He glanced over to Shay, who laughed as she patted her baby’s back. She certainly seemed to know what to do. Will had watched Travis with his daughter too, and everything had seemed so natural. Lee and Rose had merged their families, and while Will knew some of the inner workings of that, and that not everything was pretty and as tidy as it seemed from a distance, Lee still always knew exactly what to do.

  Will didn’t. He never had. He knew how to work hard, and he knew how to run. “I’m a little nervous,” he said.

  “I know.” Mama smashed her top bun laden with potato salad onto her burger and looked at him. “I’d be worried if you weren’t.” She gave him a smile and looked at her picnic dinner. “Now, the real worry should be on whether I can fit my mouth around this burger or not.” She grinned at him and bent her head low to bite into the burger.

  The sight of her made Will laugh, because while Mama had a lot going on in her life in terms of pain and poor health, she was still a vibrant, loving woman. She got a big bite and beamed at him with sloppy potato salad on her face.

  “What’s happenin’ over here?” Daddy asked, putting down his plate. Will couldn’t see a spare centimeter of paper, and he had no doubt Daddy would eat everything he’d taken.

  “Nothing.” Will got to his feet. “Mama’s just tellin’ me that to be a good dad, all I have to do is take really big bites of my food.” He bent down and gave Mama a hug, then stepped into his father’s arms. He’d softened so much in the past year, and Will appreciated him as a man more than he ever had.

  “I love you, Daddy.”

  “I know you do.” Daddy held him tightly and added, “You’ll love that little boy you’re about to have, and if you let that love guide you, you won’t do wrong by him.” He pulled back and looked at Will, bright fire in his dark green eyes. He nodded once, like that was that, and then he sat down next to Mama. He sighed and said, “I’m gonna let Lee grill from now on. My feet hurt.”

  They laughed together, the sound musical, and Will walked away from them. He found Gretchen with an empty seat next to her in the bright sunshine, and Will asked her, “Do you need something to drink, love?”

  “I got two cans of soda,” she said, indicating them. Her blue eyes searched his face, and he didn’t try to hide the conversation with his parents from her. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” He looked toward the food tables, satisfied that nothing had run out yet. “Did you happen to save any of those brownies for later?” They always hid some treats in the shed behind the house so they could have a late-night sweet snack while the fireworks went off.

  Her face relaxed into a beautiful smile, and she giggled. “Yes,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper. “Now go get your food before you get me in trouble.”

  “I knew you’d held back some of your brownies,” Cherry said, and that was Will’s cue to get out of there.

  “There’s plenty,” Gretchen said, her voice a forced kind of casual that made Will fall in love with her even as he walked away from her. “I’m not going to stop you from bagging some up and hiding them for you and Jed.”

  “They’ll melt,” Cherry said.

  “You’re forty-six years old,” Lee drawled. “You can’t figure out where to put brownies so they won’t melt?”

  Will went inside then, blocking out the argument of his siblings. He turned back and looked at them, catching Cherry as she tossed a potato chip at Lee. An uproar started, and all he could do was stand there and chuckle, the love he had for his family filling him from top to bottom.

  “Hello,” someone called, and Will turned at the familiar voice.

  “Reggie,” he said, moving toward Gretchen’s daddy. “You made it.”

  “Cory was late,” the old man griped, his oxygen machine hissing as he exhaled. “But yes, we made it.”

  Will shook his hand, then Gretchen’s older brother’s, and finally he stepped into her aunt Patty and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad. Come eat. There’s plenty.”

  “I told you we wouldn’t miss out on the food,” Cory said, turning back to help his wife with one of their kids. He and Missy had three, and the youngest looked like he’d grown a foot since Will had seen him last.

  He smiled around at all of them and said, “I don’t think we ever run out of food here.” He indicated they should all go in front of him, and he scanned the tables for where they could all sit. Gretchen seemed to sense that he should’ve been back with his food by now, and when she saw her family, she jumped to her feet.

  Well, she couldn’t really do that with her big baby belly, but Will knew she’d moved as quickly as she could. Watching her carry their son had been a unique experience for Will. She’d been in pain he could do nothing about. Her feet had swollen, and none of Mama’s home remedies had worked. Every day, every hour, every slight of discomfort she’d endured, Will loved and appreciated.

  He loved her so very much, and he couldn’t help sliding his hand along her belly and then her hip as she came into the house. “Love you,” he whispered, and she looked at him with surprise.

  His feelings rarely showed themselves in proper situations, but Gretchen had learned to take the moment when he vocalized his emotions. “I love you too,” she said back. “Howdy, Daddy.” She moved toward her father, who barked at Cory as to what he wanted on his plate. With his oxygen tank and cane, he couldn’t hold a plate and dish food.

  “Baby,” he said, softening the moment he laid eyes on Gretchen. He hugged her and kissed her. “Still a boy?” He looked down at his daughter’s belly. “I was so hoping it would be a girl, and you’d get to name her after your mama.”

  “I know, Daddy,” Gretchen said, just as she had the other times her father had said as much. “But as far as we know, he’s still a boy.”

  “Still thinking Elijah?” her daddy asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “Or something like that.” She tossed a look to Will, but he said nothing. Out of all of his brothers, he’d learned that skill the best since becoming married. “Now, come on and let’s find you a spot or you won’t have a good view of the fireworks.”

  Gretchen Cooper stirred the crispy rice cereal into melted marshmallows, a song stuck in the back of her throat. She loved working in the kitchen early in the morning, before anyone else came in. Just because it was her home kitchen didn’t make the silence and the first golden rays of light coming through the slats in the blinds any less magnificent.

  She finished combining everything and poured the treat into a nine by thirteen-inch pan. She buttered her fingers and pressed down the cereal until it was good and compact. She’d melt dipping chocolate just before dinner, cut the treats into squares, skewer them, and make half of them covered in chocolate.

  She and Will made dinner for the family every Friday night. They’d been serving it at the farmhouse where the main family meals had been for ages, but tonight, Will had texted everyone to say dinner would be here at their cabin. With her baby due tomorrow, Gretchen hadn’t gone into Sweet Water Taffy today, nor would she for the next few weeks. She could do business from her phone, and she had a very capable chef and manager in Charlise.

  A hint of stress entered her shoulders, and Gretchen took a deep breath to push it away. She never got that far, because a slice of pain went through her chest and down into her abdomen. Or maybe it had come from her abdomen. She wasn’t sure.

  What she knew was that she suddenly couldn’t breathe properly. It felt like someone had thrown her into an ice-cold swimming pool and her head had just broken the surface. She gasped, sucking at air she couldn’t find.

  Another wave of white-hot pain moved through her, this time from hip to shoulder, across her body. Her lower back ached something fierce, and she braced herself against the countertop with both palms pressing into it.

  She’d never gone into labor before, but a voice in her head screamed at her that this was what it felt like. Tears sprang to her eyes, partly from the pain, but also because it was finally time to meet her boy.

  Her phone had been on the counter a moment ago, but Gretchen took long seconds to find it now. When she did, she fumbled to get to Will’s text, where she finally gained control of herself enough to tap the phone icon, then the speakerphone button.

  “Heya, baby,” he drawled after only one ring. “I just left to go help Jed move his horses. We’ll be back by lunchtime.”

  “Will,” she panted. “Are you driving?”

  “I’m with Lee,” he said. “What’s wrong?”

  “I think I’m going into labor,” she said, though only the echo of pain remained in her body. Had she imagined the slicing, hot motions of only a few moments ago? Everything with her pregnancy had felt long and short at the same time. She almost couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t been pregnant, though she’d spent the first thirty-nine years of her life that way.

  “We’ll head back,” Will said, his tone suddenly sharp and tight. “Lee, turn around right now.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Do it,” Will snapped. “Gretchen’s going to have the baby.” To her, he said, “Hon, we’ll be right there, okay? I’m maybe ten minutes away.”

  “Okay.” Sudden foolishness cut through her now. What if she’d made a mistake? She’d had a tiny bit of pain. She didn’t even know if it had been a contraction or not. The call ended, and Gretchen continued to war with herself.

  “The hospital is thirty minutes away,” she said. “You could easily need to be there by then.”

  She moved into the living room and sat down, then put her legs up on the couch too so she was partially reclining against the armrest. “Better to be safe than sorry, right?” Looking up at the ceiling, she began to pray. “Please let him come today.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m ready for him to come, and I don’t want to inconvenience Will.”

  She prayed for another contraction, but none came. Tears streaked from her eyes, and Gretchen lifted her phone to call Will again. How stupid would false alarm, sorry, feel as it came out of her mouth?

  Really stupid.

  In the next moment, an agonizing blast of hurt hit her, and she dropped her phone. A yell tore from her mouth, and she clutched her stomach where all of the trauma was happening. She rolled onto her side and brought her knees up, anything to try to soothe the pain pouring through her.

  The contraction seemed to go on for a long time, but again, Gretchen’s sense of time was warped. She did stay in the fetal position as much as possible after the pain subsided, trying to catch her breath and think of where her phone had gone.

  She’d just regained most of her senses when everything turned tight in her body again. “Will,” she moaned as another contraction started.

  Then he said, “I’m here, sweetheart.” He ran down the length of the couch and called, “Where are you?”

  “Here,” she said, and he spun toward her. “I can’t…move.” She panted too, because while she’d once broken her leg and she’d suffered through the emotional trauma of her chocolate shop catching fire, she’d never experienced anything like this before.

  “Okay.” Will dropped to his knees in front of her, his hands hovering over her. Pure helplessness and anxiety flowed from him. “Tell me what to do.”

  She loved how he took care of her, and she reached for his face. “Get me to the hospital, cowboy.” She drew in as deep of a breath as she could, and added, “As soon as this contraction ends, I should be able to stand.”

  He took her hand and kissed it. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “I’ve got the truck running,” Lee said, coming into the house. “What else do you need?”

  “There’s a bag in the closet,” Gretchen said.

  “Got it,” Lee said.

  The pain started to ebb, and she squeezed Will’s hand. “Now,” she said.

  “Now?” he asked.

  “Now.”

  4

  Rose entered the hospital with her heels clicking against the tile. Lee had called earlier that day to say Gretchen had gone into labor. He’d just watched his brother drive off the ranch toward the hospital, and Will would keep them all up-to-date.

  He had too, and since Rose had a meeting with one of her cardboard suppliers in New Jersey that afternoon, she’d stayed at the office to work. Autumn and Ford spent their days with Lee, his mother, Rissa, or Shay, as there wasn’t any school to occupy them. Lee made Ford work, and he’d even bought Autumn a pair of cowgirl boots and a hat so she could start doing some age-appropriate things around Sweet Water Falls Farm.

  Any fears Rose had had about being Lee’s wife had dried up within the first twenty-four hours of their marriage. Yes, people came and went from the farmhouse day and night. She’d simply learned to expect it. Yes, they still ate dinner at her dining room table almost every night. She simply didn’t have to cook. Yes, she’d had to learn to juggle things with her ex-husband in California so he could still be involved in their daughter’s life. She’d simply started sending him videos and pictures every few days. Easy.

  Her life at the farm was easy, and Rose loved it.

  “Maternity?” she asked the woman sitting at the information desk. She’d been here before—she’d delivered Autumn in this very hospital—but her mind didn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders for some reason.

  She knew the reason, but no one else did. Not even Lee. She fought against the tears threatening to make an appearance and nodded as the woman said maternity was on the third floor.

  The moment the elevator doors opened, she knew she’d found the right place. Wayne’s laughter reached her ears, and she smiled. She reined in her tears and smiled as she stepped out of the car and turned to her left. Autumn danced down at the end of the hall, and she was the source of the laughing and clapping taking place in this hospital.

  “What in the world?” she asked herself as she strode closer. Her five-year-old galloped around like a horse, then did a high-kick and fell into the splits. Cowboy whooping and hollering filled the air, and Rose found herself joining her applause to that of the family she’d married into.

  Lee spotted her first, and he got to his feet and came toward her. “Hey, sweetheart.” He pulled her into a hug and held on tight. “How was work?”

  “Good,” she said, her voice catching on itself. She couldn’t hide it even if she tried.

  Lee pulled back and looked at her, surprised. “Not good?”

  She shook her head, her emotions all over the place. They’d been married for two months now, and no one would be surprised when they started their family. Lee was quite a few years older than her, and he hadn’t been shy in saying he wanted more children.

  “Will just came out to say he’d been born.” Lee watched her with concern in his eyes. “They named him Eli Reginald Cooper, after her daddy.”

  “That’s so sweet,” Rose said. She put her hand on Lee’s chest. “What would you name our baby?”

  His eyes zipped between hers. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. He was so handsome and so good to her, and Rose let her smile slip into place. He didn’t return it, because while Lee loved her—Rose could see it and feel it every moment they were together, and all day long when he texted her or sent her something he thought she’d find funny—he wasn’t fake. He didn’t smile over hard things. He thought about them, and talked to her, and they made plans.

  They’d been working through how he should parent Autumn, as her biological father wasn’t in Texas at all, and Lee loved the little girl with a fierceness only rivaled by her dad. He wanted to treat her as his own, but there had been a few snags, as she wasn’t a nine-year-old boy, and she wasn’t used to living on a dairy farm.

  “What’s goin’ on?” He glanced over his shoulder and edged them away from his parents and kids. No one else waited in the little lobby, and a measure of gratitude for that moved through Rose.

  She took a breath and leaned into his strength. His hand slipped along her waist, and she fiddled with the collar on his plaid shirt. “I’m pregnant, Handsome.” Her throat closed, and she half-choked, half-sobbed.

  Lee’s arms went fully around her, holding her in place. “You are?”

  She nodded, the beginnings of reality starting to settle into her heart. She dared to glance up at him, nearly getting blinded by his smile now. “That’s great.” His big, boisterous laugh followed, and Rose couldn’t help but bask in the beauty of it. This man knew how to love deep and hard, and she didn’t know what she’d done to attract his attention and be worthy of that love; she was only glad she had.

  He wiped her tears and asked, “Are you happy?”

  She sniffled and nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.

  “When did you find out?”

  “About lunchtime.” She stretched up and kissed him quickly. “Someone canceled on me, so I ran to the grocery store to get a test and a sandwich.”

  “You didn’t even tell me you were late.”

  Rose shrugged one shoulder. “I didn’t want to get any hopes up.”

  Lee bent down and kissed her properly this time, and Rose loved kissing her husband. She pulled away when the elevator behind her dinged and Travis said, “This is it.” Keeping her face buried in Lee’s chest, Rose could pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist. She didn’t have to think about what would happen with her gaming company, or how Nat would take the news, or how long they should wait to tell their families about her pregnancy.

  It was just her and Lee, and he’d handle anything hard she didn’t want to.

  “Howdy,” Lee said, and Travis returned the greeting and went over to the couches. “I assume we’re not telling anyone,” he said in a much quieter voice.

  “No,” Rose whispered, looking up and into his eyes again. “I love you Lee Cooper.”

  He beamed at her again. “I love you too, Rose.”

  “Do you want a boy or a girl?”

  “Seein’ as how we already have one of each, I don’t think it matters much.”