Cowboy After Dark. Vicki Lewis Thompson

      “I’m what?”

      “Twitterpated. An old prospector I used to drink with loved that expression. I’ve been waiting for a chance to use it, so thanks.”

      “You make me sound like some starry-eyed fool with his tongue hanging out.”

      “Nah, you’re not that obvious...yet. I figure we’ll all be invited to stick around after we unload the sculpture, so you can engage in some casual conversation, make some inroads, get her digits so you can message her.”

      “I don’t want to push.”

      “Since when is asking for a woman’s phone number pushing?”

      “Normally it’s not, but with Hope... I don’t think it’s that simple.”

      “Only one way to find out. And FYI, the driveway’s coming up again.”

      “Yeah, I see that. Thanks.” Liam checked for traffic, but fortunately there wasn’t any. He swung wide and stomped on the gas. His truck protested all the way up the hill, but they made it—along with the trailer.

      When he pulled in front of the cabin and turned off the motor, he heard the women cheering as they came down the porch steps toward them. And yes, he picked Hope out of the crowd and imagined that the color in her cheeks was due to his demonstration of superior driving skills.

      Grady smiled. “Sweet.”

      The sound of engines revving prompted Liam to glance in his side mirror. “Just in the nick of time, too. Here comes the cavalry.” He drove forward a little more to make room, but two pickups were coming up, and they wouldn’t both fit. He couldn’t give the guys any more space without heading down the other side of the drive, and he didn’t trust his emergency brake to hold all that weight. The second pickup slowly backed down to the street.

      Liam and Grady piled out to greet Damon and Damon’s best friend, Cade Gallagher, who had arrived in the lead truck. Cade had been the first foster boy Rosie and her husband Herb had taken in, but Damon had been added soon afterward. Consequently they shared a special bond.

      Damon’s brown eyes flashed with amusement as he grinned at Liam. “What a fustercluck, huh?”

      “Shit happens.” Liam was so glad to see his foster brothers that the screwed-up plan didn’t matter anymore. They both looked tanned and fit, as if life was treating them well. “I’ve missed you two jokers.”

      “Same here.” Damon gave both Magee brothers a hug, and so did Cade. Most of the foster boys had come from difficult situations, which caused them to cherish the connections they’d made at Thunder Mountain Ranch.

      About that time, Rosie’s husband, Herb, walked up the driveway with Finn O’Roarke. Finn towered over Herb, but the older man walked with a proud dignity that made him seem larger than life. He, too, seemed to be flourishing as a result of his work with the academy students. He was the only father Liam had ever known, and seeing him always caused a surge of love and gratitude.

      Finn had been the third boy Rosie and Herb had brought to the ranch. He, Damon and Cade had dubbed themselves the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood that first year. Some who’d arrived afterward had been jealous, but Liam never had been. Then again, he’d always had Grady.

      More hugs followed, and Finn explained that his fiancée, Chelsea, had encountered some last-minute work issues. She’d be flying in the next day. Finally somebody broached the subject of the mix-up.

      Phil looped an arm around Damon’s waist. “We can blame everything on our cozy cabin. Once everyone was here, they wanted to stay.”

      “I can believe that.” Damon glanced at Liam and Grady. “Still, I’m sorry the plan got messed up.”

      “If certain somebodies had told me—” Rosie paused to gaze pointedly at Grady and Liam “—I would have made sure things went as they were supposed to.”

      “I wanted everyone to be surprised,” Grady said.

      “Well, we were certainly surprised.” Lexi linked an arm through Cade’s. “Too bad you boys missed the excitement.”

      Liam noticed the affectionate gesture and was glad for Cade. He’d loved that woman since high school. Rumors continued to circulate about their eventual marriage, but Lexi’s ring finger was bare.

      Ring or no ring, though, her eyes were filled with love when she looked at Cade. “You should have seen Hope stare those boys down,” she continued. “It was epic.”

      “And brave,” Liam added, because Hope seemed uncomfortable with the conversation.

      She glanced at him and shook her head, which made her silky blond hair gleam in the sun. “It wasn’t brave. It was stupid. What if the trailer had jackknifed and dumped the sculpture? Or you two had been hurt? I would never have forgiven myself.”

      “But we’re fine and the sculpture’s fine.” Liam had the urge to wrap a protective arm around her.

      “Maybe the way this turned out is even better,” Grady said. “Now that we have more guys, we can do an unveiling for Phil.”

      “You mean just take off the tarp?” Damon gave Phil a squeeze and released her. “Yeah, let’s do that. I’m eager to see it, too.”

      “Wait.” Grady moved to stop him. “I meant get it off the flatbed with the tarp still on it, and once it’s standing where it should go, then we take the tarp off.”

      “Oh.” Damon paused to adjust his Stetson. “Hmm.”

      Liam understood the impulse behind Grady’s suggestion. His artistic pride was involved, and he didn’t want the crowd gathered here to see the sculpture until it was in a place of honor. But during setup, the piece could be damaged. Even worse, a person could be damaged. Liam didn’t like the odds.

      “Grady, I know what you’re hoping to achieve,” he said, “but I think we could have problems wrestling five hundred pounds of metal off the flatbed while keeping the tarp wrapped around it.”

      “I was a little worried, too.” Herb came over and laid a hand on Grady’s shoulder. “I have a suggestion, son. Since this is a wedding gift for Damon and Phil, how about if they go in the house while the rest of us set it up?”

      “That’s a great idea.” Lexi smiled at Grady. “And while I’m perfectly willing to help, I see this as a manly bonding activity.”

      “Aha!” Cade shoved back his hat. “Perfect timing. What if we make this the first official duty of the expanded Thunder Mountain Brotherhood?” He gazed at Finn and Damon. “You good with that?”

      “Absolutely,” Damon said, “but in that case, I want to be out here helping.”

      “We can let Grady decide if you should or not.” Cade turned to him. “Here’s the deal. Finn, Damon and me, we had a few beers at lunch and sat around shooting the breeze like we always do, reminiscing about all the great times we’ve had and the stuff we got into, and—”

      “Blah, blah, blah.” Damon reached over and knocked Cade’s hat down over his eyes. “Cut to the chase.”

      “Hang on, bridegroom.” Cade repositioned his hat. “I needed to set the scene. Anyway, it occurred to us that since every guy who was at the ranch is our brother, the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood should be inclusive, not exclusive. You and Liam don’t have to go along with that idea if it doesn’t appeal to you, but—”

      “It appeals to me.” Grady glanced at Liam. “How about you, big brother? Wanna be part of the club?”

      Unexpected emotion tightened his chest. He hadn’t thought this mattered to him, but he was incredibly touched. Tucking his thumbs in his belt loops, he rocked back on his heels and grinned. “That depends. Do I get a secret decoder ring?”

      “You bet,” Finn said. “Just pop