.

you had it before is fine,” Amy said quickly. “Cole’s face is red,” she noted with concern.

      Connor made a dismissive noise. “That’s just for your benefit,” he told her. “He wants you to think that he carried the brunt of the crib coming down the stairs.”

      “I did,” Cole declared, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.

      Connor looked at her and deadpanned, “Cole was actually the runt of the litter.”

      “Said the man who’s looking to work the ranch alone for the rest of the month,” Cole concluded, taking in a bracing breath.

      Ignoring Connor, Amy shifted Jamie to her other side as she asked the other man, “Can I get you something to drink?”

      “Don’t encourage him,” Connor said. “He’ll just go on milking this for hours. He’s actually as strong as an ox.”

      Cole gave him a dark look. “A minute ago I was the runt of the litter.”

      Connor shrugged, unfazed. “Even oxen have runts,” he quipped.

      “Nice save,” Cole commented. “You just don’t want to come off looking like a slave driver in front of Amy and have her thinking badly of you.”

      “I’d never think badly of Connor,” Amy told Cole, coming to Connor’s defense. “Your brother is one of the really good guys.”

      Cole laughed as he eyed his brother. “You sure we’re talking about the same Connor McCullough?”

      Amy smiled. She had no idea where she would have gone if she hadn’t had Connor to turn to. “Very sure,” she replied.

      “Well, looks like you’ve got her fooled,” Cole said to his brother.

      “Shouldn’t you be getting to work on the stable door?” Connor reminded him. That was the first chore on their list for today.

      “Why?” Cole asked, pretending to still recover from bringing the crib down from the attic. The stairs leading from there to the second floor were steep. “It’s not going anywhere.”

      “No, but the horses might if that door hinge gets any weaker,” Connor pointed out. It was still in place, but it wouldn’t take all that much for it to come loose.

      “All right, all right,” Cole said with a sigh. “Now that we’ve got the crib back in the nursery, I’ll go see about that stable-door hinge.” He paused for half a second just as he walked by Amy. “Like I said, a slave driver,” he told her with a wink.

      The give-and-take between the two brothers had left Amy smiling, as well as reminding her of just what she had missed out on by being an only child. It was obvious that the McCulloughs might squabble at times, but the love that was there between them was impossible to miss.

      “Now that he’s gone,” Connor said, turning around to face her, “we can get back to fixing up this room. Would you like me to move the crib?”