Toby watched judiciously as the skinny guy from the grocery store climbed out of the old truck. He hadn’t really stopped to think about what the pregnant woman’s husband would look like, but he sure as hell didn’t think Mr. Toothpick had a chance with her. Toby hadn’t seen every guy in town, but options couldn’t have been that slim.

The man looked like he’d just walked out of a rodeo somewhere. His head was topped with a cowboy hat that seemed a little small. The tightness matched the dude’s jeans, which had to be cutting off circulation. It was either that or the guy didn’t have a lot to offer. Since Toby had already decided he didn’t like the guy, he rooted for the latter.

Instant distaste didn’t generally come natural. Toby didn’t understand the emotion rolling over him as he wondered whether he should’ve worn flannel and cowboy boots instead of a suit without the jacket. In the middle of the woods, it sort of made sense.

“Everything okay, Meredith?”

The drawl of the locals was something Toby didn’t think he’d ever get used to. Even three simple words were hard to understand. He did finally learn the woman’s name, though.

Meredith.

Toby tried not to squint his eyes as he considered the name. He hadn’t spent much time thinking of the mystery woman’s name, but he doubted Meredith would have made a top ten list.

With her husband there, it wasn’t right to hope he could spend a little time getting to know whether the name suited her. He did it all the same.

“Everything’s fine, Paul. Toby, this is Paul. Paul, this is Toby, my new neighbor.”

Meredith’s tone was even more annoyed than she had been when it was just the two of them talking. He wondered if she’d already mentioned running into each other at the dock.

“So the developer guy. He’s not here trying to buy your land, is he?”

Paul lifted the brim of his hat up slightly to get a better look at Toby. It seemed unnecessary since Toby could already make out the guy’s weird grayish eyes. They were probably blue, but the lighting made them look a little eerie.

Toby was busy focusing on the part of the conversation where the guy mentioned the land being Meredith’s and not including himself in the statement. There was probably a husband out there who owned the land with her, but at least it wasn’t the toothpick.

“Why does everyone think I’m a developer?”

Something about Toby’s voice made Paul startle. Maybe he thought he was mute since he hadn’t said anything, but the action reminded Toby of a rookie on the ice. Since Meredith already knew it wasn’t the reason for his visit, he waited for Paul to come up with an explanation.

“Why else would you be up here?”

It was a decent question based on what Toby had observed of the area. His cabin was about as far away from a five-star resort as he could get. Toby directed his response to Meredith by turning to face her.

Since he’d been so focused on Paul, he hadn’t realized she had turned back towards him and her body language seemed to be cutting the other guy out of the conversation. Her arms were crossed, resting on the top of her stomach. She definitely had a bit of fire in her eyes as she stared down at Toby’s feet, which seemed odd. Surely she didn’t object to his dress shoes, but then again, they were in the middle of the woods.

“I have my reasons. I guess I should probably head back to my place.”

Meredith’s eyes darted up and took on a panicked look as they widened. Toby couldn’t read a woman to save himself, so he had no idea what it meant.

“Like I said, Meredith, I just wanted to make sure everything was cool between us. I’ll make sure my daily runs don’t interfere with your routine.”

Toby made sure to emphasize her name. Since she hadn’t given it to him, he felt like he won something.

“You don’t need to leave. Caleb invited you to dinner, so you have to at least stay for a bowl of stew.”

Squinting his eyes slightly, Toby considered the turn of events. He was confused, both that she offered and that she was using her son as an excuse. He didn’t have great hearing, but the kid didn’t seem too impressed by him. Saying his mom didn’t either was an understatement.

He looked over to Paul to see his take on the invite. The guy’s opinion didn’t matter, but the shocked, open-mouth expression on his face was almost comical.

“Well, I have to say whatever you got cooking in there seemed to tickle my appetite. You sure I’m not intruding if I stay? I’m sure with your husband added into the mix, it would be pretty tight sitting around the table in there.”

Toby had noticed the general layout of the cabin didn’t seem that different from his. Big open space and a couple of doors leading off into bedrooms was about it.

Meredith rolled her eyes upward and shook her head. Toby was sure that meant she did a little math and figured out how she’d be sitting on her husband’s lap if they all stayed for dinner. He assumed the Paul guy was staying since he’d shown up at what was apparently suppertime.

“My husband died months ago, so I’m pretty sure he won’t take up too much space.”

There didn’t seem to be any sadness in the statement, which surprised Toby. He was making a lot of assumptions, but he assumed the baby was the husband’s, so those months couldn’t have been easy or particularly long.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he managed to say, a bit lost for words.

“It is what it is, so don’t worry about it. Look, as much as I adore my son, I’m sure he’s not sitting quietly in his chair, so we should probably get inside and get bowls for everyone.”

Toby hadn’t really considered they’d left a small child in the house with an open fire going. The door had closed on its own, so it wasn’t latched, but there was no clear visual of what the boy was up to.

“You sure you want to stay?” Paul said, pausing for a second. “Sorry, I’m not great with names and I seem to have forgotten yours.”

Glancing away from Meredith, Toby got the idea that Paul wasn’t being sincere. His face had changed to be harder. Toby felt like he’d unknowingly stepped into something.

“It’s Toby. Toby Matthews, and I think staying for dinner sounds like a great way to get to know my new neighbor.”

A scowl had taken over Toby’s face as he spoke, but when he turned back to face Meredith, he was all smiles. Getting in the middle of things usually wasn’t his thing, but Meredith didn’t seem warm to the guy, any more than she was with Toby. If she needed a knight in shining armor to help with something, he was up for the task.

“Great. I know Caleb will be excited you decided to stay.”

A quick shake of the head didn’t clear away the small smile on Meredith’s face, so Toby reached up and scratched his head. His confusion only deepened.

Rather than reveal he had no clue what was going on, he just returned the smile and followed Meredith to the door. Toby wasn’t lying about the food making him hungry. He’d planned on opening a couple cans of chili and having those for dinner. The kitchen at his cabin was ill-equipped for a big homecooked meal.

“You’re staying.”

Contrary to his mom’s theory, Caleb remained in his chair facing the door. His smile appeared sincerer than his mother’s, but it faded a little a few seconds later when Paul joined them and thrust a bouquet of flowers in Meredith’s face.

Toby had entered the cabin and moved off to the side of the door to wait for directions as far as where he needed to be. There was a couch and a rickety old table with four chairs around it for seating options. None of the options looked too sturdy. The couch was possibly gray, but could’ve been white at one time. It looked about twenty years old judging by the wear.

“There’s a rumor going around that you wanted me to.”

Giving the kid his attention seemed like a good idea while he tried to figure out what exactly the dynamics around Toby were. The dozen or so red roses weren’t a friendly gift from a guy to a girl. Toothpick was playing for a relationship of some kind.

“I figure if you stay, then you won’t be a stranger and I can talk to you. Sometimes it gets boring only having Mom up here to talk to.”

After setting the flowers down on a counter in the kitchen, Meredith had gotten bowls out and was busy filling them. Paul hovered around her, trying to help, when it was perfectly clear she’d rather handle the task on her own. The first time Paul offered a hand to take a full bowl, the glare he got wasn’t exactly the friendliest.

Hearing there wasn’t a husband, Toby wondered if maybe Paul was the baby’s father. If that was the case, the arm’s length Meredith gave the guy said loud and clear she wasn’t looking for a new husband, at least not from Paul.

Neither of them seem to care about the quiet conversation going on around them. They were both quiet and the tenseness between them was something that hung in the air.

“I take it you heard we were neighbors then.”

“Yup. I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just have good ears and the windows are open.”

Eavesdropping seemed like a big word for the little guy. Toby didn’t spend a lot of time with young children, but his teammates had a few kids, as did his brother, and he was sure he’d never seen them sitting as still for as long as Caleb was. The kid’s legs swung a little, but his arms were stationary with his hands in his lap.

“How old are you?”

Rather than voice the answer, Caleb held up his right hand with all his fingers extended.

“Five, really?”

Caleb’s head bounced up and down a few times as he nodded. His shaggy, yet short hair moved along with the movement. It reminded Toby of his own hair, which was more than likely in need of a trim. The cabin didn’t have a mirror, so any styling that had been done in the week of being up in the woods was all done by touch.

“Doesn’t your mom feed you sugar? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a five-year-old as calm as you.”

“Don’t give him any ideas.” Meredith was quick to reply as she put the final bowl on the table. “When he’s in town playing with friends, he becomes a different person. At home, we like to keep things calm.”

“Especially with the baby kicking Mom so much. She wants to come out and play, but it’s not time yet.”

Toby’s eyes went from son to mother. It was hard to miss the squinting in Paul’s eyes as he stared at Meredith. His face wasn’t harsh, but he did look hurt about something. He stood behind Meredith, so the expression was only caught by Toby.

“I thought you said you don’t know whether it’s a boy or a girl.”

“Caleb has decided he wants a little sister. We don’t know yet if he’s going to get his wish.” Meredith’s eyes rolled as she said her words. “Why don’t you guys all sit and I’ll grab some bread from the kitchen.”

Toby was perfectly fine just holding up the wall where he was, watching all the interactions around him, but he followed instructions. Caleb sprinted over to him and grabbed his hand to help make up his mind. The size of the kid’s hand in his was almost comical. Toby ended up being escorted to the seat that was across from Meredith with Caleb and Paul on either side of him. At least he had something pretty to look at if the conversation ended up being a bit slow.