Sam finally interrupted them by clearing his throat. “Get a room, you two. There’s only a dozen of ’em in that house.”
Reese pulled away and laughed. “Yeah, I was just wondering what the heck went through the previous owner’s mind when he built it. My best assumption is he and his wife were extremely fertile.”
“No kidding,” Sam said. “I don’t think he agreed with that TV show, Eight is Enough.”
Caleb asked, “What brings you by? At lunchtime, no less…” He gave her a hopeful grin.
“I’m guessing you didn’t think to grab anything to eat before you came out here.”
“No, we did not.” He snickered. “Too excited to get to work. We were just talking about making a quick trip into town when you pulled in.”
“Now you don’t have to,” she said. “If one of you will grab the cooler from my trunk, I’ll feed you.”
“Damn, I like this woman,” Sam said. “If only I’d come to town sooner.” He snapped his fingers as though he’d missed out on something. Then he added, “But, of course, Caleb would have swooped in and snatched you away with all that charm of his.”
Reese smiled again. “Seems to run in the family.”
With a groan, Caleb said, “Let us not give you the wrong impression. We’re the oddballs of the clan. And no, I am not kidding or exaggerating.”
She cringed. “Then I will happily steer clear of your family.”
The brothers exchanged a look she couldn’t decipher. Then Sam said, “I’ll get the cooler.”
“Shall we dine alfresco again?” she asked.
“Back deck works for me,” Caleb agreed.
She spared one last glance at the front of the house, a niggling thought teasing her brain, but not fully forming.
They passed through the monstrous foyer and the double patio doors that led to the long, wide porch overlooking the spacious and gorgeous lawn, framed by trees and strategically placed and well-maintained flowerbeds all the way down to the lake.
Reese shook her head as she surveyed the area. “Each time I’m here, this place completely takes my breath away.”
Caleb nodded. “The accommodations for the horses and the huge acreage I could partially use for the med facility were the biggest draws when I saw the listing for the property. I really didn’t put much thought into the house. But it is a showpiece.”
“So are the grounds.” She studied them again, then Sam joined them and she unfurled the blanket she’d brought along for their picnic and laid out the food she’d cooked at the B&B.
“Fried chicken and potato wedges,” Sam said as he eyed the spread. “Nice.”
“There’s coleslaw too. I make it crispy with extra red cabbage and carrot slices.”
“She even brought dessert,” Sam noted as he rubbed his hands together while eyeing the lemon meringue pie she’d carefully placed in a dessert container with a clear, domed top. “Seems you’ve discovered the Bennett brothers’ penchant for sweets.”
“Is that why all my iced scones and apple pie are gone?” she teased.
Caleb said, “Guilty, darlin’. Though I have to say, everything you make is delicious.”
She thought of his chiseled physique—imagining him naked was not the least bit difficult—and said, “I don’t know where you put it all. I can’t touch half that stuff.”
Luckily, she clammed up before she mentioned it had to be Caleb’s twentysomething metabolism, not wanting to draw attention to the age difference in front of Sam. But then she spared a glance at Caleb’s brother and decided youth didn’t have anything to do with it. Must be they came from an outstanding gene pool.
While they ate lunch, Reese continued to admire the surroundings and think of the large house behind her. Something gnawed at her so incessantly she had to set aside her paper plate and stand. Descending the steps to the grass, she took in the scenery for a moment, then closed her eyes. Sights and sounds flitted through her mind, not quite gelling. Until her eyelids fluttered open and she turned back to the house and stared up at the grand two-story structure.
A smile touched her lips. She suddenly had a very good idea of what the true purpose of the structure might be.
Caleb asked, “What’s up, darlin’?”
Her gaze dropped to him as he watched her with a curious look on his ruggedly handsome face. Sam appeared equally enthralled by the trancelike state in which she’d been caught.