Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

JESS

A fter we made sure Slate would stop making even me doubt his intentions in town for looking like some slick money-spinner from the city, we headed back to the market. Spending the bulk of the day there, we ate, shopped, and drank iced tea until it was coming out of our ears.

The sky was turning red by the time we got back to the farm. The sun set behind the forest to signal the end of what had been a surprisingly fun day. Tag had bummed a ride with Sophie too, and she looked imploringly at me when she dropped Slate and me off first.

I knew she was bummed about being alone in the car with Tag while she drove him the remaining three miles to his place. He got out to say goodbye to Slate and I smirked at her as I opened my door. "That's what you get for bribing Slate to come with us for the day."

She snickered. "Oh, please. You're glad he came. It was fun and he was a good sport. And," she added under her breath, nodding out the window at him. His back was turned and he'd shaken hands with Tag, so he was on his way up to the farmhouse porch. "Look at his ass in those jeans. Can you say hubba hubba?"

I slammed the door shut after climbing out of the car. Shaking my head, I stalked off. That was what I thought of her statement, but she was right. I gave it a discreet look while following after him, and his butt really did look unreal.

And his shoulders in the plaid shirt? Just as darn good. And to top it all off, he'd rolled the sleeves up to his elbows and I just about died at the sight.

For a City Boy, he was sure built like he belonged out here in the country.

Seeing him like that sucked the moisture right out of my mouth, sending it south to pool between my legs. I'd already been attracted to him, but now that he didn't look like he was about to swindle my family out of everything we had, I definitely felt more comfortable admitting it—to myself, anyway.

As we got closer to the house, I caught a glimpse of a shiny black sedan parked beside Slate's sports car under the carport next to the house. Excitement ricocheted through me when I recognized it, my feet instantly picking up their pace.

My brother is home.

"Hurry up," I said as I rushed past Slate, eager to see Austin. "The prodigal son has returned. My mom has probably pulled out all the stops for dinner and I'm starving."

"I should've bought these jeans in a bigger size," he joked as he cocked his head at me.

I laughed. "You'll be okay. If they start feeling tight, you can always come do some chores with me."

"The prodigal son," he said as we walked into the house together. "Your brother?"

"Yep. Austin doesn't make it out here that often anymore." I headed directly to the kitchen, knowing that was where I would find them.

Sure enough, Austin was sitting at the kitchen table with Mom and Dad. He grinned as I walked in. He stood, opening his arms for me, and I walked right into them, nearly sobbing as relief raced through me.

"You're here," I breathed. "I didn't know you were coming."

"It was a surprise visit." He held me tight, burying his face in my hair as he hugged me, but then he stepped away. Caution tightened his expression as he extended his hand toward Slate. "Boyfriend or Mira's brother?"

"Mira's brother," he replied easily, grasping my brother's hands in a firm grip as he smiled. "Slate Spieres. It's nice to meet you. I assume you would've used that hand for a smack instead of a shake if I'd given the other answer."

"If you understand that, I'm assuming you're Mira's older brother." Austin laughed, his features transforming. He nodded and released Slate, waving him into a seat at the table. "It wouldn't have been anything personal. Just me exercising my god-given right as the big brother of a pretty girl."

"I'm standing right here," I mumbled, but Austin just sent me a little wink and Slate hardly even acknowledged me, which made sense considering that if he had, he'd probably be duty-bound by some big brother code to tell Austin he had to smack him after all.

Instead, he remained firmly focused on my brother, chuckling as he nodded his agreement. "You really don't have to explain, man. I understand. My little sister just married one of my friends a few months ago. I've got a nephew now too."

Austin let out a low whistle between his teeth and dropped back into the chair he'd vacated to greet us. "Is he still alive? Your friend, I mean."

"He sure is. People would've noticed if Logan Jones had gone missing, but I considered taking my chances a few times. If he'd been anyone else, we might've been having a whole different conversation right now."

Austin's eyebrows swept up. "Logan Jones, huh? I've met him a few times. Good guy. I'm not sure I'd have thought that if he'd put the moves on my sister, but I suppose she could've done worse."

Slate laughed. "Definitely. He and I went to college together. It came as a shock when I found out he'd run into my sister at Jude Olson's wedding and didn't know who she was. One thing led to another and yeah. Now they're married."

Austin winced. "We're going to need whiskey before you tell me the rest of that story, but at least I know I can trust you if that's the crowd you run with. Jude and I are in the same industry. He's referred a few clients to my firm. He's solid."

I didn't know if he was speaking to us or to Slate with that last comment, but Slate nodded, taking it in stride. "You're welcome to call them if you want to check me out. I get it."

Austin chuckled. "Nah, man. I doubt you'd lie about knowing those guys. It's way too easy to verify, but just in case you are, I'll mention you to Jude when I speak to him again. I'm looking after a few of those clients he referred to the firm, so we chat often."

"Go ahead," Slate said confidently. "Just be warned that Jude might mention my temper. I didn't take it so well when I found out about Logan and my sister."

Austin glanced at me and smirked. "Trust me, bro. People will definitely mention my temper too the day this one gets serious with someone. I won't hold it against you. So, you're based in the Big Apple?"

"These days," Slate said, him and my brother continuing to get to know each other with an easy give and take.

I was surprised by how well they'd hit it off, and Mom and Dad seemed to have noticed it as well, exchanging glances with smiles on their faces as they winked at each other. Meanwhile, I took the time to take a good, long look at my brother.

It had become a habit of mine after he'd moved to Manhattan. Whenever I saw him, I wondered if coming home had made him regret leaving or if, perhaps, he'd realized that this was where he was meant to be.

While I couldn't deny that I'd been happy when he'd decided he didn't want to be a farmer for the rest of his life, I'd never particularly liked the fact that he'd left. I missed him something awful and our family just never felt complete unless he was here.

Every time he came though, he looked better than the last time he'd been home. There were no visible signs of stress or regret. No outward signs of the city not treating him well.

Austin's shoulders were broad and open, his objectively handsome features animated as he spoke to Slate about people and places I'd never even heard of. His dark brown hair had been styled away from his face, pushed back to make him look so much more sophisticated than he had back in the day, when locks of it had always been messy, sticking up in all directions.

He'd inherited the Merrick brown eyes from my father, deep orbs that gave them an almost mysterious air. Mom had brown eyes too, but I'd inherited my mischievous greens from her dad. Outside of that though, he and I were very obviously related, our mouths, noses, and foreheads the exact same.

Which meant I could read his face as if it was my own.

Austin was happy. Not only because he trusted the guy who'd come to guide us through the oil minefield, but just in general.

Mom rose to check on the food. I smiled, standing up to follow. She glanced at me, trying to wave me away. "I'm sure you'd rather catch up with your brother."

"Let me help you for a change," I said. "Leave the guys to themselves. He and Slate are only talking to each other right now anyway. I'll catch him later."

Her eyes moved past me, to where Dad, Austin, and Slate were gathered around the table. She nodded. "Daddy has been so stressed. Having Slate here has been a blessing, but he'll be happy Austin's home now too. Even if it is just for the weekend."

As I'd expected, Mom had cooked up yet another storm. Tonight, we had roast chicken with all the trimmings and a lemon tart for dessert. My mouth watered as I helped her set out the spread in the dining room. Then the men were called and we tucked in. The conversation was still light while we ate.

After dinner, Slate went upstairs to take a shower and Mom and Dad watched their show on TV. I found my brother sitting on the porch outside. I handed over a spiked lemonade and sipped my own as I joined him.

"I'm glad we've got a moment to ourselves," he said, leaning back on the armchair and shifting to face me. "How's it been going with you guys? The parental unit seems to be doing okay, but I know that doesn't necessarily mean that they are."

I shrugged, thinking back to the fiasco that had been our last few days. "They're holding up. Thank God for Slate, though. He's been a godsend, helping Dad with all the formalities. We'd have been bumbling our way around in the dark without him."

"I was relieved when I found out you'd called Mira," he said thoughtfully. "Almost as relieved as I was when I heard you'd struck oil, if I'm being honest. The regulations are a bitch. Dad would've been buried under laws and policies he's never even heard of if not for Slate."

"Thankfully, I have friends in high places." I winked. "Never fear when Jess is near."

He laughed and lifted his glass for a toast. I clinked with him. He turned to look out into the dark night. "Shit. I can't actually believe there's oil out there. I think I kept worrying that you guys were wrong until I got here this afternoon and Dad drove me out to the site."

"Yeah. I still can't believe it either," I admitted. "I'm still too scared to get my hopes up about what this could mean for us. It just feels too good to be true."

"It's not," he insisted. "This is happening, Jess. And when the money comes in, you can't let them put it all away for us to inherit one day. Dad needs a break. You need help on the farm. They need to use it to live on. Make sure they know that."

"I will," I promised, looking out across the property cloaked in night. The cows were quiet despite the occasional moo and it was peaceful out here.

Soon, the grass would light up with fireflies. This was my favorite time of year. Even more so now than ever before. "It couldn't have come at a better time, Austin. We needed it. We really, really needed it."

He nodded. "I know, but the only thing that matters now is that it did happen and that we need to protect it with our lives. Everything is about to change around here, Jess. It's just up to us to make sure it all changes for the better."