by Marin Thomas
She’d finished drying the last of the supper dishes when she heard a faint jingle. She cocked her head, trying to identify the noise. She’d heard the same muffled sound earlier in the day, but had been too busy chasing after the boys and doing chores to think much of it.
Cell phone.
Good grief, she’d left her cell in her backpack by the front door. She rummaged through the bag and discovered Conway had left her a voicemail message.
Her heart gave a little jolt. No matter how hard she’d tried to keep busy, she hadn’t been able to forget the kiss she and Conway had shared last night. She dialed her inbox and listened to his deep voice.
“I’ve got a surprise for you,” he said.
What kind of surprise?
“You’re going on a date Friday night.”
I am? She held her breath.
“I set you up with my brother, Will.”
The excitement fizzled out of Isi. Thanks, but I can find my own date.
“Will’s going to pick you up after your shift at work.”
She had a whole week to think about dating Conway’s brother. Yee-haw.
“Here’s Will’s cell number in case you get off early from work on Friday.”
While Conway repeated the number, it occurred to Isi that he really didn’t want to start anything between them. She’d been an idiot to hope that their kiss meant more to Conway than it did. It was probably best they stayed friends since she already knew how he felt about being a father.
“Will’s a great guy, Isi. He’ll enjoy hearing about the boys and the classes you’re taking at the community college.”
She racked her brain, trying to recall conversations she’d had with Conway about Will, but he’d talked mostly about Johnny—the eldest Cash brother who Conway idolized.
“Call me if you can’t go out with Will Friday night. See you tomorrow.”
End of messages.
Isi set the phone on the kitchen table. She’d go out with Will if only to stop Conway’s meddling.
* * *
LATE FRIDAY NIGHT Isi sat in a booth across from Conway’s brother at the All-American Diner in Yuma and ignored the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She’d been a nervous wreck since Will had picked her up at the bar. And she had no one to blame but herself for her anxiety. Will was a polite, well-mannered, handsome man—exactly the kind of guy she wanted to date.
But he’s not Conway.
“I hear my brother’s a regular at the Border Town Bar & Grill,” Will said.
“I’ve known Conway almost two years.” She forced a smile, hoping Will would stop talking about his brother.
“I think we should get it out of the way,” Will said.
“Get what out of the way?”
He leaned over the table, his mouth closing in on Isi’s. Caught by surprise, she froze. A moment later, his lips pressed against hers. The kiss was warm and firm. Squeezing her eyes closed she analyzed the feel of Will’s mouth against hers. There was no zing, zip or zap like she felt when Conway kissed her. The breath she’d been holding in her lungs escaped in a dramatic sigh and she opened her eyes to Will’s devilish grin.
He cocked his head. “Nothing?”
Startled by his bluntness she answered honestly. “No.”
“Didn’t think so. My loss.”
She laughed. “You’re too much of a gentleman to admit that you didn’t feel any sparks, either.”
“Now that we got the kiss out of the way, we can relax and enjoy ourselves.”
The queasiness Isi had felt since Will had picked her up at the bar magically disappeared. “I’m sorry you were coerced into taking me out tonight, but Conway’s determined to find a man for me.”
“Hmm.”
“What?” She noticed a sparkle in his eye.
“I’m trying to figure out why Conway’s so invested in your love life.” Will frowned. “You’re sure you two are only good friends?”
“Sure.” She dropped her gaze.
“C’mon, Isi. Tell me the truth.”
Face flushing, she said, “Conway and I hit it off when we first met, but—”
“Then he found out you had the twins.”
“Yes.”
“How well did you two hit it off?”
“Well enough.” She resisted the urge to press her fingers against her burning cheeks.
“Did you kiss?”
“We shared a few kisses.”
Will grinned.
“But nothing happened after that,” she protested.
“Tell me if I’ve got this right,” he said. “You two were attracted to each other. You kissed a few times, maybe several. And you were working your way toward the bedroom when he found out you were a single mother. Then he backed off and you settled for being friends.”
“Wow. You’re good.”
“After all this time being friends, what rocked the status quo between you two?”
Will wasn’t going to drop the subject, so Isi spilled the details of her date with Sean and how Conway had kissed her later that night, because he’d felt sorry for her.
“I think I know what’s going on.” Will’s smile stretched into a full grin.
The waitress arrived with the food, halting their discussion. After she promised to return with drink refills, Will spoke. “Conway wants you for himself, but he’s afraid things might get serious between the two of you and—”
“That wouldn’t be good,” she said. “Because Conway doesn’t want to be a father.”
“You nailed it.”
“I like Conway a lot.” Her feelings went deeper than “like” but she was afraid to voice them. “And I don’t want to lose his friendship.”
“Hate to break it to you—” Will shoveled a forkful of omelet into his mouth, chewed then swallowed. “As soon as Conway finds the perfect woman, she’ll put a stop to his visits to the Border Town Bar & Grill when she finds out you’re the reason he goes there.”
Isi hadn’t considered how Conway’s “the one” might feel about her friendship with him. The thought of him not visiting her wherever she worked in the future depressed her. She changed the subject. “Conway said you’re thirty-three.”
“And still single.”
“Confirmed bachelor or playing the field?” she asked.
“I don’t play the field anymore, but I haven’t found the right woman yet.” He sipped his water. “I proposed to a woman a few years back but things didn’t work out.”
“Conway never mentioned anything about you or any of his brothers being engaged.”
“My brothers didn’t know about it,” he said.
“What happened?”
“The night I’d proposed, I had a dream about a girl I’d gone on a date with my senior year in high school.” He shook his head. “Craziest thing. After that dream I couldn’t get her out of my head.”
“Did you try to contact the girl?”
“No. We have nothing in common. The last I heard she was living in California.”
“But the memory of this girl was enough to break things off with your fiancée?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I’m a believer in fate,” Isi said. “Things happen for a reason.”
“Maybe, but I also believe we control our own destinies,” Will said. “I hear you’ve been working your way through college and you have a job. That’s no easy feat with twins.”
“I’ve had help along the way,” she said. “My boss has been great about adjusting my work schedule so I can take the classes I need to graduate. And when my babysitter moved out of town, Conway offered to watch the boys.” She smiled. “They love being with him.”
The diner waitress returned with their drinks t
hen asked if they needed anything before she disappeared again.
“It’s because of Conway that I decided I should start dating. The boys need a male role model in their lives.”
“Speaking from experience, I’d wished my father would have wanted to be involved in my life.”
“Conway spoke highly of your grandfather,” she said.
“Grandpa Ely was a good man, but it was Johnny we all turned to as we grew older. He kept us in line and taught us how to defend ourselves against the bullies.”
“I’m envious of you and your brothers,” she said.
“Why’s that? You always wanted to fight six siblings to use the bathroom?”
“I’ve dreamed of being part of a large family.” She shrugged. “It’s just me and my sons.”
“You’ve got a lot going for you, Isi. You’ll find a man who’ll love your sons as much as you do.”
They finished their meals in silence and Isi ordered coffee instead of dessert. “Conway mentioned you work in construction. Do you do any handyman work on the side?”
“Need a few repairs?”
“There are always things that need to be fixed in the trailer. My elderly landlord charges me next to nothing for rent, so I don’t pester her about sticky windows and leaky faucets.”
“I’ll stop by your place next week,” he said.
“That would be great.” She smiled. “Thanks.”
When they ran out of things to talk about, Isi pulled out her cell phone and said, “Oh, dear.”
“What?”
“Conway sent a text message an hour ago, asking when we’d be back.” She texted him saying they were on their way. Will drove her to the bar to pick up her car then followed her to her trailer.
When Will got out of his truck, she said, “You were a good sport tonight. I enjoyed getting to know you.”
“Me, too, Isi. You’re easy to talk to.” He followed her up the porch steps.
When she walked into the trailer, Conway said, “’Bout time you got home.”
Will ignored his brother’s comment and spoke to Isi. “Dixie and Shannon are putting on a big spread for Thanksgiving. You and the boys should come out to the farm and spend the day with us.”
“That’s nice of you to offer, but we couldn’t interfere in a family—”
“You won’t be interfering,” Will said. “Besides, it will give me a chance to get to know the twins better.”
Conway’s mouth sagged. Isi smothered a laugh behind a fake cough then said, “If you’re sure, the boys and I would love to come.”
“Great.”
“Thanks again for the nice evening,” Isi said.
“See you next week.” Will closed the door behind him.
“What did he mean he’ll see you next week?” Conway asked.
“Will offered to fix a few things around the trailer,” she said.
“Why didn’t you ask me for help?”
“I didn’t think you did home repairs.” The glower on his face worried her. “Did the boys misbehave tonight?”
“No, they were fine.” Conway’s gaze zeroed in on her mouth.
Was he thinking about the kiss they’d shared or imagining the one Will gave her tonight?
“I guess you and Will hit it off,” he said.
“Your brother’s very nice.”
“What did you talk about?”
She yawned. “It’s late, Conway, and I’m beat.”
He grabbed his keys off the kitchen table. “I’ll see you Monday.”
“Conway?”
He stopped at the door and faced her.
“Thank you for setting up the date with Will.” She smiled. “He was a big improvement over yucky Sean.” She waited for Conway to speak but he remained silent, his brown eyes glowing with an emotion she couldn’t identify.
Then he was gone. She crossed the room and flipped the lock on the door then thought about the twists and turns her relationship with Conway had taken the past couple of months. If anything good had come out of her date with Will, it was that they’d become friends. Once Conway found “the one” and moved on from her life for good and she’d need all the friends she could get to fill the hole he left behind.
* * *
THE THIRD WEEK of November had ushered in a dip in temperatures, nature’s way of signaling the beginning of the pecan harvest. Conway stood at the edge of the grove, deciding how best to collect the nuts.
“Getting ready to start up the shaker machine?”
Startled, Conway spun and came face-to-face with Will. “I thought you were at a job site with Ben.”
“We finished early.” Will held out a key.
“What’s that for?” Conway asked.
“Isi’s trailer.”
Isi had given Will an extra house key? “You’re moving awfully fast with Isi, aren’t you?” That his brother was spending time at the trailer when Conway wasn’t there rubbed him every which way but right.
“I stopped by her place this afternoon to fix the window over her bed.”
Will had gone into Isi’s bedroom? Hell, Conway had yet to venture inside her private quarters. “Was Isi there?”
“Why all the questions?”
Conway wanted to wipe the smirk off his brother’s face but refrained from throwing a punch. Isi would have a fit if he picked a fight in front of the twins. “I hope you know that Isi’s not ready for anything serious.”
“That’s funny,” Will said. “She told me she thought the boys needed a male role model in their lives.”
Frustrated, Conway walked over to the shaker machine and adjusted the settings.
Will followed him. “You surprised Johnny.”
Grateful for the change in subject, Conway asked, “How’s that?”
“Johnny wasn’t sure you meant it when you said you wanted to take over the farm.”
If the eldest Cash brother had doubts, why hadn’t he said anything to Conway? “I wouldn’t have volunteered if I didn’t intend to follow through.”
“Grandpa would be proud of you.”
Yeah, he would. “He loved his pecan trees.”
“It was a good place to grow up, wasn’t it?” Will said. “Plenty of room to run without disturbing any neighbors.”
“That’s for sure.”
Will pointed to the farmhouse, where Javier and Miguel played. “What do the boys do while you work in the orchards?”
“I made them bring their crayons and coloring books and told them to stay on the porch.” Conway didn’t want the kids anywhere near the shaker machine when he drove it through the rows.
“I could take the boys into town for root beers at Vern’s Drive-In,” Will said.
No way was Will honing in on his charges. “They’re fine right where they are.”
“If you say so.”
“I say so.” Conway gritted his teeth, pissed off that his brother had riled him.
“Think I’ll say hi to the boys.” Will walked off and it was all Conway could do to not tackle him to the ground.
Will stopped at the porch steps and spoke to them. Miguel laughed at whatever Will had said and it irked Conway that his brother amused the twins—that was his job.
Conway marched toward the group determined to find out what was so dang funny. He climbed the steps then froze. The boys had colored a highway system of roads from one end of the porch to the other. What happened to coloring in their books?
Miguel made vroom-vroom sounds as he moved a toy car over a bridge.
“Pretty ingenious if you ask me,” Will said.
Conway glared at his brother. “No one asked you.”
“Can I have a ride on the tractor?” Javier set his car aside.
> “Not now. I want both of you to stay on the porch. It’s too dangerous to be in the groves with pecans flying everywhere.”
“I don’t care if I get hit by one,” Javier said.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” Conway said. “I’ll give you a ride on the tractor after I finish each row.” He figured one row up and down would take thirty minutes. He hoped the boys had enough patience to wait an hour. “Deal?”
“Okay,” Javier said.
“What if we get hungry?” Miguel asked.
“I could—”
“I’ll take care of that right now,” Conway said, cutting off Will. He marched inside the house and rummaged through the pantry and fridge then returned with a stash of food—boxes of cereal, bags of chips, cans of soda and water bottles. “Don’t eat all of this at once.”
“What if we have to use the bathroom?” Javier said.
Before Will had a chance to offer his services again, Conway said, “Don’t you have somewhere to go?”
Will raised his hands and backed away. “See you later, guys.”
Conway motioned for the boys to follow him. “I’ll show you where the toilet is.” They trailed Conway through the kitchen and up the stairs to the second floor. He opened the bathroom door and the boys poked their heads inside. “Make sure you flush the toilet and wash your hands, okay?”
“Okay,” the twins echoed.
They returned outside and Conway issued one last warning. “Don’t leave the porch.”
“We know,” Miguel said.
“I’ll be back when it’s your turn for a ride on the tractor.” Conway skipped down the steps and walked to the orchard where Will waited. “What are you still doing here?”
“I forgot to tell you Johnny said he got a call a few days ago from an agricultural company.”
“What company?”
“Bell Farms out of southern California. They want buy the orchard.”
“Why didn’t Johnny tell me?” Conway asked.
“I think he’s waiting to see how you do with this year’s harvest.”
“Grandpa would spin in his grave if we sold the place,” Conway said.
“Johnny wants to discuss selling at Thanksgiving and put it to a vote.”