Aunt Vicky still think she’s the only one who knows about the wedding?”
“Evidently, ’cause she made me promise to play dumb if I talked to you.”
“I’m not touching that line!” Nate laughed. “Mothers. I think they’re all cut from the same cloth.”
For a reason he couldn’t explain, Finn’s mother came to mind. Not all of ’em, he thought.
“So what’s up, cousin?”
“I was scrolling through my contacts,” Nate said. “When your name went by I said, ‘Give that boy a call.’”
Nate was ten months older than Sam, but to hear him talk, years separated them.
“You guys took down another cougar, huh?”
“Yeah. That’s something those foster kids living in Eden’s grandparents’ house will remember for a long, long time.”
He’d met Eden’s boys twice. Once during a summer visit to the ranch, and again after the fire that nearly killed Nate.
“Will Eden keep her job after you two swap I do’s?”
“Yes and no.”
Sam knew if he waited, Nate would explain.
“We cut a deal. Her greedy landlord sold Latimer House, so she moved them into her grandparents’ place. It beats being homeless, but the house lacks the space they need for classrooms and whatnot. Sooner or later, they’d outgrow it, and those boys need stability. So I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Soon as we’re married, the whole kit and caboodle of ’em will move into my house.” Nate chuckled. “They’re over here most of the time anyway.”
“Mighty generous of you, cousin.”
“Nah. It’s the right thing to do. They’re good kids, for the most part.”
For the most part? Something in Nate’s voice told Sam it was best to let that one slide. At least for now.
“How do their parents feel about you and Eden assuming the mom-and-dad roles in their kids’ lives?”
“Most are out of the picture, either in prison or dead. Eden and I are working with the state to become legal guardians.”
“For all of them?”
“All but the one.”
No doubt he was referring to Thomas, the kid who’d set fire to Nate’s barn, nearly killing himself, Nate and four of his horses. If Sam closed his eyes, he could still see how pale and weak his big, burly cousin looked after his release from the hospital. The only time he’d seen him in worse shape had been after the accident that had ended his major league career. Sam would have worried a whole lot more about Nate...if not for Eden.
Sam didn’t ask what had become of the boy. That, like news of the partnership, could wait until he got back to the Double M, and they could talk in person.
“Real reason I called,” Nate said, “was to ask if you’ll be my best man.”
“Of course I will! Does that mean you guys have set a date?”
“No, not yet. But you’ll be one of the first to know when we do.” Nate paused. “Speaking of dates and stuff, are you seeing anybody?”
“Nah.” Finn’s image flashed in his brain, and he slapped a hand to the back of his neck. “No time for stuff like that.”
Nate laughed, but his tone changed when he added, “What was it you told me when I said that?”
“When the right one comes along, you’ll make time.”
“It was good advice then, it’s good advice now.” There was a moment of silence on the line. “What do you want in a woman anyway? Perfection? If that’s the only reason you’re still single, well, you’re old enough to know there’s no such thing.”
“Present company excluded, of course.”
“Well, that goes without saying.”
“To be honest, I never gave much thought to what kind of woman I’m looking for. A hard worker, I guess. Independent. Good sense of humor. Five foot two or three, big brown eyes, dark curly hair...” The words stuck in his throat. He’d just described Finn.
“Whoa, dude. That’s pretty specific for a guy who hasn’t given it any thought. You sure you aren’t seeing somebody? I wouldn’t tell a soul. Not even Zach. Trust me.”
“I trust you, and if there was something to tell...”
He diverted the conversation back to the wedding, and while Nate elaborated on the plans, Sam came to an undeniable conclusion. It was time to figure out why he’d allowed a near stranger—no matter how gorgeous and appealing she was—to dominate so many of his thoughts, and take up such a big portion of his heart.
“MAN. IT IS pouring out there.” Mark shook rainwater from the brim of his Stetson as the door swung shut behind him.
Torry slid a tall black stool to the center of the stage and leaned into the mic. “Weather dude says we’re in for a long, bad night.”
His foreboding tone reverberated through the nearly empty club, inspiring a chuckle from Dirk, the Marks Brothers’ drummer.
“Long as the river doesn’t rise again, I can handle it.” Mark hung the damp ten-galloner on a gooseneck mic stand, and bent at the waist to adjust knobs and dials.
Sam remembered when more than thirteen inches of rain fell during a two-day period, breaking decades-old weather records and sending the Cumberland over its banks and into the streets. The whole town had become a murky water world, and the flood had damaged homes, businesses and historic buildings...including the Grand Ole Opry.
“The leg’s bothering you, eh?”
Until Torry mentioned it, Sam hadn’t realized he was massaging the thigh. “Nah. It’s fine.” In truth, it almost always ached to one degree or another. Complaining didn’t make it hurt less, so he’d taught himself to stay busy enough to ignore it.
“Y’know, I don’t think I ever heard how it happened.”
At first, Sam couldn’t talk about the accident that had taken him off the truck and put him into the classroom. Then he talked until people’s eyes glazed over. These days, he simply delivered the well-rehearsed speech that summed up the whole miserable event in less than a minute:
“House fire was out of control when the truck rolled up, but neighbors said the owner was still inside, so I entered through a basement window and found the woman unconscious in her kitchen. I’d just handed her off to EMTs when the ceiling collapsed, trapping me in the grid work. When I came to, I was in the ICU, covered in bandages, and found out I’d lost a quarter of my calf and thigh muscles.”
