Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
“I have no idea. He hasn’t said.”
A wicked grin spread across her lips. “I’m gonna find out.”
“Now don’t go interrogating the poor man.” Bel poured the steaming pasta into a colander in the sink. “Be subtle.”
“Yeah right,” JB said with a snort. “Katie, subtle. Do you know your daughter at all?”
“I can be,” she argued.
“Oh, yeah? When I had that crush on Sandy Meeks, who went to her and asked outright if she had a boyfriend because her brother was interested?”
Katie’s eyes went wide. “You can’t hold that against me. I was only thirteen. I can’t believe you’re still harping on that.”
“Well, I was only fifteen, and I was mortified.”
Bel chuckled from where she stood by the stove again. She moved to the double ovens and pulled out two long baguettes of garlic bread and set them on a cutting board. She sliced them in halves the long way, then started slathering the halves with more garlic butter. His mother was blessedly old-fashioned when it came to butter. Thank goodness.
“What about that time I had a thing for Richard Vincent, eh? You did the same damn thing, and you didn’t have your age to excuse for that one, because we were in our twenties then.” JB pointed his beer bottle at her. “You don’t do subtle, so stay out of Cole’s business.”
Katie poked him in the chest. “You sounded like Dad right then.”
“Well, he’s right…sometimes.”
“Right about what?” Jesse asked as he returned to the kitchen with Cole and Carlyle. “I’m right about everything.”
“Yes, you are, dear,” his mother teased.
“Right about leaving people to their personal business,” JB supplied.
His dad snorted. “Finally gonna believe me on that one, or does it suit your purpose in arguing with your sister?”
Luckily, JB didn’t have to answer.
“Everything’s ready,” Bel piped up. “Let’s make our plates and eat on the patio since it’s so nice outside.”
Once they all had their food, they moved to the covered porch and settled at the large outdoor table. His mother entertained outside as much as in, so she had a beautiful gray set of table and chairs. Potted plants dotted the patio and someone—probably his father—had already lit the citronella Tiki torches that surrounded the area. If they didn’t, flies would ruin their meal. Those suckers came out as soon as it got warm.
“So, Cole,” Katie started in as soon as they sat down. “You want to hear some stories of JB’s wild childhood?”
“Of course,” Cole grinned at her as he spun his fork in the pasta.
“I didn’t have a wild childhood,” JB groused as he glared at his sister.
“Really,” she drawled out. “I wasn’t the one who set the barn on fire.”
“That was an accident!” JB snapped, but something warmed in his stomach to hear the low chuckle rumble from Cole.
“I knew that magnifying glass was a bad idea,” Bel stated as she picked up a piece of garlic bread. She looked at Cole. “JB had a thing for insects when he was a child. He liked to look at them through the magnifying glass to better see their patterns.”
Cole glanced at JB and grinned. “Insects, huh?”
“I found them interesting. I just didn’t realize I’d set the hay on fire when I was looking through that thing. We had a hole in the roof of the barn at the time, before it got fixed, so I had hunkered down in a stream of sunlight to catch sight of bugs.”
Cole’s large frame shook with muffled laughter, and he shook his head.
“Or what about that time you climbed into the bull pen, knowing full well that was a bad idea?” Katie laughed.
JB pulled his gaze from Cole and pointed his fork at her. “Hey now, that bull was old and hadn’t done anything ornery in years. How was I supposed to know he was having a bad day?”
Everyone, including the kids, laughed. His gaze went right to Cole. He couldn’t seem to stop looking at him, gratified to find Cole enjoying the conversation as he tucked into his food. Cole met his eyes and winked, causing JB’s belly to flip-flop.
He looked at his sister, his smile turning evil. He knew how to get even with his annoying sister. “I wasn’t the only one who got into trouble, Katie. Remember when you painted flowers on the kitchen walls with your nail polish?”
“Those were so pretty,” Katie mused as she lifted a bite of spaghetti to her mouth.
“You can paint with nail polish?” Melissa asked, sounding completely intrigued.
Katie’s eyes went wide as if she suddenly realized the horror of her mistake, and JB nearly choked on his pasta. “No, baby. That was a bad idea.” Katie sent her brother a warning look.
“Or that time you used your friend’s red hair dye on the dog?” JB cackled over that memory. “You only covered its back half!”