Page 10 of Home in the Country
“That’s what I thought!” I yell for no reason because he’s right. Waking up on the wrong side of the bed would be an understatement for what happened this morning.
After tossing and turning most of the night, I finally fell asleep only to wake up with a cat snuggled on my chest.
I don’t have a cat.
Not only do I not have a cat, but also I’m allergic.
“Dude, have you been crying? Also, stop harassing my employees.”
Hank, my brother and the new owner of The Rusty Fender, smirks at me. Dude is my oldest brother and the biggest in stature of all the Thayer men aside from our father. Also I’m still constantly perplexed and annoyed by how he can look so good with the beard and man bun when I can’t even get my facial hair to grow in evenly.
“Shut up. Louise snuck into the house again last night, and she usually snuggles with Case, but the fucker didn’t come home so she chose me.”
I wipe my eyes on the sleeve of my shirt.
“Miss Thelma’s cat?”
“Do you know another Louise?”
He lifts a shoulder. “Did you take anything?”
“Course I took somethin’,” I snap. “Just hasn’t kicked in yet.”
Hank’s lips fight a smile for barely a second before a booming laugh fills the garage. Times like these make me miss Hank pre-Isla when he was grumpy and I was the one prodding him, not the other way around.
Turning back to the tire, I check everything over again and then set it aside before cleaning up.
“Where’d that come from?”
“It’s Fallon’s.” His eyebrows shoot up to an almost comical level. “She got home yesterday. Got a flat. I changed it for her when I saw her pulled over on the side of the road.” I narrow my eyes at him. “What’s that look for?”
“What look?”
“Does everyone know about Fallon?”
“Would it be Clementine Creek if we didn’t?”
Sniffling, I stand and wipe my hands on a shop rag.
“I gotta go meet Case at the job site. When she comes in just…tell her it’s taken care of. I’ll pay it later.”
“What, you think you got a tab open here?” His tone is playful, and I struggle not to roll my eyes. It’s hard to reconcile the man in front of me with my oldest brother.
“Yeah, I do. Plus I saved your ass out at Montana’s field not long ago so,”—I shrug—“I get special treatment.”
“It wasone time,” Everett says from behind me.
“Ibelievewhat you’re searchin’ for isthank you.”
“Seriously, go mope around somewhere else. I’m not thankin’ you every time I see you,” Everett barks with a grimace. When Hank sent him out to fix a tractor for Montana, the two of ’em managed to get the tractorandthe garage’s work truck stuck in the mud. Case and I had to meet them all over there, and it took the five of us to get it out. Pretty sure it put Hank in the doghouse for a missed date night.
Turned out all right in the end though.
Hank chuckles and then slaps Everett on the back like he didn’t just insult me. “Kid’s right; get out of here.”
“You guys are the worst,” I grumble.
“No doubt about it, now git,” Hank orders before pulling out his phone and grinning.
