Page 39 of Her Cowboy Baby Daddy
Spence managed to give his brother a stony-faced shake of the head. Reed was good at catching him when he pushed the truth, but he seemed to accept this silent lie.
“Did you meet up with you friend on the road?”
Which would explain the timing, but Spence could only manage so many white lies before Reed realized he wasn’t getting the truth. Again, it was none of his brother’s business, but Spence was used to Reed wearing him down. For his own good, his brother had said more than once, and actually, he’d been right about that a time or two.
“I guess the main thing is that I said no. I doubt she’ll ask again, so it’s a done deal.”
“But you keep thinking about it?”
“It shocked the hell out of me,” he said. Made him look at Hayley in a new way. Made it harder for him to feel like he knew all he needed to know about the woman.
It made him curious.
That, on top of the obvious attraction he had for her, would create one tangled-up situation if he allowed it to go forward. And how would his parents feel if they discovered they had a grandchild next door that they knew nothing about? There was no way he would do that to them. They doted on Lex, and Spence was well aware that his parents would love to have more grandkids.
“It is a shocker,” Reed agreed.
Spence expected a joke at his expense to follow, but instead his brother set the round in the splitter and then moved the handle to start the wedge moving forward. The wood squeaked as it cleaved into two sections.
“All I can say is that I think you’re doing the right thing.” He set one of the halves on the bed to split again. “I wouldn’t have known that before Lex. But I know it now.”
“I respect your insight,” Spence said. “And, moving on. When’s the wedding?” The surest way he knew of to distract his brother from this unsettling subject.
“We haven’t set a date. Trenna’s upset about all the shit her dad’s stirring up. I don’t think she wants to plan a wedding until some of it gets settled.”
“Do you see it getting settled?”
“Not until Hunt gets his way. According to our inside intel, Hunt wasn’t all that surprised that we managed to lease water. He’d made his statement, though, and wants us to think he’s going to continue chipping away until we get tired and give him right-of-way.”
“Has Dad considered charging him way more than the right-of-way is worth?”
“Dad is not exactly Mr. Compromise.”
“Not unless Mom has a word.”
Reed smiled a little. Audrey Miller had tamed the beast before becoming Mrs. Beast. She was a partner, and also the voice of sanity, and one of the reasons that the ranch was so successful.
“Is Henry really going to retire?” Spence finished the stack and stretched his back as the splitter ripped through another round.
“He said that he’ll retire at the end of June.”
“He said he was retiring at the end of May too. Not that I mind. He can keep working forever, but I came home to help because, well, Henry was retiring.”
“Yeah.” Reed gave his brother a commiserative look. “Maybe retirement is like parenthood—you don’t know what it’s like until you’re facing it.”
Spence gave a considering nod. “You might be onto something. And, to be honest, I’m glad Henry is still working. Hayley Parker just lost another day hand, so I’m going to help her out until she hires someone.”
Reed smiled a little. “Henry will be glad to hear that. Less crowded that way.”
Spence tossed a twig at his brother and hit him square between the eyes.
“Is this what kind of day this is going to be?” Reed growled.
Spence put his hands up, laughing, glad that the baby daddy subject was now buried. “Nope. I’m all about peace, brother.”
“Yeah. Keep it up and I’ll show you peace.” But Reed was smiling as he set the next round on the splitter bed.
*
