and Eva invited the family to dinner and I’m part of the reinforcements. Fallon has Henry. The last time I saw them he was chasing a chicken and she was hot on his heels. Jamie was keeping Kate from going headfirst into the horse’s water trough. And I drew the short straw. We call him jackrabbit because he’s so fast.” She kissed his cheek and made smacking noises, getting a giggle out of the squirmy boy.
The sight of this woman with a child in her arms struck a chord deep inside Brendan. Her brightness flashed a light on the dark emptiness he carried around, the dusty place where he stored any hope of having a family.
“There you are.” Luke Stockton walked into the workshop.
It was getting like Grand Central Station in here, Brendan thought. For some reason he didn’t completely mind the invasion. He had liked Luke Stockton the first time they met and hadn’t changed his mind since he’d been here at Sunshine Farm. His blue eyes projected honesty, integrity, and the deep tan was a result of hard outdoor work.
He shook hands with Brendan, then looked at Fiona and his nephew. “Your sister was getting worried. About you. And keeping up with Jared.”
“Oh, please.” Fiona rolled her eyes. “I’m onto this little man.”
“I see you two have met,” Luke said, glancing between her and Brendan.
“We introduced ourselves,” she confirmed.
Luke took the squirming little boy, who was holding out his arms. Probably hoping this time he’d get put down. But Luke held him tight. “What are you up to, jackrabbit?”
“He’s not happy,” Fiona said. “Brendan wouldn’t let him juggle the saw blades in his toolbox.”
“You’ve got a mean streak,” Luke teased.
“That’s me. Making kids cry. It’s a gift,” Brendan said.
“Yeah. Speaking of gifts...” Luke looked at Fiona. “This guy can fix anything from a can opener to a car engine.”
“So I heard.” Fiona’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “You’re working him so hard the poor man hardly has time for anything else.”
“Me?” Luke shook his head. “I just mentioned to a couple of people that he’s got some skills repairing broken things. It’s not my fault folks in Rust Creek Falls ran with it.”
“So he should be flattered while working his fingers to the bone?” She folded her arms over her chest.
Luke lifted the wriggling kid above his head and got a snort of laughter out of him. “It’s clear to any enterprising person that there’s a need around here for this kind of service. I’m trying to talk him into opening a repair shop.”
“And?”
Brendan noticed a questioning look in her eyes, along with something that might have been female interest. If he was right about that, the attraction was mutual. “And I keep telling Luke that I will likely be gone in a few months.”
“That’s not a definite,” the other man said. “I’m telling you there’s money to be made and we need to spread the word.”
“If there’s one thing folks in Rust Creek Falls are good at, it’s talking. It’s almost a competitive sport around here,” she joked.
“A business venture isn’t the only reason to stick around.” Luke glanced at Fiona, then back. “This is a close community with good people.”
Brendan couldn’t swear to it but he’d bet money that Fiona blushed.
All she said was, “This town has a charm, for sure.”
And then another redhead appeared in the workshop doorway, holding an identical version of Jared. That must be Henry. And if the feather he was tightly clutching in his little fist was any indication, he’d caught up with that unfortunate chicken.
“See?” He held it up proudly.
“So the party is in here.” This was Fallon Stockton.
Even if Brendan hadn’t already met her, he would have guessed a sibling connection to Fiona just because of the coloring. She was pretty enough, but...she wasn’t Fiona. And he was going to forget that thought had ever entered his mind.
“It is getting crowded in here,” Luke agreed. “Also it’s not a safe place to turn these little guys loose.” Again he held up Jared, who squealed with delight.
“Eva sent me to find everyone. Dinner will be ready soon. We have to get the kids washed up,” Fallon said.
“On it.” Fiona took Jared. “Nice to meet you, Brendan.”
“Likewise.” Politely he touched the brim of his Stetson.
“You should join us for dinner,” Luke said to him.
That caught him off guard. “I don’t know...”
“Eva cooks enough to feed half of Rust Creek Falls. On top of that, Fiona brought her famous four-cheese macaroni dish and it is not to be missed.”
“It’s kind of last minute,” he hedged.
“There’s plenty of food,” Fallon confirmed.
“Tell him, Fiona,” Luke urged. “He hasn’t lived until he’s tried your homemade mac and cheese.”
“I don’t like to toot my own horn.”
No one could accuse Brendan of picking up on social cues, but even he didn’t miss the obvious matchmaking. Apparently neither did Fiona. The look on her face said she could cheerfully strangle Luke Stockton.
“I appreciate the offer,” he said, “but I’m pretty busy here. I promised to have these things back in working order by tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Luke nodded. “If you change your mind, there will be a place set at the table for you.”
“Thanks anyway.”
A place at the table, he thought, watching them all walk away. A family thing. He hadn’t experienced much of that in his life and it was probably better for everyone if he stayed away. And by “everyone” he meant Fiona. He’d seen the wary look on her face when he’d been invited. It was so different from her smile when he’d used a basket of broken toys to fix a toddler’s tantrum. Damn it. He wanted to hang the moon for her again.
In battle it was an unwritten rule that you never left a man behind. But watching her leave made him feel as if someone was and he had a bad feeling that man was him.
* * *
At the house, Fiona made a dash for the bathroom to see just how bad she had looked for her meet and greet with the hunky new guy. Her worst suspicions were confirmed. The overall effect was almost as bad as if she’d been mud wrestling. Come to think of it, chasing after little Jared Stockton wasn’t much different, but still...
Red hair had escaped her ponytail and hung around
