Meet Chris
The ribbon cutting day for the new charity project in town had finally arrived. Everyone was bopping around with delight. So many happy smiling faces, Quinn Farraday couldn’t help but smile along with them. At least a little.
There was just one tiny little glitch. Paxton had fallen head over boot heels in love with Sandra Lynn. That of itself wasn’t a problem. Her getting affordable new housing to live in when Paxton had been carrying a ring around in his pocket for almost two weeks was a potential fly in the charity’s ointment. After all, if Sandra Lynn said yes, she would no longer be a single mom in need of assistance.
“Has he said anything to you?” Ryan took one last look at the cleaned-up little house, making sure it was ready for the major photo op that would be happening in about one hour.
“Not a word. But he’s barked several times if that counts.” Quinn rolled his eyes. His slightly older brother was behaving like a surly teen.
“Shh. Here they are.” Ryan took a step aside and noticed the camera crew coming up the walk. “Is this being filmed for the show?”
Quinn shrugged. “Heck if I know.”
“Well, I can’t imagine a worse time to have anything on film.”
“Why is that?” Quinn figured half of what was filmed would land on the cutting room floor anyhow.
“Really? Our brother wants to marry the woman who is about to be gifted affordable—and if I do say so myself—beautiful housing that she may have to give back sooner than later, and you want that on film? On national television?”
“You have a point.”
“No sh…”
“You were about to say something appropriate, weren’t you?” Their aunt came in the door, grinning at her nephews. “You two always were cute when I caught you with your hands in the cookie jar. Now what’s all this about?”
“The house.” Ryan waved his arm.
“Y’all did a great job. I see the film crew is here.”
Both brothers nodded.
“But where is Sandra Lynn?”
This time the Irish twins born a little more than eleven months apart shrugged.
“There they are.” Aunt Eileen pointed to the backyard.
Through the kitchen plate glass window Sandra and David could be seen in the yard, Paxton walking alongside them.
“They are cute, aren’t they?” Aunt Eileen had a sappy look on her face as she stared out the window.
“Cute wasn’t the first word that came to mind.” Quinn was thinking sappy suckers but cute would do.
“Look at that.” Aunt Eileen pointed. “All three holding hands, David in the middle. They look like they’ve always been a family.”
That they did. Quinn actually sighed. Surrounded by all his cousins with kids running after kids and his own brothers marrying one after the other, he really was starting to feel like he was missing out on something. At least a little.
“Oh, my.” Aunt Eileen’s eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth.
Quinn whipped his head around to his brother outside in time to see him down on one knee holding a ring in front of David. “Ain’t he supposed to be asking the girl to marry him?”
“That’s the way it usually works,” Ryan deadpanned.
“Men.” Aunt Eileen shook her head. “He’s asking David’s permission. He’s not wanting to just marry Sandra, he’s marrying both of them.”
“Oh,” Ryan muttered.
“Makes sense,” Quinn added. It actually made a whole lot of sense. Connor treated Stacy like his own daughter. As a matter of fact, the first time he’d met them he had no idea that she wasn’t his daughter. So now, Paxton was about to do the same thing. Instant family. Maybe.
Another minute passed and David flung his arms around Paxton, almost knocking him over. Still gripping the ring box tightly in one hand, Paxton circled his other arm around David holding him steady, still on one knee, only now he was staring up at Sandra.
Quinn wasn’t a romantic or a sap, but even he wished he could hear what the two were saying. Another second and Paxton’s lips stopped moving while Sandra’s head bobbed up and down so fast it was a wonder it hadn’t fallen off.
“And there they go.” Aunt Eileen laughed at all three tumbling to the ground, laughing and hugging and he was pretty sure Sandra Lynn was crying. “Oh. Here they come. Look busy.”
“What?” Ryan asked.
“We don’t want them to know we were spying on them.” His aunt turned to fuss with non-existent dust on a perfectly clean kitchen counter.
“We weren’t spying. We were looking. And if they didn’t want us to see, then maybe my big brother should have proposed someplace more private.” Quinn didn’t mind turning his attention elsewhere, but he didn’t like being called a spy.
The screen door squeaked open followed by the back door and Ryan muttered something about oiling the hinge before the ribbon cutting and disappeared.
Sandra Lynn stopped at the sight of Quinn and Aunt Eileen in the kitchen. “Oh, hi.”
“Hello,” was all either of them said, but his aunt had a grin on her face so wide that Sandra Lynn would have to be an idiot not to realize the cat was already out of the bag. Blushing, she didn’t bother to hide her own grin. “You know?”
Aunt Eileen nodded.
“I guess I need to find the head of the charity.” Sandra Lynn glanced down at her son, holding onto Paxton’s hand. “It seems I don’t need a house after all.”
This time, staring at her as if she were an oasis in a dry desert, Paxton nodded. “I’m going to build her the perfect house—”
“I’m sorry,” Quinn interrupted. “You?”
“Okay.” His brother smiled at him. “We.”
Quinn nodded. “As long as we’re clear.” Then it struck him, how much of an idiot was he. Turning to face Sandra he smiled, almost surprised to notice how much he felt like smiling. “Welcome to the family.”
Spinning around, Sandra let go of Paxton’s hand and threw her arms around Quinn for a quick hug and peck on the cheek. “Thank you. I always wanted a big family. Looks like dreams really do come true.”
She took a step back against Paxton, who had not stopped grinning like the Cheshire Cat this entire time.
“Dreams most definitely come true.” The way Paxton practically devoured the woman with his eyes actually made Quinn surprisingly uncomfortable.
Clearing his throat, Quinn extended his hand to David. “Why don’t you help me find the charity guy for your mama to talk to?”
David eagerly accepted his hand and nodded yes.
“You too, old lady.”
“Old?” He’d never seen his aunt’s brows rise so high on her forehead before. “Better watch it.”
Quinn couldn’t help but chuckle. He really did love his aunt and uncle and the entire Farraday brood. “Let’s, you know, leave them alone.”
His aunt laughed. “In about fifteen minutes the place will be swarming, but yes, let’s give them that.”
Outside, his aunt had already cornered the charity reps. From what he could overhear from a distance, Paxton had given them a heads up that things might be changing and had actually lined up another local candidate. One of the waitresses at the café was also a single mother, struggling to build the American dream.
Glancing over his shoulder, he could see just a glimpse of Paxton and Sandra Lynn in a serious lip lock. Okay, maybe his aunt was right and they were indeed cute. And maybe he needed to stop drinking the water in this town before he found himself standing in front of a preacher and saying I do.
Shaking his head, he looked around at all the people he knew gathering for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Every last one of his siblings and cousins looked more than happy, and yet, no matter how cute Paxton and Sandra looked, Quinn was absolutely not signing up to be next in line. Absolutely not.
So glad you could join Paxton and Sandra Lynn on their adventure in Farraday Country. Stay tuned for Quinn’s story, coming soon here.