a candidate for the Best Man’s Fork run. All in the name of charity, of course.” She winked at Justin. “I’m going to talk to Jane for a moment.”
She headed toward Jane at the cash register. Ty studied his friend.
“You’ve got the strangest look on your face,” Ty said as Justin returned his gaze to Mackenzie. He just couldn’t seem to get enough of looking at her. “I’d say you have indigestion, except you’re smiling.”
Justin relaxed his mouth so the smile would disappear. He had been smiling, because his muscles ached a bit. Like he’d been smiling a long time—watching Mackenzie walk and chatter with some friends who came over to talk to her.
“I’m not smiling, but I may have indigestion.”
Ty snorted. “I see what’s going on here.”
“Do you.” He made the comment as flat as possible. His buddy’s opinion didn’t really matter. Ty had no idea what was going on, because Justin had no idea.
“You’re tired,” Ty said. “Being around those babies and that falling-down farm has worn you out. You better hit the road with me. You’ll be back to your old self in no time.”
“What was my old self?”
Ty put his hat on, prepared to leave, which was fine with Justin. Then he could go back to surreptitiously staring at Mackenzie. “Grumpy, cranky, annoying.”
Justin grunted. “Thought that was you.”
“Not me.” He peered at Justin. “I really hope this wasn’t too much for you, old buddy. I didn’t mean to bring you down. Figured some time in a small town with a real job would do you good.”
Justin put his hat on, too, because if he didn’t get out of there, people were going to notice that he couldn’t stop staring at his beautiful boss. “That’s what you get for thinking. See you at the house. Don’t get there too soon. I’m taking the boss lady shopping.”
Ty stared at him, stunned. “What’s happened to you?” he whispered. “You’re a shadow of your former self!”
Well, that was a question he didn’t care to ponder too much. Mackenzie came to stand beside him, smiling up into his face, and his poor stupid heart felt like it took the final dive into his stomach.
What had happened to him, indeed.
Mackenzie and four babies were happening to him, and they were going to require a great deal of consideration. This was a bad idea, this tiny woman with the big eyes and her sweet family. A very bad idea, because he wasn’t a family man; he wasn’t a staying man.
“You ready?” he asked Mackenzie, and she nodded.
“If you’re not going to chicken out,” she teased.
Oh, he might. He was thinking about it. Thinking about it hard.
But something told him he probably wouldn’t.
* * *
FOUR HOURS LATER, when Ty stopped by the house, Mackenzie wondered what her old friend was really up to. Ty had sent Justin to her, now he wanted him to hit the road?
It all seemed very convenient. As if Justin might have conned his buddy into helping him escape the Hanging H with a good reason.
“Anyway,” Ty said as the three of them sat at the wide wooden kitchen table, “the reason I stopped by is to get a game plan going with Mackenzie.”
“Game plan?” Mackenzie glanced at Justin. If Justin had been part of Ty’s game plan, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what the next play was.
“I wouldn’t leave you here without backup,” Ty said. “I know that in spite of his knee—”
“My knee’s fine,” Justin said, clearly annoyed.
Mackenzie glanced at him. Occasionally she saw Justin favor his knee, but it did seem as if he’d been limping less since he’d arrived at the Hanging H. The doctor in town had given him a soft knee brace, which he wore without hesitation. Now there were days when Justin walked like he wasn’t in any discomfort at all.
“I know your knee’s getting better,” Ty said. “I’m just saying that in spite of your knee, you’ve been a big help here. I can see a lot of improvement.” Ty shook his head. “Still, I wouldn’t leave Mackenzie in the lurch, so I was wondering if you mind, Mackenzie, if I swap cowboys on you.”
Mackenzie hesitated. “Swap cowboys?”
“Replace Justin, in a manner of speaking,” Ty said. His words ceased entirely when the kitchen door opened and Jade walked in.
“Howdy,” Ty said. He stood up to greet the tall, sexy redhead, removing his hat for a moment. “Jade Harper, long time, no see...and clearly I’ve been missing out.”
Jade laughed. “No sweet talk from you, Ty.” She gave him a hug and he might have tried to pinch her bottom, but Jade was too fast for him. “Hi, Justin. Mackenzie, who are the three hunky guys who just pulled up in the black truck outside?”
Mackenzie got up to look out the window.
“That’s the game plan,” Ty said with a glance at Justin. “I don’t want you to miss my buddy Justin when I take him with me, so I thought I’d trade you, three for one.”
“Wow,” Jade said. “Grab this deal, is my advice, Mackenzie.” She laughed at Justin’s smirk.
“Ty, I don’t know if I need three—” Mackenzie began.
“You need help out here,” Ty said.
Justin didn’t say anything, and a bit of unease began to hit Mackenzie. Did he want to leave? Maybe he’d told Ty that he wanted to. She looked at his face, hazel eyes giving away nothing, his dark hair awry as he ran a hand through it. He looked distinctly uncomfortable.
As Ty had noted, Justin’s knee was better—not well enough to ride or run a fast race, maybe, but better—and the last place he wanted to be was stuck here with her and four little baby girls.
“I’ll get that,” Mackenzie said when knocking erupted on the front door. “Might as well give the candidates a grand tour, let them know what they’re getting themselves into.”
Justin glanced at her, his eyes widening like he was surprised by her comment. She went through the den, checking the babies quickly—still sound asleep, as was Mrs. Harper in the corner chair—and opened the front door.
Whoa. So much testosterone, so many muscles. “Hi,” Mackenzie said, a little startled by all the masculinity crowded on the front porch.
They took off their hats.
“Ty sent us,” the tallest one said with a rascally grin. “He said the Haunted H was looking for help to get ready for the county’s biggest haunted house and pumpkin patch for miles around.”
Mackenzie blinked. What had Ty meant by that? She was selling the place,
