The Cowboy and the Angel | ✓

Chapter Nine

"My lands!" Annalyn declared as she looked over at Dixie while wiping her forehead on her sleeve. "You're cleanin' like this is your house!"

Dixie laughed cheerfully. She scrubbed a particularly dirty spot on the table with a smile. "Well, I count your parents as my second Ma and Pa, so I guess in a way this is my house."

Annalyn paused in her sweeping to grin at Dixie. "Guess so. It'd also be yours too when you marry Jason. Since he's the first born, he'll inherit the ranch if Pa passes on."

Dixie felt a blush coming on. It was the fact that Annalyn said 'when' instead of 'if' which brought about her rosiness. The warmth from her face spread all over her body. Just the thought of marrying Jason made her dizzy with emotion.

"You okay over there?" Annalyn quirked a brow in true Jason fashion.

"Never better." Dixie smiled brightly as she put away the rag she was cleaning with. "Are the boys comin' back home, or will they stay with the friend?"

Annalyn shrugged, putting the broom up. "I don't really know, but I reckon after they go see Pa they'll come here."

Those words hadn't left Annalyn's mouth good before the front door burst open and the twins came barreling in.

"Good gravy!" Tavin held onto his hat as he stepped inside and closed the door. "You boys are worse than a stampede."

While Annalyn had her hands full with hugging her twin brothers, Dixie wrapped her own brother up in a warm embrace.

"Thank you for comin', Tae," Dixie said as she dusted off the front of Tavin's shirt.

Tavin laughed. "Think nothin' of it."

"And thank you for bringin' my brothers home!" Annalyn beamed, putting a hand on the boys' shoulders.

"No problem, sis." Tavin gave a small grin. "Where's Jason and Leroy?"

"Outside with the ranch hands, I'm sure," Dixie replied as she surveyed the items inside the cabinet. Pulling out the small sack of flour, she sat it on the counter with a thud.

"Wait a moment," Laramie said thoughtfully, sending a smile to Dixie. "It's good to see you again after all this time, Dixie. The last time I seen you I was a little boy."

Annalyn chuckled. "You're still a little boy."

"Am not!" Laramie retorted.

"We're fifteen years old, so you can't call us little boys anymore. We've grown up," Cohen added as both him and Laramie crossed their arms at the same time and shot the same dirty look at Annalyn.

"That's right! Y'all are young men now," Tavin agreed heartily with a smirk full of mischief aimed at Annalyn. "But the question is, has your sister grown up enough to be called a young lady?"

Annalyn fumed, her face turning a vibrant red. She bit her tongue in her fight to keep her temper.

"I believe you got that wrong Tavin," Laramie returned, stopping any retort from either of the girls. "The real question is, when's dinner gonna be done? I'm starvin'!"

***

"This is to stay between you, and us," Jason admonished Hyde after relating the incident with Matthew, looking him straight in the eyes.

Hyde's dark-eyed gaze wavered for a second before it leveled. He gave a curt nod.

"Do you understand?" Leroy demanded in a gentle way. He was not trying to be intimidating in the least, but he wanted to be sure they got their point across.