Free Rodeo Reunion by Shannon Taylor Vannatter Page B

adjusted to me.”
    â€œHe was so young when Dylan died. I worry he won’t remember him.”
    â€œI mean adjusted to the move.”
    â€œOh. Well, he became Mr. Popular when you agreed to coach his team.”
    â€œHow did you and Dylan meet?”
    Her gaze bounced up to meet his.
    â€œI mean, that is, if you don’t mind talking about him.”
    â€œI love talking about him.” She closed her eyes. “We met in the emergency room. He cut his hand on a rusty fence pursuing a suspect. It got infected and he finally came in for treatment in the wee hours of the morning when I was on duty.”
    â€œLove at first sight?”
    She couldn’t stop the smile and nodded.
    â€œDo you miss the emergency room?”
    â€œNo.” She swallowed hard. “I was on duty the night Dylan had his wreck. His mother had cancer and he’d been at the hospital visiting her. I didn’t realize how tired he was when he left to go home. Thirty minutes later they brought him in on a stretcher.” Her voice cracked. “He’d fallen asleep at the wheel.”
    â€œI’m sorry.” Slade covered her hand with his. “I didn’t mean to bring up a painful subject.”
    â€œYou didn’t know.” She swiped at her eyes. “There wasn’t a thing I could do to save him and I decided I never wanted to feel that powerless again.”
    â€œLooks like I’m just in time.” Brant’s voice cut into Raquel’s thoughts.
    She jerked her hand away from Slade.
    Striving for casual, Raquel turned her best smile on her brother. “In time for what?”
    Brant’s hardened gaze bore into the back of Slade’s head. “Just in time to eat supper with my favorite sister.”
    â€œSure. Come join us.” Slade cleared his throat. “I thought about asking if you wanted to come at the ball field, but I figured you had a wife and baby to get home to.”
    â€œMy lovely wife texted me a few minutes ago. Lorraine’s already asleep and Tori’s going to bed, too.”
    â€œUncle Brant, come sit with Max and me.”
    At least Hunter was attempting to work on his grammar. Why did the English language have to be so complicated?
    â€œMaybe in a minute. I need to talk to your mom.” Brant slid in beside Raquel. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
    â€œOf course not.” Raquel’s cheeks heated. She wasn’t exactly sure what Brant had interrupted.

Chapter 6
    T oo clean, too comfortable, too churchy. Slade scanned the interior of the third church he’d visited during his sabbatical. Would he ever get used to a regular church again after spending so many years preaching in sale barns and arenas?
    But the emptiness had begun churning inside him—proof his calling wasn’t over. He needed to preach.
    â€œSlade, you came.” Star scurried to his side, dragging a blond man behind her.
    â€œYou found me a house, lickety-split. Figured I owed my favorite real estate lady a favor.”
    â€œAhem.” The man cleared his throat. “I’m your favorite real estate lady’s husband.”
    â€œHe didn’t mean anything.” Star whacked her husband on the shoulder.
    â€œNo, I didn’t.” Slade held his hands up in surrender. “Honest. If I’d been flirting, I’d have said something like ‘the most beautiful real estate agent in Aubrey.’” Why didother men always think he was flirting when he was simply being complimentary?
    â€œWyatt Marshall.” The man offered his hand. “Sorry ’bout that. But when you’re married to the most beautiful real estate agent in the whole world, sometimes you have to stake your claim.”
    â€œNot if you keep sweet-talking me like that.” Star laughed up at her husband.
    Great. Another bliss-filled couple to remind Slade what he was missing. But Slade remembered Wyatt from the circuit.