Destined to Change by Harley, M. (top android ebook reader TXT) 📕

Clay tipped his hat, using that same sexy southern drawl his cousin had.

“Nice to meet ya, Clay. I’m still a little confused about why ya’ll are here, though.”

“Mommy, I’m hungry. What’s for lunch?” My little Sammy was always starving.

“I was just going to make some sandwiches. We’ll eat in a bit, okay babe?” Sammy skulked off toward the barn.

Cade walked over towards Sammy, and said, “A sandwich sounds great, buddy. Maybe your mom will make one for me too?” Cade looked up at winked at me. Damn it, now I was going to have to invite them in for lunch. My mom did not raise me to be impolite.

I shrugged my shoulders and wrinkled my eyebrows, “Sure. We would love for ya’ll to come have lunch with us. Sammy, go get your sister.” Sammy headed off to get Mags.

When the kids got there, I had Cade and Clay follow us to our house. On the drive there I couldn’t help but think about the time I had spent with Cade. The things we had done together. The things he had done to me. I could feel the color draining from my face. I felt a little hand on my cheek.

“Mommy, are you okay?” Mags asked with a raised eyebrow and her little eyes squinting at me.

“Oh, sweetie, Mommy’s fine. Just thinking about stuff. Don’t worry about me.” I put a smile on my face for Mags, but when I looked in the rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of Cade that smile quickly faded.

We pulled down our drive and Cade pulled right up beside us. The kids jumped out of the jeep and ran in the house. I nodded to Clay and had them follow us in.

“Nice place ya got here, Loralei,” I heard Cade say as we were walking in the house.

I kept walking, “Thanks, we like it.”

After they removed their hats at the door and hung them on the rack on the wall, I led Clay and Cade into the kitchen. They had a seat at the table. Sammy and Mags were already getting in the fridge and pulling out the sandwich fixings. The table was covered with lunch meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, pickles, mayo, mustard, and bread.

“Boy, when ya’ll say sandwich, you mean sandwich.” Clay sounded in awe of our sandwich fixings.

Mags said, “Sammy, throw me the bread.” Sammy picked up the loaf and threw it at Mags head.

Cade jumped up and caught it in the air. He passed it to Mags. “Here ya go, sweetie.”

She blushed and smiled, “Thanks.”

We sat around the table and ate. Clay and Cade were pretty funny.

“Knock knock,” Clay said to the kids.

Sammy said, “Who’s there?”

“Yah.”

“Yah who?”

Clay started cracking up, “Yah HOO, ride ‘em cowboy!”

Cade said, “I’ve got one. “What did the horse say when it fell?”

Sammy and Mags were really thinking about it. Finally, Sammy looked at Mags. “We give up. What did it say?”

“I’ve fallen and I can’t giddy-up,” Cade was laughing so hard he was shaking. Even though the joke wasn’t that funny, his laughter was contagious. Before I knew it, we were all doubled over laughing.

Then Cade smacked Clay upside the head. “Get your elbows off the table. Your momma raised you better than that.”

Clay smacked him back. “Don’t hit me in front of the kids.”

“Didn’t you just hit me?”

“I was protectin’ myself.”

Then Cade smacked Clay on the back of the head again. “What the hell, man?” Clay whined.

“I said get your elbows off the damn table.”

Clay jabbed his elbow into Cade’s ribs. Cade screamed out, grabbed Clay by the back of the head and body slammed him on the ground. Clay was laughing as Cade had him flat on his back. “You said get ‘em off the table. You didn’t tell me where to put ‘em.”

The kids and I were watching, not really knowing if we should intervene or not.

Mags said, “Mommy, what’s wrong with these cowboys?”

I grinned at Mags “Honey, you’ll learn this soon enough. Cowboys are all a little silly.”

Cade and Clay looked up at me and laughed. We spent the rest of the lunch laughing. It was nice to not think about Jaxon for a bit. I wasn’t the only one who missed him. The kids had been asking about him ever since he left. That was what I had been afraid of when I opened my heart up to him. I couldn’t stand to see the kids hurt. This was the first time since he had left weeks ago that we were all laughing and having a good time.

When lunch was over the kids ran outside to play, and Clay went out to the truck to make a phone call. Cade and I were sitting in my living room.

“Well this isn’t weird at all, is it?” He ran his hands through his hair. Messing up that already messed up blonde head of hair.

“Why are you really here, Cade? There’s no future for us, you understand that, right?”

Cade was trying to look innocent. He had on his best “good little country boy” face. “I do, I’m just here for the cattle. I thought it was going to be here today. George said it was. I had no idea the shipment had been put off.”

“I am still not quite sure why you need to be here for the delivery.”

“George called and there have been some problems with the cattle. A whole bunch of ‘em came down with something pretty bad. He said we would need to decide which ones we each wanted to keep. He said he would work out the money stuff later. Said he’d give us a hell of a deal next year.”

“Okay, guess that makes sense. Well since the delivery isn’t going to be here until Monday, you and Clay are welcome to stay here at the ranch. We have an old log cabin down by the pond. It’s all set up. You can eat in the barn office with the farmhands.”

Cade gave me a little sheepish grin, “Well, that’s mighty