“Lee?” Rissa asked, and he turned toward her. “How long until dinner? Daddy wants to know.”

  “I’ll check,” he said, and he turned back toward the kitchen.

  Travis gestured with one long arm, and Lee counted it as a miracle that he couldn’t hear his brother’s voice down here. He strode toward them, making his face as stern as possible.

  “Can you guys knock it off?” he hissed as he leaned his palms into the island counter.

  “You’re the one who told me to talk to him,” Will said back.

  “I don’t need to be talked to,” Travis said. “Like I’m some little boy who won’t share his toys.” He shook his head and untied his apron. “Dinner is ready. I’m not going to cause a big scene, and I’m not eating cold mashed potatoes.”

  The three of them stood there and glowered at each other, and Lee didn’t know how to diffuse this situation. He never did with his brothers, and he looked at Will for help.

  William Cooper had learned how to cool his temper quite a bit over the past several months, but he wasn’t sure why Travis had chosen tonight of all nights to get riled up.

  “Travis,” he said, wishing he could step in front of Lee. His brother had tamed his surly attitude a lot recently too, and he wanted tonight to be perfect for Rose and Autumn. And Mama, Will thought. He wanted the holidays to be perfect for Mama, and surely Travis wanted that too.

  “Can you shelve this for now?” Will asked. “For Mama? For Rissa? It’s her baby’s first Thanksgiving, and she doesn’t want a big brawl over the turkey and gravy.”

  “I don’t want that either,” Travis said. “Can we just not do this now? I was fine, getting all my frustration out in the cooking.”

  “You’re really fine?” Lee asked.

  “Yes,” Travis said, rolling his eyes. “I just don’t want to talk to Cherry right now.”

  “Why?” Will asked.

  “That’s between me and her,” Travis said darkly. He stepped away from the huddle and whistled through his teeth. “Time to eat, everyone.” He went down the length of the table and helped Mama and the children clean up their turkeys.

  The women and Daddy came in from outside, and Will smiled at his wife. Travis softened for Shay too, and Will prayed that he’d be on his best behavior for her, at the very least.

  “All right,” Trav said. “Will and Lee are going to bring everything over to the table.” He nodded to the two of them, and Lee jumped into action. Will did the same, using hot pads if Trav had laid them over the ends of the casserole dishes.

  Turkey, stuffing, bowls of mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus with balsamic glaze, creamed corn, freshly baked rolls, honey butter, raspberry butter, brown gravy and white gravy, the dishes went on and on.

  Travis named them all as Lee and Will set the dishes down in the middle of the table. “We’ve got pies later too,” he said, his grin wide. “So don’t eat too much now.”

  “I think that’s impossible,” Daddy said, rubbing his hands together. He grinned from his spot in the middle of the table. “Mama, will you say grace?”

  Will put the last stack of napkins on the table and slid into his seat beside his wife, flashing her a smile as Mama nodded at Daddy. She waited for Lee to take his seat too, quiet Ford, and then she smiled up and down the table.

  “We are so blessed to have you all here with us,” she said, her voice soft yet powerful. Will took Gretchen’s hand in his and squeezed. She did the same back to him, and he reminded himself that even if he argued with his siblings, he always had her to comfort him. He tried to do the same for her, especially on days when she had to deal with her daddy’s stubbornness. Sometimes Will would take him to his appointments and sit with him while he told the same stories he’d heard before, just to get him to take his medication.

  He’d do it everyday, gladly, for Gretchen, because he loved her with all he had.

  “Dear Lord,” Mama said, and Will bowed his head. His mama didn’t allow cowboy hats in the house, and his hung on a hook by the front door. “We thank Thee for family. We’re grateful for all the men and women and little boys and girls who’ve joined our fold.” She paused, and Will wasn’t sure if it was from emotion or exhaustion.

  “Bless us to be thankful for each other,” Mama said. “Sometimes we struggle with that, and if there are any here who need to forgive, allow them to do so. If any need to be forgiven, bless them with that as well.”

  Another pause, and Will glanced up to watch his mama. She’d taught him so much over the years, and he hated watching her struggle to walk, to get out of bed, to cook, to find the right thing to say.

  “Bless the food,” she said. “Amen.”

  “Amen,” they chorused, and Will added his voice to the rest of the family. Time suspended for a moment, where no one moved. Then Travis reached for the huge platter of turkey, and said, “White meat, Mama?”

  Lee helped his son and his soon to be stepdaughter with the creamed corn and rolls, which sat in front of him. The food went around, and Will took too much of everything that came his way.

  “How are you going to eat all of that?” Gretchen asked, looking at his plate.

  “It’s a tough job,” he said. “I think I’m up to the challenge.”

  “Thanksgiving dinner isn’t a challenge,” Gretchen said. “And remember, I brought those crispy mint squares for dessert.” She craned her neck to look over to the island. “I don’t see them…but I brought them.”

  Shayla leaned halfway across the table and picked up the basket of bread. “Trav hid those,” she whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. Maybe not the people down at the end of the table where Cherry sat with Jed and Spencer, but definitely her husband. “He loves them, and he’s afraid he won’t have enough to eat today.”

  “Hey,” Trav said, and Will wanted to tell Shay not to poke the bear. He looked at Trav, but he wasn’t about to blow. “You’re the one who said we should hide a few so you had breakfast for the next couple of days.”

  Shay giggled and sat back down. “Did I say that?” She gave Gretchen a knowing look, and Will smiled too. Dinner continued without incident, and Will kept eating far past his comfort level.

  “All right,” Daddy said as he took a couple of plates into the kitchen. “I want to hear what everyone is grateful for.”

  A couple of people groaned, one of them Cherry. Will fully expected her to bolt but do it in a Cherry-like fashion that made it seem like she was just stepping out for a moment. Then she wouldn’t come back. Will had seen her do it loads of times, and he watched her as she leaned closer to Jed and said something he had to bend closer to hear.

  Will hated whispering in a crowd, and he very nearly rolled his eyes. They were both older than him, and they should know better. Cherry was acting like she was sixteen with her first boyfriend, and Jed simply had stars in his eyes.

  Cherry wore her hair slicked back into an elegant ponytail that rested at the base of her neck, and her brown and white striped sweater felt festive for turkey day. She’d always been sophisticated and classy, and with Jed at her side, those qualities were only enunciated.

  He wasn’t a slob or anything, but he wore black plaid with jeans and his hair had clearly been under a cowboy hat for a while today. Will had always liked Jed Forrester just fine, and he glanced over to Travis.

  His brother had gotten to his feet, and Will got up to help clear the table too. He snagged another roll before he sat back down, and Daddy stood behind his chair. “All right. Who wants to go first?”

  “I will, Daddy,” Rissa said, and Will tore off a piece of bread. He could’ve predicted Rissa’s next sentence—anyone at the table could have. “I’m grateful for my husband and baby.”

  “That’s a cop-out,” Travis said.

  “She can be grateful for whatever she wants,” Mama said. “Trav, you’re next.”

  He looked like he might argue but the tension in his jaw disappeared in the next moment. “I’m grateful that it hasn’t rained much yet.”

  “Rain?” Rissa challenged.

  “The lack of rain,” Trav said back, throwing her a look that traveled the length of the table.

  “He can be grateful for whatever he wants,” Mama said. Will honestly wasn’t sure what had crawled into Trav’s breakfast that morning, but he was seriously annoyed by almost everyone here.

  “I’ll go, Mama,” Will said, hoping to diffuse both Rissa and Trav. All eyes turned to him, and Will wished he’d been more prepared for what he’d say. “I’m grateful that we have this farm, where we can all have a place to live, in our own houses, but close to one another.”

  Silence followed, and Will glanced at Gretchen. “Baby?”

  “I’m not going after that,” she said.

  “Yeah, thanks a lot, Will,” Lee said. “Daddy, can we pause this?”

  “No,” Daddy said, grinning around. “Cherry?”

  “Pass,” she said.

  “I’m grateful for video games,” Lee said.

  “That’s a good one, Daddy,” Ford said. “I’m grateful for hacky sacks.”

  Will grinned at his nephew. “Have you shown Grandma and Grandpa how you can play hacky sack?”

  “Not yet,” Ford said, his face lighting up.

  “You should.”

  Ford looked at his father. “Dad, can we go get my hacky sack?”

  “Not right now,” Lee said, shooting a glare at Will.

  “What? It’s a good distraction,” Will said.

  “I’m grateful for big families,” Rosalie said, leaning toward her daughter.

  “I’m grateful for baby cows,” Autumn said, and Daddy chuckled.

  “Can’t follow that,” Spencer said, also laughing. “I guess I’m grateful for dairy cows.”

  “Dairy cows?” Jed asked, a loud laugh following. “I’m grateful for corn.”

  “Corn?” Cherry asked, grinning at him.

  “Your mama said I could be grateful for anything, and I’m grateful for corn.”

  “Why’s that?” Lee asked, though no one had to say why they’d chosen what they’d said. Lee didn’t even play video games; his fiancée owned a gaming company, for crying out loud.

  “Because Cherry wandered into the maze at my farm, got lost, and I got to help her out of the corn.”

  Cherry positively beamed at Jed, and Will would give him points for saying the exact right thing.

  “I’m grateful for my grandchildren,” Daddy said.

  “That was mine,” Mama said, swatting his arm.

  “You can have it too,” he said. He surveyed the family at the table. “Who hasn’t gone?”

  “Cherry,” Travis said, and Will threw him a sharp look.

  “Your wife hasn’t said anything either,” Lee said.

  Shay smiled at Lee, and then Mama and Daddy. “I’m grateful for good examples in my life.”

  Will lifted his arm and put it around Gretchen. “Your turn,” he murmured, as he was fairly certain Cherry was going to pass again.

  “I’m grateful for modern medicine,” Gretchen said, and that kept the atmosphere solemn and somber.

  Everyone looked at Cherry, and she squirmed. For being the oldest—and a Cooper—she sure didn’t like being in the spotlight.

  “Cherry-blossom?” Daddy prompted. “Are you going to pass again?”

  “No,” she said, and she cleared her throat. “I’m grateful for family.”

  Travis wanted to leave the dinner table. Now. It was too soon for pie, but he got to his feet and picked up a couple of dishes left in the middle of the table. He could start the dishes, so then he didn’t have to listen to everyone fawn over Cherry and how wonderful it was that she was back in Sweet Water Falls.

  He didn’t like the poisonous thoughts eating through him, but he didn’t know how to get rid of them. He hated with everything inside him that he’d run into Brandon Alcott a couple of weeks ago. He’d give anything to go back in time and make Will go to the hardware store.

  Apparently, Brandon had heard through the small-town rumor mill that Cherry would soon be returning to town. That wasn’t hard to believe, as Will had been talking to everyone and their mule about a job for Cherry.

  He’d said some terrible things that Travis hadn’t wanted to believe. He hadn’t told anyone else about them, not even Shay. Everyone could see that he was slowly going rotten on the inside. He had little control over his temper, and he’d been trying to stick to the Berthas since running into stupid Brandon Alcott.

  The water ran hot in the sink, and he started rinsing the dishes and loading them into the dishwasher. Someone came up beside him, and Travis nearly threw the plate and ran.

  “Hey,” Cherry said.

  “Hey.” Travis couldn’t do this here, but the words choked him.

  “Are you okay?” Cherry asked.

  He checked over his shoulder, and he caught both Will and Lee watching them. He shook his head and looked back at his sister. “Not really,” he said, loading another plate into the dishwasher.

  “You’ve been kind of distant with me,” she said.

  “Did you ever…date Brandon Alcott?” Travis ignored the water and plates and silverware.

  “No,” Cherry said, something shuttering over her face.

  “He says you did,” Travis said, his voice barely louder than the running water.

  “It wasn’t a relationship,” Cherry said, her voice breaking. She turned fully toward him. “What did he tell you?”

  Travis faced her too, something storming inside his chest. “He said he slept with you, Cherry. I didn’t believe him, and there may have been…a scuffle in the hardware store.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “It was a long time ago,” she whispered. “I’ve only told Lee. Mama and Daddy don’t even know.”

  “So he wasn’t lying.”

  “I don’t know what he said,” Cherry said, reaching to wipe her eyes. She blinked rapidly. “It’s the main reason I left town to begin with.”

  “Everything okay?” Lee asked.

  Travis handed him the sponge. “I need to talk to Cherry.” He took his sister’s hand and led her into the garage.

  “Travis,” she said.

  “I hate feeling this way about you,” he said, running his hands through his hair. “I knew you weren’t happy here, but I didn’t know…this.”

  “I was in a very bad place,” Cherry said. “I’d just realized Charlie was never going to marry me. I was stupid. Brandon was there.” She shook her head.

  “He was one of my friends,” Travis said.

  “I can’t believe it took him this long to tell you.”

  “He wanted to know if you were still single.”

  “We had a one-night stand.” Cherry drew in a deep breath. “I got pregnant.”

  Travis’s mouth dropped open. “You did?”

  “I ran,” she said. “It’s taken me twelve long years to come to terms with myself, and I’m sorry.” She looked absolutely miserable, and Travis didn’t want that for her.

  He took her into a hug, and her entire frame shook as she cried. “I’m sorry, Cherry,” he whispered. Guilt tugged and pulled and yanked through him. “I’ve been thinking the worst about you, and it’s been eating me up inside. And really, I should’ve been helping you.”

  “No one can help me,” she whispered. “I’m the only one who can do that.” She stepped back. “And before you ask, I lost the baby. There is no child out there. Just my pure humiliation and shame.”

  Travis searched for the right thing to say. He wasn’t entirely sure, but what came out of his mouth was, “Did you hear us when you announced you were coming home?”

  “Don’t,” she said.

  “We all want you here. We’ve wanted you here for a long time.”

  She said nothing, and Travis gathered her into another hug. “Will you forgive me for being mad at you?”

  “Nothing to forgive.”

  “Nothing for me to forgive either,” he said. “Okay?”

  “I don’t know how to tell Mama,” she said.

  “Who says you have to tell her?” Travis asked.

  “I do,” Cherry said. “I have to clear everything, or I’ll never stay here.”

  “And you want to stay.” Travis tried a smile, and while Cherry didn’t return it, her eyes weren’t made of glass anymore either. “Jed wants you to stay.”

  “If I’m going to be with him, I have to tell him too,” she said.

  “Everyone has a past,” Travis said. “Absolutely everyone. No one’s perfect, Cherry.”

  The door behind him opened, and both Lee and Will stood there. Rissa crowded in behind them. “Travis,” she barked. “What are you doin’ to her?”

  “Nothing,” Travis and Cherry said together. He faced the rest of his siblings and gestured for them to come out into the garage too. They did, and he spread his arms and tried to hold them all at the same time. He could only get his arms around Cherry, patting Will’s shoulder, and then Lee.

  “I lied in there,” he said. “I’m not grateful it hasn’t rained yet. Well.” He shrugged as much as he was able. “I am, but what I’m really grateful for is you guys. My brothers and sisters.”

  No one said anything, and Travis simply basked in the fact that he didn’t have a demon inside him anymore, threatening to burst out and ruin Thanksgiving for everyone.

  “I’m grateful for you too,” Cherry said. “For you, Trav, and for all of you.”

  “Me too,” Rissa murmured at the same time as Lee and Will.

  Travis met Cherry’s eye, and she simply gave him a smile. “All right,” he said. “If we’re all out here, who’s doing the dishes?”

  “The better question is who’s stopping Daddy from eating the pie straight out of the fridge?” Lee asked.

  They all laughed, and Travis hung back as everyone went back inside the farmhouse. He took a deep breath once he was alone, and he looked up toward the heavens. A sigh moved through him, and he finally felt centered again.

  “What are you doin’ out here?”

  He jumped at the strange, almost robotic-cowboy voice, and then laughed when he found his wife standing there, grinning at him. “You have a terrible male voice,” he said.