Chapter 29

“Colten,” Dad and Fred greeted him as we entered.

“Fred, Jim.”

They all shook hands.

“Boys, go sit down,” Dad instructed. “Fred and I’ll get it all on the table.”

“You don’t even have two working legs between you,” I countered. “You sit. Colten and I will bring it over.”

I expected Dad to argue, to tell me he was more than capable of getting dinner ready. Instead, he shrugged and went to the table like a meek little puppy.

The hell?

With Colten’s help, we got the plate of bratwurst, the bowls of fixings, and the condiments all transferred over. I put a couple of beers down, but Fred asked for a glass of milk instead.

After grace, we dug in.

“You all set for Autumn Glory?” Fred asked Colten.

“Yeah,” Colten answered. “My Lola Belle is all set to show.”

“When is it?” I inquired.

“Three weeks,” Colten said.

“I thought they all happened in the summer when the weather cooperated.”