“You know each other?” Emmett asks, looking between the two of us, a furrow between his brows.
“We’ve met before.” Bradley nods in my direction. “Kate likes her coffee.”
“I usually stop at the diner to get some before school.”
A half-smile plays at his lips. “And occasionally in the afternoons too.”
“What can I say?” I shrug helplessly. “It’s good coffee, and this is one really small town.”
“Miss Letty is the best,” Emmett and Bradley say in unison and then chuckle.
“So, what are you guys planning to do now?” Mrs. Santiago asks.
Emmett smiles down at me. “I was just about to drive Kate home.”
“What?” Mrs. Santiago puts her hands on her hips and stares her son down. “Emmett Santiago, where are your manners?” She shakes her head, turning her attention to me. “You have to stay for dinner; it’s practically done. That’s why I was looking for this little hooligan.”
“Oh, no.” I shake my head. “I don’t want to impo—”
“You won’t be imposing. There’s always somebody at the house, so I make sure to prepare extra. Bradley, do you want to join us?”
Bradley looks at me for a moment, his face serious. I’m not sure how to interpret it or what to make of him since I don’t know him that well. Aunt Mabel likes him, and he seems to be a nice guy. Finally, he shakes his head. “You go ahead. I have to finish something in the stables, and then I’m meeting some guys in town.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure thing, thanks, Olivia. I’ll see you guys tomorrow morning.”
Bradley’s eyes meet mine, and he gives me a slight nod.
“Okay, until tomorrow then.” Mrs. Santiago wraps her hand around mine. “C’mere, honey. Let’s go inside.”
I tilt my head back to look at Emmett. I’m sure I have to look like a deer caught in the headlights, but he just shrugs.
“Emmett, take the girl’s bag. Seriously, I raised you better than that, young man. Kate, you should call your parents, let them know you’ll be home late.” She frowns. “Are you new in town? I’m not…”
“I just moved here,” I explain. “Well, my sister and I. We’re living with our aunt, Mabel Adams?”
“Mabel Adams! Lovely lady. How is she doing?”
Mrs. Santiago pulls me toward the house, Emmett walking behind us quietly.
“She’s fine, busy with work.”
“She still works in that accounting office next town over, does she?”
“Yes, ma’am. She does.”
“She’s always been such a hard-working woman. Did you know we actually went to school together? She was a couple of years older than me, but still…”
Emmett’s mom continues chatting away as we enter the house, telling me all about her school years at Bluebonnet High. I try my best to keep up, but it’s completely hopeless. Still, I do my best to nod at the right moment and murmur something every now and then that seems like I’m following.
“Emmett, go and wash up before dinner,” Mrs. Santiago throws over her shoulder as she pulls me into the kitchen. He mutters something under his breath but turns to do as his mother said. If I weren’t slightly freaked out by staying alone with her, my boyfriend’s mother, I might have thought it funny. Okay, I still think it’s funny.
Something is simmering on the stove in the kitchen, the smell of tomato and spices filling the air. Letting go of my arm, Mrs. Santiago goes straight to check it, stirring whatever’s inside.
“Can I help you somehow?” I ask, looking around the kitchen.
“Thank you, but I’m almost done. You go on and take a seat.”
Although she can’t see me, I nod and look around.
Like the rest of the house, this room is equally as homey. The space is huge, serving as both the kitchen and the dining area; the only thing separating them is a counter.
All the furniture is built from dark, cherry wood and has that old school look to it without making it look shabby. This room, hell this whole house, has a story to tell, the story of different generations of this family that have gone through it.
I can see it clearly in my mind. A big family gathering for holidays or just weekly family dinners. Children running through the halls, their laughter echoing inside the space.
They lived, they laughed, they cried together.
The dining area overlooks the back terrace, and you can see the sunset over the green fields through the big windows. A huge table that seats twelve people easily, if not more, is already set for dinner.
There is a pang of guilt squeezing at my chest for interrupting a family moment.
I should have called Mabel to see if she could pick me up. Or walked home, but there is no way I can leave now.
“We usually have ranch hands join us for breakfast early in the mornings so we need all the space we can get,” Mrs. Santiago explains as she passes by me, a plate and utensil in her hands.
“All of them?” I ask, surprised. Becky mentioned this is a big ranch, so I guess it’s only natural they need a lot of help to keep it running smoothly. Still, it seems like an awfully big number of people to cook for.
“Yes, they’re like a family to us. Besides, working on a ranch is hard work, and the hours are long. The boys need all the strength they can get.”
The boys.
If all the boys are Bradley Jones’s age, I wonder what they’d say to the nickname. Bradley Jones. I didn’t expect to see him today; then again, he always seems to appear when I least expect him.
Before I can think too much about it, the back door opens, and a man enters. “What smells so good?” he asks, pulling off his cowboy hat to reveal neatly cut light brown hair peppered with gray.
“Tacos,” Mrs. Santiago says, beaming. “Your favorite. Plus, we have company.” She puts her hands on my shoulders as her husband notices me for the first time.
While Emmett looks almost nothing like his mother, he’s a carbon copy of his father. They’re both tall and wide-shouldered, with dark hair and eyes.
I nervously shift my weight from one leg to the other and urge the corners of my mouth to lift.
I’m going to kill Emmett. Once he shows up, that is.
“Honey, this is Katherine.” There is a slight pause. “Emmett’s girlfriend.”
I wipe my hand against my jeans before extending it for a handshake. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Santiago.”
He looks at his wife before returning his attention to me. A bright smile, the same one his son has, spreads over his mouths.
“The pleasure’s all mine, Katherine.” He takes my hand in his and gives it a firm shake. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“What?” Emmett asks as he enters the kitchen and spots us all standing next to the table.
“Just trying to figure out how you got such a sweet girl to be your girlfriend, that’s all,” his dad says and winks at me.
Yup, definitely Santiago charm.
“Hey, what’s this?” Emmett protests, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into his chest. “My own family is trying to sabotage me.”
“Just callin’ it as I see it.”