He knew that she meant it too. That she was going to make him pay for the baked goods that she was going to now have to prepare for the big event.
When the four ranches got together and competed in a ridiculous string of summer games, followed by eating. Potato sack races, three-legged races, basically any kind of race they could think of where their legs were hobbled. Tackle football. Mostly because it felt good to hit each other at least once a year.
And he had a feeling that she was going to hit him as many times as possible.
He welcomed it.
That, at least, was normal. In a long string of things that weren’t. That, at least, was normal.
* * *
IT WAS GAME DAY, and Elsie was furious at having been roped into being baking help. Her arms were sore from kneading bread, and she had asked multiple times why in the world anybody needed to make bread when you could easily go to the store and buy it. And for cheap.
“I don’t want your cut-rate white bread,” Evelyn said.
“I like baking,” Violet said. “It’s satisfying to have made it yourself.”
“I don’t know,” Elsie returned. “Don’t you find the simple motion of undoing a twist tie to be satisfying?”
“I guess we all get our satisfaction different ways,” Violet said, patting her hand.
“My throwing arm is going to be compromised for football,” Elsie said.
“You’re not going to play football with them, are you, Elsie?”
“Sure,” she said to Violet. “All the girls play.”
Evelyn grimaced. “Not all the girls.”
“Well, clearly not me,” Violet said, pointing at her stomach.
“All right, all the girls who want to. But plenty of us do.” She shrugged. “The Sullivans do. But somebody has to always play for them. It isn’t fair if they don’t have any men on their team.”
“I’ve always wondered what it’s like for them,” Evelyn said. “It must be such a different mood to the rest of the ranches.”
“It is. I mean, you’ve been to the farmhouse.”
“A feminist utopia complete with gingham everything,” she said.
Elsie laughed. “I think utopia is an overstatement, but it’s nice.”
“And it gives you a little idea of how it is,” Evelyn said. “It just must be very interesting to be at a ranch that isn’t run by men at all.”
“Well, Fia is a fierce taskmaster, and frankly, makes Sawyer look chill.”
“That’s terrifying,” Evelyn said.
“But amazing,” Elsie said by way of agreement.
When they finally finished, Elsie swung by her cabin and got her gear together. Some kneepads, because she didn’t like to have to worry about how hard she might go down, either during football or the three-legged race.
Game Day was a huge deal for Four Corners. And everybody showed up with canopies at the lake and lawn chairs, blankets and copious amounts of food.
Sullivan Lake was an important part of the ranch. Sawyer and Evelyn had been married there last summer. And Elsie thought it was a very nice place to have a wedding.
Not that she ever intended to have one. But if she did, in a different life, a different time, it would be there.
The lake was so named because it was on Sullivan’s Point, but all the other families had easements to use it. The families from Garrett’s Watch, McCloud’s Landing and King’s Crest all made use of it at will.
But this was the most cheerful of days.
By the time Elsie got there, many of the canopies had already been set out, and the families had gathered, along with participating employees.
She saw Travis standing over with the Sullivans, and she wondered if he was the one who had been tapped to play for them this year. It suited her because it would give her an excuse to go and talk to him.
The idea invigorated her.
He said something to Alaina, and Alaina laughed uproariously, her red hair flying back on the wind, and Elsie frowned.
No. She wasn’t going to go having weird feelings just because he had talked to Alaina. Alaina had every right to talk to him.
She took a sharp breath and then looked over at the McClouds. They were assembled beneath a canopy, just lounging on lawn chairs. Brody was standing just outside the canopy talking to a pretty girl Elsie didn’t recognize. Probably a relative of one of the ranch staff members. She was laughing and holding a red Solo cup. And Brody did love to make people laugh.
Then there was Lachlan, reclining in the shade with his petite friend Charity sitting beside him. She was picking blades of grass and listening to him intently. Tag was leaning against a tree holding his wife, Nelly, up against him.
And she didn’t see Hunter.
She craned her neck, looking around, and then turned around and nearly ran smack into him.
“Steady there,” he said, grabbing her shoulders.
“There you are,” she said. She belatedly realized she’d admitted she had been looking for him, and felt mildly embarrassed. Even though she didn’t know why that should embarrass her.
“Yeah,” he said.
“I was just... I saw your family.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Brody really needs to address his whole situation,” Hunter said. “Because I think her dad will probably come looking for him with the shotgun.”
“Sounds like a him problem,” Elsie said.
“If we end up having to get in a fight, it’s going to be an all of us problem,” he said grimly.
“Good point,” she said.
“Looking forward to absolutely wrecking you people in today’s game,” Hunter said.
“Oh, not as much as I am.”
She looked back over at the Sullivans and saw that Travis was gone. And she had missed a chance to talk to Travis because of Hunter.
Well. Never mind. He would have seen her talking to Hunter. Maybe. And that might work in her favor.
Maybe.
They had food set out for everybody on big tables, and Elsie started to graze right before they got set up for the three-legged race. They agreed that she and Wolf would represent the Garretts.
It was Nelly and Charity who went in for the McClouds, with Rory and Fia going in for the Sullivans, and Arizona and Denver in for the Kings. Unsurprisingly, it was Rory and Fia who took an early lead. She had been hoping that Wolf’s stride would help, but the two sisters being closer in size gave them a more coordinated advantage.