by Milan Watson
“Thank heavens.” Drake sighed, making his brothers laugh and even Betty joined in. Gemma would find out about the apple pie later from Dusty, but right now she was dying to have dinner.
Like a team she and Kelly set dinner on the table before calling everyone inside. She was happy and a little tipsy from the cocktails, but to finally have Dusty smile at her and touch her hand without permission was amazing.
Betty was the first to serve herself before fixing a plate for Clayton. Grace was said and forks clanked against the plates as everyone began to eat.
Gemma relished in the fresh tastes and flavors. She glanced at Dusty and saw two lines between his brows. “What’s the matter, don’t you like it?”
Clayton set down his fork and sat back before glancing at Gemma. “I might not know about quinoa, seared salmon and grilled aubergine,” he said the words as if they were profanities, “but I do know I ain’t eating this crud.”
Betty muffled a chuckle. “Clayton, be nice. These girls went through a lot of trouble for you.” Betty cocked a brow. “Apple pie.”
“I’d rather be having apple pie,” Drake said, putting down his fork.
“I don’t understand,” Kelly said, glancing at the men around the table. “It’s good, it’s healthy, and it’s loaded with vitamins and protein.”
“Honey, no offense but the only protein we do on Falcon Falls is the beef kind,” Ford said with an apologetic smile.
Kelly glanced at Gemma and they both burst out laughing. Confused expressions surrounded the table.
“What’s going on?” Logan asked, poking through his quinoa as if he was looking for a nuclear bomb.
“We thought you might feel that way,” Kelly finally said. “But we had to see if you would actually eat it.”
Gemma chuckled. “There’s Tex-Mex in the oven. You know, just in case you weren’t on board with the whole eat healthy and live longer way of life.”
“If I had to eat that crud to live longer, the old man upstairs might as well take me right now,” Clayton said with a hint of a smile beneath his mustache.
“Dad be nice,” Dusty said, reaching for Gemma’s hand again. “It’s not horrible.”
Gemma laughed. “We thought we’d try. Kelly was smart enough to make a backup.”
Logan and Drake jumped up to fetch the Tex-Mex and fresh plates, while Clayton leaned forward and pinned Gemma to her seat with his gaze. “You know what else I know?”
Gemma shook her head feeling a little nervous. She had always interacted with Clayton from afar and to have those faded blue eyes rest on her she wasn’t sure if she should run or hide.
“I know that I ain’t seen my son happy in a long time. ‘Bout nine years if I remember correctly. So I guess suffice to say welcome to the family, Gemma.”
Gemma’s heart filled with appreciation as a blush covered her cheeks. “Thank you.”
He nodded before narrowing his gaze. “But if you cook me hippy food again, I might not be as nice.”
Gemma laughed knowing he was teasing her. She had never understood the dynamics of this powerful family, but was easy to see they were only powerful because they loved each other.
“Dusty, look! There’s a moth!” Drake called out.
Before Gemma knew what was happening Dusty was up and out the front door, leaving his brothers and father in a fit of laughter. “What? Wait, where’s the moth?” Gemma asked glancing around.
Ford finally stopped laughing enough to answer her. “There ain’t no moth; we just wanted to make sure you knew you’re in love with a heavily flawed man.”
Gemma joined in the laughter but her heart was bouncing on air because even if he was flawed, Dusty Caldwell was finally hers. There were many things about Dusty and his family she didn’t understand just yet, but she had a lifetime to figure them out.
She would start by getting the story about the apple pie.
The End
And when he smiles,
I find a reason to live a little more…
~Mewish Khan~
Do you know the story of the apple pie? Make sure to read Finding Forever Book #1 in the Saddleback Ridge Series to find out.
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Playlist
Did you like the music mentioned in this book?
Download the playlist on your favorite music application today or get it here on Spotify
Who Knows – Natasha Bedingfield
Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley
Love Is A Battlefield – Pat Benatar
Be Here Now – Ray LaMontagne
American Girl – Elle King
One Margarita – Luke Bryan
Happy Anywhere – Blake Shelton feat. Gwen Stefani
Holding Out for the One – Tenille Townes
Love You Like I Used To – Russell Dickerson
La Vie en Rose – Edith Piaf
Salted Wound – Sia
Tiny Bubbles – Don Ho
The Scientist – Coldplay
At Last – Etta James
Diamonds – Magdaleine
She’s Got a Way with Words – Blake Shelton
About the Author
Milan is a fun-loving and witty writer of contemporary small-town romance. She has known her husband since she fell in love with him at fourteen, and has been an incurable romantic ever since.
She lives on a farm with her husband, two sons, seven dogs, two cats, countless sheep, and a horse. Being a wife, a mother and a writer prove for a crazy life, one that she incorporates into the stories she tells. Milan writes romances that are not only real but where characters face the same challenges, misunderstandings, and embarrassing moments most women do in their own lives. If you enjoy witty, humorous, and sensual small-town romance, then you’ve come to the right place.
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