But he’d seen this pond. There were no trees, like in the dream, and he walked to the edge of the deck and leaned over the railing. No deck chairs for him and Gretchen to sit in and watch the beaver build his den.

  “Will,” Mama said, and he turned back to her. She gestured for him to come sit down. “It’s your day off, son. Come tell us how Gretchen is doing.”

  He swallowed and shot a look toward Reggie. He wore the same disgruntled look on his face that he had when Will had shown up at the little house in the country. Will had asked him if he felt well enough to get in the truck and ride for twenty minutes and then put up with a very loud family dinner.

  Reggie hadn’t hesitated at all. He’d said, “I need my shoes,” and together, he and Will had located them and put them on.

  “She’s doing pretty good,” Will said. “I mean, I don’t know. I was there for maybe twenty minutes, and most of that was me yelling about her taking me as I am, her crying, a lot of apologizing, and then quite a bit of kissing.”

  He grinned at his mother as he sat beside her. She and Daddy sat on a swing bench that Daddy kept moving with his toe. Reggie sat beside Daddy in a zero-gravity chair, and Will had one on Mama’s right.

  He leaned it back, still smiling up into the sky. Well, he would if the back of the house didn’t have a huge roof that hung over the deck. That way, Mama could still sit outside if it was raining.

  “Oh,” Reggie said, blurting out the word. Will sank back to the ground, looking past his parents to find Queenie nosing Reggie’s hand. Or she had been. He’d pulled it back and was wiping it on his pants.

  “Queenie,” Will said, jumping to his feet. “Leave ‘im alone. Come sit by Mama.”

  “She can stay,” Reggie said, reaching out to pat the golden retriever now. “She probably just smells Howl. I once had a dog named Eastwood. He went everywhere with me.”

  “Even into the Army?” Will asked, returning to his chair.

  “I got ‘im from the Army,” Reggie said as if Will should’ve known that already. “Retired war dog. Came home with me when I retired too.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Mama said, and she was willing to let Queenie sit by Reggie and get scrubbed. It sure seemed like Reggie needed the dog, and Will smiled at them too.

  “Is that why Max named his cat Elvis?” Will asked, leaning his chair back again. He got it into the best napping position and locked it there.

  “Elvis?” Reggie chuckled. “No, Joan named that silly cat Elvis because she loved Elvis.”

  “Oh.” Will didn’t know what else to say. Max and his wife were separated, as far as he knew, and Gretchen was taking care of Max’s cat, because he had his hands full with three kids and no wife.

  “Max didn’t want to keep him after Joan left,” Reggie said, just stating facts. “Gretchen took the cat, and she doesn’t even like cats.”

  “Gretchen helps everyone,” Will said absently. He wanted to be the one to help her, and he wondered how he could do better at that. Bringing her father here surely would help, he hoped.

  “He could come live here,” Daddy said, surprising Will. He actually turned his head and cracked his eyes to look at his father. “We always need mousers in the barns.”

  “He’s an indoor cat, Dad,” Will said. “You should see what Gretchen feeds him. It’s like cut up salmon and mashed potatoes and peas.”

  Both Mama and Daddy looked at Will, about equal expressions of surprise there. “You’re kidding,” Mama said.

  “Mama,” Will said back. “What did you feed Queenie this morning?”

  “That’s different,” Mama said, squaring her shoulders and looking back out to the beaver den. “She needs her joint supplement.”

  “Yeah,” Will said dryly. “She needs it stuffed inside a peanut butter and banana sandwich.”

  “Used to feed Eastwood raw steak,” Reggie barked out. “That dog loved steak.”

  Will started laughing, and when his dad joined in, he felt freer and happier than he had in a long, long, long time.

  Now, he just needed Gretchen to show up so he could introduce her around to everyone in the family. He’d already sent them a stern text about being on their best behavior that night, to which Travis had replied with a laughing emoji. Lee had promised he would if Will wouldn’t say anything about taking the game to town for him, and Ford wouldn’t be there tonight so there’d be no oily dogs and no muddy boys.

  Mama was always nice, and Daddy was getting better. Clarissa and Spencer weren’t a problem, and Clarissa had given him permission to bring both Gretchen and Reggie to dinner. She was cooking, so Will only thought it fair to let her know there’d be two more mouths to feed.

  His mind drifted, and he imagined the Sunday family dinners with everyone there. Mama and Daddy, Clarissa and Spence. Trav and Shay, and him and Gretchen. Lee had a brunette at his side, and even Cherry had come home to celebrate…something.

  Will didn’t know what. He just knew he was happy in the vision, and he had Gretchen at his side, and all he needed was her, and all she needed was him.

  27

  Gretchen smelled the evidence of something brown, something baked, and something bite-worthy as soon as she got out of her van. She saw the handsome, grumpy cowboy coming toward her, and she promptly forgot everything else.

  “Sorry,” she said as Will enveloped her in a hug. “I had to go home and change. I couldn’t come meet your mama and daddy wearing chocolate-caramel clothes.” She giggled as Will swung her around, her feet coming off the ground.

  “It’s fine,” he drawled as he put her down. “Rissa says the meatballs are just comin’ out, and she can hold the sauce as long as we need.”

  “But we don’t want to,” a man yelled from somewhere inside the house. Gretchen looked past Will in surprise, expecting to see Travis on the porch, his arms folded. He wasn’t there. “So kiss her quick and let’s eat.”

  The sliding sound of a window closing echoed through the farm stillness, and Will grumbled, “I’m going to kill him in his sleep, don’t worry.”

  “That actually does worry me,” Gretchen said, though she knew he was kidding. “But you better do what he said.”

  “Kiss you?”

  “Yeah,” she said, walking her hands up the front of his shirt. He hadn’t been home to change since she’d seen him at the shop a few hours ago. “But don’t do it quick.”

  “You want a mutiny on your hands,” he murmured right before he touched his lips to hers. No, Gretchen wanted to taste the strength in his mouth, and she wanted to feel the strands of his hair through her fingers, and she wanted to be enveloped in the warmth of his arms for a good, long while.

  She kissed him back for several long moments, and then a dinner bell filled the air. Will pulled away, chuckling and saying, “You did want to meet them.”

  “Who’s doing that?”

  “That’s Rissa’s subtle way of saying dinner is ready, and I’ve been kissin’ you for long enough.” He took her hand and led her the rest of the way to the steps. “They’re nice people,” he said, as if he needed to explain before they went in. He paused just outside the closed front door. It could use a wreath, but Gretchen would excuse it’s nakedness for now.

  He looked at her, helplessness in every inch of his face. “They’re just Coopers.”

  “I like Coopers,” Gretchen said, squeezing his hand. “You don’t need to apologize for them.”

  “All right.” He sighed as he opened the door, and Gretchen entered the farmhouse first. The foyer seemed like it belonged to people with money, and shock blipped through her. She’d never thought of Will as rich, but she probably should’ve.

  “Howdy,” a man said, and Gretchen’s eyes flew toward the arched doorway that clearly led into the kitchen. A hallway branched off the foyer in the opposite direction too, but it sure felt like it didn’t get used very often.

  “That’s Lee,” Will said, taking a step forward and bringing Gretchen with him. She moved, her legs feeling a bit wooden. “He’s the oldest brother. He’s got a son, but Ford’s with his mom tonight.”

  “I’ve met Lee,” Gretchen said, smiling as she relaxed. Honestly, getting her voice to work was a major accomplishment. “Nice to see you again, Lee.”

  “I’ve been sick on caramel for days,” he said with a grin, and he leaned in and kissed both of her cheeks when she arrived in front of him. There was no spark in his touch, not like there was with Will, and she beamed at him as Lee turned and went into the kitchen. “The crazy is in here.”

  “Get out of here!” a woman yelled, and Gretchen suspected that was Clarissa, Will’s sister. “Travis, I swear, I’m going to chop off your hand in the night.”

  “See?” Will said. “Killing him would be far more humane.”

  Gretchen smiled and kept it on her face. She and Will stepped through the arch, and the house opened up on this side. The kitchen had been designed by someone who knew how to put the appliances, the sink, and the counter space in exactly the right place for a chef.

  Rissa was currently waving a towel at Travis, who danced out of the kitchen area. “Get over here,” another woman said, and she wore a look of displeasure as she reached for Travis.

  “That’s Shayla Nelson,” Will said. “Have you met her?”

  “Yes,” Gretchen said. “She and Travis were at the New Year’s Beach Bash.” Shayla looked her way, and Gretchen could’ve sworn she looked relieved to find another non-Cooper. That was what streamed through Gretchen at the moment, and she lifted her free hand in a shoulder-high wave.

  “Plus, I catered the tent reveal, don’t you remember?”

  “Oh, right,” Will said. “Duh. I think that’s when I started thinkin’ about you day and night.” He grinned at her and leaned forward like he might kiss her.

  “Don’t you dare come in here again,” Rissa said. “Lee, get Mama and Daddy. Will, go get Reggie. Travis, sit down.” Rissa gave him a final glare before she switched her gaze to Gretchen. Her bright green eyes took her in after a single breath, and then she softened.

  “My,” she said, pressing one hand to her chest as the men mobilized.

  “Rissa,” Will said. “Don’t.” He’d released Gretchen’s hand, but he hadn’t moved yet. “This is Gretchen Bellows. Gretchen, my sister, Clarissa. The younger one.” He stayed for one more minute, until Gretchen nodded at him that he could go. Once he had, Gretchen stepped right into Clarissa.

  “It’s so wonderful to meet you,” she said.

  Rissa hugged her back. “You’re so beautiful,” she said. “So perfect for Will. Have you two seen yourselves together?” She stepped back and searched Gretchen’s eyes. “Just…wow. He loves you so much.”

  “The feeling is mutual,” Gretchen said, finding it odd that Rissa was…crying over this. She glanced toward the back wall of windows, where Will had gone, but he hadn’t quite made it outside yet.

  Rissa released her, sniffling, and said, “Go sit. Will usually takes a seat by Daddy, but I think he’ll put your daddy there tonight. So way down on the right side there.” She nodded in the general direction, but Gretchen detoured toward Shayla.

  “Good to see you again, Shayla,” she said, extending her hand.

  “Oh, girl, get in here for a hug.” Shayla took Gretchen into a hug too, adding, “We’ll have to stick together, me and you. This family can eat you alive.”

  “They can?” Gretchen asked.

  Shayla nodded as she pulled back. “Just wait. If not tonight, then another time. They’re ravenous.”

  “I know I am,” Travis said from where he sat. He twisted and smiled at Gretchen. “And we don’t eat people…usually.”

  “It’s meatball sub night,” Rissa yelled as Will entered with Gretchen’s father. Watching the two of them froze the clock for her for the second time that day. Will had turned toward her father and leaned down slightly to hear him better. Daddy moved with his oxygen tank trundling along behind him, but his cane nowhere in sight. Instead, he’d looped his hand through Will’s arm, and the very sight of them together made Gretchen emotional.

  Her dad could be a lot to handle, and here was Will—the grumpiest of them all, supposedly—smiling at him gently and moving with him as if he were a precious kitten.

  People moved around her. Chairs scraped the tile floor. Rissa kept yelling something about the freshly baked bread and the sauce she’d been working on for hours. But Gretchen didn’t look away from Will and Daddy until Will had him seated on the corner of the table. Then he looked up to search for her.

  She walked toward him, and he slid his hand into hers. “Mama,” he said as Lee came inside with their mother. Will lifted Gretchen’s hand and kissed it, his lips still somewhat curved into a smile. “This is Gretchen Bellows.”

  “Oh, my dear.” His mama took a moment to steady herself, and Lee hesitated to release her. He did, and she grabbed onto Gretchen, who silently vowed she would not drop this woman. “It’s so lovely to meet you.”

  Gretchen positively melted into her touch, the memories of her own mama flowing thickly through her whole soul. She didn’t mean to, and she was going to ruin her makeup, but tears came into her eyes. She missed her mother so much, and Will’s mama smelled so much like her. She sounded like her. She could be herself.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice pinched as she stepped back. She swiped hurriedly at her eyes while Will and his mother watched her. She put a smile on her face, foolishness filling her. “My mother—” she cut off as her face scrunched.

  “It’s okay,” his mother said, taking both of her hands into her papery ones. “Will told me your mama died a few years ago.” She wore such a kind smile, and she reminded Gretchen so much of Daddy.

  She was sick, but she was fighting hard.

  Gretchen just nodded and took deep breath after deep breath. Will lifted his chin toward the door leading out onto the deck, but she shook her head. Besides, a dog came in that way, and Gretchen crouched in her maxi skirt to pat him.

  “Hello, there,” she said to the animal, who smiled at her like he’d been waiting for her to walk into the room. “What’s your name?”

  “That’s Queen Elizabeth,” Will said. “Mama’s therapy dog. We call ‘er Queenie.”

  “Are we eating or what?” someone bellowed, and Gretchen straightened.

  “I have to introduce Gretchen to Daddy,” Will yelled on back. “You won’t starve.”

  “I might,” Lee said as he slid into the chair right in front of Gretchen. She edge around him and Will’s mama to his daddy.

  “This is my daddy, Wayne,” Will said. “Mama is Chrissy. I don’t think I said that. Daddy, this is Gretchen.”

  He took her into a hug too, and Gretchen didn’t understand what Shayla meant about getting eaten alive. “I see how well you go together,” he said. “No wonder Will was so devastated after you two broke up.”

  “Daddy,” Will said with plenty of warning in his voice. “I wasn’t devastated.”

  “He was,” Travis said.

  “I agree,” another man said, and Will whipped his gaze to him.

  “Spencer,” he said, shocked. “I expected you to be on my side.”

  “Will, you yelled at me every day last week,” Spencer said, grinning at him. “Trust me, you were devastated.”

  “Can we eat?” Lee asked. “The meatballs are going to be stone cold in about five seconds.”

  “They’re fine,” Rissa said, slapping his hand away from the huge vat of meatballs she’d put on the table. Will led Gretchen past her father, and they sat next to him, facing Lee, Travis, and Shayla.

  Clarissa cleared her throat. “Spencer and I have an announcement.” She slapped Travis with an oven mitt as he moaned.

  “Shape up,” Shayla said crossly. “Your sister is trying to talk, and all you’re doing is delaying dinner even more.” She glared at him as the room fell into silence.

  Gretchen stared at her, her mouth open slightly. Shayla moved her gaze off her fiancé’s, finally realizing that she’d caused the quiet in the farmhouse. Redness crept into her cheeks. “Go on, Rissa.”

  “Thank you, Shay,” Rissa said. “Spencer and I are going to have a baby!”

  If Gretchen thought the Coopers had been loud while the introductions got made, what with people yelling to each other, slapping oven mitts around, and scraping chairs, she’d been wrong.

  Will whistled through his teeth, and that alone made Gretchen cringe away and clap her hands over her ears. Lee pounded his fists on the table, and Travis whooped like a police siren as he stood up and engulfed his younger sister in the biggest hug of the night.

  Gretchen looked at Wayne and Chrissy, who both clapped with all they had. Chrissy wasn’t making much noise, but tears streamed down her face. Wayne got to his feet and raised both hands above his head. The noise subsided, but it took a few moments to happen.

  “When is the baby coming?” he asked.

  “November,” Rissa said, beaming at everyone. Travis sat back down, and Rissa turned to her husband. “We’re thrilled, and we can’t wait to share him or her with all of you.” Just as quickly as she’d transformed earlier, she picked up a pair of tongs and pointed them at Will. “You can’t get married in November. Or October for that matter.” She started to lower the tongs. “You know what, let’s just say no fall weddings. All right?”

  Will’s mouth gaped, and then he scoffed. “I’m not going to get married in the fall.”

  Gretchen reached for the napkin beside her plate. “We’re not?” she asked, and once again, the entire room went silent. She quite liked the power of that, and she calmly spread her napkin in her lap and looked right at Will. “So do you want a summer wedding or a winter wedding?”

  “It’s kind of quick for summer nuptials,” Lee said, and Gretchen nodded seriously though she’d heard the teasing undertone in Lee’s voice. She shot him a smile and found him grinning too.