Page 29 of Wild and Wrangled

“Ride out with me,” Gus said. “And we’ll talk about all the details.”

“Sure thing,” I said. “Thank you for the chance.”

Amos brushed it off, and said, “There’s no question that you’re the man for the job,” but when I looked over at Gus, he didn’t look so sure.

I guess I’d just have to prove him wrong, then.

Chapter 15

Cam

Fifteen Years Ago

Dusty’s arm was slung over my shoulder as we walked up to the front door of his house. It was my first time here. Even from the outside, the white farmhouse looked big and bright and warm.

“I have no idea what my mom is making for dinner,” he said as he opened the door. “But if you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it. She won’t be offended, I promise.”

Yeah, right—like I wasn’t going to eat whatever she put in front of me no matter what. I wanted Dusty’s mom to like me.

When we stepped into the house, I immediately felt like I’d been here before, even though I hadn’t. It just felt that familiar. Unlike my house, which my parents paid people to keep so meticulously clean that it almost felt sterile, this one had signs of life everywhere. Shoes by the door, blankets and books on the floor.

“Is that you, bub?” I heard a woman call from farther inside the house.

“Yeah,” Dusty called back. He dropped his arm from my shoulder and used a hand at the small of my back to guide me forward.

The kitchen was around the corner, and when we got there, Dusty’s mom had her back to us as she worked at the stove. Her hair was long. It fell all the way to the middle of her back. Some of it was gray, and some of it was blond—now I knew where Dusty got his hair color from.

“Hey, Mom,” he said as he walked toward her. He gave her a hug from the side, and she wrapped an arm around him the same way. Then she turned toward me and gave me a smile that could thaw a windshield on a winter day.

“And you must be Camille,” she said as she put the wooden spoon on a spoon holder and walked toward me. I expected her to go for a handshake, but she didn’t.

Instead, she pulled me into a hug. A tight, warm hug. I stayed still for a moment, surprised, but I recovered enough to hug her back quickly before she pulled away. Dusty was grinning at me.

“So nice to meet you, honey,” she said. “We’ve heard so much about you. I’m Aggie.”

Aggie and Dusty looked very much alike. They had the same angular features and slim build. I wondered if he got anything from his dad. “It’s so nice to meet you, too,” I said genuinely. “Thank you for having me.”

“Of course. We’re just waiting on Dusty’s dad to get home and then we’ll dig in. Dusty, honey, will you set the table?”

“Sure thing,” he said. Aggie stayed by me.

“Do you prefer Camille or Cam?” she asked. “Dusty has used both.”

No one had ever asked me that before. “Cam,” I said.

“Cam it is, then.” Aggie grinned at me. Was it normal for people to be this nice to people they just met?

Aggie and I chatted for a bit—about school and soccer. She asked if she could come to a game, and I told her I would love if she did.

When I heard the front door open again, I also heard two sets of feet come into the house. One of them ran toward the kitchen. When I saw the kid appear around the corner, I figured she was Greer—Dusty’s little sister.

“Who are you?” she asked when she noticed an outsider in her kitchen. She and Dusty had the same eyes, but her hair was almost black and as long as her mom’s.

“Greer,” Aggie chastised.

“I’m Cam,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Greer looked me up and down. “You’re pretty,” she said. Then a man came around the corner—Dusty’s dad.