Hometown Hope: A Small Town Romance Anthology

by Zoe York

  Chuckling, he reached across the cab and gave her hand a squeeze. She didn’t make it even halfway to Cody before she drifted off, leaving Gabe alone with his thoughts. There weren’t many besides the attention he gave to the truck and trailer, and most of those existed in the background. He turned the radio on low, amused when the song that came on was the one that had topped the country charts all last month—John Michael Montgomery’s slow, deeply felt love song “I Swear”. He sang quietly along, surprised that he knew it so well since he’d never paid much attention to it. The lyrics resonated in a way they hadn’t before, and that probably made him a complete sap, but he didn’t care.

  “You have a beautiful voice,” Annemarie mumbled.

  “I thought you were asleep.”

  “Mmm. Almost.”

  “I’ll stop.”

  “Please don’t.”

  By the song’s end, she was asleep. For real this time, and Gabe refrained from singing along with the radio while he drove through town, as much because he didn’t want to wake her again as because navigating the roads of Cody took more of his focus. With sunrise still an hour and a half away, once he left the town behind, there was nothing but two lanes of dark, empty highway in front of him. It was soothing, and Gabe let the absolute peace of the open road saturate him.

  He loved his job and, most days, he even enjoyed the freedom of single life, but he’d been nagged by a sense of incompleteness, like he was always waiting for something. For what, he hadn’t realized.

  He glanced at Annie, took in her beautiful, sleep-relaxed face and the way she sat curled toward him with one knee hooked on the armrest and her hands beneath her cheek. Then he shifted his eyes to the rearview mirror at her adorable son half-sprawled in that deep, oblivious-to-the-world sleep of every kid and puppy he’d ever met.

  He knew now what had been missing.

  Chapter 11

  Three hours after leaving the Torrington auction, the high of picking up a check from the office for almost half again more than Annemarie had hoped for jumped another notch. Parked behind her parents’ black suburban in the looped gravel driveway in front of their doublewide modular on the northern shore of Alcova Reservoir was a familiar red Suburban. She let out a squeal.

  “Cody! Uncle Robert and Aunt Julie are here, too!”

  “What? They are?”

  “Yeah, look. Looks like you’ll get to meet my brother and his family, too, Gabe.”

  “He’s not going to pull the protective older brother routine on me, is he?” Gabe joked.

  “I don’t know if he even has one. None of the guys I dated in high school were ever serious enough for him to go big brother on them, and he’s never met Tom. Besides, I’m pretty sure you could take him.”

  “Even if I could, I’d have to let him win as a point of deference.”

  “Meh. It won’t come to that, anyhow. He’s a softy.”

  “So says the little sister. Brothers are supposed to be softies to their sisters.” Gabe stopped the truck. “Why don’t you and Cody head inside while I get this rig turned around?”

  He didn’t have to offer twice. She unbuckled her seat belt, helped Cody out of his, and leapt out of the truck. Her family had undoubtedly heard the big diesel engine, and they now gathered on the covered deck—her mother and father, brother, sister-in-law and the twin terrors, her three-year-old niece and nephew, Erin and Elijah. The toddlers let out shrieks of joy when they spotted Cody, and her son was just as happy to see them, though with all the wisdom and poise of his five and a half years, he was much better at hiding it.

  Her mother didn’t wait for them to reach the porch. She trotted down the stairs and met her daughter in the middle of the yard with arms wide. Her father joined them, wrapping his arms around them both.

  “Welcome home, sweetheart,” he greeted.

  With her arms around her parents’ waists, she followed her son to the porch where her brother and his wife waited. Annemarie hugged Julianne first, then her niece and nephew together, and finally her brother because she knew that would take longer.

  “This is such an amazing surprise, Robert,” she murmured, standing on her toes so she could wrap her arms around his neck. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Missed you, too.” Without letting her go, he leaned back to inspect her. “You look fantastic, sis.”

  “You do, too.”

  “No, I mean it. You have this…. I don’t want to say glow, because that sounds tacky, but that’s what it is. I can’t remember the last time I saw it.”

  “Life has been pretty good to me lately.”

  His gaze briefly sidetracked over her shoulder. “So I’ve heard. How’d the auction go today?”

  “Great. I made way more than I would’ve at the Cody auction, so I suppose it’s a good thing Jim had to drive cows for the Grants.”

  “Sounds like it. I’m happy for you, sis. This’ll help you out a lot.”

  “Yes, it will. I might’ve made enough to punch an irrigation well and run some pipe.”

  “That’s wonderful.”

  Suddenly, the rumble of the truck’s engine stopped, plunging them into silence. With a hand curled around her brother’s arm, she stepped to the side in time to see Gabe jump down out of the cab. She thought he’d come right over, but instead, he opened the rear door and dragged their bags out of the back. Slinging two of them over his shoulder, he closed the door with his free hand and turned toward them.

  She was struck again—for the ten-thousandth time—by his smooth, long-legged gait. So unhurried and fluid.

  Beside her, Robert let out a low whistle, and when she tore her gaze away to reprimand him for being a smart-alec, his eyes were on her, not Gabe, and there was no teasing light in them. “Can’t say I’ve ever seen you look at a man like that.”

  “You never saw the way I looked at Tom.”

  “No, but I did,” Judy said quietly. “You looked at him like the starry-eyed, gullible girl you were.”

  “Oh? And how do I look at Gabe? Because I feel pretty starry-eyed.”

  “You look at him like a woman who knows exactly what she wants and what she deserves.”

  Gabe was close enough now that he’d be able to hear their conversation, so Annemarie didn’t ask her mother to explain. She started to introduce him to her family, but Cody beat her to it.

  “Everyone, this is Gabe. Gabe, this is our family.”

  Laughing, Annemarie elaborated. “This handsome devil is my brother, Robert, and standing on his other side is his gorgeous and ever-patient wife, Julianne. She likes to go by Julie most of the time. Standing with Cody are their twins, Elijah and Erin, and over here, this beautiful woman and ornery old cuss are my parents, Judy and Bill.”

  Gabe shook each offered hand in turn, then asked playfully, “Is this everyone?”

  “Yes.” She snorted. “I can’t help it if it takes all three generations of my family to equal just your generation of your family.”

  “Seriously?” Robert asked. “Just how many siblings do you have?”

  “Six older brothers and one younger sister.”

  “How was that growing up? Because I had a hard enough time keeping up with just one sister.”

  Annemarie elbowed him.

  “See?”

  Gabe chuckled. “It was interesting. Never a dull moment.”

  “I’ll bet not.”

  “Come on in,” Judy said, ushering everyone inside. “Let’s get you situated in your room. You can gawk over Gabe’s big family later, Robert.”

  “Yes’m.”

  She had figured she and Cody would sleep in her old room and Gabe would take Robert’s old room, but with her brother and his family here, that wasn’t going to work. Would he set aside his prohibition and sleep with her? Cody wouldn’t mind sleeping on the floor. He’d probably think it was a treat. The thought of spending the night with Gabe wrapped around her was definitely appealing, but she doubted he’d go for it. Besides, he had his over
night bed in the truck. Undoubtedly, he’d take the noble route and sleep on that out in the living room. The disappointment attached to that thought was thick.

  Sure enough, as soon as he’d set their bags in her old room, he headed back out to the truck. She sighed.

  “What is there left to get?” Judy asked, gesturing to their bags. “Isn’t this everything?”

  “He went out to grab his bed roll.”

  “I thought you’d be sharing the bed. I even got the blow-up out for Cody.” Her mother eyed her. “You expect me to believe you two haven’t already had relations?”

  “We haven’t even kissed.”

  “Why the heck not? If I were you, I’d’ve been all over him by now.”

  “Mom!”

  “What?” Judy asked with wide eyes.

  The innocent routine might’ve worked if a grin of pure mischief weren’t curving her lips and making her eyes sparkle.

  “Gabe’s not letting us get carried away. For one, he is surprisingly shy. And… he says he wants to treat me how a gentleman should treat a lady.” Annemarie shrugged as her mother’s mouth fell open. “I like it most of the time. There’s no pressure. With Tom, there was nothing but pressure.”

  Judy walked over to the room’s single window, which faced the driveway, to study Gabe. “If I knew nothing else about your man, what you just told me would be enough. He’s the real deal, babe.”

  “I hope so.”

  “You hope he’s the real deal or you hope your relationship is—as in ends with the two of you rocking in the porch swing together when you’re old and gray?”

  “The old and gray part. I know Gabe’s the real deal. He’s proven that so many times now that I’m starting to lose count.” Suddenly, she smiled. “I don’t think his parents would let him be anything but. You’d love them, Mom.”

  “Judging by what I’ve seen and heard of their son so far, I suspect you’re right. Anyhow, I’d best get dinner started. I’d’ve had it waiting for you, but I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get through the end-of-auction business.”

  “Can I help?”

  “No. You’ve already had a long day, so just sit back and relax… and try to keep your brother and your father from interrogating poor Gabe too relentlessly.”

  “Mmm. I’m sure he’d appreciate that.”

  Judy left to start dinner, and Gabe returned moments later to drop his bedding off in Annemarie’s room. He didn’t say anything about where he planned to unroll it, only took her hand and led her into the kitchen to ask her mother how they could help. With a wink at her daughter, Judy promptly chased them out to the lakeside deck where Bill, Robert, Julie, and the kids were enjoying cold beverages. Cody had lemonade. His cousins were enjoying chocolate milk, and Julie sipped an iced tea. Bill and Robert were ignoring their beers in favor of playing with the children. Annemarie gave Gabe less than a minute before he joined the men and kids.

  He didn’t disappoint, and Cody immediately tackled him.

  “Gabe, can I get you a beer?” Robert offered.

  “I think I’ll hold off for a while, but I’d take an iced tea, if it’s not too much trouble.”

  “Why hold off?” Bill asked. “We’re not going anywhere else tonight.”

  “Actually,” Gabe replied, “I have a plan for after dinner, if Annemarie’s up for it.”

  “Depends on what the plan is,” she answered.

  “I’ll let you know in a bit.” His face split in a grin of pure mischief. “In the meantime, have a seat. You’re making me tired, standing there.”

  She perched primly on one of the cushioned chairs at the table and poured herself some iced tea when her father was done pouring a glass for Gabe.

  What a gorgeous evening. The sun was nearly touching the hills on the western shores of Alcova Lake and a faint breeze stirred the water just enough to make it glitter with golden light. The air temperature was downright balmy, feeling more like June than late March. The snow that had made their trip east a sloppy mess had long since disappeared, and a pocket of warmth had settled over the region. She leaned back in her chair, tipped her head back, and closed her eyes. Life was good.

  “Annemarie tells us you’re an electrician,” Bill said, climbing into a chair across the table from her for a breather. “And that you grew up on a ranch.”

  “Yes, sir,” Gabe replied.

  “Didn’t feel like ranching?”

  “Didn’t have much choice. Our spread isn’t big enough to support all the kids and their families, so I had to find something else to do with myself.” Gabe braced his hands behind him and stretched his legs out in front of him. Cody flopped beside him, leaning against him and pretending to be worn out when the twins tried to grab his hands and drag him back into play. Gabe smiled fondly at their antics. “We had a family friend who was a master electrician—Gus Cherry—and he offered to take me on as an apprentice. I enjoy it.”

  “And you own your own business?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “How much would you charge to wire in a couple lights out here?”

  “Dad,” Annemarie groaned, “he’s not here to—”

  “Not much,” Gabe answered. “Why don’t you show me what you’re looking at?”

  When all three men got up to go discuss Bill’s ideas, Annemarie rolled her eyes.

  “Well, since the men are talking shop, shall we talk men?” Julie inquired.

  With a mock reluctance, Annemarie asked, “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Anything. It’s been a while since I felt that brand-new love, so indulge me.”

  “Um, it’s great. He rewired my house essentially for free—the amount of bookkeeping I’m doing in exchange doesn’t even come close to balancing it out. And he’s helped out quite a bit with the ranching, too.”

  “And Cody obviously adores him,” Julie added quietly, nodding her head toward the men. “Looks like the feeling is mutual.”

  Annemarie followed her sister-in-law’s gaze. Cody had snuck after the men and currently gripped Gabe’s hand as he listened intently to what his new electrician friend was telling his grandfather and uncle. How many times had she watched them together with her heart leaping? Too many to count, but this was somehow different. It wasn’t new anymore. It was comfortingly familiar the way Gabe held Cody’s hand as if it were so natural to him that he hadn’t spared it even a second’s thought.

  Gabe was the piece that completed the jigsaw puzzle of her family.

  How was it they hadn’t even kissed yet?

  “And damn, woman,” Julie remarked with a wink. “There’s a whole lotta man there to keep you warm at night. He’s gotta be six-five-ish.”

  “About that, yeah.”

  “Mmm, mmm, mmm. He is a superb representation of his gender.”

  “You better not let my brother hear you say that.”

  “He couldn’t care less. I don’t have eyes for anyone but him, and the butthead knows it.” Loud enough for her husband to hear, she added, “Don’t ya, honey?”

  “Don’t I what?” Robert asked.

  “Know that you spoiled me for any other man.”

  “You’d better believe it.”

  “See?” Julie asked Annemarie.

  Laughing, Annemarie held up her hands. “Okay, okay. I believe you.”

  Judy came out of the house with an armload of paper plates, silverware, and napkins. “Dinner’s about ready, if you girls would kindly set these out.”

  “Already?” Annemarie asked.

  “I put the lasagna together this morning, so all I had to do was put it in the oven as soon as you three arrived.”

  You three. Annemarie almost purred at the thought.

  “Where’d the boys go?”

  “Uh, they were just…. Oh, this is ridiculous.”

  In her distraction, Bill, Robert, Gabe, and Cody had disappeared. Excusing herself, she left the table to track them down with a promise that she’d help set the table when she retur
ned.

  She found the menfolk out of sight from the deck on the flagstone path down to the lakeshore. She didn’t have to hear the conversation to know what her father was asking of Gabe; he’d been talking about adding lights along the path for years now.

  “I thought you asked about porch lights,” she said.

  “I did, but while I have an electrician here,” Bill replied, “I thought I’d ask his opinion.”

  “Well, dinner’s done.”

  “We’ll be up in a minute.”

  Annemarie folded her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. Robert took the hint and headed toward the deck, gripping her shoulder as he passed her.

  “Good luck getting Gabe away from Dad while you’re here,” he remarked.

  “Yeah, thanks. Go help your wife set the table.”

  “Rawr. Kitty’s got claws.”

  She smacked his shoulder as he trotted away chuckling. Clearing her throat noisily, she turned pointedly to her father and Gabe. They looked at her with matching looks of surprise-edged amusement. “Not when it’s too dark to keep plotting. Now. You can talk about all your grand lighting schemes over dinner.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Gabe replied, taking Cody’s hand again. “Guess we’d better listen to your mom if we want any dessert.”

  Did they have to be so cute? When Gabe met her gaze with a twinkle in his eye, she knew he saw right through her, and it only made him that much more irresistible. As he reached her, he held his free hand out and hooked her around the waist, pulling her along with him behind her father.

  “So, what’s this plan you have for later in the evening?” she asked.

  “Patience.”

  They crested the steps up to the deck, and Annemarie sent Cody on ahead, then turned to Gabe.

  “You seem to have a lot of faith in my patience, first asking me to wait to even kiss you and again now.”

  “I wanted us to take our time because I want to do this right. Because you deserve it.”

  “And what do you deserve, Gabe?”

  “I hope I deserve your heart.”

  That took the wind right out of her sails and at the same time propelled her to new speeds.

  “As to my idea for tonight….”