Chapter Three
MUSIC FLOATED OUT from the barn as Savannah and her sisters-in-law headed outside to wrangle the kids onto the enormous horse-drawn red wagon for their annual Christmas hayride. Sparkling colorful lights lined the wagon. Hal was holding Bryce, who was fast asleep. Treat and Max’s little boy looked even smaller in his grandpa’s big arms. Finn and Adam were running around in their puffy blue and red parkas and hats and flopping onto their backs in mounds of snow. Dylan and Christian were having a snowball fight and running from Hugh and Treat, slowing long enough only to peg them with snow. Savannah tried to catch Dylan as he ran by, but he slipped through her fingers.
“Incoming!” Savannah hollered to Treat as Dylan wound up to throw a snowball.
What a sight it was to see six-foot-six Treat dodging the attack. He swooped Dylan into his arms and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Dylan’s arms and legs flailed. “No!” he shouted between fits of giggles. “Dad!”
Adriana was petting one of the gypsy horses, her favorite breed. Savannah’s cousin Luke lived in nearby Trusty, Colorado, and provided the horses for the holiday hayrides every year. With bells on their tack, red bows in their abundant, silky manes and tails, and gorgeous feathering completely covering their hooves, the beautiful horses gave the evening a fairy-tale feel.
“Adriana!” Christian shouted.
Adriana turned, and Christian beaned her with a snowball, then took off running.
“Daddy!” Adriana hollered as she ran after Christian.
Without missing a step, Treat scooped Christian up, tossing him over his other shoulder. Both boys hollered and laughed as Treat carried them over to the wagon.
Little Hal ran past Layla, bumping into her and sending her spinning into Jade’s legs.
In one swift motion, Rex grabbed Little Hal by the back of his thick blue coat and lifted him up in the air, his son’s legs still running, and said, “Boy, what do you say to your cousin Layla?”
“Sorry!” Little Hal hollered.
“You could have hurt her,” Rex said sternly. “What’d I tell you about how you should treat girls?”
“Da-ad!” Little Hal complained, arms flailing.
Rex narrowed his eyes and said, “Protect girls because…”
“We should!” Little Hal said.
“And be nice because…” Rex urged.
“We can!” Little Hal said with a proud grin. “Okay, Dad! I will!”
Rex lowered him into his arms and said something Savannah couldn’t hear. Little Hal nodded vehemently, his face a younger mirror image of his burly father’s. Rex set him on his feet.
Little Hal went to Layla and said, “I’m sorry for bumping into you.” He wrapped his arms around her, and Layla smiled.
“That right there,” Jade said, eyeing Rex as she dropped a kiss onto baby Josslyn’s forehead. “That’s the best mama porn ever.”
Jade’s jet-black hair cascaded out from beneath a red knit hat, falling nearly to her waist. Savannah was surprised that Jade had made it to the event having just had a baby a few weeks ago, but Jade never let anything slow her down.
Riley joined them, carrying Abigail, who even at twenty months looked just like her mama, with straight brown hair and hazel eyes that seemed to always be smiling. “Look.” She pointed to Dane and Lacy kissing by the barn. “And check out Treat and Max.”
Treat and Max were sitting on a hay bale in the wagon kissing, each one holding on to the back of a boy’s coat while Christian and Dylan played at their feet.
“Have you noticed that mayhem follows our families?” Riley said.
“I can’t believe we’re going to be adding to it.” Savannah put her hand on her belly.
Riley and Jade looked at her with wide eyes. Riley said, “You’re pregnant?”
“We are!” Savannah said happily.
The girls gave her one-armed hugs, congratulating her.
“I’m so excited!” Riley said.
“How far along are you?” Jade asked, and before Savannah could respond, she yelled, “Savannah and Jack are pregnant!”
Cheers and whoops followed as her family gathered around, except Treat and Max, who knew better than to let the wild boys loose. They’d never get them back on the wagon for the hayride. Instead, Treat and Max hollered, “Congratulations!”
“Another grandbaby?” Hal exclaimed. He hugged Savannah and said, “No snowbound cabin births this time, okay, darlin’?”
She and Jack had taken a trip to their cabin in the mountains when Savannah was pregnant with Adam, and their bundle of joy had decided to come early. Jack had delivered Adam during a snowstorm.
“Don’t worry, Daddy. We’re going to move in with you the month before I’m due, just in case,” Savannah teased, as strong arms circled her waist from behind. Her husband’s bearded cheek brushed over her skin as he kissed her.
“I thought we were waiting until tomorrow at breakfast to tell everyone.” Jack’s deep voice sent rivers of heat through her body.
“I couldn’t wait.” She turned in his arms, and he pressed his magnificent lips to hers.
“I’m glad, because I kind of slipped and told Josh earlier.” His dark eyes glimmered with love.
“Then Josh is in big trouble for not telling me!” Riley said, turning an expectant smile to Josh.
After hugs and congratulations, everyone finally got on the wagon. The adults sat on hay bales around the sides of the wagon, and the children gathered in the middle on a floor of hay. They were counting heads when Savannah saw Layla and the boy she and her sisters-in-law had stopped Rex and her other brothers from harassing earlier in the night standing by the other wagon. Savannah tapped Brianna’s leg, motioning toward them. Brianna grabbed Hugh’s hand, and Hugh followed her gaze to the kids just as the boy pressed his lips to Layla’s cheek. Hugh’s eyes narrowed, and then Layla smiled, touching her cheek absently as she nodded at something the boy said. The boy went into the barn, and Hugh climbed down from the wagon as Layla approached.
“Oh boy,” Savannah said softly, worrying that Hugh might give her grief for the kiss.
Hugh reached a hand out to his daughter, pulling her in for a hug. He leaned down, saying something that Savannah couldn’t hear, and then Layla hugged him again.
Hugh lifted her onto the wagon, and she ran to Adriana, sitting at Max’s feet, and the girls immediately began whispering. Hugh climbed into the wagon, his loving eyes meeting Brianna’s as he took his seat beside her.
As the horses began their wintery trek, Bryce was fast asleep in Max’s arms. Dylan sat at Treat’s feet beside Adriana, playing with the other kids, and Treat was looking at his family like they were the only people in the loud, crowded wagon. Josslyn lay sleeping in Jade’s arms, while Rex and Hugh sat sentinel over the mayhem in the middle of the wagon.
Savannah leaned closer to Jack and said, “Should we tell them the rest of our news?”
It started snowing, causing more commotion as the kids cheered and tipped their faces up toward the sky, opening their mouths to catch snowflakes on their tongues.
Jack’s midnight-blue eyes collided with hers, and even after all these years her heart stumbled at their intense connection. Jack had spent several years in the Special Forces. He now worked as a private pilot and ran a survival training program. He’d lost his first wife in a horrendous car accident and had holed away in his mountain cabin for years, until he’d met Savannah and their connection had been too strong to ignore. She had given up on relationships when she’d met Jack, but they’d helped each other heal, and she thanked the heavens above for the man, whom she never wanted to live a day without.
When Jack opened his mouth to speak, Dane said, “What news?”
Jack laughed and said, “Guess it’s time to share, angel.”
“We have news, too,” Lacy said, tucking her corkscrew blond curls behind her ear. “You go first.”
Savannah laced her fingers with Jack’s and said, “I’m moving my legal practice to Weston.”
There was a collective gasp, and then everyone spoke at once, asking questions and congratulating them. It was all Savannah could do to smile and try to keep up.
“That’s fantastic,” Max said. “Will you still work only three days a week?”
“Yes, three days. That’s the plan right now,” Savannah explained. “Jack and I want to be closer to everyone. We’re going to start looking for a place to live so we can get set up before the baby comes, and we’ll keep our cabin in the mountains.”
Dylan yelled, “Adam’s moving here!” sparking another bout of cheers among the children.
“Can I still come to your cabin?” Adriana asked. She loved spending time in the mountains with them.
“Of course,” Jack said. “You’re my trail buddy.”
“What about your Manhattan apartment?” Hugh asked.
“We’re keeping it,” Savannah said. “That way if I need to go there to see a client, we’ve got a place to stay.”
“You can always stay in ours,” Josh reminded her. “And I’m sure Treat would let you stay in his, too.”
Jack said, “We appreciate that, and we might take you up on it at some point if we decide to sell.”
“I can hook you up with my real estate guy to find a house here, and you can use office space in my building by the library,” Treat offered.
“We were hoping you’d say that,” Savannah said. “But only if you let me rent it.”
Treat scoffed. “I’m not taking your money, Vanny.”
“Then I’m not taking your space,” she said with a defiant lift of her chin. She adored her brothers, but she liked to stand on her own two feet.
Max patted Treat’s leg and said, “How about we table this discussion for later? I’m excited that you guys are going to be closer.”
“We are, too. It feels right.” Savannah looked at Lacy and said, “Okay, your turn. What’s your news?”
“We’re moving back, too!” Lacy said, and more cheers rang out.
Savannah and the girls squealed with delight. The kids popped to their feet, jumping up and down, chanting, “Finn’s moving here! Finn’s moving here!”
“I can’t believe it!” Riley said. “I’m so excited!”
“What about your boat?” Josh asked.
Hugh shook his head. “No way you’re moving to dry land.”
Dane had lived on the water since graduating from college, but while Savannah’s brothers might be shocked that Dane would make such a drastic lifestyle change, she wasn’t. She’d seen each of her brothers change in ways she’d never imagined after they’d fallen in love with their wives. She snuggled closer to her rugged husband, knowing firsthand just what changes true love could bring.
“Whoa!” Hal said, arms outstretched. “Kids, sit on your bottoms. I want to hear Uncle Dane speak, and right now all I hear are little voices.”
“My voice isn’t little!” Christian exclaimed, earning laughter from everyone except Hugh.
“Don’t talk back to Grandpa,” Hugh scolded.
Christian scooted on his knees over to Hal and put his little hands on his grandfather’s wide knees, blinking big brown eyes up at Hal. “I’m sorry, Grandpa, but I do have a big voice. You told me so. Remember? You said it was going to be a great man voice one day.”
Hal lifted Christian onto his lap. “You’re right, son. I did say that, and you do have a big voice. I guess I should have said that all I heard were children’s voices.”
“Yup,” Christian agreed.
“Thanks for the lesson in semantics, son.” Hal kissed Christian’s head and said, “Now let’s hear what Uncle Dane has to say.”
“We bought a plot of land on the border of Weston and Allure, about thirty minutes from the center of town.” Dane looked lovingly at Lacy and said, “We wanted to be closer to Lacy’s sisters and closer to all of you. And we decided this was the perfect location to start our new business venture. We’re opening an indoor/outdoor sea discovery place for kids, with a small aquarium, educational exhibits about sharks and sea creatures, and hands-on activities.”
“We’re hoping to host field trips and other events, like birthday parties,” Lacy added. “With my marketing skills and Dane’s knowledge and connections, we think it’ll be a big hit.”
“Noah wants to go in on it with us,” Dane said. Their relative Noah Braden was a marine biologist.
“That’s awesome,” Treat said. “But why limit it to the sea?”
Dane shrugged. “It’s what I know.”
“I know the outdoors, so if you ever want to expand to include that sort of thing, I’d be interested in getting involved,” Jack suggested.
“Seriously? That’d be great.” Dane glanced at Lacy, who nodded excitedly.
“Hell, bro, count me in, too,” Hugh said. “I’ve got time and money, if you want to consider teaching kids about racing, which is way cooler than sharks or mountains.”
Jack scoffed. “Says who?”
Dane laughed. “Are you serious, or are you just screwing around?”
“I’m serious.” Hugh’s eyes lit up and he said, “Think about it. You can have a racetrack with mini cars and interactive displays where kids can shift gears and learn about driving safety while having fun.” He smirked and said, “Besides, you’ve got the greatest racer at your fingertips. Why not use him?”
Brianna rolled her eyes and said, “My modest husband.”
“When they were handing out modesty, Treat took my share,” Hugh said with a playful wink at Treat.
“I think it’s a great business model,” Treat said. Then he chuckled and added, “Despite bringing racing into it.”
“I think these are all fantastic ideas and would make it even more interesting for kids,” Lacy said.
As Dane and Lacy told them more about their visions for the company, Hugh and Jack added their two cents.
“Sounds like the first Braden-Remington multifaceted-discovery zone is underway,” Dane said. “There’s just one thing I need to get approval for before we can move forward. Dad, we were hoping to stay with you while we build our house. Think that’d be okay? It might take quite a while.”
The smile on Hal’s face was nothing compared to the shine in his eyes. “Son, if it were up to me, I’d have every damn one of you move back in.”
“We’re all moving in with Grandpa!” Christian hollered as he slipped from Hal’s lap.
The adults laughed, the kids cheered, and Hal said, “Looks like my Christmas wish might just come true after all.”