year.
About his impact on the boys whose older brothers had gone overseas.
About his prior service in the Marines.
About his wife.
At last his name was pronounced.
Then Jenna’s.
As one, the football team looked up at her and cheered. Spectators joined in and began to stand until it all became an earsplitting ovation.
Amber motioned for her to stand.
She couldn’t. She didn’t deserve recognition just because she was married to Kevin. All she did was cry, curse the USMC, complain about his absence, and count the days until he would come home. Last fall, when he reenlisted, she had even separated from him for a while and could not imagine how she’d ever remain married to such a man. He looked heroic to some. To her, though, his actions felt like abandonment.
Cade still sat beside her. He slanted toward her. “You can do this.”
His face blurred before her. She shook her head.
“The kids need you to.” In the shadows he took her hand and helped her to her feet.
The crowd went wild. Jenna bawled.
And Cade Edmunds squeezed her hand.
Eleven
D aniel Beaumont, what is wrong with you?” Claire practically hissed in frustration at her son.
She was keeping her voice lower than low because—as she was quickly learning—guests at the hacienda meant absolutely no privacy for the hosts. None. Not one square inch of it in over three hundred acres.
One woman had chatted with Skylar the whole time the girl baked cookies for tonight’s bedtime snack. One couple followed Lexi around as she watered new plants, advising her on the best way to care for the landscape. Another woman had even wandered into Claire and Max’s bedroom and caught Max mid-shirt change.
And the weekend was only six hours old!
Claire vowed to order several Employees Only signs. The ones she had vowed not to order. The ones she had vowed not to post would be going up ASAP.
“Mom, I’ll carry that.” Danny took the empty lasagna pan from her.
They were in the sala, at the buffet near the dining table, cleaning up after dinner. For the moment, no guest was in sight.
She put a hand on his arm. “Don’t change the subject.”
“Nothing’s wrong with—”
“You’re bugging Skylar and you’re bugging me. Why are you here tonight anyway?”
“I told you,” he whispered back, his brows nearly touching above his nose.
That was true. His roommate Hawk had driven up to see Tuyen. It had become evident the two were enamored with each other. Danny said he simply thought he’d tag along and help out.
Claire said, “I’m not buying it. You came to meddle.”
“And how exactly do you figure that?”
She pressed her lips together and willed herself to slow down. Danny had challenged her since day one, yelling at the top of his newborn lungs, demanding attention a full five minutes before any of them realized his twin sister waited in the wings.
Unlike with her other three children, solid parent-child lines of demarcation did not exist with Danny. Through the years their relationship had often resembled either argumentative siblings or one of total role reversal. Even as a teenager Danny could play the wise father and chasten Claire. Despite his sometimes legalistic opinions that had grown more exasperating in recent years, his connection with God began long before she understood for herself what it was to relate to the Lord.
And she thought she was growing into the matriarchal role of the Beaumont family, sliding on into Indio’s shoes! Mm-hmm, right. In her dreams.
She fixed a stare on Danny now. He was still a cute kid with curly hair and eyes less the color of Max’s and more that of her brother’s. Her favorite brother, the one who had moved to Alaska to get his head on straight. That was over thirty years ago. He was still there. Oh, how she prayed Danny wouldn’t turn out like her brother.
Danny didn’t flinch, but stared right back. “Hmm? How?”
“By quizzing my cook. She is part of this household, and you
About his impact on the boys whose older brothers had gone overseas.
About his prior service in the Marines.
About his wife.
At last his name was pronounced.
Then Jenna’s.
As one, the football team looked up at her and cheered. Spectators joined in and began to stand until it all became an earsplitting ovation.
Amber motioned for her to stand.
She couldn’t. She didn’t deserve recognition just because she was married to Kevin. All she did was cry, curse the USMC, complain about his absence, and count the days until he would come home. Last fall, when he reenlisted, she had even separated from him for a while and could not imagine how she’d ever remain married to such a man. He looked heroic to some. To her, though, his actions felt like abandonment.
Cade still sat beside her. He slanted toward her. “You can do this.”
His face blurred before her. She shook her head.
“The kids need you to.” In the shadows he took her hand and helped her to her feet.
The crowd went wild. Jenna bawled.
And Cade Edmunds squeezed her hand.
Eleven
D aniel Beaumont, what is wrong with you?” Claire practically hissed in frustration at her son.
She was keeping her voice lower than low because—as she was quickly learning—guests at the hacienda meant absolutely no privacy for the hosts. None. Not one square inch of it in over three hundred acres.
One woman had chatted with Skylar the whole time the girl baked cookies for tonight’s bedtime snack. One couple followed Lexi around as she watered new plants, advising her on the best way to care for the landscape. Another woman had even wandered into Claire and Max’s bedroom and caught Max mid-shirt change.
And the weekend was only six hours old!
Claire vowed to order several Employees Only signs. The ones she had vowed not to order. The ones she had vowed not to post would be going up ASAP.
“Mom, I’ll carry that.” Danny took the empty lasagna pan from her.
They were in the sala, at the buffet near the dining table, cleaning up after dinner. For the moment, no guest was in sight.
She put a hand on his arm. “Don’t change the subject.”
“Nothing’s wrong with—”
“You’re bugging Skylar and you’re bugging me. Why are you here tonight anyway?”
“I told you,” he whispered back, his brows nearly touching above his nose.
That was true. His roommate Hawk had driven up to see Tuyen. It had become evident the two were enamored with each other. Danny said he simply thought he’d tag along and help out.
Claire said, “I’m not buying it. You came to meddle.”
“And how exactly do you figure that?”
She pressed her lips together and willed herself to slow down. Danny had challenged her since day one, yelling at the top of his newborn lungs, demanding attention a full five minutes before any of them realized his twin sister waited in the wings.
Unlike with her other three children, solid parent-child lines of demarcation did not exist with Danny. Through the years their relationship had often resembled either argumentative siblings or one of total role reversal. Even as a teenager Danny could play the wise father and chasten Claire. Despite his sometimes legalistic opinions that had grown more exasperating in recent years, his connection with God began long before she understood for herself what it was to relate to the Lord.
And she thought she was growing into the matriarchal role of the Beaumont family, sliding on into Indio’s shoes! Mm-hmm, right. In her dreams.
She fixed a stare on Danny now. He was still a cute kid with curly hair and eyes less the color of Max’s and more that of her brother’s. Her favorite brother, the one who had moved to Alaska to get his head on straight. That was over thirty years ago. He was still there. Oh, how she prayed Danny wouldn’t turn out like her brother.
Danny didn’t flinch, but stared right back. “Hmm? How?”
“By quizzing my cook. She is part of this household, and you
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