Chapter 4
Slow It Down
Lawson woke at his usual early hour the next day. It seemed everyone on the farm liked to rise with the sun and head to bed early.
That worked for him. He’d learned the pattern in the army and had continued it afterward. Back in Boston, he’d always taken the early shift at the garage and usually had his run in before that started.
He found Nash, Olivia, Charlie, and Ella Mae having oatmeal and fruit at the kitchen table. “Good morning, everyone.”
They all returned the greeting. Charlie pointed at the pot on the stove. “The oatmeal should be warm if you want some. We made a lot.”
Lawson had been told the group alternated cooking duties for supper, but that breakfast and lunch were up to the individuals.
Nash nodded, as if reading his mind. “Go ahead. There’s almost always someone making oatmeal around here. Check the fridge before you make your own. It’s better to use up what’s left before making more.”
Lawson nodded and filled a bowl before joining them at the table. “What are you up to today?”
Charlie grinned at him. “We’re going to stake out the area for the addition we’re putting on the cider cabin. It’s close to Dani’s property. That’s the lady you asked about last night. You should come and see what we’re doing. Maybe you can talk to her again and make sure she’s okay.”
Nash ruffled his son’s hair. “Good idea. Come along if you like. It’s still a bit of a walk to Dani’s property from there, but the cider cabin is in the right direction.”
Lawson felt like a fool for spilling his guts at the supper table the previous night, but everyone had been sympathetic, after they’d laughed at him, of course.
Being ribbed by your buddies was a regular part of army life. A part of his life at Ricky’s Garage, too. Maybe it was simply part of being male, as Jolie had said.
Amber thought he should bring a peace offering, and he figured his sisters were both right. He’d made Dani nervous, so fixing it was up to him.
And if he had a chance to speak with her about the truck, all the better.
He wasn’t the best in the kitchen, but Fox had ensured they could all cook and bake the basics. Better to cook than spend all your money on takeout. And better yet, to impress the ladies.
Maybe their grandfather was right. At the very least, he would start on a better foot than he had.
He nodded to the group. “Good idea. Although I think I’ll make some cookies or something to bring as a peace offering.”
Charlie laughed. “Everyone likes cookies.”
“Cookies!” Ella Mae cheered from her booster seat and looked hopefully at her mom.
Olivia laughed. “Sorry, Ella. No cookies for breakfast.”
The little girl’s lower lip shot out in a pout, and her eyes filled with tears.
Olivia grinned. “No chance, Ella. Your crocodile tears and pretty pout aren’t going to work.” Then she handed the girl a slice of apple.
Ella grinned and held it up to Charlie. “Cookie.”
Charlie laughed. “That’s a great cookie, Ella.”
Lawson’s heart jolted. He’d never thought much about having kids. That was a faraway-in-the-future kind of dream.
None of the women he’d dated had inspired thoughts of settling down and having some munchkins.
But the idea didn’t seem so far off anymore. The image in his mind had Dani at his side and a little girl with the same fierce eyes, but none of the fear.
And why was he picturing a future with a woman he’d met yesterday, one he’d freaked out? A woman who hadn’t trusted him enough to give him her name.
Maybe the lack of engine exhaust was eroding his brain. But instead of heading to the garage and sliding under one of the engines, he pulled up a recipe for chocolate chip cookies and got started.
While they were cooling, he texted Amber to see if he could take a couple of the treats they used for Boomer. Dani’s dog had shown none of her owner’s nerves, but Lawson was determined to hedge all his bets.
He hoped food was the way to the woman’s heart.
Nash had also given him a thermos filled with their newest cider flavor—a combination of apple, ginger, and cranberry.
With all his bribes in his backpack, Lawson set out through the orchard. The blossoms were bigger than the previous day. A pretty day for a date.
Except this wasn’t a date. This was him digging himself out of the hole he’d dug, and making sure the woman realized he posed absolutely no threat to her peace.
He could even clean up her space by taking that sweet truck off her hands, and putting some cash in her pocket.
Lawson’s spirits lifted as he walked through the orchard. Now he understood why Knox had fallen in love with the place from the first moment he’d arrived the previous spring.
Knox and Thea worked together to bring the farm to life and bring the family together. If Lawson decided to make his stay permanent, Burke would be the only holdout.
Burke’s life was in Boston because his job was there. Lawson was pretty sure Burke’s life revolved around work. From the time they’d moved in with Fox, Burke had taken on as many jobs as he could. He’d wanted to assure the family of financial security.
Instead of playing all the sports in high school, he’d been learning about 401(k)s and savings bonds. If any of the siblings had a problem, Burke wanted to solve it.
Lawson wanted Burke to find more to life than that. But even when all three of the brothers had lived in Boston, Burke had canceled more get-togethers than he’d made. Time for him to add more living to his life.
Just like Lawson hoped to do.
And if that living involved a beautiful woman and her friendly beast of a dog, all the better.
Lawson spent an hour with Nash’s family at the cider house. His buddy had left the army to raise his son when his wife had died in childbirth. It had been over a decade, and Lawson was thrilled to see him beaming with happiness again.
Nash’s son chatted nonstop about the house plans, eager to show off how his family would live together. Charlie was a great kid. He took care of his new little sister, Ella Mae, who was a spitfire with a ready smile and squeals that nearly burst his eardrums. The happy sounds made everyone laugh.
By the time he headed into the forest in search of Dani, she was calling him Law and demanding hugs before he left.
Family was a hell of a thing, and he was glad to see that his own was expanding along with Nash’s.
Fox would love the kids. He’d been the best grandfather.
Would Fox love this space? Or the fact that his brother had left it to the five of them? Maybe the idea of them all living here, thanks to Fox’s brother, would piss him off.
It was bizarre that Fox had never mentioned his brother.
Even before their parents had died, Fox had been an integral part of their lives.
He’d taken each of the kids for Fox Days, getting to know them as individuals.
He’d also taken the boys together. And the girls.
Mixed them up as well. Did special activities together to help them all bond.
Some of Lawson’s best memories were fishing with his brothers and Fox.
When his grandfather realized Lawson had a thing for engines, he immediately started scouring thrift stores and garage sales for anything with an engine.
Then he’d spend time with Lawson, taking them apart and putting them back together, learning how things worked.
Like the other siblings, even when he’d moved out, Lawson frequently stayed in touch with Fox. They’d chatted about engines and favorite cars. It had been through his grandfather that Lawson had learned to love vintage vehicles, especially trucks.
Like the beauty in the field somewhere ahead of him.
Shoving aside the memories of Fox and the mystery behind the estrangement between him and Jay, Lawson turned his attention to how to fix the mess he’d made the previous day.
He hoped his efforts wouldn’t make things worse.
Dani climbed onto Beatrice and patted the truck’s bed. Bibi might outweigh Dani and be covered in more fur than most wooly mammoths, but her girl was agile when she wanted to be.
Bibi loved sitting in Beatrice to enjoy the sunshine. And the bits of Dani’s lunch that she could sneak.
Dani had found out the hard way that no amount of training, and no amount of love for Dani, would stop Bibi from stealing all the cheese from her lunch. She was even happier if the cheese was inside a sandwich she could gulp down in a single bite.
Dani had already removed the pillows and blankets she stored in Beatrice’s cab. She arranged them so the cab provided a backrest for her and closed the tailgate, giving them a cozy nest. Bibi circled a few times and then plopped at her side.
With a sigh, she patted her girl. “It’s a gorgeous day, Bibi. Lots of sunshine, and we discovered the queens survived the winter. It’s a good day.”
Better because she hadn’t received a single message from her family, and her research had shown nothing new.
She no longer believed Lawson Malssum’s arrival was connected to them.
It hadn’t taken long to discover that the man was exactly who he said he was.
Jolie Malssum had posted several pictures of her siblings together, so he’d been easy to identify.
She’d also discovered that Lawson had served in the army for several years and now worked as a mechanic. Although he didn’t appear to have social media of his own, his sister had mentioned him several times, always in a positive light.
Dani didn’t want to admit to herself how long she’d searched trying to learn more about the attractive man. She’d overreacted to his presence and had been brusque, if not downright rude.
She could hear Frannie B’s chortle at that. If you aren’t rude to some idiot at least once a day, you’re letting them run right over you.