Every Storm Runs Out of Rain

Chapter 22

Heather watched Stetson try to contain his laughter at the look of bewilderment of Layla's face.

"Mommy? I think we need your hands too." As Heather crouched down, Stetson's smile dimmed slightly and he avoided meeting her gaze. After five minutes of deliberate concentration, Layla looked up at him. Her eyes were the size of half-dollars.

"You're twenty-five?" she asked in awe.

"I sure am." he said.

"I'm only five." she said. Stetson smiled.

"I guess you'll be my age in another twenty years then, won't you?"

"I guess. That's a long time." He nodded. Heather was certain he was angry with her. He had never treated her this way before. It left her feeling somewhat empty. She didn't realize how much she liked being the reason he smiled until she no longer was. He stood up and she followed suit, nearly losing her balance in the process. He reached over and caught her hand before she could fall.

"Thank you." She said as she dropped his hand and brushed some invisible dust off the knees of her jeans. If he dipped his head in acknowledgment to her thanks, she missed it. She couldn't bear to look into his cerulean eyes and see the intensity there. When she finished brushing off her knees, she straightened. She could feel his gaze boring into her but chose to ignore it.

"So y'all just decided to drop in and visit then?" She knew he was talking to her, and when she realized she couldn't avoid his direct question, she turned to look at him.

"My brother is in town for the weekend and I wanted to introduce him to the infamous Dalton family." She grinned to take away and insult that might have come along with the word infamous. His eyes narrowed, then widened.

"He's your brother?" he asked incredulously, jabbing his thumb in Devin's general direction.

"Well, yeah. Who else would he be?" He looked back and forth between them a couple times and she noticed a slight twinge of pink on his cheeks. Oh. I get it.

"Guess it doesn't matter who he would be. Only matters who he is." He was trying to save face and she was more than a little amused. Poor guy. He thought he was being so inconspicuous. Sorry, Stet. You failed that one. She bit her lip to hide the smile she could feel begging to take over her face. He really did like her. His little showdown with Devin had been because he was jealous. And it was adorable. Shoot. He was adorable. And it was annoying.

The room suddenly seemed charged with tension. She turned to see Hank standing in the entrance. Nobody moved, all unsure of what to do. Stetson instantly looked irritated, Jill was watching the two of them with wariness, Devin was shuffling his feet, and both Shay and Layla were watching Hank. Amora, once again, was oblivious.

"Did you find a seeder for Kyle?" It was Jill who broke the silence.

"No." Hank said stiffly.

"Anything else?" she asked. Hank sighed, clearly trying to make sure he didn't take his anger out on his wife.

"Nope. Just a loco horse Stetson's determined to train." Everyone looked at Stetson who seemed shocked his father had mentioned it in the presence of company.

"Stet?" His mother questioned.

"He's...just a bit on the wild side." Stetson said.

"A bit?" Hank's voice boomed and echoed off the stucco walls and tile floors. "He's a killer, Stetson" The rage in his eyes startled her. This was innately important to him. All three girls had jumped at the sound of Hank's shout and Amora buried her head in Devin's neck. "There's plenty of good horses in this world. There's no reason to have a bad one."