Caden looked between us, a slightly amused look on his face.

  Oh God. Oh God. Oh God! He knows we just had sex.

  After bouncing his eyes back and forth a few more times, he finally said, “You haven’t seen the paper today, I take it.”

  I frowned, and Levi stood. We both replied no at the same time.

  Gatlin walked in, holding the paper. He smirked as he held it up and read, “‘It’s been a while since we’ve had a good piece of gossip in our small town.’”

  I groaned and fell back onto the loveseat.

  “‘Last night, I personally spotted Levi Tucker and Emeline Wilde out to dinner, enjoying some lovely Mexican cuisine from the newly opened restaurant, El Rey. Which, let me add, was amazing, and I highly recommend it. The beef enchiladas were to die for.’”

  I slowly shook my head. “Is she seriously doing a food review in the middle of gossiping?”

  Caden and Gatlin both chuckled, as Levi winked at me.

  “‘Back to the other delicious news. After dinner, Emeline went to Levi’s parents’ house and remained there for several hours, leaving late in the evening. I haven’t been able to confirm if Oliver and Sam were home. I was already late submitting this article for today’s paper. I’ll do an update in the next edition. That’s it for your Daily Dirt! We dig up the dirt so you don’t have to.’”

  “She did not!” I barked, standing up and putting my hands on my hips. “Did she follow us, for fuck’s sake?”

  Gatlin lowered the paper. “What time did you get home last night?”

  “I got home by eleven. Plus, Sam and Oliver were home, we weren’t alone. We played dominoes.”

  Caden grinned at Levi. “Oh man, I loved playing that with our grandparents and your parents. Remember how your dad used to get so mad when we stacked the dominoes all up on each other and looked at them that way?”

  Levi laughed. “I do remember that.”

  “What is wrong with you two?”

  Three sets of eyes flew to me.

  “Emeline, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like it’s your first time being in the paper,” Caden said.

  Levi frowned. “I didn’t think you’d care if people knew. I’m sorry if I put you in a tough spot.”

  Shaking my head, I replied, “I’m not upset. I guess I’m just surprised you’re okay with it.”

  “Why wouldn’t he be?” Gatlin asked.

  I looked at Levi again. “You’ve been gone for so long. I just didn’t think you’d want to be the center of attention so soon.”

  He gave me a gentle smile as he took my hands in his. Kissing the back of each one, he said, “I don’t care who knows we’re dating, Em. I had to learn a hard lesson. Life is too short to worry about shit like that. The only thing that matters to me is that Rhett is happy and healthy, and that we get to…”

  Levi glanced at my brothers, who both raised a single brow.

  “Get to what?” Gatlin asked.

  “Continue to get to know each other,” Levi finally said, still looking at Caden and Gatlin. When he faced me, I saw the twinkle in his eyes.

  Smiling, I said, “If you’re not bothered by it, then neither am I.”

  Gatlin cleared his throat. “Um, there’s one more thing.”

  I managed to drag my gaze off of Levi to ask, “What?”

  “There’s a picture of you.”

  Gasping, I reached for the paper. “Let me see!”

  Gatlin held it up. “Trust me, you don’t want to see it.”

  I blinked rapidly.

  “It’s worse than the Easter picture,” Caden said with a wince.

  My hand slapped over my mouth as I mumbled, “No!”

  Both nodded.

  Levi’s brows lowered. “I’m so confused right now.”

  Gatlin sighed. “If I must be the one to tell the story…”

  Levi went to take the paper, and I quickly grabbed it and gasped when I saw it.

  “Oh, come on, Em. Now I have to see and hear this,” Levi laughed.

  Caden leaned against the desk, a smile on his usually grumpy face.

  Levi made a quick move and got the paper. I attempted to grab it back, but it was too late. His eyes went wide, and he looked at me. “What happened?”

  I lifted my chin. “I fell.”

  “Into what?” he asked, laughing.

  Sighing, I closed my eyes and said, “A pig’s feeding trough.”

  My two brothers burst into laughter, while Levi at least attempted not to. He lost the battle when he looked at the paper again. “The picture makes sense now. Who took this?”

  I folded my arms over my chest. “Probably Logan Miller.”

  Levi’s eyes went wide. “Why do you think that?”

  “Because she is always there when something like this happens.” I growled as I threw my hands in the air and let them slap down at my sides. “She’s had a problem with me since…since…”

  “Forever,” Gatlin added.

  Looking at the photo again, I felt my anger building once more. Of course, the picture they used of Levi was one taken at camp this past week.

  “Wait, how did they get this picture of you?” I asked, pointing to his perfectly gorgeous photo.

  Levi shrugged. “No clue.”

  I looked at Gatlin and Caden, who both seemed just as confused. Gatlin leaned over and said, “It’s a great picture. The slight profile shot is flattering to you.”

  “Thanks,” Levi replied with a grin.

  “You guys aren’t seeing the bigger picture here. We hire a photographer to take photos each year. They’re vetted and have been working for us for the last six years. There is no way they would have given Logan, Janet, or whoever wrote this article any pictures from the campgrounds. It’s strictly prohibited in their contracts. Someone who was at camp took this photo—yesterday.”

  “Maybe one of the parents took it? It was the last day of camp,” Caden suggested.

  Worrying my lower lip, I nodded. “Maybe. But how did Janet get it?”

  None of us could come up with a reasonable answer to that question, and although the three of them brushed it off, I couldn’t shake my uneasy feeling. Someone had taken a photo of Levi, before anyone even knew we were dating, and sent it to The Daily Dirt.

  Who would have done that? And the bigger question…why would they have done it?

  Levi

  The feel of my mattress shifting woke me. Rhett was literally standing on my bed, looking down at me.

  “Daddy! Today’s the day! Today’s the day!”

  I reached up and yanked him to me, causing him to laugh. He snuggled in beside me and we both stared up at the ceiling.

  “Do you think we’ll find a new house?” I asked him.

  “I hope so. Will we be able to get horses like Ms. Emeline has?”

  “We’ll absolutely be able to get horses, and you know what else I was thinking?”

  He turned and looked at me. Those big blue eyes were filled with excitement. “What?”

  “A dog, and maybe even a kitten.”

  Rhett flew back to his feet, a huge smile on his little face. “Daddy! We can get a puppy and a kitten?”

  “We sure can.”

  Rhett started to jump for joy, and I laughed, pulling him back down before he fell off the bed. Caroline had never wanted animals. She said she didn’t want to deal with all the fur. But this was going to be our place, and I’d grown up with a plethora of animals. I wanted Rhett to have the same experience. He loved going out each morning with my mother and feeding the chickens and goats, so maybe that would be in our future too.

  “I’m so happy!” Rhett said.

  “I can see that,” I answered as I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stretched. “Let’s go get dressed and head down for breakfast, okay?”

  He hugged me, then did a big jump off the bed. Before he walked out of my room, he faced me. “Is Ms. Emeline coming with us to look at houses?”

  Things had been going great with Emeline. We’d gone out several times…a little more with Rhett than I’d wanted to, but trying to find alone time was proving difficult. I was picking up more patients at the clinic, and that meant working more, and she’d just finished their second camp session. I did another presentation with the campers, but I hadn’t been able to help out as much with the day-to-day as I had during the first session.

  My mother had brought Rhett out a couple of days, though, and he was declared the camp’s youngest volunteer. I would forever be grateful to my mother and Emeline for letting Rhett help out. He made even more friends, which was a win-win.

  Hopefully, once Rhett and I get our own place, I’d be able to see Emeline more often.

  I heard my son running down the hall as I pulled a shirt over my head. “I’m going to see Grammy!”

  I quickly followed. “Don’t run, Rhett. What have I told you before? You’re going to end up falling down the steps. Walk, please.”

  He dropped to his ass and went down the steps that way, causing me to shake my head and smile.

  “Grammy! Grammy! We’re gonna get a puppy and a kitten!”

  My mother looked up, brows raised in question.

  “When we get our own place,” I reassured her before placing a kiss on her cheek. “Morning, Mom.”

  “Good morning, and that’s good to know.” She pointed to the table. “Sit down, Rhett, I’ve got pancakes and bacon for us this morning.” She flipped a pancake and then looked my way. “You’ve got freshly squeezed orange juice in the fridge.”

  “Wow, what did I do to deserve that?”

  “Being the best son a mother could ever want.”

  I paused at the fridge and turned to look at her. “Why are you buttering me up?”

  Sighing, she glanced at the counter, where the newspaper sat. It struck me as odd that most people in this town, including my parents, still had newspapers delivered.

  “The Daily Dirt?”

  She nodded and looked at Rhett, then back to me. I poured the orange juice and grabbed the paper. Opening it, I gaped at what I was seeing.

  “What in the hell?” I asked as I glanced at my mother. “Where are they getting all these pictures of me?”

  The picture in The Daily Dirt was of Emeline and me in the vet clinic parking lot. Emeline was leaning against her car, and I was talking to her. Nothing wrong with the picture, but the headline read, Trouble in Paradise?

  “Logan?” my mother asked.

  “This was taken yesterday. Logan scheduled a day off to go out of town with a couple of her friends. There’s no way she could have taken it.”

  “Why do they think there’s trouble between you? You’re just talking.”

  “What’s wrong, Daddy?” Rhett asked, looking up from where he was eating a piece of bacon.

  I placed my hand on his little shoulder. “Nothing, buddy. Nothing at all.”

  My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and I had a feeling I knew who it was going to be. Pulling it out, I met my mother’s gaze again.

  “Emeline?” she asked.

  Nodding, I swiped to answer. “Good morning.”

  “Did you see the paper today?”

  Sitting down at the table, I grabbed a couple pieces of bacon. “I did.”

  “Who’s taking these pictures? And why is Janet putting us in The Daily Dirt so much?”

  This was the fourth time. The other two were stupid sightings of us out on a date. “I’m not sure, but I promise you that I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  “No, you have too much going on right now. I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “Are you free today to go house hunting with me and Rhett?”

  “I’m on my way now, just making a pit stop.”

  With a smile. “Let me guess, to go see Janet?”

  “Yep. Do you want to meet at the first house?”

  “No, why don’t you come here and we can drive together. We’re meeting Kendall at the first house.”

  Kendall was my cousin, and a real estate agent for River Falls and the surrounding area.

  “Okay, I’ll let you know when I’m close.”

  I hit end and set my phone down. Mom piled pancakes on our plates, and I pushed away all thoughts of The Daily Dirt and stupid town gossip.

  “This is it,” I said as I stepped out onto the back porch of the house. “This is the house.”

  “It’s not for rent, but I thought if you liked it, we could ask the sellers if they’d be willing to consider it,” Kendall said as she came to stand next to me.

  Emeline and Rhett were walking toward the barn, hand in hand.

  “How many acres?”

  “Eighty.”

  Turning to my cousin, I smiled. “I want to buy it.”

  Her eyes went wide. “I thought you wanted to rent first?”

  With a shake of my head, I looked back out over the land. Pastures were divided by black, four-plank fences. A large barn was directly behind the house, set back about five-hundred yards. And the house itself was amazing. Log cabin, two stories, with a large, updated kitchen and a living room that boasted a massive fireplace. The moment I saw it all, I could picture a Christmas tree in the corner and the mantel decked out in garland and lights.

  “I can really see myself in this house, Kendall. Building a new life here with Rhett.”

  She smiled. “And maybe a certain insanely beautiful woman named Emeline?”

  Laughing, I nodded. “Let’s not jinx things.”

  She held up her hands and replied, “You didn’t hear anything from me.”

  “How long has it been on the market?”

  “Just came up yesterday.”

  “The view of the mountain range is insane.”

  Kendall walked along the back porch. “The wraparound porch is one of my favorite things. You can sit here and watch the sunset over the mountains.”

  I watched as Emeline and Rhett walked back up from the barn. Rhett took off running toward me.

  “Daddy! Daddy! I love this place! There’s a big barn for our horse!”

  Emeline wore a beautiful smile as she approached. “The barn is amazing.”

  “How many stalls?”

  “Ten on each side, with the north side featuring a covered stoop. There’s a hay bay, and a shavings bay, as well. A wash and tack-up area. Behind that is a tractor stall, with a tractor already parked in it.”

  “I can ask about that if you want,” Kendall interjected.

  Emeline added, “There’s also an office, and beside that sits a small kitchen with a table and a Murphy bed.”

  “It’s the perfect place for my horse!” Rhett shouted.

  I chuckled and said, “The horse you don’t have yet, you mean.”

  “Ms. Emeline said she has lots of horses and we can buy one of hers.”

  Our eyes met, and I smiled. It was way too early to think about how perfect this house would be with Emeline in it. But the land and the barn were too good to pass up. This was exactly what I’d dreamed of getting once we moved back to River Falls.

  “Did you like the house?” I asked Emeline. I wanted her thoughts on it, especially if I was going to be asking her to spend lots of time here with me and Rhett.

  “The house is beautiful. The land is beautiful. I think you guys would be really happy here.”

  I nodded and looked around before turning to Kendall. “Let’s put in a full-price offer.”

  She laughed. “I haven’t even told you how much they want.”

  Emeline stepped up onto the porch. “Wait, you’re going to buy it?”

  “It’s not for rent. Kendall wanted me to see it and thought she might be able to ask about renting, but I think this is the place for us. What do you say, Rhett? Could you see us owning this place and living here?”

  Rhett jumped up and down, letting out a whoop as he did so.

  We all laughed.

  “I think that’s a yes,” Kendall said as she ruffled Rhett’s hair. “Let’s get back to the office then and draw up an offer.”

  Taking Rhett’s hand in hers, Kendall walked back into the house. I pulled Emeline to me and kissed her on the forehead. “Do you like it?”

  She giggled. “Levi, it’s going to be your house. Do you like it?”

  “I do. I really like it. And I know we’ve only been together a short amount of time, but I want you to spend as much time with us as you can, so if you don’t like the house—”

  She placed a hand over my mouth. “Stop talking. I adore this house, and that barn is amazing. I don’t think they’ve ever used it. It looks brand new.”

  Smiling, I leaned down and bridged our mouths with a soft kiss. “You know the best part?”

  “What?” she asked back.

  “We get to break in every single room in the house…plus the barn.”

  Her cheeks turned red. “The barn, too, huh?”

  “Hell yes. That’s going to be the most fun to break in.”

  After one more kiss, we walked hand in hand back into the house. For the first time in years, a peace I’d thought was long gone settled over my body.

  Lord, please don’t let it all be too good to be true.

  “Where do you want this box that’s marked ‘extra’?” Caden asked as he stood before me.

  “Extra?” I asked, walking over and looking at what he was holding. “I don’t know what this box is. I don’t remember packing it.”

  “Could your mom have packed it?” he asked, setting it down on a chair.

  Taking out the box cutter, I opened the box and looked in. “This is Caroline’s stuff. How in the hell did it get mixed with mine?”

  Caden let out a long breath. “Should I burn it?”

  I shot him a non-humorous look. “No, let’s just put it in that corner. I’ll text her later and ask her what she wants me to do with it.”

  Rhett came racing into the living room, his newest friend and our closest neighbor, Timmy, on his heels. I’d already accidentally called Timmy by Jimmy’s name, and vice versa. I was hoping his next friend wasn’t named anything close to either of those two.

  “Don’t run, guys!” Emeline called out. “There’s stuff everywhere, and you’re going to trip.”

  “Wow,” Caden stated with a smirk. “You sound like our mother.”