“Fine.” He kissed her fingers. “What’s the absolute soonest you’d be willing to marry me?”
“The absolute soonest?” Her thoughts danced dizzily. “For a small family wedding, a week should be enough to order a cake and apply for a marriage license.”
He lowered her hands, keeping their fingers intertwined. “How does next Saturdaysound?”
“Like we finally have a wedding date.” She stood on her tiptoes to seal the all-important date with a kiss.
Chapter 8: Not So Neighborly
Monday
“Iheaded to the airport as soon as I received your wedding invitation.” Owen’s sister all but fell into his embrace.
He and Halle had designed a digital invitation over the weekend and texted it to her. They’d invited the Carters and Rex Turner in person. Pastor Joe Swanson would be officiating.
Owen hadn’t expected Jen to arrive so soon, but he was glad to see her again. Very glad. The boys had missed her, and so had he. He hugged her tightly before letting her go. “Ryder and Cooper are going to go nuts when you walk through the door.”
“How are they?” She pinned him with an anxious look, shoving back a handful of her long hair. Normally she wore it pulled up. Seeing it down was a further testament to how quickly she’d caught a flight.
“As ornery as ever. How was your flight?” They were standing inside the cozy Heart Lake Airport beside thebaggage carousel, waiting for it to light up and start rotating. She’d arrived on a thirty-seater prop jet and disembarked on the tarmac.
“Loud and turbulent,” she griped. “Fortunately, you’re worth the trouble.” Like the twins, Jen had flaming red hair. Unlike the twins’ mellow temperaments, she had a short fuse to match her fiery hair. She said what was on her mind, rarely bothering to sugarcoat it. That she hadn’t yet congratulated him on his engagement or his upcoming nuptials wasn’t a good sign.
She stepped back and lambasted him with her sternest older-sister scowl. “Don’t you think you’re moving a little fast in the romance department?”
He’d been expecting her outburst, so he was ready for it. “When it’s right, it’s right, Sis.” His relationship with Halle felt right, so did their collective decision for her to resign from Heart Lake Elementary School to homeschool the twins. They’d notified the district this morning via a certified letter that Attorney Dave Phillips from Lonestar Security had authored on their behalf. Though they weren’t expecting any pushback from Dr. Gavin House, only time would tell.
Owen had no regrets about taking such drastic measures to keep his family safe. He’d done so while simultaneously grabbing a God-given chance at happiness. If he’d spent his adult life moving at his sister’s snail’s pace, he wouldn’t have the blessings currently filling his world with so much joy. His sons, for instance. His sister had been just as resistant to the idea of Owen marrying the first time. As much as he’d benefitted over the years from her cautious nature, he worried about all the happiness she’d foregone in the process—from things like dating, love, and marriage.
Her expression turned sour. “When you promised me over the phone you weren’t replacing me, you lied.”
He snorted, not bothering to respond to such a groundless accusation. They both knew it wasn’t true. “Listen, there are some other things going on that you need to know about.” He gave her the highlights of the case he was investigating on Halle’s behalf and how it had blossomed into something bigger. He also warned her they were down to one family vehicle at the moment since Halle’s car was so old and couldn’t be fixed.
“You’ve gotten yourself tangled up with a federal case?” Jen kept her voice low. “Oh, Owen!” She shook her head in dismay. “I leave you alone for a couple of months, and now the sky’s falling.”
Her assessment of the situation wasn’t far from the truth. “I wouldn’t mind hearing your thoughts after you take a look at the site where Halle’s parents crashed.” He shared how Rex Turner’s near crash had occurred at roughly the same location.
Her expression sharpened. “How experienced are these crop-duster pilots?”
It was a fair question. “I can’t speak for Halle’s parents, but Rex is a certified flight instructor.”
“Are you serious?” She looked perplexed. “What’s he doing working as a farmhand?”
Owen told her everything he knew about the guy. “Maybe you’ll have more luck wrangling the details out of him, but he seems legit. I like him. Halle likes him. The Carters like him. Even the chickens like him.”
She didn’t look amused. “You can bet your boots I’ll be having a chat with him,” she promised waspishly. “If only I could’ve gotten here sooner.” Her expression turned bleak.
He touched her shoulder. “How are things with Belinda and Logan?”
“Better.” Her voice grew thready. “It was touch-and-go for a while there, but God was merciful. She’s going to pull through. I can feel it in my bones. Lord willing, she and Logan will enjoy many more happy years together.”
He knew her feelings on the topic were far more complicated, but he didn’t dare comment on it. Her high school crush on Logan was something she refused to discuss with him.
The lights on the baggage carousel lit up, and suitcases erupted like a volcano from the center. In no time, Owen had Jen’s luggage in hand. She always wrapped bright-colored duct tape around her plain black suitcases to make them easy to spot. This time, she’d used fluorescent yellow tape dotted with ducks in bright blue galoshes. The twins were going to have a heyday when they saw it.
He drove his sister to Garrett Farm, proudly pointing out the wooden fences that lined the front of the property. The Carters had spent the last two weeks putting a fresh coat of white paint on them. They’d done so much to spruce up the house and grounds for the wedding that he was including bonuses in their next paychecks.
Jen’s eyes widened. “Your farm is even lovelier in person than in the pictures.”
