Page 82 of Rocky Mountain Devil

“Gee, all the more reason for me to come with you. Me and Jeff, we’re best buds. I totally need to be there to welcome him back to Rocky.”

Laurel snickered. “You remember we talked about this?”

Rafe sighed as dramatically as possible before raising a hand in the air. “Yes, Sitko. I promise not to lay a hand on the man.”

“Or…?”

“…or a boot,” he finished reluctantly. “Fine. I’ll go to my brother’s and put up with my dad. But you need to call me as soon as you’re done, and I’ll come rescue you.”

Turned out Rafe was the one who needed rescuing.

He showed up at his brother’s only to find Gabe coming out the door, Micah in his arms.

“Change of plans,” Gabe announced, his expression twisting reluctantly. “Allison isn’t feeling well enough to have people in the house, so Mom said she’d take over.”

Rafe held back from cursing. Dinner at the homestead meant the odds of Ben being there were high. He was doubly glad Laurel hadn’t come along.

He considered going home and warming up leftovers. He’d have a better appetite without Ben around.

Still, his sister-in-law feeling shitty took precedence over his hurt feelings for having to spend time with his father. “Allison’s been under the weather a lot this fall. She okay?”

Gabe hesitated. “She’s expecting.”

Hot damn. “Well, that’s good news. So, it’s morning sickness.”

“All-day sickness,” his brother shared. “She doesn’t want to tell anyone yet—so keep that under your hat.”

“No problem.” He eyed his brother. “You’re looking tired. Is that from worrying about Allison?”

“More to worry about than usual, yeah.”

The answer was a strange one and seemed not just about Allison. Rafe thought back to the clandestine meetings that had been going on—he’d run into another the day before. “You got anything else you need my help with? Like ranch stuff?”

Micah gave a shout and waved his arms excitedly as Gabe lowered him into the car seat. “Not yet. Soon, okay?”

“Whenever. You know I’m there for you,” Rafe insisted.

“I know. It’s not my choice.”

The comment just piqued Rafe’s interest further, but he held his questions, heading over to the homestead in his own truck and striding ahead of his brother to open the back door.

The scent of ham and stuffing and apple pie hung thick in the air as their mom hustled forward to take Micah from Gabe’s arms.

“Thanks again for taking over, Mom.” Gabe snuck in and gave her a hug and a kiss.

“I hope Allison’s feeling better soon. There’re a lot of people down with the flu already this year. With any luck the rest of us can avoid it.” Dana placed Micah on the small kitchen tabletop to remove his tiny wool jacket.

Gabe shot a glance at Rafe.

Deflection seemed wise. “You should consider getting the flu shot, Ma,” Rafe suggested. “It’s one of those things that can help—”

Their mom glanced toward the living room before giving them both a pointed stare.

Right. Vaccinations were another topic to avoid discussing when his father was around. According to him they were all one step away from the apocalypse because of modern medicine.

Ben didn’t move out of his chair when they entered the room, just glared with disapproval. His gaze lingered on his grandson as Dana placed the little boy on the floor beside a box with a few toys in it. “He sure doesn’t look like a Coleman,” Ben muttered.

Rafe wasn’t sure what his dad was implying. He bristled on Gabe’s behalf, ready to snap something rude.