by Liz Isaacson
Cy arrived with Patsy and Sophia, and they went in as well.
Gray pulled in next, with Wyatt Walker right behind them. A few minutes later, Ames was officially the only one who hadn’t gone inside, and he wondered how long it would be before someone noticed.
“Who’ll come out?” he wondered aloud, though he knew who. Cy. Cy would definitely come get him, and then Ames would have to explain things he’d rather not. If not Cy, then Gray, as Ames had grown close to him over the past several months. If not Gray, then Colton, who seemed to be the glue that kept the family together.
And honestly, Wes would come out too.
Ames couldn’t fault his brothers for anything. They had unique personalities, sure. But they worked hard to get along, and though life had pulled them in different directions, they were still a unified family.
He got out of the truck and started for the house. No sense in making someone else come get him. And he certainly didn’t want anyone talking about him. He opened the front door to plenty of noise, because no one in the Hammond family knew how to talk quietly when they got together.
In the kitchen, Annie worked with Elise, and Ames hung back near the foyer he’d passed through. Mom had baby Michael in her arms, and Wyatt’s boys played with Colton’s dog in the living room. Hutch, Elise’s dog panted too, and Cy had just brought Blue Velvet in from the back yard as well. The boys giggled with three canines all trying to lick their faces.
Ames wanted a couple of boys too, and he knew that wasn’t going to happen without a good first date. Just one, he prayed. Then he could make it a second date, and then maybe a third.
“Are you afraid they’ll bite?”
He pulled himself from his thoughts and looked at the woman who’d spoken. Sophia. “A little,” he admitted. He looked back out at all of them, trying to find the empty space where he’d fit. “You?”
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “I’m used to crowds, but this one’s different than the one at the lodge.”
“Cy’s been up at the lodge. Wes was too.”
“Yeah.” Sophia wrapped her arms around herself. “It’s different though.”
“How so?” He turned toward her fully now, thinking perhaps he’d found a space to be for right now.
“Different family,” she said. “I don’t know you Hammonds very well.”
“But you’re friends with all the women.”
“True.” She glanced at him, as if only realizing he’d looked at her fully. Her attention drifted away and came right back to him. “I’m Sophia Cooke.”
“Cooke,” he said, smiling. “I knew the Sophia part.” He extended his hand toward her. “I’m Ames. The oldest twin.”
“I know who you are.” She smiled too and shook his hand anyway. Her eyes crinkled in a pretty way, and Ames tried to decide if he thought she was pretty because she was talking to him, or because she actually was.
“Have we met?”
“Not officially,” she said. “I saw you at Colton’s wedding though. You wore a top hat.” She tried to cover her giggle with a cough, but she didn’t do a great job.
Ames grinned even wider. “Yes, well, he said we needed to dress up. Hats were not optional, and he never specified that it should be a cowboy hat.”
She simply shook her head. “And you’re the cop.”
“I’m actually a captain over the detectives in my department,” he said. “But yes.”
“Wow. A captain.” Sophia definitely had a flirtatious tone with him now, and Ames did like that. He’d never had to work very hard to get a date, but everything felt hard right now.
Sophia gestured toward the kitchen. “I’m a culinary instructor on the weekends, and I cook at the lodge during the week.”
“I can sometimes get water to boil,” he said.
She burst out laughing then, and everything about her transformed for Ames. She had a great laugh, and beautiful eyes the color of the dark mountains in the distance. Ames’s pulse hopped in his chest, but he didn’t know what to say next. He couldn’t ask her to dinner, as he’d only be in town for one more night.
So he just smiled, and it seemed Sophia didn’t have anything more to add to the conversation either. Thankfully, Gray lifted both hands above his head a few minutes later and said, “Okay, quiet down. Lunch is ready.”
He’d taken one step toward the fray when Sophia said, “Ames?”
He paused and turned back to her. “Yeah?”
“Could I…would you give me your number?”
He blinked, sure he’d heard her wrong. “My number?”
“Yeah,” she said, her face turning a pretty shade of pink. “I have a feeling Patsy is going to, I don’t know, fall madly in love with your brother, and I’m going to be the only one left at the lodge.”
Ames frowned, because he wasn’t sure why her having his number could do anything about that. “I—”
“It would be nice to have a friend to talk to,” she said, shrugging.
“You don’t have other friends here in Coral Canyon?”
“Ames,” Cy said. “Sophia. Come on.”
Ames looked to his brother, and everyone in the house was watching him and Sophia. “Yeah, coming,” he said, glancing back at Sophia. “Let’s pick this up later.”
“Forget it,” Sophia said, brushing by him. Ames watched her go, confused about what had just happened. He frowned and pushed his cowboy hat down even further, only to have to take it off a moment later for the prayer.
He stayed out of the way while the others loaded up their plates, and by the time he finished getting food, he turned to find just one seat left—right next to Wyatt Walker.
He thanked the Lord above and took the chair. “Thanks for coming to do this for my brother.”
“We’ve been wanting to get up to the mountains,” Wyatt said, looking at Marcy and then putting a piece of elbow macaroni in front of his two-year-old. “I like this area, and Gray said he only comes in the summer.”
“Well, you wouldn’t want to be here in the winter,” Ames said. “It’s freezing.”
“See? That’s what we need, Marce. A summer home in the mountains. Get out of the Texas heat.”
“Yeah,” she said in a deadpan from across the table. “We need a summer home in the mountains.” She shook her head, though her blue eyes broadcasted love for her husband. “Wyatt, the bulk of my business is in the summer.”
“You have other pilots now.”
Ames had the feeling that Wyatt was used to getting what he wanted, and he grinned at Marcy as he picked up his brownie.
“I’ll think about it,” she said.
“Can’t ask for more than that,” Wyatt said, turning to Ames. “You’re still in Colorado, right?”
“That’s right.” Ames felt like someone in the Hammond family should be, but he’d already started thinking about leaving too. Gray and Hunter had bought the family farm, and while they did come to Coral Canyon for the summer—or they would this summer for the first time as a family—they planned to live in Ivory Peaks on the farm for the bulk of the year. “I’m a captain in the Littleton Police Department.”
“My oldest brother is a forensic veterinarian,” Wyatt said. “Works with a lot of cops.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Ames said. “Down in Texas. Three Rivers, you said?”
“Yep.”
“Do they need more men on the force?” Where the question had come from, Ames had no idea. He only knew he needed a change. He wasn’t sure what that looked like for him. Relocation? Simply a new girlfriend? A transfer to a bigger department?
A new job….
Ames was willing to consider anything at this point, and he glanced down the table to where Sophia had sat next to Patsy and Cy.
“No idea,” Wyatt said. “But I can text Rhett real quick. He might know.”
Ames just nodded, because so much of his attention was being taken by Sophia. He should’ve just smiled and ducked his head and given her his number. Why had he acted l
ike a cop, questioning her and making her feel stupid?
Cy laughed, and it was too loud. Ames’s concern spiked, because when Cy laughed like that, he was headed for a big fall. While Wyatt texted his brother, Ames quickly pulled out his phone and texted his oldest brother too.
Can Mom stay with you tonight? I want to stay at Cy’s, and I know he doesn’t have room for both of us in that rental.
Ames watched Wes, and he met his brother’s eye once he’d read the text. Wes nodded, and Ames lifted his hand in acknowledgement.
“Rhett says they’re always looking for more people on the force,” Wyatt said. “Three Rivers is in a growth spurt right now.”
“Like Coral Canyon,” Gray said on the other side of Wyatt, and his eyes easily moved from the rodeo king’s to Ames’s. “You thinkin’ about moving here, Ames?”
“Not really,” Ames said, his phone buzzing beneath his palm. He glanced at it, and saw Wes had texted back.
Worried about Cy?
Of course Ames was worried about Cy. That could be a full-time job, and no one did it better than Ames. He could usually shoulder it just fine, because he wasn’t worried about himself. But right now, Ames needed to hear Cy’s reassurances just as much as his twin needed to hear his.
Maybe more.
Chapter Nineteen
After Ames confirmed that yes, he was worried about Cy, Wes watched him, and it sure was good to see his youngest brother so happy. Not a moment went by where his smile slipped or the light dimmed in his eyes. Wes wondered what kind of crash that would produce for Cy, and then his heartbeat would flutter in his chest.
Because Wes knew what it took to hitch a smile in place, shake hands, nod, smile, and converse like he cared. He knew Cy did care about his motorcycle shop and his family—the two most important things to Cy. Still didn’t mean the effort he had to put into social events like this didn’t drain him completely.
He took a break from watching him with Patsy and Gray to look at his mother. She wouldn’t let go of Michael for longer than it took to feed him, and now that Bree supplemented his feedings with a bottle, she hadn’t even had to do that. A twinge of guilt pulled through him that he didn’t live close enough for her to see her grandson every day.
A pitchy voice at the table reminded him that his mother had a grandson at the farm, and he smiled as Hunter said something about school that Wyatt Walker found funny. The man chuckled and shook his head, and he seemed so normal.
Wes should’ve known he would be. Even the most superhuman of humans were still human. Just because Wyatt had climbed onto the back of a bull and ridden it for eight seconds didn’t make him any different than Wes. He wondered how the rodeo king would fare in a marathon meeting, with lawyers and sharks and falling company stocks. That was stress. That was worth a medal or a title or whatever Wyatt had earned on the backs of those bulls.
He was a very nice man, and Wes liked the energy he put off. Marcy was as equally impressive, especially with how she handled her rambunctious children who didn’t want to sit at a long table while grown-ups chatted.
Wes barely wanted to, and he got up and picked up his plate along with Bree’s. He took them into the kitchen and rinsed them in the sink before turning to say, “All right, who wants to come with me down to the lake? I’m taking the dogs.” He looked at Hunter. “Hunt?”
“I’m in,” he said, standing up.
Wes looked at Marcy, who faced the house. “I’ll take your boys, Marcy,” he said. “If you don’t mind.”
“It’s okay, we—” she started.
“She’d love for you to take the boys,” Wyatt said. “I’ll get them ready.” He stood up and left his plate where it was and turned to his kids. “Come on, kiddos. You need coats and boots. You’re goin’ down to the lake with Wes.”
He set about getting them ready, and Colton got up to help Wes get all the dogs leashed. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Wes said. “I’m just…restless.”
“It’s getting warmer.”
“Yeah,” Wes said. “I can’t wait until we can get out on the hiking trails. I bought a new backpack for Michael.”
“I’m sure you did.” Colton gave him a tight smile, and Wes saw something flash in his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so.” Colton bent and clipped a leash to Hutch’s collar while the silver doodle smiled.
“You think so? That’s not reassuring.”
Colton turned his back on Wes, and there was definitely something wrong. What it could be, Wes didn’t know. Annie wasn’t planning any more weddings—both of her daughters were married now. Colt worked in the lab at Springside a couple days a week, and he’d found he liked building furniture and running in his spare time.
“You want to come on the walk?” Wes looked down at Hutch, already straining against his leash. “I’ve got three dogs and three kids and could use some help.”
“Sure,” Colton said. He still didn’t look at Wes as he continued with getting his coat and gloves.
“Want me to come?” Wyatt asked, but he looked like he couldn’t stand for much longer.
“No, we’re fine,” Wes said. He looked at the biggest of the small boys. “Warren, right, son? You’re with me. We’ll make Cole go with Colton. Your name starts with a W and so does mine. Colton with Cole.” He grinned at Warren, who hugged his father’s leg though he smiled.
“You say, ‘yes, sir,’ Warren,” Wyatt prompted.
“Yes, sir,” the child said.
Wyatt crouched down, a groan accompanying the wince on his face. “You listen to Wes real good now, y’hear?” Wyatt reached out and adjusted his son’s collar. “Love you, bud, and Mama just needs a break, okay?”
“Okay,” Warren said, and Wes wondered why Marcy needed a break. “Can I ride Bucky when we get home to grandpa’s?”
Wyatt shook his head and chuckled. “Only if you’re absolute perfection on the walk. I’m gonna ask Wes.” He put his hand on the back of the couch and used it to stand up. He looked at Wes. “Pure perfection.”
“Oh, I’ll keep my eye on him,” Wes said, marveling at the love Wyatt had for his son. At the same time, Wes knew exactly what that felt like.
“Colt, you’ve got Cole.”
“Got ‘im.” Colton opened the front door and retook the little boy’s hand. He handled Sparky in the other, and Wes had Blue Velvet and Hutch.
“All right,” Wes said. “Let’s go.”
“I’ll get the door,” Wyatt said. Once there, he leaned in closer to Wes and added in a low voice, “Thanks, Wes. Marcy just found out she’s having another baby, and she’s exhausted.”
“Gray has bedrooms upstairs,” Wes said. “Have her go lie down.”
“I’ll talk to her.” Wyatt grinned them out of the house and closed the door behind them. The sun was high overhead, and it shone down merrily on everything.
Wes caught up to Colton, who wasn’t moving that fast due to having two-year-old legs walking beside him. “So spill,” he said, glancing at Hunter, who walked on Colton’s other side. The boy had started spending more time with the adults in the past six months, and Wes didn’t mind. He adored Hunter, and he was really mature for his age. Having Gray for a father would do that, Wes supposed.
“I don’t want to upset you.” Colton kept his gaze on Cole while he spoke.
“Why would I be upset?”
Colton sighed and looked away from the small person at his side. Warren kicked rocks a couple of feet to Wes’s left, and that was just fine with him. Wes waited, because he knew Colton extraordinarily well, and sometimes his brother just needed time to get his words together.
“Mom won’t hardly talk to me and Annie when she comes here,” he said. “She never stays with us, and…I guess I’m jealous.”
Wes opened his mouth to respond, because as the oldest, he always knew how to respond. All that came out was, “Oh.”
“It’s not your fault,” Colton said miserably
. “I guess I thought I was okay not having kids, and I am. Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time, I’m okay.” He still wouldn’t look at Wes, and he imagined that point-one percent could feel really big sometimes. Really deep, and really heavy, and really dark.
“I’m sorry,” Wes said. “Ames needs somewhere for Mom to stay tonight, because he wants to stay with Cy. She should stay with you.”
“It’s okay.”
“She doesn’t even know she was going to come home with me,” Wes said. “I’m sure he asked me because I’m the oldest. That’s all.”
“You don’t care?”
“Not at all.”
“Mom will.” Colton gazed down the road as the lake started to peek around the corner. “You watch. She’ll say something.”
“Just tell her, Uncle Colton,” Hunter said. “Dad did that last week. He sat her down and said, ‘Look, we’re going to Coral Canyon, and you don’t get to say anything about the baby.’ And she hasn’t.”
Wes sucked in a breath, and he and Colton both looked at Hunter. He smiled back at them. “She’ll listen to you. You say, ‘Mom, it makes me feel bad that you won’t even talk to me because I don’t have kids.’ She’ll get it.”
“Hunter,” Wes said slowly. “Take Hutch, would you?” He passed the dog to his nephew. “And tell me…is Elise pregnant?”
“Yeah,” Hunter said. Wes couldn’t tell if he was happy about it or not. He was still smiling, so that was something.
Wes exchanged a glance with Colton. “Were you supposed to tell us?” Wes asked.
“Yeah, Dad said I could,” Hunter said. “He’s telling everyone at the house too.”
Wes suddenly wanted to get back and be there for that announcement. At the same time, he was glad he wasn’t, because his family could be a bit overwhelming, especially when they were all together.
“That’s amazing,” Colton said, and he sounded pretty normal. “I can’t wait to tell them congratulations.”
“Yeah,” Wes said. “Are you excited, Hunter?”
“I don’t know,” the boy said truthfully. “Dad and Elise are super excited, so I feel like I should be too.” He kicked at something in the road too.
