Beatrice playfully punched him in the shoulder. “I brought a basket of blondies. I bake pretty well myself.”
“Blondies?” Rand asked. “To match your pretty hair?”
“No, they’re salted caramel brownies.”
“No kidding. Well, I’m all over that,” he said and leaned over to kiss her.
Eli and Chris made smooching sounds to each other.
“All right, enough.” Rand got out of the truck. “Bee, I’ll get the roaster of pulled pork if you get the kids.” He hoisted the roaster with both hands and piled the blondies on the roaster lid.
Beatrice helped Eli out of his car seat. She walked with the boys over to Rand and together they went up to the Victorian house.
“One person lives in this huge house? By herself?” Eli asked.
“Yes,” Beatrice said, turning the tinny bell in the middle of the beveled glass and walnut wood door. “Though she does rent the third-floor apartment out from time to time.”
“Wow.” Chris took in the abundant gardens, the wide screened-in porch and the Boston ferns with wide eyes. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“Is this how really old people live?” Eli asked.
“Not many people live like Mrs. Beabots,” Beatrice answered.
“But like most people, she loves my pulled pork,” Rand said.
“Of course she does.”
Beatrice heard the sound of footsteps—quite a few footsteps—coming to the door.
“She brings pies to the firefighter fund-raisers and I make the pulled pork. It’s my secret recipe.”
“What’s the secret?” Beatrice asked.
He grinned. “Love.”
Eli and Chris made smooching sounds again. They smiled at Rand.
Rand glared at them as the door opened.
“Hello!” Mrs. Beabots said, flinging back the door. She was dressed in navy slacks and a red-and-white-striped silk blouse with a big navy bow at the neck. She wore blue sapphires in her ears. “Welcome!”
Behind her were Annie, Timmy, Danny, and three other children around the same age. Luke and Sarah’s toddler, Charlotte, came up, too, and behind her was another baby just about a year old holding a very stylishly dressed blonde woman’s hand. “We all came to greet you to your first Labor Day party at my house!” Mrs. Beabots said happily as she reached out to hug Beatrice.
The kids rushed to greet Eli and Chris, dragging them inside to show them around.
Mrs. Beabots turned and put out her hand to the pretty blonde woman. “Beatrice Wilcox and Rand Nelson, this is Grace Barzonni. This is her son, Jules. They just flew in all the way from Paris with Jules’s daddy, Mica. Just for my party! Isn’t that wonderful?” Mrs. Beabots clapped her hands and kissed Grace’s cheek.
“I’m so happy to meet you.” Grace smiled and shook Beatrice’s hand. “Mrs. Beabots, if you’ll take Jules, I’ll help Rand with this roaster.”
“No way,” Rand said. “I’ll take it to the kitchen. Just straight down the hall, as I remember.”
“It is, Rand.” Mrs. Beabots shut the door behind Beatrice.
“He knows his way around, huh?” Beatrice asked.
“Good heavens, yes. Rand was kind enough to drive me to a couple fund-raisers for the firefighters last spring.” She put her arm around Beatrice’s waist. “Come in and meet everyone you don’t know, Beatrice.”
Grace picked up Jules. “He’s just learning to walk,” Grace said. “I’m afraid if he takes to it as fast as he took to crawling, he’ll be running across our apartment in no time.”
Beatrice couldn’t take her eyes off the beautiful dark-haired baby boy with the Mediterranean blue eyes. He wore a navy-and-white suit that reminded her of a Victorian sailor suit from over a hundred years ago. “Children dress differently in Paris, huh?”
“Actually, they do. But this is from my new children’s clothes line I’m designing.”
“It’s fantastic. And the detail,” Beatrice said, pointing to the red piping around the middy collar. “You’re so talented. Gosh. Paris! I’ve always wanted to see it.”
Grace beamed brightly. “I’d love for you to come and visit. Truthfully, Mica and I are trying to get the whole family to come for Christmas.”
Beatrice dropped her smile in surprise. “The entire Barzonni family?”
“Sure. Why not? And I’m serious about you visiting. I would be thrilled to have a friend from Indian Lake come to see us. There’s so much history. So much fun!” she gushed.
“I—I never thought about traveling to Europe.” Beatrice looked at Jules, who had placed an openmouthed kiss on Grace’s cheek. Grace kissed him back twice. He giggled and kissed her again. “I should think about it.”
“You should,” Grace said as she walked with Beatrice into the dining room.
The dining table was decorated in silver candlesticks, red, white and blue candles and a huge crystal vase of white hydrangeas. On top of a white linen tablecloth was just about every summer food she could have imagined. Hamburgers and hot dogs, a spiral ham, all kinds of salad, mounds of pickles, stuffed peppers, sliced beefsteak tomatoes, watermelon wedges, a crystal bowl of summer fruit and four pies.
“There’s more food in the kitchen, if you can believe it,” Rand said, coming up to Beatrice.
Just then Zoey Phillips walked up to Rand and Beatrice. She handed Beatrice three folded sheets of paper. “It’s done.”
Beatrice looked at Rand, who grabbed her and pulled her close. “I told you. Believe in me.”
“I do. I will. Always.”
Gabe Barzonni came out of the living room. Spotting Rand, he walked up to him and slapped him on the back. “Rand! Glad to see you. I’m going out to the kitchen for a bottle of a new pinot noir we corked last fall. Care to try it?”
“Love to.”
Gabe leaned over to Beatrice. “Liz is excited about your weekend day camp for Zeke. During harvest we have zero time for him.”
Beatrice smiled. “I’m going to love having him with us.”
“Aw.” Gabe swatted the air with his palm. “I bet you say that about all the kids.”
Rand smiled at Beatrice. “Actually, Gabe, you’re right. She loves kids. But there are some that are very special.”
“No wine for me. I’m driving back. I’ll have tea,” Beatrice said. “But we have something we want to celebrate with everyone.”
The doorbell rang again. Mrs. Beabots placed a casserole dish of macaroni and cheese on the table on her way to the door. She winked at Rand. “I’ll get it.”
Rand winked back.
She scurried away.
“I’ll help her.” Rand followed Mrs. Beabots, leaving Beatrice wondering why Mrs. Beabots and Rand were acting strangely.
Then she heard more familiar voices coming from the foyer.
“We’re so happy you invited us, Mrs. Beabots,” Laura said. “My crew is all here. Even Cassie. She’s the one on the motorcycle.”
Beatrice excused herself from Grace and Gabe and went to the foyer. Rand’s entire family filled the entrance.
“Laura.” Beatrice went to her and hugged her. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“It’s a surprise.” Mrs. Beabots smiled as she took a coconut cake from Laura. “This looks yummy. I’ll just put it in the kitchen.”
“We brought sodas and beer,” David and Ed chorused.
“I’ve got chips and salsa,” Jonas added. “I stopped at the marina mini-mart.”
“All good.” Rand leaned over to kiss his mother’s cheek. “Come on in, Mom. I want to introduce you to everybody. And with this crowd, that’s going to take some time.”
Beatrice hugged Cassie and Rand’s brothers, who then went to the kitchen to deposit their drinks.
Rand introduced Laura to Grace, Jules and Zoey. Together they walk
ed to the entrance of the living room. Grace took Jules and sat next to Mica, who had saved her a space on an enormous beige, bullion-fringed ottoman.
All the children were in the middle of the living-room floor playing with hand puppets. Beatrice noticed that Chris was patiently demonstrating to Timmy how to work the delicate paddles and strings of what looked like an antique French harlequin puppet on his right hand.
“Chris? How do you know so much about how to work that puppet?”
“There was a book in the library at the camp.” He went back to working with Timmy.
Once again, Beatrice was hit with gratitude for the experiences her camp offered to kids—the experiences all camps offered to kids. Who knew how many children across the country would have their perspectives enhanced by a book they read, a game they played or a skill they’d learned at a summer camp? Those idyllic days when a person was removed from their normal habitat were very important.
While Rand introduced his mother, brothers and sister to everyone, Beatrice gazed around the room at all the familiar faces. Sarah and Luke, of course. Liz and Gabe Barzonni. Nate and Maddie Barzonni. Louise Railton, who owned the Louise House Ice Cream Shop. Olivia and Rafe Barzonni. Chloe Knowland, who worked for Maddie and lived with her aunt and uncle in the house behind Mrs. Beabots. Gina Barzonni Crenshaw and her new husband, Sam, Liz’s father, sat next to Katia and Austin McCreary. The entire Hawks family—Connie, Sadie, Violet, Christopher, Dylan and Ross—stood together behind Isabelle Hawks Abbot, her husband, Scott, and their adopted children, Michael and Bella. Cate Sullivan Davis sat on her husband’s lap as space was getting tight, though the room was very large, as they watched the kids with the puppets.
“That old puppet is older than I am,” Mrs. Beabots said. “I found it in a flea market near Les Halles.”
“Really?” Grace asked. “I wonder if it’s still there. Honey, we should go look. Jules would love to play with a puppet like that.”
“Absolutely,” Mica replied and kissed her temple. “Anything you want.”
He mouthed, I love you.
Grace kissed him.
Beatrice felt her heart leap due to all the love and friendship in this house.
“I love you,” Rand said, slipping his hand around her waist and pulling her into his side.
She dropped her head back, hoping the smile in her heart shone through in her eyes. “I love you, too. More than you know.”
“That’s really good, because...”
He slipped his hand off her waist and down to her hand as he pulled her to the middle of the room. “Everybody, may I have your attention.”
“Rand, what are you doing?”
“Shh.” He lifted his wineglass. “I don’t mean to break up the puppet show, but, kids, we’ll get back to you in a minute.”
“Rand?” she asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable with everyone in the room watching them.
He turned to her and kissed her quickly. Without another word he handed his wineglass to Gabe, who winked at Rand and grinned broadly.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
Rand stuck his hand in his pocket as he sank to one knee. She leaned down a bit and whispered, “You’ve already proposed.”
He whispered back, “Yeah, but now I have witnesses.” He grinned.
He withdrew a diamond ring and held it out to her. “Beatrice, no one could love you more than I do. Marry me. Be my wife. Always and forever.”
“Yes. Yes!”
The room burst into laughter, with the Barzonni family making the most noise.
“See, Mica?” Gabe said. “You gotta have the ring. No question.”
Rafe hugged Olivia. “I got that part.”
Beatrice leaned down and took Rand’s strong face in her hands, “I love you to the ends of the earth, my hero. Yes. I will be your wife. I can’t wait to be your wife.”
Rand shot to his feet and kissed her.
“Give her the ring!” Nate urged.
“Oh, the ring!” Rand slid the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit. “I hope you like it.”
Beatrice looked down at the round cut antique ring. “It’s so beautiful and very unique.”
“Rand had help with that one,” Mrs. Beabots said, coming over to kiss them both on the cheek. “It had to be something very, very special for such an extraordinary lady.” She smiled.
Beatrice’s eyes flew to Rand. “This looks...” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Really old.” Her eyes slid to Mrs. Beabots, who was smiling far too broadly.
Had Mrs. Beabots given Rand this antique ring?
“Shh,” Rand whispered. “We’ll talk about it later.”
Mrs. Beabots winked at Beatrice. “Thank you for all you do for the children, Beatrice. You have an abundant heart. And it has not gone unnoticed.”
Rand kissed Beatrice and the room exploded into applause and whistles.
“I love you, Rand.”
He leaned forward and whispered, “Tonight too soon to get married? Maybe Mrs. Beabots could arrange that if we asked her.”
“Good thinking.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Beatrice saw Zoey as she went over to Eli and Chris, who had been clapping as hard as any of the adults.
Beatrice nodded to Zoey and the other woman nodded back.
“I can’t thank you all enough for sharing in our joy,” Beatrice said, squeezing Rand’s hand.
“But,” Rand said, “we have another announcement to make. Though the ring makes it official about our engagement, Zoey was the first in town to know about our plans to marry. And the reason she was the first was because...”
Beatrice looked at Eli and Chris and realized their smiles held anxiety. They loved Rand and they loved her. Rand had obviously told the boys about his plan to present her with a ring that night. But their future was still a mystery to them. She wanted to rectify that.
“Not only will Beatrice and I become foster parents for Eli and Chris, but we are petitioning for adoption.”
Beatrice held up the papers that Zoey had given her. “Our papers were officially filed on Saturday. We aren’t wasting any time to be a real family.”
The room exploded into more applause. Each of the Barzonni brothers bounded forward and slapped Rand on the back, then he hugged and kissed Beatrice. Rand’s brothers were next in line, whooping even louder. Half the women burst into tears. Mrs. Beabots went to the bathroom to get boxes of tissues. The first box was for herself.
Rand gazed down at Eli and Chris.
The poor kids looked shell-shocked.
“If you adopt us, does that mean we stay with you forever?” Eli asked.
“Well, until you’re all grown up. And then you’ll want to have your own home.”
“No, I won’t,” Eli replied and rushed to them both, throwing his arms around them and crushing his head into Beatrice’s stomach.
Chris was slower to approach. “And this is legal?”
“It will be,” Rand replied. “We have a great deal of paperwork to do. We have to get permission from your father. Jail or no jail.”
“I understand,” Chris said hesitantly. He looked up. “But you want us?”
Rand put his hand on Chris’s head and pulled him into an embrace. “More than you know.”
“Me, too,” Chris replied and stretched his arms around Rand.
Beatrice glanced down at the boys and then up at Rand. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but they were happy tears. “I’ve always said, group hugs are the best.”
“I have to agree, my love.” Rand kissed her forehead and pulled both boys in tighter. “They are the best.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Rancher’s Fake Fiancée by Amy Vastine.
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The Rancher's Fake Fiancée
by Amy Vastine
CHAPTER ONE
“FOR THE LOVE of all that’s good in the world, would you please call your brothers back?”
Tyler Blackwell glanced up at his obviously infuriated employee. Tucking her wavy blond hair behind her ears, Hadley Sullivan scowled. That meant she was serious this time.
Tyler’s gaze returned to his computer screen. Regardless of her ire, finishing the presentation for Lodi Organics was a bit higher on the priority list than his bothersome brothers. “Which one?”
Hadley let out an exasperated sigh. “Take your pick. That was Ethan just now, but Ben has bombarded the office with at least a dozen calls this week and Jonathan phoned yesterday while you were at lunch. I know you know this. We put all the messages on your desk.”
Tyler had seen the notes and promptly tossed those slips of pink paper in the recycling bin because he was nothing if not ecologically minded.
Rescued by the Firefighter Page 23
