Chapter 8
“Brady gets to clean the fish.” Haylee followed Brady in as he lugged the ice chest filled with their day’s catch. Lady followed behind him looking interested in what he carried.
“My sisters are too squeamish.” Brady set the chest on the floor to the right of the stainless-steel double sinks. “I don’t think they’ve cleaned a fish in their entire lives.”
Haylee set the drink cooler on the counter. “And proud of it.”
“I’ll help.” Abby moved to the sink, where Brady had put a couple of the bass. “I’ve been cleaning my own fish since I was a kid. Where’s a filet knife?”
“You’re a braver woman than I am,” Leeann said from across the kitchen.
Brady reached into a drawer, pulled out a filet knife, and handed it to Abby. “Thanks for the help.”
“I like being useful.” Abby took the knife and started the process—she had gutted so many fish that she didn’t have to think about what she was doing, she just did it. Her sisters were like Brady’s and left the cleaning up to Abby and their dad.
Brady and Abby had twenty-two bass to clean and prep, so it would take a while. They got down their routine and worked through the fish at a good pace. Leeann packaged the bass they wouldn’t be grilling today and stuck the packages in a freezer in the laundry room.
Jill had run home to get what she and her sisters had put together for the family meal, and she had returned within twenty minutes. While Abby, Brady, and Leeann took care of the fish, Haylee and Jill prepared the food.
McLeod family members started arriving not long after they finished cleaning the fish and Brady had fired up the Traeger grill. Haylee had told her everyone would be bringing either an appetizer, side dish, or dessert to go with the grilled fish. Long tables were set up for the food and more tables with chairs were scattered on the lawn.
Paper plates, plastic ware, and plastic cups were stacked on one table. All Brady really had to do was clean all of the serving containers and platters, as well as the grilling utensils when the evening was through. Haylee told Abby that washing any dishes was Brady’s least favorite thing.
Haylee and Abby stood on the back walking path leading from the patio and just off the lawn, while Haylee introduced her to everyone as they arrived with their contributions. Twenty feet away, Brady grilled with Leeann’s help, Lady sitting nearby. The air smelled of mesquite wood smoke, grass, and the desert lands around them.
“This is our oldest brother, Carter, and his wife, Kit.” Haylee turned to Abby as she gave the first introductions. “Kit is the most amazing, incredible, bestest chef on earth. Anything she makes is to die for. Carter—well, he did marry Kit, so he’s okay.”
The butterscotch-haired Kit burst out laughing, a twinkle in her moss-green eyes. “You cannot believe everything Haylee said.” She grinned at her sister-in-law. “Bestest?”
Haylee gave a solemn nod. “Bestest.”
Carter, who had coffee-brown hair and whiskey-colored eyes like Leeann, looked amused. “Thanks to Haylee for that complimentary introduction.” He held a covered dish in one arm and settled his other around his wife’s shoulders, and he gave her an adoring smile. “Yes, the pinnacle of my life’s successes has been marrying Kit.” He inclined his head to a pair of identical twin girls. “And so are our five-year-old daughters, Emily and Olivia.”
“They’re gorgeous.” Abby gripped Kit’s hand. “So nice to meet you.”
Haylee swept Abby forward to meet Bear and Rae, who carried a sleeping infant.
“We brought wine.” Rae held the baby so that Abby and Haylee could see him. “Jacob nursed before we came, so he should be asleep most of the evening.”
Bear held two bottles of wine in one arm, a foil-wrapped bowl in the other. “I’ll trade and hold the baby, sweetheart.”
Rae laughed. “Let’s get those bottles and the salad where they’ll be of most use, first.”
Next, Justin and Miranda arrived, a three-year-old boy trotting beside them. Justin held a cooler of beer and she held a domed cake holder.
Haylee introduced Abby to them, then held out her arms. “Come to Auntie Haylee, Jacob.”
Jacob threw himself at her and gave her a huge hug. “Mommy’s having a baby,” was the first thing he said when he stepped back. “I want a little brother.”
Haylee’s eyes widened. “Congratulations, you two.” She hugged her brother and sister-in-law. “Does Mom know?”
Justin shook his head. “She will first thing when she gets here if Jacob has any say in the matter.”
The boy gave a vigorous nod. “I’m going to tell Grandma.”
A beautiful teenage girl caught up with them, and she carried a plastic-wrapped bowl of potato salad. “Grandma is on her way in with Grandpa.”
Justin introduced his fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, Kaycee, to Abby. The girl was delightful and had great presence for her age.
Haylee drew Abby along. “Sounds like Mom and Dad should be outside.”
Another couple stepped onto the lawn and Haylee brought Abby to a stop in front of them. She introduced Colt, who carried a covered bowl, and Marlee, who was very pregnant.
“And I’ll have another kid to spoil,” Haylee said as she beamed at Marlee. “I’m hoping to have at least a dozen nephews and nieces.”
Marlee looked radiant as she rested her hand on her belly. “The next one will be any day now.”
“Boy or girl?” Abby asked.
Marlee smiled at Colt and back to Abby. “We’re having a girl.”
Abby congratulated them and wondered idly if she’d be around once the baby was born.
She had never given much thought to having children of her own because her career was so important to her. What if she did settle down? Would she want kids with Brady?
Her face heated and she hoped no one could read her thoughts on her features. What in the world was she thinking? She barely knew the man, much less thinking about having kids with him.
Marlee and Colt moved on and Abby heard them greeting other members of the family.
Haylee rested her hand on Abby’s shoulder, a concerned expression on her beautiful face. “Are you okay? Your face is red.”
Abby waved her face. “I’m just hot.”
“Let’s get you cooled off.” Haylee inclined her head to the patio, which had misters along the eaves like a lot of Arizona establishments had. She just hadn’t seen them used at homes, only at businesses.
“Good idea,” Abby murmured.
When they stood under the misters, Haylee looked toward the patio doors. Her face brightened and she grasped Abby’s hand. “Come on.”
She led Abby to a couple who looked to be in their early sixties, the man carrying a plastic-wrapped platter of corncakes, and the woman holding a covered relish tray. “Abby, this is my dad, Joe, and my mom, Julie.” She turned to them. “Mom, Dad—this is the wonderful lady Brady took fishing with us today.” She leaned in close. “She knocked Brady off his throne and got a twelve-pound bigmouth today.”
“Good for you,” Joe said. “That young man’s been needing a dose of humility.”
“Wonderful to meet you, sweetie.” Julie gripped Abby’s hand, a smile on her lovely face. It was clear she was where Haylee got her beauty.
“Brady and Abby had a bet.” Haylee leaned in. “Brady has to wash all the dishes.”
Julie laughed and Joe chuckled.
“Great-Grandpa Daniel and Great-Grandma Frances can’t make it today because she’s down with a virus,” Julie said. “I know they’ll enjoy meeting you once she’s better.”
Abby warmed at Brady’s parents’ welcome, as well as every other member of his family. She felt comfortable around all of them. They made her feel like she belonged.
She’d never had problems striking up conversations at various events, and all her concerns in meeting Brady’s family vanished. She mingled with the McLeod clan, but her thoughts kept returning to Brady.
She moved toward the grill, needing to be closer to him again. She watched the flex of his muscles as he moved. He was so damned handsome and sexy.
“That smells wonderful.” Abby waved smoke out of her face as she reached Brady and stood beside him. “Almost done?”
“Yep.” He grinned at her. “So, you met the clan?”
“All but your grandparents.” Abby adjusted her ball cap. “Your grandma is sick.”
Brady looked concerned, but that cleared. “She’s one of the toughest people I know. Nothing can keep her down for long.”
He started taking fish off the grill and Leeann called out that dinner was ready. Brady carried the platter to the head of the big table and family members took turns filling their plates with fish and the potluck items.
Brady claimed two spots at a table for Abby and himself and they brought their loaded plates back, along with a can of beer each. Lady walked at Brady’s side.
She slid into her chair and Brady took his, the dog looking up at him with interest.
Abby attacked her plate. “I am so hungry. Once you started grilling the fish, I didn’t think I could wait to eat it.” He chuckled and she savored her first bite before swallowing. “Oh, my God this is amazing.”
“Not half bad.” He nodded and fed a piece to Lady, who took it daintily before wolfing it down. “There’s nothing better than a fresh fish grill, especially when you’ve caught the fish yourself.”
“You’ve got that right.” Abby gave a happy sigh and ate one of the corn cakes that Julie had brought.
Brady picked up his can of beer. “Did you enjoy yourself today?”
She nodded. “It’s been the best day I’ve had in a long while. I get so caught up in work that I don’t get a chance to do something fun like we did today. Thank you so much again for inviting me.”
His gaze met and held hers and his smile was so sexy it curled her toes. “I’m glad you agreed to come. I’ve sure enjoyed your company.”
Jill and Leeann slid into chairs at their table. Abby liked the sisters, but she really wanted to spend time talking with Brady.
Leeann set down her cup of merlot. “What do you usually do for Labor Day weekend, Abby?”
She shrugged. “It depends on where my work leads me and how close I am to home.”
“Arizona is a long way from Montana.” Jill pushed strands of wavy dark hair behind her ear. “I bet you miss your family. I would sure miss mine.”
Abby gave a slow nod. “I manage to be home for most holidays. We have seven siblings in our family, so not far off from your eight.”
Jill smiled. “Then you know how there’s always something going on and it’s easy to feel a little lost sometimes in the midst of it.”
“That’s true.” Leeann nodded her agreement. “For the most part, it’s fun having a large family.” She gave Brady a sideways glance. “Except for overprotective older brothers.”
Brady flashed a grin. “It’s a big brother’s job to keep an eye out on little sisters.”
Jill rolled her eyes and looked at Abby. “Imagine a protective older brother times five.”
Abby winced at the thought. “I don’t have older brothers, but the younger ones can be a real pain.”
“It’s not all bad.” Leeann smirked at Brady. “We get even in our own ways.”
Brady shook his head. “Little sisters can be more trouble than they’re worth.”
Jill threw a piece of corn muffin at him. “Look who’s talking.”
He caught the muffin piece and popped it into his mouth. “I was an angel.”
Leeann snorted her drink of wine and coughed into a napkin, her straight, coffee-brown hair swinging into her face. She pushed it aside. “Oh, my God, Abby. He was probably the worst of all the boys.”
“Possibly.” Jill looked thoughtful. “They were all pretty ornery, as Grandpa would say.”
Abby rested her fork on the plate. “I was a tomboy and probably got into as many scrapes as my younger brothers.”
“There’s gotta be some stories there,” Leeann said.
Abby smiled. “A truckload of them.”
Brady held her gaze with his. “I’d like to hear them sometime.”
Abby gave a not-so-casual shrug. “I might come up with a couple to tell you.”
“Promise?” A serious note was in his sexy voice.
She cleared her throat. “You never know.” She managed to tear her gaze away, but from the corner of her eye she could still see him watching her.
Jill and Leeann looked at each other and smirked.
Late afternoon had eased into evening and landscaping lights came on. Abby was glad for the lower light because her face had probably turned a nice shade of red.
While she ate the rest of her dinner, Abby listened to the banter with amusement, and she found herself missing her sisters. It had been a while since they had all been together. Was Easter supper the last occasion they were in the same place at the same time?
She leaned back in her chair and blew out her breath when she finished her meal. She had sampled all the offerings everyone had brought and had to let her belt out a notch.
“Play us a song, Brady,” Julie called out. “We grabbed your guitar,” his mom added, and his dad held up a guitar case.
Other family members added their requests for him to sing, too.
Brady gave Abby a quick smile and he rose from his seat. “Will this get me out of washing dishes?” he asked in his soft cowboy drawl.
“Uh, no,” Abby said, and the crowd shouted their agreement.
Lady woofed, as if giving her input.
Brady gave a good-natured grin and took his guitar from his dad, who had taken it out of the case. “Thanks, Dad.”
He strummed his guitar, tuning it. Jill shouted out a request for a song and Haylee added hers.
Brady stood on the patio, where light shone from the windows. He started playing his guitar to shouts and whistles from his family members. They quieted as he began to sing the tune Jill had requested.
His voice and the words he sang captured Abby. He transfixed and mesmerized her once again, like he had when she’d first heard him in the bar. He had a smooth, rich voice that moved her soul.
Man, she could fall in love with the man from just the way he sang.
Heat flushed over her from head to toe and she was glad the light was too dim now for anyone to notice.
Falling in love with Brady McLeod in any way was not in the cards for her. There was more to life than a hot cowboy with a sexy voice.
But she’d found out that wasn’t all there was to him by a long shot. He was intelligent, interesting, fun, and family was as important to him as Abby’s was to her.
Applause broke out when Brady finished the song, followed by whistles and shouts for more. He flashed his cute grin and started in on Haylee’s request.
Abby got lost in his voice and the song and had to bring herself back to the present. He made her think about her own family and her future. Would Brady be in that future?
For a moment, she squeezed her eyes shut. The way she kept thinking about Brady being in her life for more than just a potential sale that led into a friendship was just wrong. She had nothing to offer him if he was even interested in her in that way.
Abby had laid out her future with no deviation in her plans. No, she’d be a spinster before she’d ever consider marrying a man. She wasn’t meant to marry—she was meant to be the older sister who doted on nieces and nephews, and who spoiled them rotten.
Her gaze traveled the family that surrounded her, and she felt grateful they had included her and made her feel welcome. However, she also hoped they didn’t harbor any false hopes where she and Brady were concerned.
She paused on the twin girls, who looked rapt as they watched their uncle. The infant had slept soundly until a few minutes ago, and the teenager had him on her shoulder and patted his back.
The three-year-old had been crawling under the table and was now scampering on the grass. Lady followed the boy—she appeared to be herding him back to his parents.
Abby smothered a smile and focused on Brady again.
His voice trailed off at the end of the second song. Family members called out more requests. Brady strummed his guitar and fell into the next tune.
After five songs, Brady said, “As much as I love you all, that’s it for me tonight.”
Haylee called out, “Brady can’t sing more because he lost a bet and he has to do dishes for all twenty of us, including the kids.” She held up a hand as she added with humor in her voice, “That’s because he didn’t get the biggest fish this year.”
Laughter and shouts greeted her announcement.
Joe raised his voice. “Who knocked that boy off his throne?”
The three sisters pointed at Abby. “She did,” they all said at the same time.
Cheers followed with Joe’s, “Way to go, young lady.”
Abby smiled. “Thank you. It was fun.”
Chatter followed and family members began cleaning up the area and gathering the trash. Abby helped with carrying the serving dishes and utensils while others washed down and folded the tables and chairs. Brady had gathered everything in his storage shed beforehand, so it could be set out early. Now, everyone took home what was theirs.
Jill had brought a frilly apron that said, Kiss the Cook, and forced Brady to wear it. He good-naturedly put it on and started washing the dishes.
“I’ll help with drying.” Abby looked around the kitchen. “Where’s a clean towel?”
“Thank you, and over there.” Brady nodded to a drawer in one of the cabinets. “If you don’t mind grabbing it since I’m up to my elbows in suds.”
Abby snatched a towel out of the drawer and started drying the first serving dish, then set it on the island for someone to claim. Brady was fast, so she had to work to keep up with him.
“You’re not bad at dish washing.” Abby looked him up and down as she waited for the next dish. “And you look adorable in that apron.”
Brady burst out laughing. “I don’t think I’ve been called adorable since—well couldn’t tell you. Had to have been before I started walking.”
“Once he started locomoting, that was all she wrote,” came Julie’s voice from behind them and Abby looked over her shoulder. “Maybe three months old?” Brady’s mom looked like she was seriously considering the question, but amusement was in her smile. “That was the end of adorable.”
Brady tossed her a grin. “Thanks, Mom.”
Julie squeezed his shoulder. “You’re welcome, son.”
Abby laughed and took a casserole dish that had held an appetizer from him and started drying it. “Well, you finally get to be adorable again, at least until you finish washing the dishes.”
Brady finished the last dish and Abby set it on the island, where it was scooped up by Julie. “Mine.” She kissed Brady on the cheek. “I’ll see you when you’re over later this week.”
He hugged her. “Bye, Mom.”
Julie hugged Abby, then grasped her upper arms and looked at her. “You’re a wonderful young lady. I’m so glad you joined us, and I do hope to see you again soon.”
Abby smiled. “Your family is amazing. Thank you for making me feel so welcome.”
Julie smiled then turned to leave, and Joe hugged Abby before he joined his wife heading out the door.
Abby got hugs from everyone as they left, and she felt almost teary by the time the last person left. They’d all treated her as if she was family and belonged, rather than a stranger who’d been invited to join in a family outing.
“I’d better be going.” Abby pushed back her hat as she spoke and rubbed her forehead before tugging her cap down. “It’s been a loooong day.”
Brady nodded. “You’re right on that account.”
Lady joined them as he walked her out to her rental, and they stood by the driver’s side door. She had to tilt her head a bit when she was next to him. She enjoyed the rarity of not being taller than a man.
The perfect height for kissing ran through her mind and heat rose inside her. She was glad it was dark outside. She’d been turning red all day, like a stoplight.
“It was great having you here today, Abby.” He studied her a long moment. “I feel like I’ve known you forever. Like we’ve grown up together.”
“I feel that, too.” She spoke softly, her heart beating a little faster.
Desire for him swept through her like a storm, coming out of nowhere. Or had that been building inside her all day?
An expression akin to the way she felt flickered across his handsome face. His throat worked as he swallowed.
“Abby—” His words cut off, like he couldn’t think of what to say, or maybe stopped himself from saying something he shouldn’t. Maybe something it was too soon to say.
Brady took a step closer, then stopped. He clenched his fists at his sides, as if warring with himself. Instead of coming toward her, he seemed to think better of it and took a step back. “I’ll call you Monday.”
“Okay.” She turned away and climbed into her vehicle. She buzzed down the window. “Goodnight, Brady.”
He smiled. “Goodnight, Abby.”
She raised the window and backed up the Escape. He watched her and raised his hand in farewell as she drove forward then away from the house.
Her throat felt tight as she thought about that moment outside the car. He seemed so close to kissing her, and she wished with everything she had that he would have done just that.
Abby swallowed, hard. Nope. That would have been the wrong thing to do. He’d made the right decision in not pursuing a kiss—if that had been what he’d wanted to do, too. Truth was, she didn’t know. She’d just felt it.
She blew out her breath and worked to get control over her thoughts and feelings. Next time she saw him, she had to have her head on straight.