use of both hands.
Is that what Ricky really thought? That he bossed like a mother hen? Jonas had left him in charge. It was Edgar’s responsibility to get those cattle where they needed to be. It was on him if they didn’t make it.
They got the wagon back on solid ground, and he moved to his brother as Ricky used the toe of one boot to inspect the spokes in each wheel.
“Pa left me in charge—” he started.
“How could I forget? You keep reminding us at every turn.” Ricky wouldn’t look directly at him. What was eating him? Could he be jealous?
Then Ricky turned to him. “You know, she might be right about you hiding out on Pa’s spread.”
Edgar’s ears went hot again. So Ricky had heard Fran’s conclusion. Did he really think the same or was he just trying to get under Edgar’s skin?
“You really happy here? On the ranch? Because not all the rest of us are.”
And with that, he stalked off. Not giving Edgar a chance to really talk to him, not really solving anything.
And making Edgar more worried than ever about getting the cattle to Tuck’s Station on time. If Ricky didn’t do his share, there was a real chance of some of the cattle getting hurt or falling away from the herd.
Frustrated, he ducked behind the wagon, kicking through the tall grasses.
He hated feeling so distant from his brother. Not being able to solve the problem with Ricky. Hated feeling helpless.
A disgruntled frog hopped away, displaced from some nearby stream.
And the idea that popped into Edgar’s mind made him forget about his troubles with his brother. For the moment.
Her husband had been acting strange all afternoon.
But Fran was so happy to be out of the wagon that she dismissed it.
For someone who’d been as irritable as a bear the previous two days and then spent a good hour that afternoon upset with his brother, and was snake-bit to boot, he was smiling to himself quite a bit.
Ever since they’d reorganized all of the items in the back of the wagon.
When she went to get the large pot to make the stew Chester had told her he wanted, she found out why.
