Chapter 1
A cold wind rushed over the bare branches of the larch trees that grew in the fold of the mountain.
The snow that had fallen that day swirled skyward as if a genie had tossed an enchantment in the air.
The flakes traced the path of the wind as it swooped down toward the foothills then past the small town of Heart Falls.
On the outskirts of town, the lonely shapes of memorial stones buried under snowy hillocks lay in the graveyard. Here everything was quiet. Lives that had been lived to the fullest—or not—everyone here was now equal.
Peaceful. Complete.
Sorrow was there reflected in a fresh bouquet fading under the snow.
Contentment was also represented in the shared names of couples who had passed after twenty, thirty, forty or more years spent walking the earth together.
All now lay silent except for the wind that rustled through the trees lining the edge of the yard.
The small solar lights that dotted the graveyard were covered with snowy caps, creating a magical impression of stars fallen from the sky to land in the quiet place.
A streak of light spilled from the house next door as the back door was shoved open, spotlighting the trampled snow of the backyard.
Noise poured out as well, as two children tumbled into the yard, laughing so hard the dog that followed them out burst into an excited chorus of yips that echoed off the nearby headstones.
The wind whirled, spun, and danced around one child as he scooped up snow into a ball and bit down desperately…
Inside the house, Walker held his hands up even as Ivy pointed a finger at him. “I didn’t do anything,” he protested.
“It wasn’t Daddy,” five-year-old Harper agreed. She stood in the doorway watching as her big brother and sister and their still barking dog dragged themselves out of the snow and returned to the porch.
Ivy was on her feet, shaking her head, but amusement shone in her eyes. “Of course, you didn’t do anything. Mister One Chip Challenge.”
She handed seven-year-old Chloe and nine-year-old Carter each a towel as they reentered the house. “New rule. No matter how hot your mouth gets, you don’t get to run outside in the middle of winter without coats or boots.”
“Dry your feet,” Walker instructed with as much seriousness as he could muster. Then he tugged back the chair beside him and waited for Chloe to return. “I take it you thought that sample was pretty hot?”
Chloe’s grin said it all. “Nope. I didn’t want Carter to feel left out.”
“Hey.” Carter blinked then pouted briefly as he settled next to Ivy.
Faithful, the family’s golden retriever, bounded over and waited for Harper to sit in her chair again so he could lovingly lay his chin on her leg.
This night wasn’t what Walker had expected if he thought back to a year ago. Here he was, playing a game with his family. His children.
His gaze met Ivy’s. His everything.
She gave him a wink, and that warm spot inside his chest pulsed another time. Contentment and joy bubbled up.
“Everyone ready for the next challenge?” Ivy asked.
Faces went as serious as a gathering of professional poker players. All attention turned to the small takeout container Walker placed in the middle of the table before passing around five clean spoons.
Carter had been the one who had heard about the spicy challenge and decided he wanted to do it for family night. Walker agreed to help organize if Carter went along with a few key changes to make it a little more tender-taste-bud friendly.
Instead of eating a ghost-pepper-or-higher level chip that would’ve been all about pain and no fun, Walker found increasingly spicy options to offer his children. The bonus part was most of them involved potential meals for the family to enjoy in the future.
Possibly with the heat turned down a little, but who knew how this was going to end?
“So other than the little snowy excursion, everybody okay after eating Uncle Luke’s chili?”
“Why’s it called chili when it’s supposed to be hot?” Harper balanced her elbows on the table as she peered into the new takeout container and took a deep sniff. “This one smells good.”
“You think all of them smell good.” Carter frowned at his littlest sister. “Is your mouth not on fire?”
“Nope.” Harper stuck her spoon in the container then glanced at Walker. “Oops. Sorry, Daddy. I’ll wait.”
His heart still gave a leap every time he was called daddy.
Walker chuckled. “Looks as if Harper’s hungry. This is lamb korma that JP, the cook at Silver Stone, made for us.”
Everyone scooped a bit on their spoon. As usual, Chloe was the most cautious, mostly dipping her spoon into the sauce and leaving the meat alone. Ivy took a teeny bit, but Walker knew what he was getting into and scooped up a nice big chunk.
Carter, who wanted nothing better than to imitate Walker, took a heaping spoonful as well.
Walker debated saying something, but the spirit of the game meant he had to keep his mouth shut, and it wasn’t as if a little spice would hurt the kid.
It was Chloe’s turn. She checked to make sure everybody was armed with a loaded spoon before starting the countdown. “Three, two, one—”
Spoons slipped into mouths, licked clean in an instant, then laid on the table with a crash as per the preestablished rules.
Then the entertainment began.
Across the table from Walker, Carter’s eyes widened as he chewed the piece of lamb he’d scooped up with the sauce. He swallowed then opened his mouth, fanning his hand in front of it. “Oh. That’s good. Ouch, oh boy.”
Ivy rocked in her chair, sipping water as she clearly fought against laughter. “JP will take that as the highest compliment. Ouch. Oh boy.”
Carter wrinkled his face at her then flashed a huge grin.
Chloe had put her spoon down at the same time as everyone else, but she didn’t seem to have swallowed her mouthful.
She continued to grimace until Walker took pity on her and offered a quiet reminder. “You don’t have to eat it. This is for fun.”
She shook her head vigorously, mumbling with her lips still pressed together.
Her choice. All the same, he watched with concern until she took a deep breath, reaching for her glass of grape juice and chugging down almost half of it.
When she did speak it was with great conviction. “Spicy.”
“It is,” Walker agreed. “Did you like it?”
Chloe wiggled her fingers. “It might be too hot.”
Across the table, Carter folded his arms across his chest as he examined Harper. She’d swallowed her mouthful and was now scratching Faithful between the eyes as she waited.
“Are you even eating anything?” Carter demanded. “Or are you feeding it to Faithful?”
Walker’s youngest daughter looked outraged. “I’m no cheat.”
“But you can’t be just sitting there. That’s impossible.”
She stuck out her tongue at him.
Before Walker could intervene, Carter narrowed his gaze.
“Here, try this.” Carter grabbed one of the plain tortilla chips that were in bowls around the table meant to nibble on to cool things off. Only he scooped up a healthy serving of the salsa labeled extra spicy and passed the chip across the table. “Eat it.”
“Carter,” Ivy said softly.
Harper wasn’t perturbed. “You do it too,” she ordered as she accepted the chip from him.
Walker had shared enough meals with his youngest to know exactly what was about to happen. The kid had an iron-lined stomach and a flame-retardant mouth. Why Carter hadn’t clued in to this fact yet, Walker had no idea.
Eye to eye as if locked in epic battle, Harper and Carter put the spice-laden chips into their mouth at the same time.
There was no possible way to call a cheat this time.
Five seconds later, Carter’s eyes started to water. Ten seconds, and he panted lightly. His little sister, however, calmly swallowed down her chip as if she were lapping up ice cream.
When Harper grabbed the bowl of salsa and the chips and casually scooped up another serving, Carter snorted. “You’re impossible.”
Harper glanced at Walker. “More spicy things, Daddy?”
“I think Harper wins,” Chloe announced, raising her hands and clapping. Then she leaned in close enough to pat her little sister on the back. “But Carter’s right. You’re impossible.”
Faithful barked as if agreeing.
The wind rattled against the door hard enough that Walker got up to make sure the latch was firmly locked. “Spicy challenge is done. Everybody grab a snack bowl, and we’ll go watch a show together.”
The fact Harper took the chips and salsa with her didn’t surprise anyone.
The wind swirled away from the little house, the laughter and eager voices fading in the distance as it moved toward the nearby lake.
It paused to rattle the chimney at the house beside the animal rescue. Through the window, an older couple were visible cuddling on a couch in front of a fire. An old dog lay curled up at their feet.
With Ashton’s arms around her shoulders, Sonora pressed a hand to his cheek as she leaned in and touched their lips together.
Another swirl, and the wind crossed the wide meadow toward the nearby ranch. Light shone from the windows at the three main houses and the barn. The soft glow of the yard light over the arena flickered on the snow that had begun to fall.
The man-door to the barn opened. Closed.
Four figures, from a tall woman down to a toddling child, walked slowly together through the darkness. The warm glow of the lantern held in the teenager’s hand created an oasis of golden light around them.
Up ahead, the wind hit the main house. The ranch-style building, low and wide, forced the wind to sweep over the roof before sliding past the kitchen window as it cranked open, and the rich scent of chocolate spilled onto the air...
Caleb glanced out the window, swearing as he saw the bobbing light of a lantern halfway between the barn and the house. They were coming back too soon.
He glanced at the oven timer to see three minutes remained.