Chapter Twenty
It was late when he pulled in at home and stepped out of his truck.
The house was dark, and everyone would be asleep. He could hear the horses in the corral close to the house, the cattle in the distance, and the sounds of the night. There were crickets, too, something he didn’t hear often as he climbed the steps, the wood creaking under him. He pulled open the screen door and the inside door, which had been left unlocked for him, then stepped into the darkened house.
Jeremy had just closed the door and slid the deadbolt when a light came on. It was his mom walking down the hall in her green flowered housecoat, barefoot. She said nothing as she crossed her arms and stopped just a foot away.
“Brandon is asleep in Chelsea’s room,” she finally said.
He just nodded.
“And T
