Page 30 of Sweet Home

The boys darted in. They seemed to be getting taller by the minute. But they still looked exactly the same with their blond hair and long legs. If it weren’t for Nick’s glasses, it might have been hard for anyone outside of family to know which was which.

Within the family, of course they all knew that Cal was as quiet as West’s brother Zane, and Nick was more like his Uncle Tripp—wild and rambunctious.

“Hello, everyone,” Zane’s wife, Becca said in her cheerful, schoolteacher voice.

The back door banged, and the only one left for it to be was West’s little sister, Allie.

Elizabeth shot out of her seat to go see her cousins, opening up West’s view of Dulcie, who eyed him nervously.

Keep an open mind…

10

WEST

West scooted into the chair Elizabeth had just vacated without even thinking about it, and fought back the instinct to grab Dulcie’s hand once he was beside her.

“It’s kind of wild in here when we’re all around,” he told her with a gentle smile. “But everyone will get super quiet as soon as the food’s on the table.”

That earned him a shy smile.

“You have a big family,” she said, looking impressed.

“My brother, Cash, isn’t around these days,” he said. “But yeah, even without him here, we fill the house. When my parents moved in, they took out the wall between the old kitchen and this space, which was the back parlor. It’s good to have a table big enough for everyone to sit together.”

“It’s wonderful,” she agreed, her expression going a little dreamy as she looked around.

Of course she loves this. Who wouldn’t? She probably wishes she had a big family of her own.

He felt a pang of guilt and was relieved to see Mom heading right over with the pan.

“Come on, everyone,” Dad called out happily. “Back to the table, or don’t blame me if there’s none left.”

“My drumstick,” Elizabeth squeaked from the other side of the kitchen.

West slid back over to his own seat and Elizabeth scrambled into her chair, and everyone closed their eyes for a peaceful moment of thanks. Then the friendly chatter exploded again as plates were passed, glasses were filled, and the family caught up on the week behind them.

A Friday dinner with everyone here was a rarity. It was normally easier to get the whole crew here on Sunday. West figured tonight had everything to do with Dulcie. Mom had taken a real shine to the girl, and it was clear that she wanted her to feel welcome.

Allie had sat down right next to her and the two were chatting away happily. West was grateful to his little sister for knowing instinctively that Dulcie might need some encouragement.

From someone closer to her own age,his mind added helpfully.

West shook his head and applied himself to his meal. It was delicious, as usual. His parents had always loved cooking and now that Dad wasn’t running the farm like before, he had plenty of time to devote to his passion.

Mom would probably be up before the sun for the rest of her life. West wasn’t even sure she thought of her work with the cows as a job—caring for the gentle animals, and anyone else who came into her path waslike a part of her. She had always been full of energy, and she appreciated a good outlet. He was glad all his siblings but Cash had stayed close. They would all keep a sharp eye on Mom, so that when the time finally came for her to slow down, they could step in to help without a lot of fanfare. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be for a very long time though.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he slid it out to take a look since he so seldom got calls. He was surprised to see Mrs. Webster’s name on the screen.

“Excuse me,” he muttered, hopping up from the table.

Mrs. Webster normally watched Elizabeth for him when the preschool wasn’t in session. She was a sweet older lady who lived in town, just a short walk from his office. Elizabeth loved her because she took her over to the library for story hour every time it was held.

She had been with her daughter at an appointment with the obstetrician in Burlington today, so she hadn’t been able to watch Elizabeth. Hopefully, she was just calling to check in and let him know she’d be back for Monday.

“Hello,” he said, picking up when he reached the living room.

“Oh, West,” Mrs. Webster said. “I’ll bet I’m interrupting you during your dinner.”

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