“Fine,” she hissed. “It’s sort of a dinner date.”
His eyebrows flew so far upward that she wondered if he’d have trouble bringing them back down, but that was his problem.
Rex returned with the jar of pickles, and she drenched him with a smile of gratitude—warm enough to make her brother choke, which he covered rather well with a cough.
What she hadn’t expected was the answering flare in Rex’s gaze…or the way it lit her like a thousand lanterns from the inside out.
Chapter 9: Birds of a Feather
Saturday
Halle rolled out of bed with a strange feeling in her stomach. It didn’t feel like indigestion, the start of a flu bug, or even bridal nerves. It was worse than that. Deeper. Darker. Heavier.
She couldn’t shake the feeling as she plodded through her morning routine of brushing her teeth, washing her face, putting on makeup, and styling her hair. Since it was her and Owen’s wedding day, Jen had declared the night before that Halle was officially off duty as a nanny today.
Halle tried to shake the sense of foreboding as she leaned closer to the mirror to apply mascara. Her womanly intuition told her that the real reason for Jen’s impromptu offer to babysit had more to do with wanting the twins all to herself for a few hours than anything else.
She sighed as she moved to the other set of eyelashes to apply mascara. No matter how many ways she’d tried to befriend Owen’s sister, the woman had continuedto hold herself aloof. She didn’t want to be friends, which was going to be a problem for their family in the coming days.
It was already causing enough strain on Owen and the boys that Halle almost wished Jen hadn’t flown to town for their wedding. Almost. But she wasn’t that cruel. Instead, she kept trying to put herself in Jen’s shoes, trying to see things from her perspective.
It wasn’t easy. Halle had spent so much of her own childhood wallowing in loneliness and wishing for siblings that she couldn’t imagine herself pushing away the friendship of a future sister-in-law.
What to do? What to do? What to do?
She was fresh out of ideas, so she forced her thoughts back to the wedding ceremony. It was strictly a family event, which included Jensen, Kenny, and Rex. The staff at Garrett Farm had always been treated like family. Jensen and Kenny had lived and worked there for Halle’s entire life. Rex was a much newer addition to the team, but something was brewing between him and Jen—something romantic, which made him fit right in. Halle could only hope it would help soften Jen’s tough outer layer. Eventually.
A clucking sound drew her attention to the window. Halle pulled the curtain aside and watched Ryder and Cooper chasing a chubby Rhode Island Red hen across the backyard. She must have escaped from her pen. Since it wasn’t a hen Halle recognized, she figured it was one from the flock Jensen had adopted recently from an aging woman across town. The twins were in hot pursuit of the feathered escapee; but the faster they ran after her, the harder she flapped her wings to stay a few steps ahead of them.
Halle’s heart melted at the scene. The twins had acclimated well to farm life. They loved the chickens as much asshe did. It was with the deepest reluctance that she dropped the curtain back into place.
Knowing the redheaded, freckle-faced boys were about to become her stepsons was the biggest gift from Above. Since she was a little girl, she’d dreamed of growing up, marrying, and having a family of her own—the bigger, the better. In a Divine twist of fate, she was getting a head start on her dream with a ready-made family. If only she could win over her standoffish sister-in-law, then life would be perfect. Or close enough.
She glided on a happy haze of hopes and dreams to her closet to put on her dress, trying to dismiss the weird feeling that remained in her stomach. She blamed it on what was happening on the other side of the fence at Aspen Ranch. As she pulled her lacy sundress from its hanger, she prayed the authorities would soon put a stop to whatever crimes the Aspens and Houses were involved in—financial fraud, smuggling, all of it.
Now that Owen had uncovered the connection between the families, Halle was surprised that the police hadn’t yet brought Brooke to the station for questioning. James’ deceitful wife probably knew all sorts of things about her husband’s fraudulent activities that could lead to his arrest. Hers, too. However, the Feds kept insisting there were bigger things at stake—things that would be jeopardized if they made their move prematurely.
It felt like the investigation was stuck in watch-and-wait mode. Halle no longer harbored any genuine hope of recovering the proceeds from James’ illegal sale of her farm. Even if he were arrested, he would long since have transferred the funds to an offshore account.
Enough, Halle!She gave herself a mental shake as she stepped into the layered halter dress that would serve asher wedding gown. The top layer was made of ivory lace. The bottom layer was made of ivory satin. The dress was cinched in at the waist, showcasing her slender figure and flaring out around her ankles. The toes of her cowgirl boots peeked out from beneath the hem. She’d left her wavy brunette hair down today, making it easier to don her Stetson.
Stepping in front of the long dressing mirror against the back wall of the walk-in closet, she gave a twirl. “Here comes the bride!” For a dizzying moment, she imagined her mother was standing beside her in front of the mirror. What her parents wouldn’t have given to see this day!
She left the closet with tears in her eyes and made her way to the bedroom door. “Don’t cry,” she whispered. For the twins’ sake, everything about the wedding ceremony needed to be upbeat. They’d been through enough. Today wasn’t just about her and Owen professing their love for each other. Today was also the day that Ryder and Cooper would get the new mom they’d been praying so hard for.
As she reached for the door handle, a gentle knock made her hand freeze in mid-air. Since she didn’t have any family, she hadn’t been expecting any visitors before the wedding. “Who’s there?”
“It’s Jen.” The woman who was about to become her sister-in-law spoke in an emotionless voice.
Uh-oh.Unsure what to expect from the woman, Halle cracked open the door to gauge her expression. The first thing she saw was the enormous bouquet Jen was holding out to her.
“For me?” She immediately recognized the creamy roses from the bushes that grew wild around Garrett Farm. The bouquet also contained pale pink roses, white daisies, and lush sprigs of bluebells. Their long stems were cinchedtogether with a silk ribbon of palest blue. The arrangement was feminine and delicate, created entirely from elements native to the farm.
“It’s an olive branch.” Jen’s voice was dry.
A peace offering? Halle pulled the door open wider, reaching for the beautiful blooms. “They’re so beautiful! Thank you!” She gave the flowers an appreciative sniff.
Jen watched her curiously. “Making a wedding bouquet was kind of a last-minute thing. I wish I’d thought of it sooner.”
