THE BUZZ of a tiny Smart car engine made all the dogs set up a ruckus, and Curtis grinned, hopping up from the desk in his office.
“Stetson! He’s here!”
“Good deal. I’m making up the guest bed.”
“Babe, he’s going to end up in the casita with Trey and Oscar. I don’t want whatever they’re going to get up to in our house.”
Stetson stuck his head through the door. “But I want him to have a place of his own to go if they get too weird.”
“Ha-ha. They’re good guys.”
“Well, at least they’re older now than when I first met them.”
“True.” A tiny bark followed by an enormous yawning sound made Curtis glance down, then bend over to pick up his new pup. The girls were sleeping in the mudroom now, which was progress, but this little boy he would raise up himself.
“Spoiled dog.” Stetson leaned over, kissed his temple, petted Yellowjacket on the head.
“He is not.” Well, okay, he was. Really, a yellow lab wasn’t gonna be much of a herding dog or anything. He was there just because Curtis hadn’t had a pet since he left home.
The knock sent them both out into the hall, Stetson going to get the door, Curtis moving to fire up the coffeepot.
“Stetson! Love! I’m back!”
“I think we should give him a room of his own.” Curtis made sure to be loud enough for Isaac to hear him.
“Wherever you want me!” Isaac flew in the back door. “Whew. So much easier driving this time. No snow.”
“None up near you either?” He hugged Isaac hard. The little weirdo was sweet as hell and a regular visitor these days.
“Nope. Yay! I love fall.” Isaac moved to kiss Stetson’s cheek. “Where are my play dates?”
Curtis hooted. “They get in tomorrow morning. They’re driving in from the stock show in Omaha.”
“I brought five pounds of coffee, some almond butter, and four six-packs of craft beer.”
“You fit that all in that tiny car?” Stetson hooted.
“Do not malign the Smart car of joy!”
“It’s just so little!” Curtis rubbed in the constant joke between them.
“That’s what Stetson said on your honeymoon.”
“Ohhh! Nice one.” He fist-bumped Isaac, who looked so proud of himself. “Too bad for you I know I kept my man so busy he wasn’t calling you.”
In fact, if he’d known the honeymoon was going to be so much fun, he’d have married Stetson earlier.
Isaac rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. He wouldn’t even share the gory details with poor deprived me.”
“You’re both awful. You’re going to violate my innocent casita.” Stetson would have been way more believable if he wasn’t laughing.
“I sure hope so.” Isaac sniffed deeply. “Mmm. Coffee. Oh, hey, let me get all the stuff out of the car.”
“I’ll help.” Stetson headed out with Isaac, so Curtis dug in the fridge to see what he could make into food.
Good thing they were used to cowboys coming and going. There were always options. Curtis liked the idea of the ranch being a place everyone knew they could come hide out, just be themselves.
Stetson had given him that, and he hoped he made the house theirs and not Miz Betty’s for Stetson.
Now they could turn around and give that feeling to their friends.
That was a pretty damn good deal.
Everyone needed their own place to fall.