“I’ve got to get the last pan of hot rolls out of the oven, so excuse me, but remember what I said,” Maddie said.
“Thank you, I will.”
“My sister Colleen,” Raylen said.
Her hair was a strange burgundy color, and her face was slightly rounder than Gemma’s angular planes, and her lips a wee bit wider. She was a little taller than Gemma but built on the same delicate frame.
“You have gorgeous hair,” Liz said. She imagined Colleen in a costume with a long scarf tied around her forehead and all that hair flowing down her back.
Colleen nodded but didn’t offer to hug her or shake her hand. “What kind of job are you lookin’ for, or are you going to farm those twenty acres?”
“I haven’t thought that far. Are you offering me a job?” Liz asked. She’d been in catfights before, and Colleen’s eyes said that she did not approve of her brother bringing a stray into the house for Sunday dinner.
“I work at the casino as a blackjack dealer up in Randlett, Oklahoma. I imagine I could put in a word for you if you’re shopping around for a job,” Colleen said.
“I’d rather have something closer,” Liz said.
“Then go talk to Jasmine at Chicken Fried. She’s going to need a waitress in a couple of days. I’m Austin, the sister-in-law, Rye’s wife,” a tall woman, with jet-black hair and beautiful blue eyes said from behind Maddie. “And that baby that Maddie is takin’ from my husband is Rachel, our daughter.”
It was plain that Rye and Raylen were brothers, only Rye was well over six feet tall. The baby that he was passing to his mother was a dark-haired little girl with her mother’s eyes. Liz wondered if Rachel would be as tall as her mother too.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” Liz said. “Who’s Jasmine?”
A brunette in pink cowboy boots, jeans, and a cute flowing top raised her hand. “That’ll be me. And anytime you want to work come see me. I’m lookin’ for a waitress at the Chicken Fried, my café just up the highway. And I’m not sister or kin. I got into the family on Austin’s shirttails. Welcome to the area. I love it here.”
Before Liz could answer Jasmine, Grandma slipped her arm around Liz’s shoulders and knocked Raylen’s off. “We sure miss Haskell around here. He and his wife were a big part of our community. You tell him hello for us next time you talk to him.”
“I sure will.” Liz wondered if these people accepted everyone like this, or if she was being given the royal treatment because she was with Raylen.
“I’m Dewar, his other brother,” another cowboy said.
Dewar wasn’t quite as tall as Rye but taller than Raylen and his face was fuller. He also sported a deeper dimple in his chin and a scar on his cheek. “So, are you getting unpacked over there? Got a truck coming in with your things? Need us to gather up a bunch of men and help you get it unloaded?”
“No, thank you, I’m handling it just fine,” Liz answered.
“Well, you call us if you change your mind,” Dewar said.
“You better stop yapping and get over here or I’m going to clean out the mashed potato bowl and you’re goin’ to be left out in the cold,” Jasmine said.
“Got to go protect my dinner.” Dewar headed to the table where all the food was laid out buffet style.
***
Thank you, Jasmine, Raylen thought.
His brother’s eyes had lit up entirely too bright when he saw Liz. And he was the next in line. Rye found Austin the year before, and it was Dewar’s turn if Cash’s prophecy about his children all getting married in the order of their birth was to come true. Raylen didn’t care if his brother got married or to whom, as long as it wasn’t the new neighbor. He might not even like her once he got to know her, but that tingle in his hand every time he laid it on her shoulder sure made him want a chance.
Raylen draped his arm around Liz’s shoulders again. “We’d better elbow our way up to the buffet bar or else we’ll go hungry.”
Colleen shot Raylen a dirty look, but he ignored it. His sister had always been a force to deal with, and she’d been overprotective of him since they were toddlers. He winked at her, but it didn’t help one bit. She set her mouth in a firm line and glared at him.
“I’m starving,” Liz said. “A home cooked meal is so much better than burgers and fries on the road.”
Rye handed her a plate. “I agree with you. If you need help settling in, just call me or Austin. We’ll make sure you have our numbers before we leave. How are you liking Ringgold so far?”
“I haven’t seen any of the actual town except Uncle Haskell’s place and this one. How big is Ringgold, anyway?”
Raylen chuckled. “If we round up everyone from the Red River to halfway between us and Bowie, we could probably rustle up about a hundred people.”
“Uncle Haskell told me it was tiny and that the fire from a few years ago burned up a lot of it,” she said.
Rye draped his arm around his wife. “That was a disaster, but we were lucky. The fire only got a few acres of our ranch.”
“Are you Irish?” Grandma asked.
Liz figured she’d be asked a lot of questions, but all the eyes on her made her a little uncomfortable. Sure, she had performed at the carnival for a crowd, but this was different.
“No, ma’am,” she answered with a smile. “Not that I know about, anyway. Are you?”
“Oh, yes, I am. I come from a long line of Irish. With your dark looks I thought I saw some Irish. Maddie was an O’Malley before she married Cash,” Grandma explained.
“I done good when I lassoed Maddie.” Cash leaned over and kissed Maddie on the cheek. “She is what made this ranch what it is today. A good Irish woman is hard to come by.”
“You got that right about my daughter-in-law.” Grandma was piling her plate high. “Maddie can take a colt that’s all gangly legs and turn it into a million-dollar racer.”
Grandpa yelled from the dining room, “I could say the same about you, sugar.”
Grandma grinned at Liz. “Got ’im fooled.”
“And we’ve all got the temper to prove that we’re Irish,” Gemma piped up. “And Raylen is the worst of the lot. That’s why he’s not married.”
Colleen poked her sister on the arm. “He’d be runnin’ a close race to you and—”
Dewar pointed. “Don’t say it. Y’all come on over here and sit with us. Ain’t room at that table to cuss a cat without gettin’ a hair in your mouth,” Dewar said when Raylen and Liz had their plates filled.