Gray lifted his bottle of beer, a smile curling his lips. “To my brothers. For always being here even when life is crazy and time is expensive. Thank you for making time for my family.”
“To family,” Tanner said, lifting his own bottle up.
“And to Becca, because she’ll kill us if we don’t include her,” Cam added, referring to their baby sister.
“To family,” Logan murmured before he took a sip of cool water. He loved his brothers like crazy, with their constant jibes and fierce affection.
But that wasn’t the real reason he was here today. The real reason was driving out of town, in a truck that made her look even tinier than she already was.
And tonight, he intended to make her his.
Again.
Chapter Two
“Ellis, can you pass the mashed potatoes to Courtney.” Mary Roberts, Courtney’s mother-in-law, gave her a soft smile. Mary always served too much food. As if she still hadn’t gotten used to the fact that her two sons had long since moved out of the house. The Roberts always ate family style, the food piled in the middle of the table. Today there was a pot roast, along with potatoes, corn bread, carrots, and string beans, along with a huge jug of gravy that her father-in-law, Ellis, was currently slathering over his plate.
“I’m fine.” Courtney rubbed her stomach and shot her mother-in-law a smile. “I haven’t eaten this well in a long time.”
“Since last Friday when you were over.” Ellis winked at her.
“I’m late,” a deep voice boomed out as the backdoor opened. Courtney had her back to it. She was sitting in the same chair as always. It had been hers since Shaun brought her home eight years earlier. And next to her was his empty chair. Nobody ever sat in it, not even on the rare occasion when they had a full table. It was just there, a constant reminder of his absence.
“Carl, come and sit down.” Mary patted the empty chair next to hers. Courtney forced a smile on her face and turned her head to greet her brother-in-law. He was Shaun’s older brother. At thirty-eight, his hair held the promise of grey, and the skin at the corner of his eyes crinkled in a way that Shaun’s never would. He was wearing his police uniform – he must have come straight from a shift.
“You look different,” Carl murmured, leaning down to kiss Courtney’s cheek. She could feel the heat of his breath on her skin, and she had to force herself not to flinch.
“She’s been to the salon,” Mary said, already filling a plate full of food for him. “Doesn’t she look pretty?”
Carl nodded. “Yeah, she does.” He slid into the seat opposite Courtney’s and filled his glass with milk. “You going out tonight or something?”
Courtney shook her head. “Lainey asked me to come in for her to experiment on. Her treat.”
“You should go out, looking like that.” Carl tipped his head to the side. “I could take you somewhere if you’d like.”
“Oh no. It’s fine.” Courtney’s heart sped up. “I’m going to make it an early night. I was up with the sun this morning.”
“Shaun was always an early bird,” Mary said, her eyes wistful. “Ever since he was a tiny baby. I remember telling him he’d pay for it when he had children of his own.” Her bottom lip wobbled, and Ellis reached out to cover her hand with his. The tightness in Courtney’s chest increased.
She hated the way they’d never recovered from Shaun’s death. Lainey would probably argue that Courtney hadn’t either. But at least she didn’t cry every time his name was mentioned. She felt sad, though. Sad that they were stuck in this awful time slip, forever mourning the child they’d lost.
They all had to work so much harder to make up for Shaun’s absence on the farm they lived on. Maybe that was why Courtney would never dream of leaving.
That and the fact that she loved the farm. Growing up, it had always been her childhood dream to live and work on a small farm like this one. It was in her blood – thanks to her grandparents who’d run their own small ranch back in West Virginia where she’d grown up. After her mom died, and her dad was working all the hours god sent, she’d spent a lot of time there.
And when her grandparents died, her dad had to sell the farm to pay all the debts on it. She’d been sixteen. By eighteen, she was studying for her associate’s degree in agriculture, and had ended up working for Carwood, a huge agricultural company that specialized in selling grain and livestock to small farmers. That’s how she’d met Shaun, when she’d come to Creek Edge Farm to discuss an order with him. He’d always joked that she’d fallen in love with the farm first, him second.
Now he was gone, but she was still here. Living in the small cottage on the other side of the fields. It was far enough away to give her privacy from the main farmhouse, with its own driveway and land surrounding it.
After they finished eating their dinner, Courtney and Mary cleaned up while Carl helped his dad repair a rotten riser on the front porch. Courtney glanced at her watch and guilt filled her up again.
“Thank you for dinner,” she said to Mary, hugging the frail old woman tight.
“It’s always good to see you. You know you can come over any time, right?”
Courtney nodded, a small smile on her lips. “I know.”
Mary opened the back door. “Ellis, Carl?” she called out to her husband and son. “Courtney’s leaving.”