When we were alone, Clover smiled sheepishly. She tore small lines into the edges of her napkin. “We can bring leftovers home.”
Home. Our home. Together. I liked hearing that as much as come to bed, and as much as I liked knowing that I wouldn’t be in that bed alone tonight. I’d kept the pillow wall in place, but the bed was somehow so…empty. “If there are leftovers. It’s okay if everything’s eaten before we leave.”
“I can’t eat much in the morning, but by dinner, I’m ravenous.”
“You don’t have to explain it. I don’t care if you shove every morsel in your mouth tonight.”
Vulnerability shone in her big eyes. “It’s a lot of food.”
“I will order my own buns and mozzarella sticks and have an eating contest with you, but I’m warning you—you’ll lose.”
She chuckled, and the tension drained out of her. The radiance returned to her face. My brother tried to dull her. She had been his shiny object, and he had taken the shine out of her. I’d make sure it was back before this marriage of ours was done.
She continued to fiddle with her napkin, but she was no longer ripping it. “So? The mower?”
“I found a push mower, an old snowblower, a weed whacker, and a lot of engine parts. I think I can get all the equipment running.”
“You like fixing small engines?”
I nodded. “The yard work was usually left up to me. I used it to make extra money while working on building my business.” I smiled tightly. “It got me out of the house.” Which had been critical for my mindset.
A big man in jeans, boots, and a plain shirt walked by. It was the most common style of the area. Not enough that I felt out of place without cowboy boots, but Coal Haven was heavy on the farming and ranching. The vibe was laid back, and I’d been enjoying my time here.
He did a double-take at Clover, and the shorter woman with him, who had a shorter, sassy hairstyle, noticed.
She grinned. “Clover! So nice to see you.”
Clover looked up like she was surprised to be recognized. “Lyric, Stetson, hi.” She sat straighter. “This is my, um, Van Wagner. Evander is Stetson’s cousin, and another cousin of his is Eliot’s brother-in-law.”
“We get to be a tangled web around here,” Stetson joked.
The couple ran their curious gazes over me. The woman flashed a kind smile as we shook hands.
“Nice to meet you.” Her Van? How else was she supposed to introduce me? Meet my husband for the next three months, Sullivan. Please don’t call him Sully. He likes to be referred to as a family vehicle with maximum capacity.
Lyric tucked her arm through her husband’s. “I heard you moved here, and you’re working in the oil fields?”
Clover nodded. “I work out of Williston, but I’m remote.”
“It’ll be good to see you around,” Stetson said. “Next time we have a gathering, you’re invited.”
Clover grinned. “I’m always invited.”
“But this time you can make it.” Lyric glanced at the back of the restaurant, where the host was awkwardly standing by an empty table. “We’ll see you around. Enjoy your meal.”
When they were gone, I couldn’t help my curiosity. “They invited you knowing you were in Omaha?”
“The Barrons are a close and welcoming family.” She thought for a moment. “And big like ours, but most of them are cousins and not siblings.” She silently counted her fingers. “There’re eight of them, I think? And now five of us Dukes between Coal Haven and Crocus Valley.”
What was it like to have that many people in the family? Growing up, I thought every nuclear family was like mine—small and cold. I knew better now, but my fiancée’s family had also been small with a chilly vibe. That might’ve been only toward me. I didn’t care anymore.
Yet Clover’s family was warm and inviting. Was it the number of them? The more the merrier? They were supportive without prying and protective without being controlling.
Her phone buzzed. She glanced at her purse but didn’t answer it. Was she worried about being rude? Was she really that thoughtful?
“Go ahead,” I said.
She smiled. “It’s not work. It’s probably that big family I was talking about.” She gave in and looked at her phone. Her grin froze. “Speaking of gatherings. My family’s having one.”
