by Liz Isaacson
“Do we have to wait to eat to see it?” Skyler asked, eyeing the rolled up blueprint papers.
“Yes,” Tripp said. “I’m starving.”
“Ditto.”
“We’ll eat fast.”
Jeremiah looked at Skyler, and he was clearly outvoted. A grin sat on his face, and Micah moved over to the long counter leading toward the garage and put the plans down there so they wouldn’t get buttered and barbecued while the brothers ate.
Happiness spread through Jeremiah as his brothers started talking and loading up their plates. He loved feeding people, and he loved this ranch. And now it was going to be his, for the most part.
He couldn’t wait for Skyler’s house to be finished so he could move here, if only so Jeremiah didn’t have to deal with the paperwork of the ranch anymore. He hated the budgeting and finances, so he was grateful Sky would be handling all of that.
“Let’s pray,” Rhett said once they’d all sat at the table. They reached for one another’s hands, and Jeremiah shared a long look with Rhett, the man who’d been his best friend for so long.
“Dear Lord,” Rhett said, closing his eyes. “Thank you for family.” He paused, and Jeremiah’s chest tightened with emotion. What a blessing family was.
“Thank you for good men in our family,” Rhett continued. “Bless us to always be able to get together and talk things out in a respectful way. Bless our wives who put up with us. Bless Momma and Daddy, who raised us.”
He paused again, and Skyler’s hand in Jeremiah’s tightened. He opened his eyes to see Skyler looking right at him, his dark eyes a bit glassy. So at least Jeremiah wasn’t the only one currently in a battle with his emotions.
“We thank Thee for all our blessings, especially this good food. Amen.”
Rhett drew in a breath and hurried to wipe his eyes. “Wow, that was a tough one.” The tension broke, and Jeremiah gave a light chuckle. Glancing around, he saw the same love and brotherly bond on each face he looked at.
“I love you guys,” he said while reaching for the butter knife in front of him.
“Same.”
“Love you guys too.”
“Brothers are the best.”
“Love you all.”
“Ditto.”
Amid the chorus of voices, Wyatt just took off his hat and waved it at everyone at the table.
Then they ate.
Chapter Twenty
Mal carefully spread the melted chocolate over the cold marble at the back of the bakery. She loved working here more than any other job she’d held over the past fifteen years. Heidi was a good taskmaster, but she was kind. She realized sometimes things happened in a kitchen that were unpredictable. She showed up every morning, ready to work. And she worked hard, so she expected everyone else to do the same.
Not only that, but she expected nothing but kindness and friendly faces. During Mal’s first staff meeting, Heidi had said, “I know we can’t all have a perfect day every day. So if you need to be left alone, just let me know. I’ll spread the word.”
And that word got spread through a group chat. Skyler hated those, but Mal loved her work group chat, and she checked it even when she wasn’t at the bakery.
She worked four days a week, and Heidi had hired her specifically to make Mexican desserts. So she’d been perfecting her flan, her empanadas, and her churros. The first time she’d made churros, they’d sold out in less than an hour.
Heidi had deemed Thursday churro day, and the lines had started forming before the bakery even opened at six a.m. Mal went into work at three, and all of her hard work over those three hours were gone within one.
Heidi was thrilled, and Mal could hardly believe churros were that popular. But she did make dulce de leche to go with them, and Heidi sold a chocolate sauce with them as well. It was something new and delicious, and Heidi claimed that was what every resident of Three Rivers wanted.
Something new and delicious.
Mal smiled as she rolled up the now-cooled chocolate into perfect tubes. The two cakes she was making today had to be perfect, because they were for Marcy and Wyatt.
They were hosting the entire Walker family at their house in Church Ranches tonight, and Marcy would be telling everyone the news about their baby. And of course, such an announcement required beautiful cakes.
Rhett’s wife, Evelyn, had also ordered a cake for their son’s second birthday. That was still a couple of weeks away, but Mal would be making that one too. After the bakery opened and she’d made her Mexican treats for the day, she worked on special orders. She’d mastered the ice cream cake within a week of starting at the bakery, and Heidi simply gave her the order sheets now. Mal made whatever the intake form said, and she hadn’t had a single complaint.
With the pretty cakes done for Marcy, she put them in the fridge and turned her attention to the next item. Doughnuts—and a lot of them. Twelve dozen doughnuts, for pick-up at one p.m.
“Here we go,” Mal said, reaching for the recipe book. Heidi had tested, cultivated, and refined every recipe the bakery used. Everyone in the bakery used the same recipes; that way, everyone who bought doughnuts got the same experience.
So she measured, mixed, and fried for the next few hours, finally washing up and taking the two cakes with her when it was time to go home.
Working at the bakery was physically exhausting, as she was on her feet all morning, had to get up early, and did a lot of lifting and bending. But she loved it with every fiber of her being. And she only worked four days a week, so she still got to sleep in sometimes.
Not that getting up at six to run with Skyler could really be considered sleeping in.
“Hello,” she called as she entered the house through the back door. She and Skyler parked over on the RV pad and came in through the back, leaving the garage for Wyatt and Marcy. That way, the driveway was accessible for anyone to get in and out, and she’d seen Wyatt’s truck in the garage.
He didn’t answer her though. Skyler had probably taken him somewhere in his truck, and Marcy should be home soon. Mal slid the cakes into the fridge and went upstairs to shower.
She’d just stepped out when her phone rang. With dripping wet hair, she reached for her phone and found her sister’s name on it. “Julia,” she said. “I need just a sec, okay?”
“Okay,” her sister said.
Mal quickly put her hair in a towel and stepped into her bathrobe so she wouldn’t have to hold a towel around herself while she chatted. “All right.” She moved back into the bedroom and climbed into bed. “What’s up?”
“Just wondering how the fake marriage is going.”
Mal sighed in a very exaggerated way. “I told you last week, it’s not fake anymore.”
Julia just laughed, and Mal regretted that she’d confessed about the marriage to Julia. She’d done it the day Wyatt had gone into the hospital for surgery, and she shouldn’t have said anything at all.
There had just been so much on her mind, and she’d needed someone to talk things through with. But all Julia had done was tease her, and Mal hadn’t been able to have a real conversation about it anyway. She was left with annoyance with her sister, a ton of irritation with herself, and the familiar regret that she’d made the wrong decision.
And worse, she hadn’t told Skyler that she’d told her family about their marriage.
“You haven’t told anyone else, have you?” Mal asked.
“Only Jorge, but I had to,” Julia said, her voice moving into a whine. “He wanted you to come home for his wedding, and I had to tell him why you couldn’t.”
“Julia,” Mal said. “You could’ve just said I didn’t file my paperwork right, so I don’t have a visa or green card to use.”
“Oh, well, yeah, I guess.”
“He’s not great at keeping secrets.”
“He honestly didn’t care.”
“If you say so.” Mal wanted to go home for her brother’s wedding, but she wasn’t even sure Mexico would feel like home anymore. She hadn’t bee
n back in years, and the more time she spent in Three Rivers, this magical small town was starting to feel like home. Way more than Amarillo ever had, which was surprising to her.
“Tell me about the wedding plans.”
“Oh, you’re never going to believe this….” Julia launched into the story, and all Mal had to do was sit back and listen. Every once in a while, she’d hum or say “Okay,” or “Wow,” but she didn’t have to truly participate.
She got the scoop on everyone in the family, told her sister she loved her, and hung up. She felt drained from the long conversation, and now her hair was probably half dry and half wet, which would make it that much harder to get to lay right. Or even brush through.
She sighed and closed her eyes, intending to just rest for a moment.
The next thing she knew, Skyler said her name. Her eyes flew open to find him just a few inches from her and the room nearly dark.
“Hey.” He grinned down at her with the sweetest expression of love on his face. “How long have you been asleep?”
“What time is it?”
“Almost six,” he said. “Everyone’s here, and we’re getting ready to eat in a few minutes.”
Horror filled Mal. She wasn’t even dressed, and she couldn’t imagine what state she’d find her hair in, it having been encased in the towel for hours. A groan came out of her mouth, and she hurried to get up. “Can you ask them to wait ten minutes? I don’t want to miss the announcement.”
“Sure.” Skyler picked up her phone while she flew into motion.
“I just fell asleep after talking to Julia. She wore me right out.”
Skyler chuckled. “I think it’s the getting up at two a.m. that wears you right out, Mal.”
“Maybe.” She pulled a sweater over her head and darted into the bathroom to assess the hair situation. It would be better to get it all the way wet again and go from there, so she did.
Ten minutes later, she went downstairs behind Skyler, humiliation spilling from every pore. Several people looked their way as they joined the party in progress, but no one made a big deal about it.
“There you are,” Penny said, coming over to Mal and giving her a hug. “Skyler thought you might have fallen asleep.”
“I did,” Mal admitted. “Sorry about that.”
“Oh, please,” Penny said. “Wyatt’s not even back with the food yet.”
“I told them I would cook,” Jeremiah said from one of the barstools.
“They like to cater,” Penny said. “Not everything has to be a home cooked meal, son.”
“It’s better, though,” he said.
“I made the cakes,” Mal said. “So they’re homemade.” That seemed to appease Jeremiah slightly, and in the next moment, Wyatt came in through the garage, carrying two long trays of food.
“We’re back,” he said. “Everyone go grab something out of the truck.”
To Mal’s surprise, the men got up and did just that, bringing in salad, rolls, and more trays. They were uncovered to reveal smoked turkey, brisket, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw.
“And the cakes,” Mal said, getting them out of the fridge. They probably should’ve been taken out an hour ago to get to room temperature. The chocolate would likely sweat, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it now.
“Where’s Marcy?” Momma asked.
“I’m starving,” Liam said. “Are you doing an announcement?”
“She’s comin’,” Wyatt said. “And yes, we have an announcement.” He stepped over to the door and opened it, and Marcy walked in. A moment of silence ensued while everyone looked at her, and then Mal burst out laughing along with everyone else.
Marcy wasn’t a terribly tall or big woman, and tonight she wore a pair of tight jeans and a bright blue T-shirt that stretched across her baby bump—which was now very prominent. Mal had seen it before, because Marcy didn’t try to hide it around the house. When they went to church though, Marcy wore sweaters and baggy maxi dresses to keep everyone out of the loop.
But this bright blue T-shirt had IT’S A BOY right across the baby bump, making the announcement to everyone.
Wyatt put his arm around Marcy and kissed her temple. “We’re due at the end of July.”
Congratulations went around, along with plenty of hugs. Mal basked in the vibrancy of the family, so glad she got to be part of them. Ivory came to stand next to her, her baby in her arms.
“Can I?” Mal asked, reaching for the little boy. He had Ivory’s shock of blonde hair, and he willingly came to Mal. “I know what you like,” she said to the baby. She swiped her finger through the very corner of the mashed potatoes and gave the bite to Isaac, who did seem quite happy for it.
Mal stayed out of the way while grace was said and while people started getting food. It felt like organized chaos, and the party spilled out the back door onto the huge patio in the backyard. Parents got food for their kids first, and Mal moved through the line with baby Isaac on her hip as if she’d been doing such a thing for years.
She hadn’t, but she had been fourteen when her youngest sibling was born, and she had helped her mom a lot with the younger kids. Ivory eventually took Isaac from her and put him in a highchair, where she fed him bits of noodles and bread.
Mal filled her plate with food and found Skyler on the patio with Wyatt, Marcy, Liam, and Callie, and their kids. She sat next to him and sighed happily.
“Okay?” he asked, putting his hand on her knee under the table.
“Okay,” she said, because she was okay. More than okay. Happier than she’d been in a long, long time.
Chapter Twenty-One
Rhett and Evelyn pulled up to the ranch, and Rhett put the truck in park but didn’t get out.
“Are you sad?” she asked.
“Not really,” he said. “I’m not really sure how I feel about it.” He looked at the homestead. The first time he’d come here to look at the house and land, he’d known immediately that this ranch would be his home. But things in his life had changed after only a year in Three Rivers.
He loved the life he had with Evelyn and their son, Conrad. He loved the white house on Quail Creek Lane, and he didn’t want to move back here.
Jeremiah had acted quickly with the lawyers, and only a couple of weeks had passed before his brother had texted to say everything was ready to sign. He and Evvy didn’t need the money, and he thought about what they both wanted—another child.
Money could help them with the adoption process, that was for sure, but it wasn’t like they didn’t already have enough.
He’d been trained to see things no one else saw in his work for the state. He could examine dirt and find prints that no one else had noticed. He’d taken more impressions in sand and clay than anyone.
And he’d known this ranch was the perfect place for him.
“We still own ten percent,” Evelyn said. “I know how much you love this place.”
Rhett looked at his wife. She was the perfect place for him. Wherever she was, he wanted to be. “Remember when we met in the cellar?”
A soft smile adorned her face. “Yes.” She ducked her head and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I thought you were the most handsome man I’d ever met.”
“You stared at me,” he said, chuckling. “And I felt an instant pull to you.”
Evelyn looked at him, and he’d never been happier than the day the tornado had forced him into the cellar, only for him to find the three Foster sisters already there. They’d taken care of his animals, because they weren’t sure when he’d be arriving. And they’d been caught and couldn’t get back to their own place.
“We were only down there for a couple of hours,” he said. “And it took me a whole year to figure out how to ask you out. But here we are.”
Evelyn reached over and took his hand in hers. In the back seat of the truck, Conrad babbled happily to himself.
“This is the right thing,” Rhett said. He took a deep breath. “Let’s go sign
the papers.” He squeezed his wife’s hand and got out of the truck, immediately turning to get Conrad out of the back. He set the boy down so he could toddle his way into the house, something the boy loved to do.
Evelyn stood right behind him as he navigated the steps up to the porch, and Rhett waited for them both by the front door. “I love you, Evvy.” He put one arm around her while Conrad leaned into the door like he could open it that way.
“I love you too, Rhett.” She kissed him, and Rhett sure did like the shape of her lips against his.
“Maybe we should look into adoption,” he whispered.
“I think we will,” she said, leaning her forehead against his chest. “If this last round of fertility drugs doesn’t work.” She pulled back and looked up at him. “Okay?”
He nodded, because he certainly couldn’t argue with her. “Okay.” They’d been trying for another baby since the day Conrad was born. Rhett would go to any lengths, any end of the Earth, to give Evelyn what she wanted, and what she wanted was another baby.
They’d only done one round of Evelyn taking drugs to help her body be healthier and more susceptible to getting pregnant, and they hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. That way, if the treatment failed, Evelyn didn’t have to tell anyone. Rhett’s heart hurt for her, because he didn’t quite understand the quest for another child.
He loved Conrad with his whole heart and soul, and the boy was enough for Rhett. He liked taking him outside with Penny to throw a ball or walk back to the trees that lined the fence in the backyard.
He’d brought him out to the ranch whenever he could, and next year, Conrad could ride a horse by himself, as long as it was tethered to Rhett.
Yes, Rhett was looking forward to teaching and raising his son on Seven Sons Ranch, and if he were being honest, that was why he couldn’t give it up. Of course, Evelyn had the Shining Star too, and even if Rhett did sell Seven Sons outright, he still had access to a ranch.
He opened the door, and they stepped inside. Breathing had always been easier inside this house, and Rhett swooped Conrad off his feet as they went down the hall to the kitchen.