“I think Alex and Nicki are more than capable of bringing drinks for ten people,” Finn said.
“But we gave the main dish to Dawson and Caroline,” she said.
“And they’re both adults who’ve managed to keep themselves alive for three decades,” Finn told her, pressing a kiss to her cheekbone. “It’s going to be fine.”
Link and Misty were bringing desserts, and Ollie and Aurora had been assigned side dishes to go with whatever main dishes Dawson and Caroline brought. Finn had no idea if they’d communicated with each other or not, and he didn’t really care. No one would starve tonight, he knew that.
If anything, Edith would make sure of that. Before she could worry over it further, the front door opened and her brother walked in. “We’re here,” he said needlessly, holding the door for his wife, who carried a couple of cases of soda pop. Alex had some in his arms as well, and Finn went to relieve them of their burden.
The door didn’t close, because Link and Misty had arrived too, and they’d apparently carpooled with Rory and Ollie. The island counter continued to fill with food, and Edith laughed at something Nicki said as she arranged the items where she wanted them.
Finn could count on cowboys to show up somewhere on time, so he wasn’t surprised to find Dawson knocking on the door the moment the clock struck six-thirty, their agreed-upon time for dinner. He’d previously been part of a twosome with his brother, so having a pretty woman enter the farmhouse behind him was something new for all of them there.
Finn had met Carolinebefore, briefly, at Link’s birthday party last month, but he hadn’t spent much time of consequence with her. She was personable and bright, and she eased right into the group of ten as if she’d been there for years.
After several minutes of socializing and catching up, Edith clapped her hands and said, “Let’s eat, because we have a murder mystery to solve tonight, and just because it’s Friday doesn’t mean you cowboys are gonna last all night.” She grinned around at everyone, and since she was a night owl, she loved to tease about how early Finn and his friends went to bed.
The food started going around, and Finn settled into dinner beside his wife. They’d hosted several get-togethers over the last year since they’d been married, but tonight’s was a bit different.
One, Mitch Glover wasn’t here, and Finn took a moment to type a note into his phone to text Mitch in the next few days. Two, they’d started hanging out with Oliver and Aurora Walker more and more since Edith had found out she was pregnant.
Ollie and Rory had three kids, and Finn found he wanted to just sit in their house and watch how they did things. Edith was due in another week, which was why they’d chosen to have their game night dinner party tonight, and Finn wasn’t sure how he could be trusted to keep a tiny, helpless infant alive.
He told himself that they had a bed for the little boy joining their family. Thanks to a huge baby shower at hisfamily ranch a couple of weeks ago, they had diapers, and clothes, and bottles. If there was something physical he and Edith could prep, they’d done it.
What he couldn’t prepare himself for was how to literally be responsible for raising a child. Edith had been reading a book here and there, but she didn’t seem nearly as concerned about it as Finn. She’d assured him and reassured him that as soon as their baby was born, he’d know exactly how to hold the little boy, and everything else, they could learn.
Dinner finished up, and Finn got up to make a pot of coffee while Edith lingered with their friends. Alex joined him, and Finn tossed a smile in his brother-in-law’s direction. “Nicki wants to know if you have hot chocolate powder.”
“In the cupboard by the stove there.” Finn nodded to it and opened the fridge to get out cream. “She liked that, huh?”
“She sure did,” Alex said with a chuckle. “Now she’s mixing and matching flavors all over the place.” He didn’t sound overly enthused about that, and Finn couldn’t help grinning at the grumpy undertone in Alex’s voice.
He worked his ranch hard, and he never said more than what needed to be said. Ever. He’d liked Nicki for months before he asked her out, and their romance had been very fast and very hot since that very first date. She was quite a bit older than Alex, and Finn hadexpected them to start a family as quickly as he and Edith had, but no announcements had been made yet.
Finn eyed Alex as the scent of coffee dripped into the house, but he seemed just fine. Nicki chatted with Caroline and Rory, a brightness about her she’d always possessed. Finn really liked her, and she’d brought out a lot of Alex’s sunnier qualities too.
Others started getting up and bringing over their plates, as well as the main dishes. The snacks and desserts remained on the table, and Finn passed out coffee mugs while someone took the cream and sugar over to the table.
“Murder mystery,” Nicki sang as she found the bulging box on the credenza where Edith had set it earlier. “Hurry up, you guys. We can’t open it until we’re all ready.” She gripped the box like it contained a live hedgehog and it vibrated in its attempt to escape. Or maybe that was just her extra energy and excitement for the murder mystery.
Finn had never actually played one before, and he was unconvinced the ten of them would be able to complete the game in a single evening. In less than two hours.
He stifled a yawn as the coffee finished and he took the pot off the burner. He went around and filled mugs as others returned to their seats. Edith put a stack of clear plastic cups on the table, the way she liked to dole out snacks, and then she sat in her seat with a groan.
Finn watched her for a moment, and when she met his eye, he reached for her hand. “Okay?”
She nodded, her smile flashing back to her face. It only stayed for a moment, then it disappeared completely.
“Edith?”
“I’m okay.” She pressed one hand to her belly, which also caused a flash of alarm to reverberate through Finn.
Then Link laughed, breaking into the bubble he’d put around himself and Edith. She relaxed at his side, and Nicki held up both hands. “Okay, okay,” she said. “Let’s get this murder mystery started.”
She waited while they quieted down, though Link and Dawson continued to chuckle about something. Finn sometimes wished he’d found a ranch on the south side of town, where Link and Dawson worked. But if that had happened, Finn wouldn’t be adjacent to his daddy’s land, and he would’ve had to drive his own cattle out onto the range, without the help of his father’s two dozen cowboys. Without the help of his mother’s cooking.
Nicki read the instructions and started dealing out characters for each person. Finn picked up his character case study and flipped open the folder. “I have to be the balding guy?” His voice got lost among the others poking fun at their characters or showing them to the people next to them.
