by Lori Ryan
Turning back another month, she found one small star. Nearly two months ago. How had she not noticed? She’d been busy lately, but that busy?
Devlin felt sick to her stomach and this time, it had nothing to do with a stomach virus. She fell back against the wall, head in hand as she mentally added one more item to her grocery list. A pregnancy test.
Chapter Eleven
“Dig in everyone,” Max’s mother said as she sat down at the head of the table.
Max glanced around the dining room, not surprised to see Aunt Sally sitting where his father used to, opposite his mother. It was Aunt Sally’s way. She had loved her brother deeply and meant no disrespect to his memory, but she had a new mission in life and that was to help her sister-in-law move on. Filling his father’s spot at the dinner table was a reminder to them all that life went on no matter how much they wished it didn’t have to.
His Aunt Lisa sat next to his mom. That was her way. She was the one who would quietly be by your side whenever you needed her. She wouldn’t push the way Sally would, but she would be the first person there to hold up his mom if she needed her.
Lisa was married to his father’s younger brother, Mark. After their parents died, Max’s father left college to come back to Canyon Creek and raise Mark and Sally. They were only teenagers at the time. His father had sacrificed his own dreams to make sure his siblings were well cared for. Now Sally and Mark—and Lisa—were repaying the favor by fulfilling his mother’s dream.
“Max,” his mother said, “how’s the barn coming along?”
“It’s good,” he said, scooping on piles of food. He’d been working from sun-up to well past sundown the last week, trying to meet the ridiculous deadline Maggie and his mother had put on the construction crew.
“Your Uncle Mark is so sorry he can’t get back from Denver. This new job is so demanding.”
Mark was an accountant and had just taken a new job with a big firm in Denver. He used to work from home in Canyon Creek but recently he and Aunt Lisa had racked up some large expenses, including college tuition for their three kids.
Begrudgingly, Uncle Mark had taken the job. His commute was long and sometimes he stayed in Denver overnight at an apartment the firm owned. Max had noticed during his time home that Uncle Mark was gone a lot more than he used to be. And Aunt Lisa didn’t smile nearly as much.
“How are you?” Aunt Lisa asked, as if she could see right through him.
“Good,” he said, shoveling a fork full of potatoes in his mouth so he wouldn’t have to explain how much pain he was in. He didn’t want his mom or Maggie feeling guilty. The supplements and herbal compresses he’d been relying on weren’t helping any more. Since anything more than over-the-counter pain killers weren’t an option for him, he needed to get off his feet before his knees gave out.
Unfortunately, telling his family he needed a break wasn’t an option. There wasn’t room in the schedule, not to mention, he didn’t want them asking any questions about his injuries. No way in hell did he want anyone knowing what had really happened.
“How much more do you have to go to finish the barn?” Sally asked.
“Well,” Max said, thankful for the reprieve from thoughts about his legs, “most of the heavy lifting is finished but we’ve got a lot of little work still to go. Shawn had the electricians and plumbers out today to do last minute tweaks before the inspectors come out next week. Everything looked good on their end, so he’s pretty sure we’ll pass.”
“What still needs to be done?” Maggie asked.
“We still need to sand and stain the floors, finish trim work, add some railings. Just small stuff, but there’s a lot of it,” Max said. “Then we need to work our way through the punch list.”
“What is the punch list?” Sally asked.
Max set down his fork and leaned back. His mother’s cooking was worth coming home for but if he didn’t slow down he’d weigh five hundred pounds soon. “It’s a list of things that need to be fixed or completed. Like, if something wasn’t installed right or something was damaged during the build-out, it goes on the list. Any little last-minute details.”
“What about the balcony?” Maggie asked, hopefulness in her eyes.
The balcony addition to the barn had been Maggie’s dream. She wanted to have a place for the bride to toss her bouquet and a staircase for the newly married couple to descend once their arrival was announced to their guests. He hated to tell her it wasn’t going to happen.
“The balcony might not be ready by your wedding, Maggie.” Trying to secure joists to support the balcony Maggie wanted had been a logistical nightmare.
“Oh, okay,” she sighed, the disappointment clear on her face. “That’s fine. It’s okay.” Anyone could tell that it wasn’t okay for her.
“We’ll try, Maggie” Max said quietly. “We just don’t have the parts we need for it yet.”
She smiled and waved away his answer. “But we’ll be ready for the event next Saturday though, right?” Maggie asked. “I mean, minus all the extras?” He could hear the desperation in her voice.
“Yeah,” Max answered. “As long as the inspections go through I think we’ll be fine.”
“Oh, good.” Maggie’s sigh as she sat back in her chair would have been comical if they didn’t all have so much riding on this.
Ben slipped an arm around her shoulders and rubbed her neck. “It’s going to work out, sweetie. I told you.”
“So, when’s Devlin coming back to town?” Emmett asked.
Max ducked his head and shoved in another mouthful of potatoes to keep from shouting the answer. Potatoes were turning out to be his best friend at this table.
He’d been counting off the days in his mind until Devlin arrived but didn’t want to admit that fact to his brother. Max was worried about Devlin, afraid she’d be too sick to travel back to Colorado. She really hadn’t sounded good and whatever this was didn’t seem to be leaving her system quickly.
“I’m not sure,” Maggie answered for him. “She’s been really sick lately.”
The room fell silent and Max raised his head, surprised to see the entire table staring at him. “What?” he said around a mouth full of food.
“I just wondered why you let Maggie answer for you,” Emmett said.
“Why would I know?”
“Uh, because you’ve been talking to her like twenty times a day.” Emmett laughed.
Ben and Maggie snorted.
Max swallowed his food. “What are you talking about? I don’t talk to her twenty times a day.” Maybe he thought about Devlin twenty times a day, dreamed about her a hundred times a day, not that Max would ever admit that.
“She told me yesterday that she’ll be in on Wednesday,” Maggie answered for him again.
“Really?” Max asked. “She told me she’d be in on Sunday.”
Everyone stared at him.
“What?” he shrugged.
Emmett’s gaze went from Max to Ben. “Oh, you’re right, he’s got it bad, man.” Emmett smiled.
Ben nodded.
“Do you like her, Maxwell?” his mother asked.
“Maxwell.” Emmett snorted.
“What’s up with the full name, Ma?” Max asked. “I didn’t even curse.”
“She also uses the full name when she’s asking a serious question, as in,” Ben cleared his throat and raised the pitch of his voice, “Benjamin, when are you going to make me a grandmother?”
“Valerie!” Maggie shrieked. “Did you really ask that? We’re not even married yet.”
His mother shrugged. “I’m anxious, what can I say?”
“Your mom and I have a big bet going,” Aunt Sally said.
Maggie glanced between the two of them. “What kind of bet?”
“Tell them the terms, Val.” Sally grinned.
His mother’s gaze fell to her plate. “I don’t remember.”
Sally laughed. “She remembers. She just doesn’t want to say.”
His Au
nt Lisa was just shaking her head. She probably hadn’t taken the bet.
“What is it, Ma?” Emmett asked.
Max couldn’t help but lean toward Aunt Sally. This was going to be good.
“Whoever gets a grandbaby first,” Sally started, “gets to make the other person wear a T-shirt of her choosing for a week.”
“That doesn’t sound bad,” Elle said.
His mother rolled her eyes. “She didn’t tell you what the T-shirt she’s got picked out says.”
Maggie turned toward Aunt Sally. “What does it say?”
Sally snorted.
“What?” Max asked, knowing he probably didn’t want to know the answer. This was his Aunt Sally after all.
“You know all those ‘Keep Calm’ T-shirts and stuff?” Aunt Sally asked.
“Yeah,” everyone said in unison.
“Keep calm and carry on,” Elle said.
“Oh, God.” His mother groaned as her head fell into her hand.
“Do we want to know?” Maggie asked.
“No, you don’t,” his mother said. “That’s why I need a grandbaby first.”
“So what does her shirt say?” Emmett asked.
Everyone leaned toward Aunt Sally.
Aunt Sally’s eyes glittered with evil laughter as she smirked. “Keep Calm and Try an Ale.”
“That doesn’t sound bad,” Max said. “I mean, Ma’s not a big beer drinker but…”
His mother narrowed her eyes at her sister-in-law. “Tell them the rest, Sally.”
Everyone turned back to Aunt Sally.
She shrugged. “I might have blacked out a few of the letters,” she said innocently. Nothing his aunt had ever done in her life was innocent.
“One letter,” his mother half shouted, raising a finger. “She blocked out one letter, one very important letter.”
Everyone’s expressions went blank as they tried to figure out what letter could be so—
“Oh, my God!” Maggie shouted.
“What?” Ben asked. “What letter?”
“Aunt Sally!” Max yelled, finally figuring it out.
Emmett’s head moved around the table. “What letter is it?”
“The ‘e,’” Aunt Sally said, bursting into laughter.
Emmett gazed into space, his brows knit together like he was doing long division. “That doesn’t make any sense. The ‘e?’ I don’t get it.”
“Big surprise there,” Ben snorted. “Squish the an and the al together.”
“Keep calm and try anal?” Elle said, eyes going wide. “I think I’m glad Emmett didn’t get that right away.”
“Aunt Sally,” Emmett yelled, “that’s gross.”
Aunt Sally laughed, no sign of guilt or remorse in her blue eyes. She lifted her fork, pointing to Max and his brothers. “You boys better get on the stick,” she laughed, “if you know what I mean. Otherwise your mom’s going to get a lot of funny looks, and a few propositions.”
The entire table groaned.
“Seriously, Aunt Sally?” Ben raised a brow.
“What?” She shrugged innocently.
Emmett shook his head. “I feel so sorry for your daughters.”
“My daughters are very fortunate to have me.”
Thinking of Aunt Sally’s worthless ex-husband, Max had to agree.
“So how are things with you and Warner?” Maggie asked, a suggestive leer on her face.
“For the love of all that is holy,” Ben moaned, “I’m trying to eat here.”
Warner Noble, Elle’s father, had thrown a small engagement party for Emmett and Elle a few weeks before.
Apparently Sally and Warner Noble had once been involved in high school but had a falling out and went on with life. Just like Elle and Emmett, time hadn’t been able to stop the feelings they had for each other.
Warner and Aunt Sally had been spotted more than once around town with each other. From what Max had heard, more than one of those sightings included things he didn’t want to know about. No one wanted to picture their aunt making out behind the church.
His mother brought the topic back around to the bet with a smile at Sally. “There’s no way I won’t win. I’ve got two on the way to the altar, and I’m guessing Max will settle down soon.”
Max’s head shot up at that.
“Nah, he’s still a playboy,” Emmett answered. “He was a player in more ways than one in the NFL.”
Max the playboy. It had been true once, but he wondered if it really was anymore. Images of Devlin popped in his mind.
“That was rude, Emmett,” Maggie said.
“Not rude.” Emmett shrugged. “True. And sometimes the truth hurts, doesn’t it Max?” Emmett raised a brow and Max understood what he was doing. Emmett was setting a trap, baiting him.
It didn’t matter that he couldn’t get Devlin out of his mind. He wouldn’t take the bait. He nodded his head. “Yep, I’m the consummate playboy.”
But inside, he wasn’t so sure any more.
Chapter Twelve
Devlin stood outside the Denver airport, searching for Maggie’s car. She glanced down at her phone for another text. She’d told herself she was hoping to hear from Maggie, but in truth she knew she was looking for a text from Max.
“Oh, my gosh!” Maggie’s scream cut through the crowd.
Devlin glanced up and saw Maggie rushing toward her, arms wide as she practically jumped into Devlin’s arms. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
Devlin braced herself against her luggage, afraid that her friend might actually knock her down. She wrapped her arms around Maggie, tears stinging her eyes. She was so sick of being overcome with emotion, but these feelings were genuine. She loved her best friend and knew she had made the right decision coming in a few days early.
As much as she embraced all the travel her job required, more and more lately, she found herself wanting to come home. And when she pictured that home, it wasn’t her apartment in New York anymore. It was her friends in Canyon Creek who called to her.
One more than others at the moment.
Maggie pulled back, her hands braced on Devlin’s shoulder as she studied her. “Sweetheart, you look awful.”
She felt awful. “Thanks,” she grimaced. “So sweet of you to say.”
“You’re not still sick, are you?”
“No, I’m over the worst of it.” She didn’t disclose to her friend that she’d just tossed her cookies in the airport bathroom not fifteen minutes before. She wasn’t worried about being contagious and getting Maggie sick before the wedding.
No, she had a lot of things to worry about, but being contagious wasn’t one of them.
“Well, come on,” Maggie slid her arm around Devlin’s waist and grabbed her bag, rolling it toward Maggie’s car. “I brought someone with me.”
Devlin groaned. She’d really hoped to have Maggie alone for the ninety-minute drive to Canyon Creek. There were things she needed to talk about, things only your best friend could help you with.
Maggie popped the trunk and easily lifted Devlin’s bag, throwing it inside. Devlin was thankful for the help. She was dog tired, dead on her feet and had no idea how she’d make it through this week that would surely be filled with wedding errands and last minute details.
Maggie walked around the car and slipped in the driver’s side. Devlin made her way around the car and literally fell into hers.
“What’s up skank?” came a voice from the back seat.
Devlin turned, not surprised to find Kayleigh Montgomery spread across the back seat, her head leaning against one door, feet propped near the other.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, it’s nice to see you too.” Kayleigh laughed.
Devlin grinned. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant, I know you’re super busy. How did you get away?”
Kayleigh owned the veterinary clinic in town and was usually swamped caring for sick and injured animals.
“I had supplies I needed to pi
ck up in Denver and some veterinarians I needed to consult with.”
“Consult with?” Devlin choked back a laugh when she saw Kayleigh’s face go serious.
“Veterinarian medicine is a serious business in Colorado,” Maggie said.
“I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know,” Kayleigh nodded, but Devlin had a feeling she’d stepped on the woman’s toes.
“She’s just pissed because her and Aaron got into it earlier. Again.” Maggie glanced at Kayleigh in the back seat.
“He’s an ass,” Kayleigh said, picking at her nails as if she couldn’t care less. Anyone could tell it was an act. She cared.
Maggie pulled away from the curb.
“You still playing bam-bam in the ham with Max?” Kayleigh asked.
“Kayleigh!” Maggie shrieked.
“What?” Kayleigh held up her hands. “Like we don’t already know it. She went out for a late-night booty call at your bachelorette party.” She sat up and leaned between the front seats. “Did you get one shag in for me like I asked?”
Devlin laughed. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Kayleigh swatted her shoulder and fell back into the seat. “I knew I should have taken Dr. Hartlow up on his offer for dinner.”
“Dr. Hartlow?” Maggie asked, looking in the mirror as she merged onto the highway. Canyon Creek was a ninety-minute drive from Denver, longer if the roads were bad. If there was dirt on a doctor, they’d get it out of Kayleigh before they arrived. “Isn’t he the crotchety old vet over in Silverthorne?”
“Yeah,” Kayleigh sighed. “But he’s my only real hope of a serious shag in three counties.”
“Eww,” Devlin said.
“Agreed. Eww. Also, doubtful,” Maggie said. “There are always guys up at the resort drooling over you.”
Kayleigh shrugged. “So, what’s the deal with you and Max?” she asked again, deflecting the attention. This time her question was a lot less colorful.
“Nothing,” Devlin said quietly.
“It’s definitely not nothing,” Maggie said. “Emmett’s been giving Max crap since you left last month.”