Page 53 of A Lot Like Forever
“She doesn’t owe me anything, Sam. I would have helped her out without having--”
“You mention sleeping with her and you’ll have more than a broken nose to worry about,” Sam threatened, interrupting him.
Nate nodded. “How about we just head down and I watch you work the horses for a bit, huh?”
Sam grunted again. “Fine.”
They walked in silence for a bit, the only noise the sound of birdsong and the odd whinny of a horse. The grass was yellow and parched underfoot, already drying out despite the hottest of summer yet to hit.
“Mornin’!”
Nate looked up at the sound of Ryder’s call. He waved back to his brother. “Thought I’d come down and say hi.”
Ryder walked over and fell into step beside them at the same time as Sam took a few steps sideways and launched himself over the rails of the round pen. He’d been quiet ever since the phone call, just a curt nod and hello to Ryder.
“He still upset that you’re playing house with his little sister?” Ryder asked.
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“So what’re you really doing working from home today? You hardly ever work from home anymore.” Ryder had a piece of straw sticking out the side of his mouth, flicking it back and forth with his teeth as he watched Sam halter one of the horses.
“Faith wanted me to talk to Sam, so I can check that off my to-do list,” Nate said, stretching out. “And we’re looking like it’s all go with the oil drilling, too. Granddad was right, it’s just where he told them to start, and I’m going on-site to go through everything shortly.”
Ryder hooked his boot on the rail. “Smart old bastard. When are we going to learn that he’s always right?”
They both laughed, before the conversation turned more somber. Nate preferred to keep his head buried in the sand over Granddad, but talking to Faith about him had made the whole situation even more real. Made Nate realize that he needed to open up instead of keeping everything inside when it wasn’t going to help him any.
“I think it’s almost time, Ryder.”
His brother turned to face him, mouth pulled down at the corners now. “Yeah, I know.”
They stood in silence for a while before Nate finally figured out what the hell to say. “You told him everything you need to?” he asked. “I mean, I just don’t want any of us to have any regrets.”
“I’ve told him what I need to tell him,” Ryder replied.
“Me too. I’m gonna miss him like hell.” Nate slapped Ryder on the back and took a step backward. “Better get back to the office. I’ve got a ton of work to catch up on before the oil guys show up later.”
“Want me to head over when they arrive?” Ryder asked.
“Yeah, good idea. Then we can catch up for a beer later and talk through some things.”
Ryder laughed. “Sounds serious.”
“I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page,” he said. “I don’t want any feuds over the years, nothing that could come between us. If we’re drilling, I want to make it as un-intrusive as possible, make sure it’s not going to disrupt anything either you or Chase are already doing. We need to figure out the logistics since it’s all coming together faster than any of us expected.”
“Sounds good, Brother,” Ryder said, holding up his hand as Nate walked a few more steps backward. “Oh, and before I forget, Chase wants to know why you haven’t been running with him. Thinks you’re too scared that he’s gonna beat your ass.”
Nate chuckled. “I’ve been working out, don’t you worry, just not with Chase.”
Ryder shook his head and Nate waved out to Sam. “See you around, Sam!” he called out.
His friend raised his hand but didn’t look up from what he was doing, his concentration on the horse he was working absolute. And that’s why he was the best damn horseman around, because when he picked up the lead rope and started work for the day nothing broke his concentration. Not even thoughts of his friend banging his sister.
* * *
Faith was still on cloud nine. She’d been working at the gallery for a week, and even though she was exhausted, she was loving it. Her only worry was how she was going to keep up working with finishing her final papers, but she was just going to have to make it happen. If she had to go without sleep for a week or a month, so be it.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
