Chapter 6
Bachelors on Parade
Reece pulled into thecircular gravel driveway in front of his parents’ log mansion and parked behind Noah’s truck. Charlie’s was next to Noah’s, and, unsurprisingly, Neve’s was in front of everyone’s. She had arrived first. Reece wasn’t late—he was two minutes early—but the rest of the family had obviously beaten him there.
With a sigh, he heaved his truck door shut and pulled in the familiar smell of pine permeating the chilly late-November air. Being here was a balm for his soul. Not only did it evoke joyful memories from his teen years, but it was a spread that was a feast for the eyes, and he took it in. The honey-colored logs gleamed in the late-fall sun from their perch atop a rise amid evergreen trees and aspens. His parents had built it with him and his brothers in mind, and it showed in its comfortable vibe and lodge-like feel. He loved coming here, and though he’d been here only a fewnights ago when his folks had first arrived, he was appreciating the scene in a wholly fresh way for reasons he didn’t want to contemplate at the moment.
This setting grounded him. Fall River grounded him. And yet he was about to cast himself further adrift.
Dwarfed beneath the covered entry, his mother appeared and waved. “You coming in, or are you just going to stand out there?”
“Just admiring the view.”
She nodded her understanding. He loped toward her, picked her up, and twirled her around.
“What’s gotten into you?” Laughter tumbled from her as he set her on her feet and planted a kiss on her soft cheek.
“Nothing. Just feels good to be here.”
“And how is your cat doing?”
“Considering that barely two weeks ago he was on the verge of not making it, he’s doing great, even if heismissing an eye. But he’s not my cat. I’m just fostering him until Neve can find a permanent home for him.”
“Does he get around okay without the eye?” She turned to head inside, and he fell in behind, closing the door.
“He’s getting there. His depth perception’s a little off, and he misses his target sometimes when he’s jumping for something.”
“Good thing they land on all fours.”
“That’s a myth, but yeah, he mostly lands on all fours.”
In the great room, his brothers and father clustered around a stone fireplace that normally soared upward to meet a tongue-and-groove vaulted peak above. Right now it was flanked by metal scaffolding, and its stones were stacked neatly on tarps that covered a huge swath of the floor. In the kitchen and down a hallway, more signs of remodeling were noticeable. With their folks on an extended vacation, Charlie had been working on some needed repairs between his other gigs.
Despite its current disarray, the house’s hominess peeked through. Their mom had turned the huge footprint into something cozy and welcoming. No doubt his parents had built it bigger than necessary, hoping grandchildren would fill its rooms one day. Reece glanced out the massive wall of glass, envisioning kids running down the sweeping lawn that sloped to Bedrock Creek, a ribbon of clear mountain water where he’d caught many a trout.
Taking a gander at the open gourmet kitchen, he spied the women. Hailey, Joy, and Neve were heads-deep in chitchat as they sipped wine, retrieved plates, and sorted a tray of hors d’oeuvres on an island covered in plywood. They glanced up and acknowledged him with quick greetings. Neve sent him a small wave. Her pittie rescue—or was that apityrescue? he chuckled to himself—Pearl, trotted over and gave his hand a lick and a nudge, and he obliged her with head pats. Not to be left out of the action, Noah and Hailey’s dog, Chance, made a beeline and nosed Reece’s free hand.
He was in a Norman Rockwell painting.
Maybe someday he’d have a place of his own like this one, filled with people he cared about, who overflowed the space with conversation and laughter. But it was a long shot, a pipe dream. First he’d have to find a lifelong partner to build a life with. At almost thirty-two and on the verge of a huge shift, the chances that would happen were practically nonexistent.
“She fits right in, doesn’t she?” his mother murmured beside him.
“Hailey? Yeah, she’s perfect for Noah."
She tilted her head to look up at him. “I was talking about Neve. Of course Hailey fits right in, and so does Joy. But Neve belongs here too. She always has.”
He masked his surprise with a frown. “What doesthatmean?”
“You’re the oldest, yet your brothers are settling down before you. Why do you suppose that is?”
“I have no clue. Care to enlighten me?”
She patted his arm. “You’re smart. You’ll figure it out, but don’t wait too long to take off those blinders.”
With that cryptic message, she walked away and joined the other ladies. Neve gave him a shy smile that made his gut roil. Christ, she hadn’t listened in on him and his mom, had she? Then again, if shehadheard what his mother had said, Neve could translate it for him. While he was good at reading people in dire situations, Neve was intuitive at the everyday level.
He hadn’t considered it until this very moment, but he was going to miss her.
