Her parents owned ten acres on the outskirts of town, and her brother kept it up for them now that their father’s health had started to decline. The disk in his back had finally given him enough trouble to make yard work and keeping animals difficult. Thankfully, Austin lived next door, and he could do the same work at their parents’ place as he did at his.

  Gretchen had moved in with him for a couple of months while she found her feet at Sweet Water Taffy, loving the play on words at the shop. She now had her own place just outside of town, a cute little white brick house with a bright, mint green front door. She kept a wreath on it at all times, and she’d just changed out her September one for her October garland.

  It came with gobs of greenery and plenty of pumpkins, two things Gretchen absolutely loved.

  She didn’t love putting herself in the public spotlight. Still, she wanted Taffy to be successful, and she had a whole new line of chocolates for the autumnal season.

  “Good afternoon,” she said to a mother pushing a stroller. “Care for a chocolate truffle?” The woman slowed, and a long, tall Texan smile appeared on her face. Gretchen relaxed, relieved with the calm interaction.

  She indicated the truffles on the left side of the tray. They bore bright orange glitter on one-half of them. “These are pumpkin spice, and these are pecan pie.” The truffles on the right side of the tray didn’t hold any embellishment at all.

  “Wow,” she said. “They’re gorgeous.”

  “Thank you,” Gretchen said, stretching under the compliment. “You can have one of each.” To her delight, another woman approached her, and this was why Gretchen enjoyed coming to the mall. She’d thought she should at least try to expand her reach, as she’d been to the mall several times in the past few weeks.

  “We’ll have our truck at the October First Fest this weekend,” she said. “We’ll have our featured truffles, our staples, and what we’re most known for—our caramel apples.” A card holder sat in the middle of the tray, and Gretchen grinned as both women took one.

  She continued through the courtyard at the mall, the water feature providing nice background music. The foot traffic today had picked up over earlier in the week, and the Fest would happen tomorrow, so she hoped to have a good showing.

  Her mind wandered as she made small talk and introduced her seasonal truffles to person after person. She kept a cooler under a bench, so she could replenish the tray whenever she needed to, and her feet had just started to protest her constant standing and walking when she turned and spied a couple of cowboys making their way toward her.

  William Cooper.

  This could not be happening.

  Why in the world was he here? He walked with another man close to his height, though he didn’t have the full beard William did. His hair was also a brighter shade of red, despite the little of it she could see.

  She spun around, her heart pounding through her whole body. Maybe William had come here to purchase himself another shirt. Be brave, she told herself. If he’d replaced his shirt, she would pay for it. The shop was doing just fine, and she could afford it.

  Karyn Harlow met her eye, and Gretchen brightened. “Karyn,” she said, moving in that direction, her back still to William Cooper. He’d said he knew who she was, but surely he and his brother would leave the mall immediately.

  “I heard about these amazing pumpkin spice truffles out in the courtyard.” Karyn wore a warm smile, and she kissed both of Gretchen’s cheeks before taking one of the glittered chocolates. “How are you?”

  “Good,” Gretchen said. “You?”

  Karyn lived just down the street from Gretchen, and they’d become friends when Karyn’s car had gotten stuck in the mud in her front yard after her young son had left the hose running all night long. If Gretchen had known she served on the library board and ran the makeup counter at the biggest department store here in Sweet Water Falls, she might’ve driven right by.

  Of course, that wasn’t really true, but Karyn was a social butterfly who knew practically the whole population of the town, and Gretchen really just wanted to fly under the radar.

  “Good enough,” Karyn said with a smile. “Joshua left his shoes outside, and now they’re ruined. I’m running down to Focal Footwear real quick during my break.” She glanced at the tray, and Gretchen found it almost empty. She had more chocolates in her cooler, but she wanted to leave after talking to Karyn.

  She had to make ten dozen caramel apples this afternoon before the Fest tomorrow, and she’d need more truffles too.

  After a twenty-minute power nap in her van, she’d get it all done.

  “Travis,” Karyn said, and she reached out with one of her perfectly manicured hands. “Come try these truffles and take some home to your mama.”

  “Howdy, Karyn,” a man said, and Gretchen found herself face-to-face with William Cooper again. He stood a pace or two behind his brother, but he came with Travis over to Gretchen and the tray of truffles.

  She met his eye and then slid her gaze down to his shirt. “You got a new shirt.”

  “Yes,” he said as Travis took a truffle. She didn’t even know what kind he took, because she couldn’t focus past those gorgeous eyes looking back at her. “It wasn’t very much. Don’t even worry about it.”

  “Do you know Will and Travis Cooper?” Karyn asked, looking around at the three of them.

  “I smashed caramel into his chest this morning at the pharmacy,” Gretchen admitted, putting a smile on her face.

  “Are you kidding?” Travis asked, and Will turned his attention to his brother. The daggered glare came back, and Will gave a small shake of his head. “You said it was nothing.”

  “It was nothing,” Will said.

  “You spent almost a hundred bucks on the shirt you’re wearing now.” Travis laughed, his head tipping back and everything. “He’s seriously so picky.”

  “I didn’t know I needed to consult my accountant to buy a shirt,” Will said dryly. He rolled his eyes and shook his head when Gretchen offered him a truffle by extending the tray closer to him. Something crossed his face, and when he glanced at her again, he seemed…angry.

  “Let’s go,” he said next. “This place gives me hives.”

  “Oh, you cowboys,” Karyn said, and she didn’t have to work so hard around men, as she was already married. Gretchen wasn’t quite sure what to say, which wasn’t unusual around good-looking men. She kept her smile on her face and listened while Karyn bickered with Will about his aversion to the mall.

  That gave her the opportunity to soak in the breadth of Will’s chest in his baby blue shirt, which bore fine white lines that made a barely-noticeable plaid pattern.

  “Let’s go,” Travis said, tugging on Will’s arm. “You can argue with me in the truck on the way back to the farm.”

  “I do more than argue.”

  “Do you?”

  The brothers went back and forth another time or two, Travis obviously enjoying himself while Will grew darker in spirit and expression.

  In a pause, Karyn said, “Get out of here, you two. You’re ruining Gretchen’s vibe.”

  “They’re fine,” she said. “I’m going to be done.” She turned to get her cooler. “I just need to grab my cooler.”

  “Help her, you oaf,” Karyn said.

  “Yeah,” Travis said. “Go help her, Will. You obviously like her.”

  “I do not,” he growled.

  “I’m fine,” Gretchen said, her face heating as she moved away from the group. Will came with her anyway, her humiliation doubling as he practically darted in front of her to get the cooler out from underneath the bench where she’d stowed it.

  They both straightened, and he said, “My mama taught me to help a lady in need.”

  “I don’t need your help,” she said quickly. “And I’ll pay for the shirt. I just need the receipt.”

  His eyes stormed, and they could’ve been a hurricane forming over the teal ocean. “You don’t need to pay for my shirt.”

  “I like it,” she blurted out, wondering where those words had come from. This grumpy, growly man had literally just said he didn’t like her. He was only helping out of Texan duty.

  Will’s eyes rounded, and he looked down at his shirt. “Thanks?”

  “Come on,” Travis said. “Less flirting. More walking.”

  Gretchen faced him, some of her own fire starting to lick through her. “If this is what you call flirting, you cowboys need more experience with women.” She marched past Travis, whose eyes widened as his eyebrows went up.

  Behind her, Karyn laughed, and Gretchen threw a wave over her shoulder to the woman. “See you later, Karyn.”

  “Bye, Gretchen.” She might as well have said, You go girl. Show those cowboys who’s in charge here.

  She led the way toward the doors and outside, both Travis and William Cooper in her wake. She stood back while Will opened the van door and put her cooler inside, then her tray. He still didn’t take one of her chocolates, and she found herself wishing he would.

  “Thank you,” she said to him, very formally, the way she would a police officer who’d stopped to help her on the side of the road. She glanced at Travis. “Was that too flirty?”

  “No, ma’am,” he said, his smile completely gone now. He reached up and tipped his hat. “You have a nice day now.”

  “You too.” Gretchen folded her arms and watched the two men walk away, noting that neither of them leaned toward the other and hissed anything. They’d probably wait to do that until they were in their truck, but Gretchen didn’t wait long enough to see them do that.

  She got behind the wheel of the van, her hands shaking slightly. At the same time, a vein of power and strength moved through her. Her phone chimed, and Karyn’s name sat there.

  Gretchen swiped open the text and saw Will’s name and phone number, along with a winking emoji.

  She grinned, shook her head, and texted her best friend. I’m not calling that cowboy. Nice try.

  Sure, he was handsome. He had eyes a woman would have to be blind not to fall in love with. But he also possessed a certain…growl to him that Gretchen simply didn’t need in her life.

  13

  “I said I was sorry,” Travis said as he walked in the front door at the cabin.

  “You embarrassed her,” Will said, slamming the door behind himself as he walked in. They’d taken their mother her medicine, enjoyed the air conditioning, and then gone out onto the farm to work. Hours later, they’d finally arrived home.

  Travis went straight into the kitchen, his stomach grumbling and growling for something to eat. Thursday was a leftover day at the farmhouse, and there wasn’t much there. He and Will kept frozen foods for occasions such as this, and he pulled out two pepperoni pizzas while Will said, “I’m going to go shower.”

  Trav set the oven and sighed, replaying the few minutes at the mall where Will couldn’t look away from a woman named Gretchen Bellows. He shouldn’t have teased him, and he definitely shouldn’t have done so to her. Her bright blue eyes had practically skewered him after Will had put her cooler in her van, and Travis had regretted trying to lighten the moment.

  “You know better,” he grumbled to himself. Teasing and mocking never got him one step ahead, and while he hated the mall, and Will had fallen into a bit of a staring trance, Travis shouldn’t have said anything.

  He pulled out his phone and found Karyn Harlow’s number. Can I get Gretchen’s number? He sent the text and looked up as Queenie started barking nearby. That wasn’t right. She barely left Mama’s side, and Trav headed for the back door to find out what was going on.

  He found Ford and Queenie splashing in the pond, and the corners of his mouth lifted, along with his spirits. “Howdy, Ford,” he called down to his nephew. He scanned the surrounding area for Lee, Ford’s father. “Where’s your daddy?”

  “He had a phone call tonight,” Ford yelled back. “Grams said I could take Queenie for a walk.”

  “Did you get dinner?” Trav asked as his phone chimed. “I’m puttin’ in pizza.”

  “I’ll come up in a minute.” The eight-year-old waved to Travis and bent to pick up the bright blue ball Queenie had brought back to him. He tossed it back into the pond, and the golden retriever hurried after it, running, splashing, and then swimming to get the ball.

  Travis checked his phone, and found Karyn’s question staring back at him. Why? You’re dating Shayla Nelson, I heard.

  I wanted to apologize for teasing her, Travis said. I feel bad I made things awkward.

  His phone rang, and he sighed as Karyn’s name came up on the screen. She was a couple of years older than him, married with a couple of kids. She knew everyone in Sweet Water Falls, and Travis had gone to high school with her younger brother. “Hey, Karyn,” he answered.

  “You feel bad you made things awkward,” she stated, not forming it into a question.

  “Yes,” he said simply. “I thought I’d text her and apologize.” Plus, the caramel apples at Sweet Water Taffy made his mouth water with a simple thought.

  “Well, I’ll be,” Karyn drawled. “I’ve never known you Cooper men to…have regrets for the things you say.”

  “We’re human,” Travis said, his tone turning barky. The breeze blew across the water, and Ford cheered as Queenie dunked her head to get the ball. Travis grinned at them, his life on the farm exactly what he wanted. Sometimes the work was hard, like today. He and Will had squeezed in a full day’s workload into a half day, and that made for sore muscles and short tempers.

  “I’ll ask her if I can give you her number,” Karyn said. “If she says yes, I’ll text it to you.”

  “Thank you,” Travis said, and the call ended. He turned back to the house and went inside just as Will came into the kitchen using a hand towel to dry his beard and hair.

  “Pizza?” he asked.

  “Yep,” Travis said. “And Ford’s out back with Queenie playing fetch. He’s gonna come up and eat.”

  “We should probably call Lee then,” Will said, tossing the towel on the kitchen counter. He removed his phone from the pocket of his gym shorts, and Travis glanced at his brother’s naked upper half.

  “Will,” he said, a bit surprised. “You’ve got to show me your workouts.” His brother had muscle upon muscle, and while Travis didn’t carry a lot of body fat, he didn’t have rippling muscles and eight, distinguishable abs.

  “Set your alarm for four-thirty,” Will said dryly, and Travis shook his head with a smile. He couldn’t do that, and he marveled that Will could. His brother had always had the work ethic of an ox, and Travis admired him for that.

  “Uncle Trav,” Ford called, cracking the front door. “Queenie’s thirsty, but she’s soaking wet.”

  “Leave ‘er out there, bud,” Travis said, striding in the direction of the front door. “She’ll be fine while we eat.” He went out onto the porch just as Queenie decided to shake herself closer to dry, and both he and Ford burst out laughing as they got sprayed.

  “That dog,” Travis said, wiping his hand down his face. “C’mon in.” He held the door for his nephew, who went inside.

  “Your daddy’s comin’,” Will said as he unboxed one pizza. He grinned at Ford and met Travis’s eye. “I got out another pizza. Lee can eat one of these by himself.”

  “That he can,” Trav said. “Ford, go get Queenie a towel to lay on from the hall closet. I’ll get her some water.”

  The pizzas baked, and Lee came over after his phone call. As Travis ate—he and Will had even found a bagged salad that hadn’t gone bad yet—he looked around at his brothers. Yes, they argued sometimes. He’d literally told Will he’d cause an accident if he didn’t pull over that morning.

  But they loved one another too. They came together when necessary, and they all loved this farm and worked hard around it. Once his stomach was full, Travis dusted the cornmeal from his hands and said, “I’ve been thinkin’ about Mama’s birthday. I think we should do something special for it.”

  Lee looked at him with darkness in his gaze. “We’ve been doin’ that for five years, Trav.”

  “Something more,” Travis said. “She’s always wanted to go on a cruise, and I think we should take her. For the holidays.” He’d done some preliminary research, but he wasn’t going to play his whole hand yet.

  “Travis,” Will said and nothing more.

  “Just think about it,” Trav said. “She’s not dead yet, and I think it would be fun for all of us.”

  “Are you going to invite Shayla?” Lee asked, interest entering his expression now.

  Travis blinked at his brother. “I don’t know.”

  Lee started to laugh. “I thought she was your girlfriend, but land sakes.” He leaned closer. “You haven’t even kissed her yet, have you?”

  “I’m going slow this time,” Travis said, his gaze flying to Will’s.

  “He’s going slow this time,” Will repeated. “Leave ‘im alone, Lee. At least he dates.”

  Lee huffed, and Ford looked up from his empty plate. “My dad is goin’ on a date.”

  Travis choked, and Will scoffed, the two noises combining into a strange cacophony of sounds. Lee shook his head furiously at his son, and Trav said, “Lee Cooper, start talking.”

  “Nothin’ to say,” Lee said, standing up and starting to gather the plates. “The boy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

  Travis looked at Ford, who watched his father with wide eyes. He zipped his lips, and Travis grinned at him. He leaned closer and said, “Me and you should go get caramel apples this weekend. They’ll be at the October First Fest.”

  “No,” Lee said, inching between them. “He’s with me this weekend, and we’re going on a father-son campout in the Hill Country.”

  “What’s her name?” Will asked.

  “Come on, Ford,” Lee said. “Thank your uncles for dinner, and let’s go.”

  “Oh, come on,” Travis said, chuckling. “You don’t have to go. I won’t ask you any more questions about your mystery date.”

  “I will,” Will said. “So you should probably go.” He grinned at Lee too, who just rolled his eyes, waved his thank you while Ford vocalized his and hugged both Trav and Will, and they walked out.