“India?” Tandy interrupted her thoughts. “I’m gonna put Pearl down for a nap. Heaven help us all. Pearl, the triplets and Cal on a horse. There hasn’t been this much excitement in this house in a long time.” She smiled, scooped up Pearl and headed down the hall to Pearl’s nursery.
India finished cleaning up and walked out onto the back porch. From her vantage point, she could see Cal watching the horses. Standing on the lower rail with his arms draped over the top rail, he rested his chin on his hands. He was getting taller, growing every day—becoming more of a man with every second that ticked by. She needed to see that. Cal would never be this age again. She owed it to them both to give him her undivided time and attention now and then. Today was definitely one of those times. Even from here, she could tell her son was thrilled about today’s adventure.
That Brody would be here only made things better.
* * *
“SHE’S RUNNING A FEVER,” his mother said. “So is Suellen.”
“Probably picked something up at the school.” His father frowned. “Damn places are chock-full of germs.” He couldn’t stand the girls being sick. “Or that boy you’re spending all that time with. He’s older, isn’t he? In school? He’s carrying all sorts of sickness, I’ll bet.”
Leave it to his father to blame Cal Boone for his daughters’ illness. Brody didn’t say a word—to him. Instead, he smiled down at Suellen and Marilyn. “What hurts?”
“Here,” Suellen said, pointing at her throat.
“Yep,” Marilyn agreed. “Ow.”
He sighed. “We’ll call the doctor—”
“Call him?” His father was not pleased.
“It’s the weekend, Dad. They’re closed. I don’t know if he does house calls—”
“He better get his ass out here to get them better now,” his father huffed.
Brody frowned. “Dad?”
“What? They have a fever, boy.” His dad was getting more worked up with each passing second. “What is it?” he asked his wife, who was holding the thermometer.
“One hundred degrees.” She placed her hand on his arm. “Breathe, Vic, please. Kids have been getting sick and running temperatures forever. You don’t need to get yourself all worked up—and neither do they,” she added, her whisper surprisingly stern. “And no hovering, either. It’s sure to put everyone on edge.”
Vic frowned.
“Grumpy?” Amberleigh asked, frowning up at her grandfather.
His father burst out laughing. “Not grumpy, darling, worried. Your granddad doesn’t like to see his girls under the weather is all.”
Amberleigh laughed, too, patting her grandfather’s hand in comfort. “It’s okay.”
It took a little more than an hour to get the doctor there and the girls medicated. Tonsillitis and ear infections. Soup, rest and medicine would have them right as rain by tomorrow.
Once the good doctor was on his way, his mother shooed them to the door. “You and Amberleigh go on, Brody. We’ll get them soup and watch some princess movies on the couch. Best for Amberleigh, too. Might spare her from catching it.”
“You’re leaving?” His father stared at him like he’d grown another head.
“Vic.” His mother shook her head. “You should go with Brody and Amberleigh.” She nodded at him. “Go and help a little boy learn to ride a horse.”
Brody froze. She could not be suggesting what he thought she was suggesting?
“What boy?” There was a razor-sharp edge to his father’s voice. “You’re leaving your sick daughters to help that boy?”
“Cal.” Amberleigh smiled. “M’friend.”
“What is the fascination with this boy?” His father’s face was turning a dark shade of red. “He’s a Boone. An apple never falls far from the tree and I—”
“He’s a go
od kid, Dad.” Brody shut him down. Cal couldn’t pick who his family was. He sure as hell didn’t want the boy judged for it. “His father, the tree, isn’t part of his life and—”