River sat back on his haunches, turned on the hose, and splashed water onto his face and head. Standing, he turned off the spigot, pulled off his shirt and wiped the rivulets of water from his shoulders and chest. With a casual thrust of his fingers through his hair to push it back off his face, he mopped it with his shirt and tossed the damp material onto his shoulder. He retrieved the shovel from where he had left it and quickly placed it back into the storage shed. Rounding the corner, he stopped in his tracks and searched for Joselyn. He relaxed to find her sitting on the porch, a large bowl of dried peanuts in her lap and a brilliant smile on her face. Reaching the porch, he stopped in front of her, leaned against the rail and watched her. She had easily settled into life on the farm.

His heart lurched when heard her laughing at something Hannah said. Again, he was amazed at how quickly he had fallen for this beautiful woman. Seeing her there so comfortable and carefree eased his tension. He longed to see her like this rather than fear drawing her face into harder lines. She looked into the bowl, picked a plump brown pod, popped it open and removed the nuts. The discarded hulls were dropped into a bin at her feet. Glancing up, she noticed him watching her and she averted her gaze as her face turned a beautiful shade of pink.

"Hey." She tossed her head, sending a few tendrils of hair out of her eyes." Celia is going to teach me how to make peanut butter."

He grinned. "She always made the best. I can remember many hours spent shelling peanuts for her."

"And eating them. I swear, between you and Shaun, I'd give you enough peanuts to make a dozen jars but somehow only got seven or eight. "

Laughter filled the air. "True but we were careful to not eat too many. We sure didn't want a stomach ache knowing you were going to make cookies with it later."

She pursed her lips. "Which reminds me. I need to make some cookies and take them over to Lenora Ellis' house tomorrow. The ladies' auxiliary is feeding the family while she's recovering from surgery. "

"Please tell me you are going to give Joselyn your recipe." He leaned over the rail. "I've been trying for years to get it out of you. Nobody knows the secret of your cookies but everyone agrees they are the best."

"You know the rule, Maddox. Only the women folk of the family get the recipe." She flashed him a knowing smile. "Joselyn is sweet as apple pie but she's not family. Yet."

The implied meaning hung in the air, catching Joselyn as she was taking a drink of tea. She coughed on the drink and Hannah reached over, pounding her on the back while her eyes watered. "Drink it don't breath it, hon," Hannah said with a laugh.

"So, are you through already?" Celia queried.

River noticed how she steered the attention away from the loaded statement and chuckled. That was Aunt Celia for you - zing one in one second and take the sting out the next. He nodded. "Yep. Mucking out a stable goes a lot faster when you aren't trying to find a dozen reasons to avoid it. Shaun went to check on Uncle Aaron." He looked at the darkening sky. "Looks like rain this afternoon so Shaun figured he'd help him finish checking on the cows."

He hopped up on the porch, reached into Joselyn's bowl and stole a handful of nuts. She yelled at him then slapped at his arm playfully. Making a face she drew back and waved her hand in front of her face. "Shoo! You are rank!"

He shrugged. "There's a reason it's called mucking. The stuff in the stalls is half straw and half crap. And when I say crap, I mean crap. Always amazed me how sweet smelling hay and grass turned so smelly in a horse's stomach. You know, I played around with the idea of becoming a veterinarian once. I figured curiosity over a cow's digestive tract wasn't a good reason to spend ten years in school though."

"Go on and get a shower. You're not fit for mixed company," his aunt said. "Put your dirty clothes in the hamper in the hall and not the one in the bathroom. I wash work clothes separate."

"I remember," he said and dropped a kiss on his aunt's cheek. Giving Joselyn a wink he toed off his work boots and entered the house in his sock-covered feet.

Last night, after dinner was done, River and Joselyn had told them more about the stalker who was after her including his gifts and the way he had invaded her home. Predictably, they were outraged and reaffirmed their welcome to the farm. She could stay as long as she liked and that made Joselyn visibly relax. This morning, over coffee, the three men discussed strategy and security measures. Once plans were made, the three disappeared to do morning chores. After all, this was a working farm. That meant, if you ate at the table, you worked. Neither River nor Joselyn would be able to laze around all day doing nothing. Even Hannah, in her delicate state, was given a few easy things to do. It was decided River would complete the chores closer to the house and barn. There was no way Donavan Beecher could find them but River wasn't taking any chances. Until Bull called with the all clear, he was sticking to Joselyn like glue.

Showered and changed, River rejoined them on the porch. The pile of hulls had gotten noticeably larger and the number of bowls to be shelled were much smaller. Reaching over, he grabbed another handful and tossed them into his mouth. Aunt Celia clucked in displeasure.

River sat in the swing and watched the ladies as they talked and worked. It was so relaxing here; he had forgotten how wonderful the farm was. Memories of countless summers flashed through his mind. It had been the perfect place to grow up and he wanted the same sort of life for his children one day.

He froze in shock. Where had that thought come from? He shook his head to clear it. It was too early to even entertain anything like futures with children and maybe a sweet but feisty blonde haired beauty at his side. He glanced at Joselyn again and caught her watching him through her thick lashes. She looked so beautiful it made his heart ache. When she let him kiss her, he felt as if he had the world in his pocket. When she let him hold and comfort her, there was nothing he couldn't do. She mattered to him. He snorted to himself. Who was he kidding? She more than merely mattered. He had fallen for her. He winked at her and she turned back to the peanuts. Yeah, they needed to have a talk. Sooner rather than later.

"Oh, Maddox, while I'm thinking about it. My knives could use sharpening. Aaron doesn't do as well as you. Would you mind?"

He shook his head. "I don't mind one bit," he told Celia. Getting to his feet, he retrieved the block containing her kitchen knives along with a whetstone, hand towel and a bit of oil. Taking them back to the porch, he sat on the swing and went to work. Joselyn nudged the table she was using toward him.

"We can share," she said.

The conversation continued in a low hum as they all worked. Presently, Aaron and Shaun joined them. With a kiss, Hannah sent her husband for a shower and Uncle Aaron stood in the yard watching the gathering clouds. "Going to be a bad one," he said nonchalantly. I'll go check the lamps in the house and shelter in case we lose power later." Climbing the steps, he disappeared into the house.

Yep, at this moment, River remembered every single reason why he loved this place but more importantly, he saw the best reason to want something like this in his future. The reason was sitting next to him, her cheeks flushed and her caramel eyes shining full of happiness as she shelled peanuts into a bowl.