His mother nodded.“Since she’s moved into Laura’s house, she’s my new neighbor, so I’ve popped in a few times, but she still hasn’t accepted any invitation to go anywhere.I’ve seen a few delivery trucks stop in front of the house, mostly delivering food, so at least I know she’s not starving.”
“This Rose you keep talking about,” Cooper asked, “is she the woman who stumbled into Ellie’s shop the night before Hayden and Laura’s wedding?”
Willow nodded.“Yes.She was very upset and crying, but she hasn’t yet opened up about where she’s from or how she’d ended up in Marietta.”
“What’s your feeling about her?”Cooper asked Willow.
Willow shook her head.“Difficult to know.She’s clearly very upset about something, but she’s not talking.We’ve all tried.Lost is probably the best way to describe her state of mind.She seems to be embarrassed about something, but she’s also traumatized.Hopefully she’ll soon talk to one of us.”
“I wonder…” Coop said, looking away.“That same evening, I was in my truck behind a car that nearly landed in a ditch.The driver managed to get the car back under control, but it was close.I think that could have been Rose.”
“Knowing you, you probably tried to help her?”Their mother smiled.
Cooper grimaced.“Tried but… let’s just say, the lady wasn’t interested in getting any help.”
“I’m not sure if and for how long she’ll be staying,” Willow said, “but at the moment she seems happy not to have to make any plans.”
*
Listening to thevoices around her, Ellie tried to relax.It was difficult.She couldn’t breathe properly with Becket sitting behind her.There was more than enough space between them, but she was still way too close to him for her peace of mind.And on top of that, his jacket was draped around her shoulders, effectively trapping her inside the heat that had remained in his jacket after he’d given it to her.
She was surrounded by his scent—an earthy, musky, male smell that was driving her nuts.What she should’ve done was shrug off the jacket and insisted she’d fetch her own, but she’d been so stunned by his action she couldn’t react.And by the time she’d realized what he’d done, everyone was talking about something else.
Acutely aware of his every move, every soft breath he took, the heat radiating from his body, it was a struggle not to turn her head and stare at him.Why was that?Cooper, also a seriously handsome cowboy, sat beside her, but he didn’t disturb her the way Becket did.
“So, Coop, how many stray animals are living with you right now?”Arlene asked.
“I’m not sure.”Cooper smiled.“There’s a new mutt, a border collie crossed with something, and a stray orange kitten found her way to me yesterday.They’re keeping each other company at the moment.”
“They have names already, I assume?”His mom smiled.
“We’ve settled on Marmalade for the cat and the mutt liked Duke.”Cooper chuckled.
“Ooh,” Ellie said.“I’m looking for a pet.I love dogs, but seeing that I’m a spinster, I feel obliged to get a cat.Obviously only when I have my own place.”
“Would you like to meet them?”
“Yes, I would.I mean…”
“I have to see whether they like you,” Cooper said.
Taken aback, Ellie stared at him.
His mother laughed.“He talks to animals, my dear.Strange, but there you have it.Willow, here, the artist in the family, is fey, like her grandmother.She knows things, much to the chagrin of her brothers.Coop has it too, he just prefers animals to people.And if I’m not mistaken, our Luke also seems to instinctively know things.”
Uncertain, Ellie looked at Willow.She’d picked up from Laura that members of her family-in-law had a sixth sense, but talking to animals?“So, all of you… um…?”
“Are a tad mad?”Willow laughed.“I’m afraid so.It seemed to have skipped Becket and Hayden.Walker though…” She bit her lip.
“Who’s Walker?”Ellie asked as she saw Becket stiffen out of the corner of her eye.
“My other son,” Arlene said quietly.“We lost him in an accident five years ago.”
Ellie felt horrible.She wasn’t usually inquisitive about other people.Laura had briefly mentioned a brother who had died, but she hadn’t used his name.“I’m so sorry…”
Arlene smiled softly.“It’s a process, but we’re learning to live with the grief.”
“I still miss my grandmother something fierce as well,” Ellie got out, her throat tightening like it always did when she spoke about the woman who’d raised her.“She passed away at the end of last year.”
