“True,” Bella admitted.
“That’s comforting.”
Bella laughed. “But people do change, Maeve.”
Maeve looked over to where Brodie had climbed up behind Zoey on the horse and was picking up the pace, riding them faster and faster round the paddock. “You think?” she said, nodding in Brodie’s direction.
Bella turned to look and laughed again.
Then they watched Emmett whistle through his teeth and Brodie immediately slow the horse down to a trot. Zoey whooped, asking to do it again, but Brodie shook his head, drawing them up level with Emmett and jumping down, handing the reins back to his dad so he could teach her properly.
Bella turned back to Maeve. “I’ve always had a soft spot for Brodie. I think he had a rough deal with Emmett growing up.”
“What kind of rough deal?” Maeve frowned. She did not want to add sympathy to her already complex feelings about Brodie.
“Steaks ready!” Noah hollered and everyone moved back toward the table. Brodie standing by the horse so Zoey could get down onto his shoulders.
“Why don’t you try asking him?” Bella smiled, jumped down off the bridge and started to walk back toward the barbecue.
ChapterThirty-One
They all sat around the big long table on Logan and Bella’s deck. It was plain to anyone there that this kind of gathering didn’t happen often in the Carter family. Emmett, awkward, and often punctuating conversations with something that made at least one person shift uncomfortably in their seat. It was people like Ren who kept the conversation light—she could win awards for glossing over awkward subjects with new facts or conversation starters. Maeve asked Martha about The Silver Pantry, as the town was abuzz with news of it opening soon.
“Ren has agreed to run the coffee shop for me,” Martha said proudly, and Ren smiled bashfully at the news.
“That’s amazing,” Bella said. “Congratulations, both of you.”
“Thanks,” Ren replied, resting her head on Noah’s shoulder because she was embarrassed by the attention.
Bella topped up everyone’s water. “Did you hear John-Luke wants to sell the orchard?”
Martha gasped. “I did not.”
“Yeah,” Bella nodded. “My mom wants to travel. Go back to the UK for a bit. I think they just feel like they’re getting older and want a change of pace.”
Emmett reached forward for his glass. “It’s a beautiful orchard.”
“Isn’t it vines as well?” Logan sat back in his chair. “Brodie, maybe you should buy it?”
Without missing a beat, Emmett said, “Would be a shame if those trees died.”
Everyone round the table shifted this time. Maeve caught Bella giving her wide eyes across the table.
Brodie put his fork down and said, “Are you kidding me?”
“Brodie.” It was Noah, his tone a friendly warning not to rise to it.
But Brodie ignored him. “You know Iowna very healthy vineyard, yeah?” he said to his dad.
Emmett wiped his hands on his napkin and, without looking Brodie’s way, said, “I’m sure you do, I’m just saying that’s an age-old orchard and it needs proper care. It is not something that should be bought on a whim.”
“And you think that’s what I would do?”
Emmett fixed him with a hard stare and said, “I know that’s what you would do.”
Brodie was all set to reply when Noah cut in with, “Zoey, how’d you like to be taught how to throw a rope?”
Zoey had already scraped her chair back. “Yes, sir.”
