Joe Cassidy, the owner of Cassidy Farm, was at the reins and he was tickled to hear that Evangeline had already been introduced to the horses.
After a long but fun day, they headed back homeagain as the afternoon sun painted the sky a flaming pink.
“I’ll start dinner if you want to get him ready for bed,” Grayson offered.
But before any of that could happen, she heard the roar of a familiar engine outside.
She floated to the front door with Leo still in her arms, unable to believe what her ears were telling her.
But when she opened the front door, she saw Rory hopping off his motorcycle.
Tears blurred her vision as she called out her brother’s name, and she felt Grayson’s steady presence joining her in the doorway.
“Hey, Buttons,” Rory called to her as he jogged up the steps.
She padded across the snowy porch in her socks to embrace him, baby and all. His leather jacket was cold against her cheek, but she felt warm inside at the knowledge that he was here, that he was okay. She wished she could hug him close forever.
“Rory, this is Grayson,” she said, letting go of him at last.
“We’ve met,” Rory said, extending a hand to Grayson.
What?
The two men shook and then pulled into a quick embrace, patting each other heartily on the back.
“Good to see you again, man,” Grayson said gruffly. “Come on in.”
“You’ve really met before?” Evangeline asked, sure that she must have heard him wrong.
“We’ll explain everything,” Rory said with a smile. “But let’s get you and that little bundle back in the house first.”
Grayson took Leo when they got inside so she could go peel off her wet socks and shove her feet in a pair of fluffy slippers.
When she came out of her room, she found her three favorite men in the kitchen. Rory sat on a stool, sipping a Coke, while Grayson held Leo and put a platter of leftovers in the microwave with his free hand. Rory and Grayson were already deep in conversation, talking a mile a minute about a local repair shop and a friend of Grayson’s who owned a Christmas tree farm.
Their deep voices filled the space, reminding her of being back home with Rory and Grandpa and their friends talking late into the night while she went to sleep in her room.
When she stepped into the space, the men both went silent and turned to her, while Leo wiggled his little fingers in her direction.
“Okay,” she said, smiling as she took the baby back from Grayson. “Now, will somebody please tell me what’s going on?”
“Do you want to explain?” Rory asked Grayson.
“It’s all you,” Grayson said, gesturing to Rory.
“Your, uh, Grayson came to see me last week,” Rory said. “He offered me a way out of my mess. But I was too stubborn to take him up on it right away.”
“You have roots in the city,” Grayson said. “It’s understandable.”
“A way out?” Evangeline echoed, her eyes moving between the two of them.
“He helped me line up a job outside of the city,” Rory said. “I can start as soon as I finish my training.”
“What job?” she asked. “What training?”
“We need more mechanics in Trinity Falls,” Grayson said. “My buddy Beau is buying a local shop. He’s ready to hire Rory as soon as he’s got his certifications.”
“I’m going to learn to work on cars, trucks, and tractors,” Rory said. “And anything else they have out this way with an engine in it.”
