After spending most of the day sitting at the wheel of a tractor, Simon needed a shower before heading out to Gilly’s. As he strode toward the office to update Silas on where he’d stopped for the day, he spotted Gavin Kendall waving him over.

While Nick had given Silas and Sammy free rein to run all the planting stages on the farm, he’d promoted Gavin from caretaker to a hands-on position in the smaller specialty field growing hard-to-raise herbs.

When Gavin had been brought on board years earlier by Ryder McLachlan, no one realized that the man possessed such a green thumb. Gavin could grow anything and proved it by cultivating massive quantities of edible lavender used in ice cream. Although the garden next to the lighthouse grew plenty for the locals, it had been his idea to produce a variety commercially to sell to restaurants, creating another revenue stream. It went with the line of gourmet garlic he produced favored by fancy eateries like The Pointe. He also experimented in growing ginseng from seedlings even though the zone was reportedly too hot to grow it with any success. Gavin did.

Simon knew all this, but he also recognized that the affable gardener and husband was quite the hands-on father. He’d seen Gavin in one of the vacant fields playing with his kids and thought the guy made fatherhood look almost effortless. And that was before Delaney had arrived.

“I got some of your mail here,” Gavin said. “It was stuck inside a bunch of circulars.”

Simon saw the return address read Boston and stuffed it in his pocket. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“If it’s about my decision to go ahead and pack up the lavender for shipment, I thought it was the best way to stay on schedule. And the customer approved it ahead of time, said he needed the batch sooner rather than waiting for the entire shipment to go out.”

“Who am I to squabble about when you ship a purple flower that people like to eat?”

Gavin chortled with laughter. “Well, it’s certainly more popular than the endive.”

“That bitter stuff? Smells better than endive anyway. But that isn’t what I was wondering about. I noticed you and your wife manage two kids. How do you work and still get to spend time with them? With all the different areas, this place stays hopping.”

Gavin gave him an odd look and took off his cap to scratch his head. “I never had anyone ask me that before. It’s just what we do. My wife and me. We share the load. My wife, Maggie, is the glue that holds us all together. She’s terrific at helping the kids with their homework during the week and doing all the extra activities after school, like Scouts and music lessons, while I focus on bringing home a paycheck. I get my job done and what’s left over is my time. Usually weekends I try to take up the slack. But even then, I have work to get done. Gardening doesn’t take a day off. But I usually try to take the kids out to the greenhouse with me and let them participate in the growing, get them involved that way so we can spend some time together.”

“It must be nice to be on the same page like that.”

“Oh yeah. On weekends, I sometimes make breakfast and cook dinner, and then I set aside some time to play dolls or Legos, whatever they want to do at the time. And during the summer months, I like taking the kids camping just to spend a little alone time with each of them. I even put up the tent under that big maple tree in the back just to show them we don’t have to head to Yellowstone to get away. They have great fun now, but Maggie tells me they’ll soon outgrow wanting to spend time with Dad.”

“But what’s your secret to being a good father?”

“Is this about the baby I’ve seen you hauling back and forth? I bet you were shocked when she showed up.”

“Shocked is putting it mildly. So what can you tell me?”

“Well, having an understanding partner helps. That says it all. Because Maggie’s a rock. She doesn’t come unglued at every little thing and go nuts like some women do. She keeps me grounded. And she’s supportive when she knows I have a lot on my plate. This farm doesn’t run itself. When we first got here, I had zero experience at commercial growing. All I knew was how to put a seed in the ground and get it to sprout. Maggie knew I was feeling a little insecure and nervous about the whole thing. Did she give me a hard time? Nope. She made me feel like I could do anything. That’s the key to how we make it work. We’re a team. Never underestimate a partner who makes you feel on top of the world. I think that’s what it takes, two people on the same page to make things work. At least it does for us.”

That didn’t help much, Simon decided as he walked back toward his house. Stepping inside, Merlin woofed in greeting as Simon stared at his mother, sitting cross-legged on the floor with Delaney and a Cabbage Patch doll in her lap. “What did I do to deserve such beautiful women waiting for me at the end of a long day?”

“Look, Daddy’s home!” Nana said.

Delaney clapped her hands and got up to go to Simon. “Da-da.”

He scooped her up, noticing she was decked out in a new pink and purple outfit with a mermaid on the top. “Did you and Nana go shopping?”

“We did. We wanted to look extra pretty for our big dinner tonight,” Gretchen said, sniffing the air. “You smell like compost.”

“That’s why I need to grab a shower. I’m gonna make it quick before we leave for Gilly’s.” He plopped Delaney down and headed off into the bedroom, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. He removed the envelope from Boston and ripped it open. Flipping the estate check around, he did a double take when he saw the seven-figure dollar amount. “Holy crap! Would you look at this?”

Gretchen stood in the doorway. “Look at what?”

“Mom, Amelia’s estate is over a million dollars.”

“What? I thought you said the attorney told you it’d be no more than twenty-five thousand at best and that was before expenses.”

“That’s what she said. Which means this is a mistake. That stupid law firm has obviously made a whopping accounting error. Where’s my phone? I need to call that Tyler woman. Now.”

“Not on a Friday evening you won’t. On the east coast, they’re already closed this time of day. You’ll have to wait until Monday to get it straightened out.”

He plopped down on the bed to take off his shoes. “Damn. What a mess this is. This just proves Margaret Tyler can’t do anything right.”

 

 

Gilly had ditched her barbecue idea in lieu of a picnic in the backyard, complete with fried chicken and potato salad. And when she opened the door she was glad she’d changed her mind about having Simon stand at the grill. He looked tired and edgy. That’s why she was surprised when he snatched her around the waist in front of everyone and planted a big kiss on her lips.

“I’m glad to see you, too,” Gilly said with a grin.

“This is my mom, Gretchen. Mom, meet Gilly and her mother, Connie. And that little guy hiding behind his mom’s legs is Jayden. Hey there, Jayden.”

In greeting, Jayden popped out from behind his mother and latched onto Simon’s legs. “I got cars.”

“I know, buddy. And Delaney brought some of her own this time so she won’t be swiping yours.”

“It’s such a nice night I thought we’d eat outside,” Gilly announced as she shepherded her little flock through the kitchen and out the back door. “What can I get you to drink, Mrs. Bremmer?”

“Call me Gretchen. And I’d love a glass of white wine if you have it.”

“White wine it is. Mom?”

“I’ll take the same.”

“Simon, would you like a beer?”

“Sure. I’ll help you get the drinks.”

They moved into the kitchen away from prying eyes and Simon used the moment to grab her around the waist again, pulling her in for a heated kiss that showed why he’d acted so edgy. There was need and greed that slammed them both into a tailspin. He rested his forehead on hers and muttered, “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been looking forward to that.”

The emotion whipped through her like a fierce wind. “I should’ve had my head examined for this idea. Why didn’t you stop me? I’d much rather have spent the evening alone, just the two of us.”

“Too late for that. We can’t very well run out the door like teenagers and abandon it all. Although that’s not a bad idea. Tomorrow night is ours. We’ll make the best of it for now. And I spotted your fried chicken on the counter. That’s worth a Friday night of torture right there.”

Gilly handed him a bottle of wine. “Let’s just get through the evening and hope my mother keeps the snide remarks to a minimum.”

She made up a tray with the drinks and carried them out to the mothers. She almost stumbled over her own feet when she saw her mother laughing, in deep conversation sitting next to Gretchen.

“Ladies,” Gilly said, offering up the wine.

“I was just telling your mother about the time Simon tried to put a Band-Aid on his dog. When he couldn’t get the strip to adhere to all that fur, he tried using glue. I couldn’t believe Toby, that was the golden retriever we had, sat still long enough for Simon to slather Elmer’s glue on him that air-dried onto his nose. It was Simon’s first attempt at playing nurse.”

Gilly grinned, knowing full well Gretchen’s intent was to bring Connie into Simon’s corner. “How old was he at the time?”

“Five. Rambunctious as Jayden is now.”

Gilly beamed at the comparison. “You mean Simon was that energetic?”

“That’s a polite way of saying he’d climb to the rafters. And he was loud,” Gretchen added.

“I should’ve mentioned that it’s okay if you guys wanted to bring Merlin tonight. Jayden adores that dog. Talks about him all the time.”

Simon had been listening to the byplay. “I think Merlin was ready to get rid of all of us, get the house to himself. He’s been looking forward to some peace and quiet. Now’s his chance.”

“Does he mind being left alone?” Gilly asked. “Does he chew things up?”

“No. Never has. But then the place has a doggie door, so Merlin pretty much comes and goes as he pleases. I often find him sitting on the porch waiting for me to drive up. It’s like he has my routine down five days a week. On weekends, he changes things up to mesh with mine.”

“He must love living on the farm,” Gilly said. “Will he adjust to moving to town?”

“Cord says it won’t be a problem. Merlin just wants to be where I am.”

“Is this house nearby?” Gretchen wanted to know.

Gilly looked surprised. “It’s down the street. You haven’t seen it yet? Let’s go do a walkthrough after we eat.”

“I’d love that.” Gretchen turned in her seat toward Connie. “Are you up for it?”

“Sure. I’m supposed to resume my normal activities.”

Gretchen nodded. “When do you go back to work?”

“Not for another two weeks. I’ll start taking care of Jayden on Sunday night, though, when Gilly heads to work. That way, Simon won’t have to mess with him.”

Simon glanced over at the hyper three-year-old. “It was no problem. In fact, Delaney and I will miss his high-energy mornings, music blaring, and little cars shooting across the floor.”

“Really?” Connie said, her brow furrowing. “You didn’t mind his little mouth running all the time?”

“I look at it this way. Jayden’s running his mouth seems to make Delaney want to talk more. That’s a good thing in my book.”

Jayden came running up with a soccer ball. “Kick it hard!”

Simon obliged by sending it to the back fence and watched the tyke scamper after it.

Gilly looped her arm through Simon’s. “Help me bring the food out.”

“If it means we’re closer to eating, you bet. I’m starving.”

Alone together in the kitchen, Gilly put her arms around his waist and tiptoed to press a kiss on his lips. “Did you mean that?”

“I don’t normally say stuff I don’t mean.”

“I like that about you. I also adore your mother.”

Simon’s lips curved. “Never underestimate Gretchen Bremmer. She’s a spitfire when she needs to be. Now let me at that chicken before I keel over from hunger.”

They carted plates out to the picnic table already covered with a bright blue-green tablecloth that fluttered in the breeze. Simon carried the platter full of chicken while Gilly brought out two different kinds of salads and a casserole.

Simon scooped up the kids in a bundle together as they squealed in delight and plopped them down onto the bench. “You guys ready for some chow?”

“Chow!” Jayden hollered.

“Chow!” mimicked Delaney.

“See. It’s like an echo,” Simon pointed out, ruffling the boy’s hair. He snapped a bib on Delaney to protect her brand-new outfit and kissed the top of her head. “I’m trying the potato salad first and then digging into the pasta. I think the cheesy rice casserole has my name on it.”

“There’s so much food here,” Gretchen said, checking out all the different choices. “And you obviously know something about making stuff toddlers will eat. You must’ve worked on this all day. Thanks so much for going to all this trouble.”

The flutters long gone, Gilly had calmed down quite a bit and relished in the compliment. “My pleasure. I love having people over, it’s just not something I’ve done lately.”

The meal brought out booms of laughter and conversation. Knock-knock jokes were bantered back and forth that made Jayden laugh. Connie even relaxed enough to compare notes with Gretchen about gardening and argue about the best way to grow orchids.

The little group seemed to bond as the stars twinkled out and glittered over them like a protective canopy.

Simon stood up and started gathering up paper plates and tossing them into a huge plastic trash bag. “We’ll clean this mess up and head out to tour the house before it gets too late.”

“You’re really buying that house?” Connie asked.

“Yep. Really. The farm’s no place for Delaney.”

“That seems very considerate,” Connie grudgingly admitted. “This tour business of yours, does it make any money? Can you afford that big house?”

“Mom!” Gilly bellowed. “That’s none of your business.”

“It’s okay,” Simon assured her. “I do fine, Mrs. Grant. Bree Dayton built up a steady customer base that I’ve expanded. I have a rapport with repeat tourists. Nick and Jordan have so many guests who keep coming back year after year, sometimes three times in one twelve-month period, that I have a steady flow of traffic. And I’m starting to branch out, fill the void with my own fishing tours. I advertise online and have a website that allows people to book reservations right from their laptops. It might even grow one day to where I have to add on another boat.”

“You don’t miss the Army?” Connie wondered.

“No.”

Since Gretchen knew that was all he intended to say on the subject, she put her hand over her son’s. “Let’s go see this house. Come on, Delaney. Let’s go check out your new room.”