“So, I can’t say anything either. Well dang! I never get to have the news first at church on Sunday!” Mrs. Kelly said, and they all chuckled at her fake chagrin.
“Are you comin’ to dinner, Mr. Grainger?” she asked over her shoulder while turning back to the barn’s front doors.
“Please call me Austin, and I don’t want to intrude. I can get something here.”
“You aren’t. I’ll see you all in fifteen minutes.”
With that, she was gone.
“I can get something to eat here, I don’t want to put her out.” Austin turned to Mike, and then Kitt. His muscles ached and throbbed; the idea of doing anything more than having a long hot soak and hours of sleep didn’t appeal to him at all.
“Nah, she cooks for us all the time. She likes to feed us. It’s really okay. You should come,” Mike said. Kitt resumed ignoring him as he worked something on his clipboard.
A few minutes later, Micah and his boys took off. Mike and Austin checked all the gates, and shut everything down, making sure they were locked up tight. By the time they were done, Kitt was already riding off toward his house. Austin watched him and realized the only benefit of going to dinner at the Kelly ranch just rode off in the opposite direction without a backward glance.
“You wanna ride?” Austin asked Mike, finally giving in to the catch he felt in his leg. He moved with a distinct limp as the cramp took hold.
“Sure. You did real good today.” Mike switched direction from his pick-up to Austin’s brand new Silverado. It arrived today, driven by one of his hidden security guards who sure didn’t stick around to lend a hand.
“I don’t know. I let a couple get through. You guys have it all down, nothing gets past you,” Austin said, climbing in the driver’s side. He gave a solid wince as he sat in the seat. His back muscles spasmed, and he felt like such a pansy about it all.
“It’s not the first time we’ve done somethin’ like this.” Mike easily climbed in and slammed the door closed several seconds before Austin even reached out to close his. It amazed him how hard these guys worked every single day.
“I guess not, but Rusty and Brent…wow. Micah has to be proud.”
“Yeah, they’re a good family, great kids. They have seven of them. Four girls, three boys. Those girls give Micah a run.” Mike explained before letting out a yawn. “I’m tired.”
“Tired? Thank God! I was beginning to think I must seriously be a lightweight. Every muscle in my body’s on fire.” Austin grimaced and tried to position himself so that all his body weight didn’t lie on the parts that ached the most. He winced, not succeeding in his attempts, and Mike chuckled.
“Yeah, you never get used to it. My body’s sore too. It’s just a part of it. Besides, it’s what you pay me to do. I never expected you out there all day today.” Mike gave Austin a sideway glance.
“I loved it. It’s been forever since I put in a hard day’s work. It grounds you. Everyone should have to do this kind of thing in their life.” Austin let his own yawn free.
It took them about ten minutes to get to Kitt’s stepmom’s house. It was called the main house, and it sat right off the road. The driveway was already full of cars, and as Austin pulled to the back of the drive, he saw a large patio filled with picnic tables. His men were already there, helping themselves to food, and Mrs. Kelly hovered over everyone, making sure they had everything they needed. Austin followed Mike up to the house.
“Kitt’s got two sisters. One’s away at college, the other’s seventeen. Let me make sure she isn’t here,” Mike said at the bottom of the step before heading up to the porch. He was back a minute later. “Mrs. Kelly sent her to her room, come in.”
“I don’t want her to have to stay in her room.” Austin immediately tried to retreat.
“No, trust me, she wants to stay in her room. I make her come out and socialize, but she absolutely doesn’t want to,” Mrs. Kelly said from behind Mike. “Come on in and fix your plate.”
It took him a minute to comply. He hated the idea of the girl being sent to her room, but abandoned all thought of it as he spotted the large pot of homemade spaghetti, green beans and garlic Texas toast. The food looked delicious and smelled exquisite. She’d made enough to feed a small army.
“Thank you for all this. I need to pay you for feeding all my men,” Austin said, standing at the back door taking it all in.
“No, absolutely not! I know what it’s like to get to a new place, get everything set up. Mike and I planned this.” She shook her head at him as she began to dish out loads of pasta and sauce.
“It looks incredible.” Austin watched as she piled on the green beans and several pieces of thick, buttered toast. Austin took his full plate from her and followed Mike back out on the porch. They took seats out of the direct light on the porch. A nice breeze blew and electric bug zappers hung in every corner. He was given a beer, but wasn’t treated any differently than anyone else. Mrs. Kelly monitored everyone, making sure plates and glasses stayed full. This whole world of blending in, just being another hand, was extraordinary. It allowed Austin the opportunity to sit back and relax. He ate a quiet meal without being the center of attention and on all the time.
A four-wheeler appeared from the dark, its headlights getting brighter the closer it came to the main house. Austin made out Kitt when it was a few hundred feet away. He watched Kitt drive all the way up, and kept on watching even as he parked and walked up the porch. Kitt had showered and wore cargo walking shorts, flip flops and a t-shirt. His hair was windblown dry and slightly disarrayed, and for the first time since Austin laid eyes on Kitt, he looked young and easy going, not the hardened cowboy Austin had grown accustomed to. He liked this side of Kitt. Hell, he liked all sides of Kitt.