Chapter 15

Ihad work to do on the farm, so I asked Claire if they could just meet us for dinner. I'd told her to come over whenever she wanted. Dinner would be early afternoon for Izzy. But now I wished I'd offered to pick her up.

I worked around the farm in the morning, tagging the rest of the trees and cutting a few for the lot. Tomorrow, the season would begin in earnest. But the forecasters were calling for a bit of winter weather this evening. It was so early in the year; I wasn't worried about it sticking around if snow or ice fell.

I was hoping for snow and ice so I could sleep in tomorrow morning. Maybe I'd even get some extra time with Claire and Owen.

I showered in my apartment above the garage and dressed in one of my softest long-sleeve shirts in navy blue and a newer pair of jeans with boots. I wanted to look good for Claire even if it was just a family get-together. It was not a date even if I wanted it to be so much more.

I'd been tense since our kiss and the subsequent orgasms over the phone. My desire for her hadn't waned. It had only intensified. I just hoped my brothers didn't pick up on it and give me a hard time.

I headed into the main house, disappointed when I didn't see Claire's car among the trucks and Teddy's cruiser.

"Your girl still coming?" Wes said when I walked into the kitchen where Teddy, Cole, and Aiden were drinking beers. Fiona was peeling potatoes, and Daphne was sprinkling breadcrumbs over a casserole dish of mac and cheese.

Instead of saying she wasn't my girl, I grabbed a beer from the fridge. I was going to need it to get through this day. I wasn't sure why I thought it was a good idea for Claire to come. "She's coming."

Wes raised a brow, but before he could say anything, Teddy raised his phone in the air. "Ryder just texted to say that Stacy doesn't want him bringing Faith for a visit after all. She wants them to stay and visit with her family."

"He's always with her family," I said tightly.

"When is he going to wake up and see what his wife is doing?" Wes asked.

Teddy dropped his phone on the counter. "You mean keeping him and their daughter away from our side of the family?"

"You've never been married. It's all about compromise," Dad said from where he sat at the small kitchen table, coloring with Izzy.

Izzy looked up, concern etched on her face. "Faith isn't coming?"

"Not this time," Teddy said.

"I wanted to see her," Izzy whined, and Cole moved to her, touching her shoulder. "You will. Maybe we can drive to their house to visit one day."

"Really?" Izzy asked, and Cole nodded.

"Whatever you want."

"I don't know if Stacy would welcome us," Daphne said quietly to just us.

"I hope Ryder comes to his senses eventually."

Fiona gave us a pointed look. "They've only ever had one child. Either Stacy only wanted one, or Ryder didn't want to bring another child into that situation. Don't think he doesn't know what's going on. He might be protecting Faith. Not wanting to tear apart their family."

"So he's going to stay with someone he doesn't like just to keep their family intact?" I asked.

"People do it all the time. Your kids come first," Daphne said.

Unfortunately, Daphne didn't have that with Izzy's dad, but she was right. I wondered if that's why Claire stayed with Eric for so long. She didn't want to hurt Owen. I had a feeling they were better off alone. It didn't sound like Eric put much effort into either of their relationships.

The doorbell rang, and my heart rate increased. "I'll get it."

"Go get your girl," Wes said before going into a rendition of "Kissing in a Tree" while Teddy made kissing noises.

"You're so immature," I shot back over my shoulder. I hoped they behaved better when Claire and Owen came inside.

I waited until they were laughing before I opened the door to find Claire holding a covered casserole dish.

Owen looked uncertain.

"Why don't you go inside and ask Wes to throw a football? I'm sure he's driving my sisters crazy in the kitchen."

Looking relieved, Owen stepped past me.

Claire followed him, and I snagged the dish, kissing her cheek before shutting the door behind her. "Thanks for coming."

She smiled at me, but her forehead creased. "Thanks for inviting us."

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? My family's kind of dysfunctional."

"They seemed perfectly fine the other day," Claire said in a dismissive way.

"Maybe to you," I mumbled as I followed her into the kitchen. She wore a soft-looking green dress that clung to every curve. I wanted to snip a piece of it and unravel it slowly with my teeth.

Then we were standing in the kitchen, everyone looking expectantly at Claire. I felt hot.

"I brought the green-bean casserole. As promised."

Fiona came around the counter to take the dish from me. "That was so nice of you. Thank you, Claire."

"This is my sister, Fiona," I said to Claire as they hugged. "And my sister, Daphne."

"It's so nice to meet you." Daphne gestured down at her apron. "Sorry, I'm covered in breadcrumbs. Cole tried to steal a bite, and I had to protect my mac and cheese."

"It's my mac and cheese," Cole insisted.

"I didn't see you make it," Daphne said as she covered it and put it on the stove.

I nodded. "And this is my family. Wild, crazy, and rude."

Daphne washed her hands, took off her apron, and came over to hug Claire. "Speak for yourself. We are perfectly civilized."

"I don't know why Jameson keeps saying that," Claire began as Daphne took her by the shoulder and steered her into the living room.

"You already lost your girl to our sisters. You probably won't get another chance to talk to her the rest of the day," Teddy said smugly.

I'd figure it out because I wanted to spend more time with her. I wanted to see if the kiss was a one-off thing or if it was the start of something more.

"Let's go play some football," I said when I noticed Wes throwing with Owen through the window. I could use the physical outlet. I was strung tight. And it was a tradition for us to watch and play football on Thanksgiving.

"Remember last year when Cole played with us?" Teddy asked when we got outside.

I frowned remembering the day that he showed up and apologized to Daphne.

Cole shook his head. "I think you were a little rougher than necessary."

"Are you complaining?" Wes asked, a hint of a challenge in his tone.

Cole chuckled. "Not at all. I thought it had something to do with me showing up and declaring my love for your sister."

"It's never going to get easier for you," Teddy said.

Wes grinned. "You're still with our baby sister, and no one will ever be good enough for her."

I was glad the attention was on someone besides me.

By unspoken agreement, everyone eased up because Owen was present and paused to give him pointers. We ran plays, forcing him to run different routes and make split-second decisions according to the way we were defending him.

By the time Daphne called us in for dinner, we were hot and sweaty. Not exactly how I wanted to look at dinner with Claire. If she hadn't thought it before, she definitely thought I was an overgrown kid now.

We washed up in the sink in the mudroom.

"Good job out there," I said to Owen.

He grinned. "It was just a pickup game."

"That's where you're wrong. You can still pick up valuable skills doing something like this."

"If you say so," Owen said.

Everyone was already in the dining room, waiting for us. Owen sat down on one side of Claire, and I sat on the other. She was my guest for the evening, and I didn't want her to feel neglected.

Teddy sat across from us and winked when he caught my gaze.

I mouthed, Don't be an asshole.

"Do I need to remind you two to behave?" Dad asked from the head of the table, and I looked down at the table.

The last thing I wanted was Claire to see me as someone who was immature. "No."

Dad nodded. "We should go around and say what we're thankful for."

This tradition hadn't started until Izzy was a bit older, and it was originally her idea. She'd learned about it from school.

Izzy raised her hand. "Me. Me. Me." When Dad smiled at her, she lowered it. "I'm grateful for my new house and my new dad."

Cole blinked and reached for her so she could climb into his lap. When her arms wrapped around his neck, my heart squeezed.

Everyone smiled, and I think there were even tears in my sisters' eyes.

I leaned over and said to Claire, "It's going to be hard to top that one."

Claire grinned. "Are you going to try?"

I shook my head. "Not even going to bother."

Then Cole said to Izzy, "I'm grateful for you and your mother. You two made me the happiest man on earth."

"Now that everyone's heart is melted, let's move onto someone who has less moving things to say. Teddy?" I joked.

He shot me a disgruntled look, but finally said, "I'm grateful for most of our family being together and new friendships and opportunities."

"Are you talking about Charlotte Monroe?" I couldn't help but ask.

Now he was shooting daggers at me. "I was talking about Claire and Owen and the opportunity to spruce up the farm."

"Sure you did," I said in a purposely disbelieving tone.

"I'm grateful that we got to see Ryder and Faith this year. May this be the year our family comes home," Wes said, ever the responsible one.

"Hear! Hear," Dad said, and we all lifted our glasses. "To the Calloways."

Everyone said, "To the Calloways."

I nudged Claire with my shoulder. "Did you want to go? You don't have to."

"I'm grateful for your hospitality and for Jameson's guidance this year with fire prevention and football skills. You've added so much to our lives."

I touched my heart with my hand. "You hear that, boys? I'm kind of a big deal."

My brothers groaned and threw out barbs about showing Claire our family's photo album after dinner.

"That's enough of that," Dad's voice boomed over everyone else's. "We're happy to have you both here. I hope that you'll see that there's more to Jameson than jokes."

"She already knows that," I said while smiling at Claire.

"Let's dig into our food. It's going to get cold." We'd had more organized Thanksgivings, but this one was perfect because Claire was by my side.

I cut into my turkey, taking a bite before asking Claire, "Are you okay? Sorry I left you alone for so long."

Claire waved a hand at me. "I was fine. I hung out with your sisters and helped get dinner ready."

Curious about her family, I asked, "What do you normally do on Thanksgiving?"

Claire cut her turkey. "Being with family can come with a lot of expectation. This is a nice break."

"I think I know what you mean." At home, I fell into my usual role as youngest brother. No one expected much from me because that's what I'd given them for years.

Beside her, Owen was shoveling in his food. He was probably starving from the workout we got playing football. I nudged Claire's shoulder. "He's going to eat you out of house and home here soon."

Claire smiled. "I only have one boy. I can't imagine what it was like trying to feed seven kids."

"Eh. We fed ourselves. Each one of us had a night to cook, and we even bought groceries at the store."

"Jameson's night was always spaghetti and meatballs or ravioli," Wes added.

"Hey, those are easy and filling, and everyone's favorite," I said to Claire by way of explanation.

"I think it's great you can cook," Claire said, and her praise washed over me like a warm comforting blanket. I wanted more of it.

"How's Sutton doing?" Daphne asked Wes. "Is she planning on stopping by tonight?"

It had become a tradition for Sutton to escape her more stuffy formal family meals and show up here by the end of the night.

Wes checked his phone. "She said she's on her way. Should be here soon."

"Have you checked the weather? It starting to freezing rain," Teddy said.

We all looked out the window where it was getting dark, but you could still see ice pellets coming down.

"You think she'll be okay driving?" I asked Wes.

He tensed. "I hope so."

Teddy cleared his throat. "She already left, but maybe you should call her and tell her to turn around. The roads out here will be worse than in town."

"I'll do that." Wes stood and left the room.

"When are those two going to make a move already?" Fiona asked.

"Wes and Sutton?" I asked to clarify, and when she nodded, I said, "Never. Wes values their friendship too much." He was protective of her and their friendship.

They'd become friends in school, and whatever she confided in him brought out every protective instinct he had. I was sure it had something to do with her family. There always seemed to be some drama there.

Wes never let us talk smack about her, nor were we allowed to make a move. He always emphasized that we were her second family, so we should treat her like a cousin.

"That's sweet," Claire said.

"If you think him punching us if we say anything about Sutton sweet—" Teddy began.

"You all are too much." But Claire said it with a smile.

I nudged her shoulder. "You know you love us."

"I'm having a great time. Thank you for inviting us." Then she sobered. "We would have been eating our meal in front of the TV."

"Watching football, I hope?" I asked.

Claire shook her head, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Probably not."

"You have to watch football on Thanksgiving. It's a tradition."

"My parents weren't into sports; therefore, I wasn't either. I can't imagine how Owen would survive with parents like that."

I nudged her shoulder. "Good thing he has one that wants to give him that."

She smiled. "I do my best."

"You're a great mom."

Her cheeks flushed. "Thank you."

Wes returned to the room, and most of us had finished eating and were sitting back in our chairs. "Sutton said the roads' bad, but it's too late to turn back now."

"You think she's okay to drive?" I asked him, my firefighter instincts kicking in. On a night like tonight, the fire department would be getting a ton of calls for cars that had slid off the road. I didn't want to think about what Wes would do if that happened to Sutton.

"She said she's close. But it sounded like she's having a hard time keeping the car on the road," Wes said, his jaw tight.

"You want us to go get her?"

Wes nodded.

I stood, letting my napkin fall to the floor. "We'll take my truck. I've got some equipment in the back if we need it."

"I appreciate it," Wes said.

"Will you be okay?" I asked Claire.

Claire nodded. "Go get Sutton. We're all worried about her."

Not thinking about the consequences, I dropped a kiss on her forehead. I was surrounded by family who'd surely have something to say about it.

I squeezed Owen's shoulder. "Behave. I'll be right back."

Even Owen looked concerned, but I was already in work mode, my mind running through the possible scenarios: Sutton's car in a ditch or crushed against a tree.

I could see that's where Wes's mind had gone too.

In the cab of the truck, I reassured him. "Don't worry. She'll be okay."

"How do you know that?" he asked, pulling on his seatbelt.

"Because she has to be." Wes needed Sutton in his life. "She knows how to drive in snow. You made sure of that," I said trying to soothe him.

Wes gestured at the windshield where ice had already formed. "This is ice. Not snow. You of all people know how dangerous it is."

"We're not going to think about that. Let's get to your girl and bring her home."

That seemed to ease Wes's mind. "Thanks for coming with me."

"You would have gone with or without me," I said with no question in my tone.

Wes sighed. "I can't believe she drove in this."

"Sutton hates family gatherings. She always comes to you," I said, hoping something I said took his mind off the worst-case scenarios.

"Sutton said her grandmother was going to make an announcement. She was worried about it."

"Isn't her family always making some big announcement, and it turns out to be nothing?"

"Sutton thought this time was different. Her grandmother's sick. She made some mention of the will."

I gripped the steering wheel more tightly. "Her grandmother loves to talk about dying and her will."

"To Sutton, it feels like a threat. She's the only one in the family who loves the estate and the legacy. Everyone else just wants the money."

"You think her grandmother is going to give the estate to charity? Just to screw her family?"

"Sutton's worried, and whatever happened, she knows about it now. She could be upset."

I got his unspoken message. Sutton was upset and driving in freezing rain. She might not be as cautious as she would otherwise be. "We'll get her and bring her home."

Wes shot me a grateful look. "I wish I could convince her to leave her family and do something else. Forget about them and their drama."

"They're her family. It's hard to disregard them."

"I get that."

We fell silent for a while as I moved from the farm's lane to the main road. Sutton was right; they were slick. I kept my attention on the tires until we saw a car off the road just ahead.

Wes leaned forward when he saw the red convertible. "That's her. It's Sutton."

"Okay. Okay. Let me turn around." I slowly made a U-turn, pulled past her car, and manuvered to the side of the road.

Before I'd come to a stop, Wes had ripped open his door and was running to Sutton's driver's side door.

He was a state police officer but worked for the Department of Natural Resources. He didn't deal with car accidents.

I grabbed my bag and raced to Wes's side. "How is she?"

I pushed him out of the way, logging the bruise on her head with a small cut that was bleeding. Most likely, she'd hit her head when the car slid off the road. She must not have been going fast enough for the air bag to deploy.

"Can we move her? Can we get her out of here?" Wes asked.

"Should be able to. How's your head, Sutton?" I kept my words concise yet firm.

"It hurts." Her hand drifted to her forehead.

"Anything else get hurt when you slid off the road?"

Her hand drifted lower. "My knee."

"Okay. I'm going to open your door and take a look at you. If everything's good, I'll carry you to my truck. Then we'll take you home and treat you there."

Her forehead wrinkled. "What about my car?"

"We'll call a tow for it. It will be fine." There weren't any other cars on the road tonight.

Wes hovered nearby, the stress coming off him in waves. I had to be calm so that we didn't upset Sutton.

I did a scan of her body, touching and probing for additional injuries. When I didn't see any, I said, "I'm going to unbuckle your seatbelt and carry you to my truck."

At Sutton's nod, I released the buckle, but then Wes pushed me out of the way. "I've got her."

"Be careful. We don't know what other injuries she could have."

Wes grunted as he carefully lifted her, one hand under her knees and the other around her back. Sutton rested her head on his chest.

Wes's expression was tender as he carried her carefully to the passenger side. I scanned her car for her purse and phone, grabbing both before searching for her keys. When I located them, I closed her door, pressed the button to lock it, and called for Harbor Garage's tow truck and left a message, knowing they wouldn't come out until the roads were cleared.

Wes sat in the back with Sutton's head on his lap. He brushed her hair off her forehead.

I threw my bag on the floor of the passenger seat. "Can you handle the wound?"

"I got it."

Knowing he had basic first aid knowledge, I pulled out onto the road slowly, determined to get us back to the house in one piece.

"Claire shouldn't drive home tonight," Wes said quietly, probably not wanting to disturb Sutton if she was resting.

My knuckles were white as they pressed around the wheel. I couldn't handle her and Owen out in this.

"They can stay in the main house."

"We'll figure it out." The main house had five bedrooms so there was enough room. But I wanted Claire close to me.