Lee had told her he’d support her any way she wanted, but he ran his family’s farm now. He was the boss, and once the move was done, he’d be living in the main farmhouse. He was the perfect person to take over Cooper & Company and Sweet Water Falls, and Rose didn’t want to make his burden more than it was.

  As Lee set Autumn on the sand and lifted his eyes to hers, Rose had the very distinct feeling that she’d be very happy without Curious Kids. She’d been made to be at Lee’s side, and that was exactly where she wanted to be.

  He took her into his arms as Autumn went back toward Nat and the waves. “Mm, reading?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I’m surprised you made the drive.”

  “It’s crazy at the farm,” he said, his voice taking on a dark tint. “Trust me, it’s better I’m here.”

  Rose looked up at him, concern spiking through her. “Yeah? Is it going to be intense tomorrow?”

  He met her eye, a frown forming between his. “You’ve met my family, right?” He looked up and gazed out at the ocean again. “We make everything into a big deal. Picking up the wrong lamp causes an all-out war.”

  Rose grinned at him, because she knew his love for his family ran as deep as his irritation. “Whose lamp did you touch, Lee?”

  “I didn’t touch it,” he said. “But Cherry took a lamp that Will had just bought, thinking it went to the farmhouse, and you’d have thought she clubbed him with it and then stole his favorite cowboy boots.” He shook his head, no smile or chuckle in sight.

  Rose giggled, because that sounded like classic William Cooper behavior. He’d curbed a lot of that in recent months since marrying Gretchen and then finding out they were going to be parents. But sometimes, that redheaded gene came out with a vengeance. It happened to Lee too, and Rose knew she hadn’t seen the last of his temper. She simply loved him anyway, because he tried very hard, and he really was made of muscles around marshmallow.

  He sank into Nat’s chair, and Rose retook hers. She laced her fingers through his, her book forgotten. Lee was here now, and he was the only distraction she ever needed.

  The following morning, Rose pulled up to the farmhouse, several pickup trucks already parked there. The sun had risen already, because April was well into itself, and the afternoons were nearly unbearable already.

  She reminded herself that she’d chosen to get married in the afternoon, right here on this farm, and that she needed to call Violet and make sure the misters would be good to go.

  Rose went up to the house alone, as her parents, Nat, and Autumn were at least fifteen minutes behind her. She’d told Lee she’d be here at nine a.m. and she didn’t want to be late for his moving day.

  She didn’t knock on the front door, but went right inside the way she usually did. Voices echoed into the lobby from the kitchen, but they didn’t sound angry.

  So far so good, she thought. She went under the arch and into the kitchen, where someone—probably Rissa—had set up a breakfast bar. Breads and muffins as far as the eye could see sat on the island, along with plates of butter, knives, and jars of Chrissy’s homemade jam.

  “Rose,” Cherry said. “Have you eaten? You can break our tie.” She rushed at Rose, which wasn’t a good sign. She almost wanted to throw up her hands to ward off Lee’s sister. Or protect her face. Something.

  “Break the tie?” Rose asked.

  “I brought two new offerings from The Bread Boy,” Cherry said. “We’re voting on which one Shane should put on the menu next week.” Cherry had been working with Shane Bowen and his new, start-up bread-only bakery in Sweet Water Falls for a few months now. They’d been quite the talk of the town in recent weeks, as Shane offered a free slice of his “bread of the week” to specifically-name people. A new name every day. It was a marketing strategy Cherry had come up with to get people into the shop. And it had worked really well.

  She and Lee had ordered all the bread for the bruschetta for their wedding from Shane, and when Rose had gone to taste it, she’d had a very hard time choosing which one she wanted.

  Of course, she and Lee seemed to like night and day different things, so he’d liked the ones she’d vetoed immediately. He let her pick, claiming he trusted her palette more than his, and Rose had narrowed it down to a sourdough option and a dark rye option. Both would be delicious with the tomato, olive, and mushroom toppings the caterers were doing.

  Gretchen was making the wedding cake, of course. Rissa and her ice cream shoppe would supply all the ice cream. The main course was a pizza buffet, as everyone in the Cooper family adored pizza, and it was easy to make for a crowd.

  The caterer, a woman named Sage Grady, had designed a menu that was both upscale and farm-friendly, so the cowboys and townspeople would be equally satisfied.

  Rose had wanted something chic, but country, and the salami, basil, and honey pizza fit the bill.

  “First,” Cherry said. “We have an apple loaf.” She nodded to Lee, who dutifully handed Rose a chunk of bread.

  She put it in her mouth, but there were no apple chunks. It wasn’t a doughnut, and the bread merely came with the tang of a green apple.

  “It’s better toasted,” Rissa said right as a toaster popped up a piece of bread. “With the caramel butter.” She raised her eyebrows in Rose’s direction, and Rose nodded.

  “Like a caramel apple.”

  “In bread form,” Gretchen said, her whole face lit up. It was obvious which bread flavor she’d chosen.

  Rose accepted the piece of toast, and she took a bite. A moan started in her taste buds and quickly moved down her throat. She got salt from the butter, cream, that hint of caramel and apple, all in a crunchy bite of toast.

  “This is amazing,” she said, looking around at the others. Lee had voted for this one as well, she could tell. Will too, if his giant grin meant anything. Rissa and Spence looked indifferent, playing their perfect poker faces.

  “What’s my other choice?” she asked.

  Cherry turned to the counter and picked up another chunk of bread. “This is a Swiss and sage loaf.”

  Rose generally liked savory things over sweet, but she could smell the bread before she popped the square into her mouth. Too much cheese. The sharp Swiss flavor punched her in the back of the throat, but she managed not to give away too much.

  “It’s also better toasted,” Rissa said. “With a honey butter that tones down the cheese.” She doctored up another piece of toast, and Rose took a few bites. She didn’t want to finish it, and she held it out to the group, clearly offering it to them.

  Half of them groaned and the other half cheered. Cherry grinned the hardest, and she turned to Jed, planting both of her palms against his chest.

  “I think I have a hidden superpower I didn’t know about.”

  “Creating bread flavors?” he asked, chuckling. Rose loved watching the two of them interact, and she wondered when Jed was going to propose. She didn’t bother Cherry with personal questions like that. Rissa would, or Chrissy, or even Shay. Sometimes Lee, and Rose would just hear about it via text or over a meal with him. He had a very close relationship with his sister, and Rose found that endearing for both of them as well.

  “Shane will be thrilled,” Cherry said. “Thanks, everyone, for participating in the taste-test.” She turned and faced them, her hand falling to Jed’s at her side.

  “Can I have another piece of that caramel apple toast?” Rose asked.

  “We can leave it out,” Lee said almost the moment she finished speaking. “Daylight’s burning. Let’s get started.”

  Everyone looked from him to her and back. Rose gave him a smile, and Lee sighed. “Fine. One more piece of toast for everyone, and then we’ve got two families to move, and it’s hot already.”

  Another cheer went up, and Rose kept her eyes glued to Lee as he came to her side and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Sorry,” she murmured.

  “It’s their funeral,” he said. “I just hope they don’t complain to me when it’s ninety degrees and they’re moving my heavy entertainment center.”

  Rose snuggled into his side and said, “I love you, Lee. One more week.”

  “One more week,” he murmured too, and then he took her hand and took her out of the kitchen.

  “No toast?” she asked playfully.

  “After,” he said as he lowered his head to kiss her. She didn’t have to ask after what, because kissing Lee was far better than toast, even an apple-flavored slice with caramel butter.

  27

  Jed knew how to work hard, and the second weekend of April had him hauling someone else’s furniture, boxes, and clothing from one house to another.

  He wouldn’t be anywhere else on this gorgeous Saturday, and he couldn’t stop smiling at everyone he went by.

  Spencer Rust, Clarissa’s husband. He’d gladly shown up to help Lee and Ford move from their cabin into the big white farmhouse.

  Wayne and Chrissy were moving into Will’s cabin, as he’d vacated it the previous week. Or two weeks.

  Jed had a lot going on, and he couldn’t keep track of everything going on at three farms. His family’s, Cherry’s family’s, and his new ranch—Cowboy Ranch in Sweet Water Falls.

  The sale had gone through at the end of March, and Betty’s children had come and done the same thing the Cooper siblings were doing now: They’d moved her out of her house.

  Off her property.

  Jed had gotten the keys to the house, the barns, to every gate and outbuilding, all of it, about a week and a half ago, and he’d simply stared at them.

  Sometimes he still did, marveling at how many there were and that they belonged to him.

  Him.

  He hadn’t moved onto the ranch yet, because he wanted to renovate the house before he had to live in it. No one needed his cabin, and the commute from farm to farm took seven minutes.

  He’d been working eighteen hours per day since taking possession of those keys, because Betty had left all of her animals. They had to be fed and watered and taken care of, and Jed still had work to do around his family ranch too.

  That would end at the end of April, as Easton had found a couple of new cowboys to work at Forrester Farms, the same way he had with the office manager.

  Cherry had gotten the job at the County Clerk’s office, and she’d turned it down. She’d gone all-in with Shane Bowen and The Bread Boy. She worked there from dawn to mid-afternoon, and then she’d show up on Jed’s ranch and putter around with him.

  Sometimes she sat on her phone while he ripped down outdated kitchen cabinets. Sometimes she’d pick up a paintbrush and help him update the color of the walls in the living room. Once, she’d changed his wash only to call to him with some measure of panic that the appliance was leaking.

  Jed anticipated many moments of brief panic as he discovered all the cracks and issues on his new ranch.

  He wouldn’t have it any other way, and he didn’t want to go through all of those terrible moments alone. His pulse skipped and stumbled as he thought about asking Cherry to be his wife.

  They’d talked about marriage plenty of times. Cherry had brought it up; he had too. They’d talked about the horses and dogs they wanted, and he’d consulted with her several times about the décor, paint colors, and other fixtures she might like for the house.

  He just hadn’t gotten the question asked yet.

  The diamond currently sat in his jeans pocket, and after Jed delivered the bookcase to the bedroom where Ford would live in the farmhouse, he patted his leg just to make sure the ring still rode there.

  It did, and Jed had a feeling the day was winding down. The breads lined up on the counter in the kitchen had gotten picked over, and as Jed stepped into the hallway, he nearly got decapitated by Travis as he hauled in a full-length mirror.

  “Sorry,” they said in tandem, and Trav added a grunt, because the free-standing mirror was heavy and he had to adjust it.

  Jed got out of the hallway as Will came through the front door with part of an obviously handmade and hand carved bed frame.

  “Don’t stop,” Lee called. “We’re right behind you.”

  Jed dashed forward to help Will, and together, they maneuvered the frame around the corner, down the hall, and then through the doorway.

  They breathed hard and then flattened themselves against the wall as Lee and Spencer came in with the second piece.

  They worked together to make the corners square and the bed frame strong and sure.

  Rose and Ford came into the room with his twin mattress, and Jed grinned at both of them.

  Something about the Coopers exuded magic, and Jed sure did like basking in it.

  “How much more?” Lee asked.

  “Whatever’s in that truck,” Rose said, wiping her hair back. “Your cabin is empty now.”

  “Besides my stuff,” Will said.

  “Yes, besides Will and Gretchen’s things,” Rose said, flashing him a quick smile.

  “Let’s go see, bud,” Lee said, giving his son a nudge toward the door. Jed stood crammed back in the corner, so he left the room last.

  The line of people went into the kitchen, not back outside to see what else was in the truck, so Jed followed them.

  The whole Cooper family had congregated there, and Rissa and Cherry moved about the kitchen, both of them cooking.

  “Tacos in about fifteen minutes,” Rissa said, and everyone cheered. It wasn’t loud and didn’t last long, because it had been quite the day already.

  Jed’s hand went to his pocket, and while he’d thought a lot about how he’d ask Cherry to marry him, he’d never been in her kitchen while she browned ground beef.

  Chatter and laughter filled the room as several people took seats at the long dining room table. Jed stood as a hinge, halfway between the activity in the kitchen and the conversations at the table.

  Cherry’s parents sat on a couch across from the table, Ford next to Wayne, showing him something in a notebook.

  Jed didn’t know what came over him, but he didn’t mind having eyes on him. He had a loud voice, and as he withdrew the diamond from his pocket, he yelled, “Can I get everyone’s attention, please?”

  Yes, he could. Easier than he thought too, from his experiences with the Coopers and his stories from Cherry’s childhood.

  “Cherry,” he said, his heartbeat nearly deafening him. “Can you come here for a second?”

  “I’m cooking,” she said.

  “Now is not the time to argue with him,” Rissa said, meeting Jed’s eyes. Something meaningful passed between them, and she stepped over to Cherry without looking away from Jed. “Go on.”

  “I’m cooking,” Cherry said, still not getting it.

  “Cherry,” Lee said, standing from his spot at the table. He came to stand beside Jed, and they exchanged a glance. Lee gave Jed a smile, and he knew Cherry’s brother was on his side.

  Will and Travis came to stand with him too, so that by the time Cherry relinquished the wooden spoon to her sister, Jed stood with all of her brothers.

  “What?” she asked, and she faced him with some level of irritation on her face. He watched it fall away when she saw him.

  He smiled at her. “You’re doing that thing where you tell me the sky isn’t blue just so I won’t be right.”

  Cherry took a breath, obviously thought about saying something—probably that the sky wasn’t blue right now, because the sun had started to set. It was navy, or orange, or pink. But not blue.

  Instead of saying anything, she exhaled. “Okay,” she said. “But you’re stalling us all from eating.”

  “It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Jed said, his thoughts completely clear now.

  “Dangerous,” Travis said with a chuckle, and Jed tossed him a smile.

  Jed’s back and legs ached as he bent and got down on both knees.

  “Jed Forrester,” Cherry said, her voice pitching up.

  “I’m in love with you,” he said. “Cherry Cooper. We’ve talked about the farm time and time again, and I think we should get married as fast as possible so you can live there with me, and we can work on building all of the things we talk about.”

  He held up the diamond ring. “I know you like shiny things, and big shiny things, and I picked this out for you.”

  Cherry covered her mouth with her hands, and Jed noticed the tremble in them.

  “Will you marry me?” he asked.

  The whole farmhouse held its breath, and all the people inside it did too. Jed included.

  Jed shook his head, and added, “This is the one time I need you to say yes to me, sweetheart.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  “No,” Jed said, though his knees hurt and he wanted to stand up. “I’m not accepting ‘okay’ to a proposal.”

  “Cherry,” Shay hissed.

  She grinned at him. “All right, I’ll marry you.”

  “Nope,” he said. “I’m standing up now.”

  “No,” Cherry said, rushing forward. She knelt on the floor in front of him, sliding toward him. She looked at the ring, then up at him.

  He could see her fear, but also her pure joy and desire for him. “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Oh, your mama can’t hear you. Can you, Chrissy?” he called.

  “I didn’t hear her,” Chrissy said back.

  Jed quirked his right eyebrow at Cherry, the playfulness between them off the charts. “In your dilapidated shed voice.”

  “Her what?” Gretchen asked.

  “Yes,” Cherry yelled. “Yes, Jed Forrester, I’ll marry you!”

  The farmhouse erupted into cheers then—at least ten times louder than the reaction to tacos, thank goodness.

  She leaned forward and kissed him right there on the floor of the farmhouse where she’d grown up, and he kissed her right on back.

  Lee whistled through his teeth, and Will and Travis weren’t quiet with the catcalling. Cherry broke the kiss with her laughter, and Jed took Lee’s hand so he could get back to his feet.