by Liz Isaacson
Liam said, “Thanks.”
“Oh.” Bennett looked back and forth between them, obviously surprised. Callie really didn’t like that, especially because it was the second person who hadn’t been able to tell she and Liam were together. Was it possible she was the only one who could feel the crackling electricity between her and Liam?
And why did that bother her?
“Thanks for your time,” she said to Garth before crouching down in front of his boys. “And you two are amazing tour guides.”
They grinned at her, and Callie sure did like the sight of children on a ranch. In that moment, a girl came tearing around the corner. “Mac—oh. There you are. Come on. My baby brother can walk.”
“Can we go, Daddy?” Mac asked, looking up at Garth.
“Yes,” he said. “But you come back as soon as Trina says to, y’all hear?”
“Yes, sir,” the boys chorused, and then the two boys ran off.
“There’s more kids here?” Callie asked, unable to help herself.
“Oh, yeah,” Garth said. “Squire has four children. Pete and Chelsea have three. I’ve got my two boys, and that girl, Sabrina, is Cal’s. His wife was a professional tennis player, and they just had a baby a year or so ago. Ethan and Brynn don’t live on the ranch, but they bring their kids out from time to time. Three Rivers Ranch is a family-friendly place.” He tipped his hat as his phone rang again. He answered it with, “Yeah, boss?”
Bennett and Beau were talking to Liam, and he was frantically scribbling on his notebook. Callie hung back, because while she’d actually enjoyed getting hit on, she was ready to leave.
She wanted a family-friendly ranch. She wanted kids. She wanted white gravel paths and rustic cowboy cabins full of light and charm. She wanted a foreman, and she wanted all of her fields planted and harvested each year.
“You ready?” Liam asked, and Callie nodded. And through all of that, she wanted Liam Walker too.
They got back in the truck, and she looked at him. “Did you think it odd no one could tell we were together?”
“Yes,” he said. “Thank you. Like, what was that about?”
Callie burst out laughing. “I don’t know, but this much I do know. That was completely overwhelming. I feel so…inadequate.”
“Tell me about it,” Liam said.
“You?” she asked. “Why would you feel inadequate?”
“Because.” He navigated them down the road, leaving the perfection of Three Rivers Ranch in their rear-view mirror. “I feel like I’ve made you promises I might not be able to keep.” He looked at her, a nervous edge in those perfect eyes. “And what were you saying about adopting?”
Callie’s brain hurt, and she closed her eyes. “I just…can we talk about all of this later?”
“Sure thing,” Liam said, his voice a bit wounded. Maybe. Callie couldn’t tell. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, everything Garth had told them about cowboys and schedules and jobs blending into one giant ball of noise.
“And I know you don’t want to talk right now,” he said. “But I want to put the topic of our honeymoon back on the agenda.”
“We have an agenda now?” she asked without opening her eyes.
“Yes,” Liam said.
Callie smiled and reached for his hand. He gave it to her, and she squeezed his fingers. “I don’t care what other people can’t see,” she said. “I know we’re together.”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to talk.”
“I don’t,” she said. “Now get us back to town quick, or I might start gnawing on your arm.”
Liam burst out laughing, and all the tension and all the unsaid words between them didn’t matter. Callie laughed too, knowing there’d be plenty of time to talk everything to death—and wholly dreading it.
Chapter Twelve
“Family meeting,” Liam said that night.
“Oh, boy,” Jeremiah said, still wiping the kitchen counter.
Liam ignored his brother and walked into the living room. Wyatt already sat there, a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose as he looked at something on his phone. He looked up, surprise in those green eyes Liam knew so well. Then he put his phone down and waited.
Liam sat next to him and waited for Skyler, Micah, and Jeremiah to come over.
“You guys still do the family meeting?” Micah asked.
“It’s saved us a few times,” Jeremiah said. “We live here together, and it’s not all roses and sunshine.”
“Yeah, because of you,” Wyatt said, a broad smile on his face.
“Okay, okay,” Liam said. “This isn’t a bash-Jeremiah session.”
“Thank you,” Jeremiah said. “Though I can admit I’m a little grouchy sometimes.” He looked around at the other brothers. “Sorry about that.” He nodded, keeping his head down for an extra beat.
“We all have flaws,” Micah said, looking back at Liam. “So you called the meeting. Are you in charge? That same rule applies.”
“Yes,” Liam said. He took a deep breath and thought about his fantastic morning with Callie. They hadn’t talked about the honeymoon, or adopting kids, or anything to do with the wedding.
No, their conversation at lunch had centered around the ranch. Hiring cowboys. She’d started making a list on her phone, and she’d already texted it to him. He’d noted that she’d never sent him the rules for their marriage, and they didn’t have a date yet anyway.
But Liam would like to be married in four days.
“Okay, so I got the marriage license today,” he said, watching Jeremiah. Surprisingly, his brother didn’t look like he wanted to commit murder. “Callie and I don’t have a date yet, but I’m going to try to get something set in the next couple of days.”
“When are you thinking?” Micah asked. “I’d like to be here, and I do have to go back to Temple for a bit.”
“I’m thinking this weekend,” Liam said.
Skyler whistled like this weekend was a tall order. And it was. As far as Liam knew, Callie hadn’t planned a single thing.
“We’ll just have the wedding at the Shining Star,” he said. “We just need someone qualified to marry us and the family.”
“And food,” Jeremiah said, as if lunch was the most important part of any wedding.
Liam looked at him. “You don’t have to, Jeremiah. We can cater something.”
“By this weekend?” Jeremiah shook his head. “I’ll do it. I know what you guys like, and if it’s just family, it’s really just a Sunday lunch after church.”
Gratitude filled Liam, and he cleared his throat. He knew how hard weddings were for Jeremiah. “Thank you,” he managed to say, and Jeremiah clapped him on the knee.
“Now, what’s this meeting really about?”
“The Shining Star,” Liam said. “I’m taking Callie to Hawaii for a honeymoon, and we’ll be gone for fifteen days.”
Skyler whistled again, this time like woooow, cowboy. Hawaii for fifteen days? Dang.
Liam grinned at Skyler, and asked, “Right?” They chuckled together, and Liam sobered again. “I’m going to ask a huge favor. This week, as Callie gets a wedding put together and Jeremiah makes a menu, I’m going to be hiring anyone I can to come work on the ranch. Some permanently. Some inside, as I want to do an entire remodel on the house. I want everything cleaned up and hauled away. I want men ready to work. I want Callie to come home to absolute perfection at the Shining Star.”
He took a deep breath and surveyed his brothers. “I know we have a ranch to run too, but I’m asking all of you to help me get the Shining Star, well, as shiny as a new penny while I’m gone. I’ll pay everyone.”
Wyatt scoffed, his first contribution to the conversation. “Yeah, because we need your money.” A beat of silence filled the room, and then all five of them started laughing. Liam missed Tripp and Rhett in that moment, and he wished all seven brothers were at Seven Sons tonight.
When they’d quieted, Liam said, “I’ll talk to Rhett a
nd Tripp.”
“I’m sure they can come help,” Micah said. “And I’m sure we’ll all do what we can.” He looked around at everyone. “Right, guys?”
“Yes,” and “yeah,” and “yep,” came from the brothers.
The enormity of what Liam was asking them to do hit him, and he sagged back into the couch. “I don’t know if it can be done. Have any of you seen that place?”
Jeremiah raised his hand halfway, as did Wyatt. “It’s not in great shape,” Wyatt said. “And that’s just the outside. I haven’t been in the house.”
“I have,” Jeremiah said. “And it’s not pretty in there either.” He met Liam’s eye, but Liam couldn’t sit up. “It needs a complete renovation. Fifteen days?”
“I called the three-day bathroom guys,” Liam said. “They can come. If you guys can do the demo, I can get carpet and flooring guys in. I’ve already ordered the new appliances. Maybe Micah can work on the back deck, and I’m going to ask Evelyn to pick out new furniture and curtains and stuff like that. I’ll ask Tripp to move my computer setup into the office over there.” He had so many things to do. So many people to ask. So many phone calls to make.
But he wasn’t working this week due to the holidays, and he literally had nothing but time and money.
“I’ll get as much help as I can for the outside,” he said. “Maybe we could spare Orion, Dicky, Wallace, and Simon.”
“We can,” Jeremiah said. “And I just had a guy call me the week before Christmas, looking for work. Seemed like a good man. I can get you his name.”
“Great,” Liam said. “Callie has six cabins over there. I don’t think she needs twelve people to run the ranch, but she’ll need at least that many to get everything cleaned up.”
Liam had ten men already. And Simone and Evelyn to help with the more feminine details the homestead needed. A dozen people to help, and he wanted it to be the best present Callie had ever received.
“And I want it to be a surprise,” Liam said. “So not a word to Callie.”
“Deal,” Skyler said. “Now, are you going to make that peanut butter banana ice cream, or what?”
Liam burst out laughing, but he did get up and head into the kitchen. Jeremiah was a genius with savory foods, but it was always Liam who made the desserts at Seven Sons. He hoped after he and Callie were married that he’d still be welcome here to spin up a delicious sweet treat to share with his brothers.
The next day, Liam had made nine phone calls before lunch. He hadn’t seen Callie, but he had both of her sisters on-board for the remodel plan, and Evelyn was so excited, she’d shrieked and said she and Simone would go to the furniture store that afternoon. Simone had offered to put some of her custom pieces in the house, and Liam had said, “Tell me how much they are, Simone, and I’ll buy them.”
For once, one of the Foster sisters hadn’t argued with him and said his money wasn’t welcome. She’d just said, “All right, Liam,” and hung up.
He’d talked to the Internet company, and they’d actually be there that afternoon between three and six. He’d called a lawn care company and scheduled them to come get the front and back yard cleaned up. He’d ordered all the flooring—carpet and a waterproof vinyl that looked like hardwood.
He wasn’t sure there was time to paint, and while the cabinets were old, if Micah could stain them, they’d probably look brand-new.
He looked down at his desk, his head pounding. Floors. Appliances. Internet. Yard. Furniture. Bathrooms.
“Cowboys,” he said to himself, getting up and stretching his back. Jeremiah hadn’t come in for lunch yet, but Liam went down the hall to find something to eat. His brother hadn’t given him the name of the cowboy who’d come looking for work either, and Liam wasn’t sure how to find people who were available.
After pulling out the cheesy spaghetti casserole they’d eaten last night and sticking the whole container in the microwave, he started tapping and searching on his phone. There had to be a job board for cowboys in the Texas Panhandle.
Before he could find what he needed, the back door got flung open, and the perfect storm that was Jeremiah entered. “You have got to be kidding me,” he practically roared. His dark eyes shot fire at Liam, who wanted to vacate the kitchen immediately. But he held his ground, because he needed information Jeremiah had.
The microwave beeped, and Liam almost didn’t want to turn his back on his brother. He pulled the food out and put it on the counter as Jeremiah said, “Well, can’t you move us?”
Whoever he was talking to was obviously trying to placate him, but they weren’t saying what Jeremiah wanted to hear. “Fine,” he barked. “Thank you for trying.” He ripped his phone away from his ear, and Liam actually thought he’d throw it through the nearest window.
“What’s goin’ on?” Liam asked.
“Nothing.” Jeremiah glared at him and sat down at the bar. “Is some of that for me?”
“Yes, of course,” he said, turning to get two plates out. “Listen, I need help with hiring. Is there a job board or something?”
“Oh, sure,” Jeremiah said, his temper cooling quickly. And the fact that he wouldn’t say what that phone call was about had Liam’s radar on high alert. “Let me text you.”
Liam served some pasta to himself and Jeremiah and rounded the island. “Are you really not going to tell me what that phone call was about?”
Jeremiah gave him the side-eye, and Liam’s phone chimed. “Is that you?”
“Yes,” Jeremiah said. “That’s a great job board. Make a post there, and you’ll get a ton of cowboys and cowgirls calling you. Oh.” He went back to his phone, and Liam wondered if she should just let the call drop. “That’s Cayden Murphy’s number. Hopefully he’ll still be looking for work. I liked him.”
Liam nodded, glancing at his phone as it chimed again. He swiped and opened Jeremiah’s texts to get rid of the notification. “And you didn’t like whoever you were talking to on the phone.” He lifted his eyebrows, and Jeremiah’s shoulders deflated.
He got up to get himself a fork, and while he was facing Liam, he said, “This is a secret. I find out you’ve told anyone—anyone, even Tripp or Callie—and I will rip you apart.”
“Wow.” Liam couldn’t even eat. “I don’t know if I want to know.” Callie was going to be his wife, and Tripp was his twin. “And I don’t know if I can’t tell Tripp.”
“Twin thing,” Jeremiah said, returning to his spot next to Liam.
“Yeah.”
“And you’re marrying Callie.”
Liam’s heart skipped a beat. “Yeah.” He twirled some noodles around his fork. “I’d still like to know, because you seemed pretty mad, and maybe I can help.”
Jeremiah went silent, and Liam continued eating. He finally said, “It’s about a woman.”
Liam choked unintentionally, but wow. “You should’ve warned me.” His food forgotten know, he twisted fully toward Jeremiah. “And keep talking.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jeremiah couldn’t believe he’d mentioned a woman to Liam. His brother’s entire being had lit up, and Jeremiah couldn’t back out now.
He knew Liam would tell both Tripp and Callie. He couldn’t ask him to keep secrets from the two of them, but he knew the gossip would end there. Callie had kept plenty of secrets for him, and Tripp had a new life with a new wife and stepson to deal with.
“We have a really nice reserved spot for the New Year’s Eve parade,” Jeremiah said. “And Brenda called me to find out if we wanted to bring something to share with the other people in the reserved area.” He lifted one hand in a strange, wavy gesture. “I guess it’s a tradition among the people who get the reserved spots.” He blew out his breath.
“What could we possibly take?”
“She’d actually heard you were a genius with desserts. She suggested that.” Jeremiah cocked his eyebrows at Liam, who said nothing. “I said we could take some of our home-smoked jerky, and she got really excited about that.”
“That’s a better idea,” Liam said. “I’m swamped right now.”
Jeremiah knew, and he worked hard not to roll his eyes. He couldn’t blame Liam for his vision; the twins had always had extraordinary expectations for themselves and everyone else. They dreamt big, and achieved big, if Liam’s contract with the entire Marvel universe was any indication.
“Anyway,” Jeremiah said, his heartbeat speeding again, because he knew the next part of the story. “Brenda started telling me who else was in the reserved section, and she said we were lucky—” He rolled his eyes. “Because we were located right next to Wilde & Organic, and they always brought amazing hummus, and homemade pita chips, and fruited honeys.”
Jeremiah was actually excited about the honey, as he loved his beehives and the honey that came from them. A day he pulled frames out of hives, spun them, and strained honey into bottles was a very good day.
Pathetic, he told himself. He was almost as excited about the honey as he was sitting by Whitney at the parade. Absolutely pathetic.
“Sounds good,” Liam said, clearly not getting what Jeremiah was saying.
“Yeah, except Whitney Wilde’s family owns Wilde & Organic, and she’s going to badger me to death about shooting out here, and I’m not even going to be able to enjoy the parade.”
Or maybe he’d enjoy it too much. Sitting next to the beautiful Whitney Wilde…oh, yeah, his heart was excited about that. It was almost like it had forgotten completely how shattered it had been by the last female Jeremiah had let into his life.
Liam started laughing, but Jeremiah didn’t see what was so funny. He stabbed at his food, barely tasting the cheesy pasta, and that was a real shame, because he’d worked hard on this, and it had been delicious last night.
“You know what I think?” Liam asked.
“No,” Jeremiah said. “And I don’t care.” Liam would say it anyway, and he’d probably be right.
“I think you like this Whitney Wilde, and you’re worried you’ll want to hold her hand at the parade.”
